Abstract: A bottle conveyor to maintain positive control over the orientation of bottles includes guides above and below a collar around the neck of the bottles on either side of the neck. The guides may be endless belts and/or fixed guides. Endless belts may also advance the bottles and may be driven at the same or different speeds to prevent or induce rotation in the bottles as desired. The distance between guides may be adjusted to adapt the conveying system to bottles having various collar thicknesses and neck diameters and to regulate the amount of allowable swing.

Abstract: An inverter for flipping articles traveling on a conveyor system is provided. The inverter includes a flipping member which has a plurality of substantially parallel lanes defined by side walls. The flipping member is attached to a frame member such that the flipping member is rotatable with respect to the frame member about an axis substantially perpendicular to the lanes. A pair of belts circulates around a pair of belt paths on each of the side walls defining the lanes, each of the belt paths being defined by a plurality of rollers mounted on one of the side walls. Each pair of belts defines an article conveying channel for securing therebetween one of the side edges of the article being conveyed.

Abstract: An air conveyor includes guides for stabilizing articles during conveyance and a plenum with apertures for providing pressurized air. In the preferred embodiment, the air conveyor also includes opposed spacers defining passages having a closed end and an open end. The passages are in fluid communication with the apertures of the plenum for directing streams of pressurized air through the open ends at the articles in a downstream direction to propel the articles. In another embodiment, channels defined in support structure for the guides form part of passageways for directing streams of pressurized air at an inclined and downstream angle to propel the articles. The guides are removable to allow the conveyor to be adapted to different sized and shaped articles. The air conveyor may also include an additional plenum and additional opposed spacers associated with the plenum for propelling the articles downstream.

Abstract: An air conveyor which includes guides for stabilizing articles during conveyance and a plenum with apertures for providing pressurized air is provided. In the preferred embodiment, the air conveyor also includes opposed spacers defining passages having a closed end and an open end. The passages are in fluid communication with the apertures of the plenum for directing streams of pressurized air through the open ends at the articles in a downstream direction to propel the articles. In another embodiment, channels defined in support structure for the guides form part of passageways for directing streams of pressurized air at an inclined and downstream angle to propel the articles. The guides are removable to allow the conveyor to be adapted to different sized and shaped articles. The air conveyor may also include an additional plenum and additional opposed spacers associated with the plenum for propelling the articles downstream.

Abstract: A neck guide air conveyor having passageways formed above the support structure for the neck guides to direct pressurized air over the collars of articles to propel the articles. The passageways are connected to a source of pressurized air and direct the pressurized air at an inclined and downstream angle over the collars of the articles from a point above the support structure for the neck guides. The passageways may be partially formed of a plurality of channels integrally molded in the support structure for the neck guides. The passageways may also be partially formed by a spacer having a plurality of slots open toward the articles where the spacer is placed above and adjacent the support structure for the neck guides.

Abstract: A vacuum combiner is provided comprising a vacuum chamber with a wear surface forming one side thereof, a plurality of air pervious conveying surfaces, a guide rail extending across the conveying surfaces toward a single file lane, and a vacuum suction region in the wear surface on an upstream side of the guide rail. The vacuum suction region extends approximately an article width upstream of the guide to prevent article tipping without impeding article movement between the conveying surfaces toward the single file lane.

Abstract: A deck plate support structure for an air conveyor includes two major structural members; namely, an upper support member and a lower support member. The upper and lower support members are positioned below the deck plate of the air conveyor and are secured to the underside thereof. The lower support members are connected to flanges or other connecting structure of the plenum assembly. The upper support members are channel-shaped structures which attach to corresponding lower support members. A plurality of fasteners attached to the underside of the deck plate pass through slots in the upper support members and holes in the lower support members enabling the entire deck plate support structure to be attached to the underside of the deck plate. The lower support members include a plurality of openings to allow free passage of pressurized air within the plenum assembly to flow unimpeded through louvers positioned thereover.

Abstract: A tipping device includes a plurality of upper rod sections which curve to cause the tipping of the container from the vertical to the horizontal, and a single lower straight rod which does not bend or otherwise follow any curved path with respect to the tipping angle of the container. A plurality of spaced vertical plates are arranged along the length of the device to provide structural support to the rod sections. The vertical plates have an interior section that is cut out to conform to the shape of the cylindrical container passing therethrough. The vertical plates are mounted upon a deck that extends the length of the device. A container enters the device at the upstream end of the device by a conveyer. At the downstream end of the device is another conveyor for discharge of the containers. A plurality of blower jets are positioned along the length of the device which cause air to strike against the containers to provide a downstream force to move them through the tipping device to the downstream end.

Abstract: The conveyor system of the present invention comprises a first conveyor having an extending edge with a tapered profile, and a second, discontinuously-aligned conveyor, the conveying surface of which is directed below, but in close proximity to, the tapered profile of the first conveyor edge for the direct transfer of articles therebetween.

Abstract: A conveyor is provided for combining articles from a mass to a single file lane. The conveyor comprises a moving guide belt disposed over multiple, parallel conveying surfaces traveling at progressively increasing speeds toward the single file lane. The angle, speed, or both of the guide is selected to minimize article rotation.

Abstract: A damperless, controlled speed, coverless, isometric air conveyor and method for conveying lightweight containers en masse or individually at a controlled speed includes a first set of louvers extending through a conveyor surface from a common plenum at an incline to a conveying surface so that the air passing through the louvers has a downstream force vector of a first magnitude. A second set of louvers extend through the conveyor surface from the common plenum at an incline to the conveyor surface so that the air passing through the louvers has an upstream force vector of a second magnitude which is less than the first magnitude thereby creating a vector force differential in the downstream direction at any given location under the bottom of each container to cause movement of the containers in the downstream direction.

Abstract: A laning conveyor is provided which may be used as an infeed for a packer. The laning conveyor comprises a central lane guide and a movable lane guide unit including at least two lane guides connected thereto spaced apart a first lane width. The unit is mounted adjacent the central lane guide to form a lane therebetween having the first lane width. The unit is movable to provide the lane with a second lane width. A method of laning articles is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus enable horizontally transporting a succession of objects, such as glass bottles, without bottom support and yet maintaining precise, consistent centerline location. A pair of continuous transport belts are supported, preferably by a pair of complimentary interlocking belts, to maintain a substantially constant distance between the facing object-supporting surfaces. Preferably, the interlocking belts are made of alternating teeth and grooves transverse to the horizontal transfer path. The belts are rendered substantially inextensible transverse to the direction of the path.

Abstract: A damperless, controlled speed, coverless, isometric air conveyor and method for controlling articles en masse or individually at a controlled speed is provided. A first set of louvers extend through the conveyor surface to a common plenum at an incline to the conveying surface so that the air passing through the louvers has downstream force vector of a first magnitude. A second set of louvers extend through the conveyor surface to a common plenum at an incline to the conveyor surface so that the air passing through the louvers has an upstream force vector of a second magnitude which is less than the first magnitude thereby creating a vector force differential in the downstream direction to cause movement of the articles in the downstream direction.

Abstract: A controlled speed single file conveyor conveys upright cylindrical articles in single file along a deck plate-from an upstream location to a downstream location. A plurality of rows of louvers extend through the deck plate which are generally parallel to one of the side edges. The louvers are at a very shallow angle and some of them are angled so that air discharged therethrough has a force vector component toward the inboard side edge and a force vector in the downstream direction. A vertical wall, above the deck plate and parallel to an inboard edge, is vertically adjustable above the upper surface of the deck plate to control the exhausting of air. The shallow angle of the louvers causes a portion of the air to flow along the deck and under the articles at sufficient speed to the articles toward the deck to hold them in upright position. A second portion of the air travels above the deck to create a mass air flow to move the articles along the deck in a downstream direction.

Abstract: An air conveyor is provided with a plenum chamber with a perforated deck plate, side walls, and a holddown with holes of an area density sufficiently low to pressurize an enclosed article transport zone. The side walls include brackets for mounting doors openable to remove damaged articles. The deck plate is mounted to support bars by countersunk rivets.

Abstract: A controlled speed single file conveyor selectively conveys a first set of upright cylindrical articles having a smaller diameter and a second set of upright cylindrical articles having a larger diameter in single file along a deck plate, having inboard and outboard edges, from an upstream location to a downstream location. A first set of a plurality of longitudinal, parallel rows of smaller inboard louvers and a second set of a plurality of longitudinal, parallel rows of larger outboard louvers extend through the deck plate at a shallow angle and are angled so that the air discharged therefrom has a force vector component toward the inboard side edge and a force vector component in the downstream direction.

Abstract: An apparatus for palletizing/unitizing easily compressible articles comprises a station conveyor having a diverter for selectively positioning the articles longitudinally along a path defined by the rollers of the station conveyor, a turner for selectively orienting the articles transverse to the path, a layer accumulation stop for blocking the travel of individual articles while the articles are combined into a single layer, a flusher for tightening up the articles in a layer, a hand assembly for picking up entire layers of articles while subsequent layers are positioned below the hand assembly and for transporting multiple layers to the turntable of a palletizer, a platen assembly for maintaining the integrity of the stacked articles while they are on the turntable, and a lift for raising the stack during wrapping so that the articles can be underwrapped.

Abstract: An air conveyor is provided with a plenum chamber with a perforated deck plate, side walls, and a holddown with holes of an area density sufficiently low to pressurize an enclosed article transport zone. On curved portions of the air conveyor the holddown holes have an area density gradient which increases from an outer toward an inner side of the curve. In another aspect, the invention provides methods for accumulating articles without undue damage and for moving articles away from the outer side of the curve.

Abstract: A pallet conveyor is provided comprising a pallet having a tab movable between a retracted position and an extended position, a conveying surface for receiving the pallet to transport it along a conveyor path to a workstation, and an actuator along portions of the conveyor path for moving the tab to the extended position to connect the pallet to the conveying surface for transport along the portions while permitting accumulation of the pallet at workstations with the tab in the retracted position. In another aspect the invention comprises a method of conveying pallets.