Abstract: This disclosure is directed to a conveying system for transporting documents from the delivery end of one conveyor section to the spaced apart entry end of a receiving conveyor section in a manner wherein the document is stiffened by imparting undulating or corrugated folds therein as it is conveyed so as to facilitate the transfer of the document from one conveyor to the next and thereby permitting at least one or both sides of the document to be checked or read as it is being conveyed from one station to the next at the point of transfer.

Abstract: The article being wrapped has a sheet of wrapping material draped over it so that it hangs down on each lateral side thereof. Initially the article travels on a conveyor which supports it along a central region. Thereafter the article is transferred to two supports which form part of two endless series and which travel with the conveyor. The supports are displaced laterally towards the conveyor while travelling with it until they are located beneath the edge regions of the article. The relative levels of the conveyor and supports are then changed so that the article is transferred to the supports. The supports and/or mechanical ploughs and/or air blasts overlap the hanging portions of the wrapping material along said central region. Thereafter the article is transferred to a further conveyor which engages the central region and holds the overlapping portions in place.

Abstract: An article handling system for trucks or tractor-drawn trailers which will deliver an article, such as a palletized load, to the rear opening of the truck from a designated position thereon without having to remove other containers from the truck.

Abstract: The specification discloses an apparatus for separating and counting cloth piece items such as shop towels, diapers, napkins, massage towels, etc. The apparatus comprises a mechanical separator including steeply inclined conveyor means having a plurality of lanes of pegs for separating the piece items from a batch or load into a plurality of different lanes or channels; a sensor or detector for each lane for sensing individual piece items in the lanes; and a counter for counting the total number of piece items sensed by all of the sensors.In the preferred embodiment, the separator comprises a forward and rearward steeply inclined conveyor, each including endless belt means having a plurality of lanes of spaced pegs driven upward and an oppositely driven finned roller located above each conveyor. The sensors are located at the crest of the rearward conveyor for detecting individual piece items in each of its lanes.

Abstract: A method of feeding material to a belt to preclude the belt from lifting off its support in vertical concave curves, both when the belt motor is driving the belt and when the belt motor is acting as a brake, is disclosed. When the belt motor is driving the belt, the material is initially fed at a reduced rate to deposit a reduced layer of material on the belt until the leading edge of the reduced layer has entered the most downstream vertical curve of the belt, at which time the rate of feed is increased. The feed rate is increased, in two or more increments, until a full load is carried by the belt. When the belt motor is acting as a brake, the feed rate is initially reduced partially, to deposit a reduced layer of material on the belt, which will remain in the most upstream vertical concave curve until the trailing edge of the full load has been discharged from the belt. Thereafter, the rate of deposit of material on the belt is diminished further, to a lower value or to zero.