Abstract: An improved snubber assembly for interconnecting a driving conveyor assembly to a driven conveyor assembly. The snubber assembly includes a shield tube adapted to be attached to the driven conveyor assembly, a cylinder structure, a piston, and a piston rod. The cylinder structure includes a hollow inboard end portion defining a cylinder bore and slidably received in the bore of the shield tube and a solid outboard end portion closing the outboard end of the cylinder bore and positioned outside of the tube bore for attachment to the driving conveyor assembly. The piston is slidably mounted in the cylinder bore and a clevis is secured to the outboard end of the piston rod and fixedly mounted within the bore of the shield tube by a pin passing through the walls of the tube and through the clevis.

Abstract: A transparent display article dispenser, includes spaced front and rear walls and spaced side walls integral with the front and rear walls to define a vertical chute having open upper and lower ends. The front wall includes a first horizontal retainer flange projecting into the interior of the passageway at a lower end of the chute. The rear wall includes a second horizontal retainer flange projecting towards the first retainer flange and being spaced below the first retainer flange a distance in excess of the height of the article being dispensed. An opening is formed within the front wall below the first retainer flange for removal of an article resting on the second retainer flange. An elongated removable see-through tubular cartridge sized smaller in cross-section than the chute passageway and being configured to that passageway has a lower end inserted within the chute passageway and stores articles to be dispensed in a serial, abutting fashion.

Abstract: A chain conveyor is described having a pair of loops of triple strand chains, frictionally driving pallets supported on upper advance runs, the pallets linked together in subgroups to be able to support long length workpieces. The pallets are driven around the chain loop sprockets at either end of the conveyor, the linked connection allowing relative tilting of the pallets in the subgroup as each subgroup is driven around the sprocket axes. The pallets are held as they are swung around either sprocket axis by a split disc gripper mechanisms which each grip a tapered edge gripper bar mounted spaced below the pallet. A pair of ride bars are also mounted below the pallet, each having a rounded shoulder at either end engaging a chain loop across the inside curvature of the chain loop when passing around the sprockets. The rounded shoulders nonpositively engage the chain link rollers so that the pallets are not positively fixed to the chain loops when swung around the sprocket axis at either end.

Abstract: An elevator landing, which is used with a curvilinear hoistway door has a lintel, a guide attached to the lintel, the guide having a curvilinear slot having an inner edge and an outer edge for guiding an upper portion of the curvilinear door and, a curvilinear sill having a curvilinear second slot having an inner edge and an outer edge for guiding a lower edge portion of the doors. The first slot and the second slot are in register with each other. The sill slot extends vertically through the sill.

Abstract: A roller of variable outer diameter type has a holding member having a plurality of through holes radially along a side surface and provided with a hollow portion communicating with these through holes; a sealing member having diaphragms arranged so as to correspond to the respective through holes; and sliders respectively fitted slidably in the through holes and forming an outer peripheral surface of the roller, the sealing member causing the sliders to urge and displace the sliders via the diaphragms by a fluid supplied thereinto in such a direction that the outer diameter of the roller is enlarged. This roller of variable outer diameter type is mounted on a rotary shaft portion in an apparatus for transferring articles such as a transporting conveyer or the like.

Abstract: A suspension conveyor system (1) comprising a conveyor device (3) rolling along a track rail (2) with straight track sections, curves and/or switches. The conveyor device includes a bearing member (11), which is provided with a support member (17) for the articles to be conveyed, and at least two casters (12a, 12b) arranged on the bearing member (11) symmetrically with respect to each other with regard to a plane of symmetry (13). The track rail (2) has at least one running track (7) along which one of the casters (12a, 12b) rolls.

Abstract: A transport chain for transporting articles along a guideway includes a plurality of interconnected chain parts. The chain parts are provided with a roll body that allows the transport chain to roll along the guideway. The roll body projects through the underside of the respective chain part to rest upon the guideway. The transport chain can also be provided with accumulating rollers that allow the transport chain to continue moving below the transported articles if the articles should reach a temporary standstill.

Abstract: An unscrambling conveyor includes two side-by-side sets of rollers arranged in a herringbone pattern on either side of a central axis. The rollers of the two sets are positioned at different angles with respect to the axis and the drive speeds for the rollers are chosen to provide equal and opposite forces in the lateral direction and unequal but similarly directed forces in the axial direction. The sets of rollers are divided into zones having progressively increasing roller speeds in the downstream direction with the zones staggered with respect to one another on either side of the central axis. The lateral and axial forces drive articles on the conveyor toward and away from the center axis depending on the roller speeds in the staggered zones and in the downstream direction while imparting a twist to the articles. The successive zones of increasing speed stretch a randomly arranged mass of articles into a single file line.

Abstract: A curved belt conveyor, to be used mostly above ground and operating with any desired length, can be operated advantageously without belt band rollers so that no tumbling action can take effect upon the belt band. This makes for long service life, as well as quieter, more uniform and safer operation. Drive is accomplished either via a linear motor drive system acting laterally upon the belt band, said system consisting of magnets arranged on the running wheel carriers and the stators that are firmly integrated into the guide ducts, or where, in the guide ducts, for example, a traction chain runs that is connected correspondingly with the running wheel carriers. The side edges of the belt band are grasped via the running wheel carriers and are so connected with them that one can achieve a swing-motion connection.

Abstract: A system and method for sorting items (16) computes the geometric center ("centroid") (156) of any item containing a defect (26) or multiple defects, and directs an ejection air blast at the centroid of the defective item rather than at the location of the defect. Video data from a scanning camera (24) are transmitted to an "item processor" (32A') and a "defect processor" (32). The item processor builds in memory (108) an image of every acceptable or defective item while the defect processor builds a "defect list" (170) of defect coordinate locations detected only on defective items. The defect processor transmits the defect list to the item processor where the defect list is compared with the stored image of the item. For each item containing at least one defect, the item processor computes a defective item centroid that is added to a defective items list (174) for use by a defect removal process that actuates air blasts directed toward the centers of defective items.

Abstract: A profiled guide rail, for use in providing a guide path for a roller chain in a web-fed rotary printing press, utilizes a plurality of slits as paths through which ink particles and paper dust can pass out of the track in the guide rail along which the roller chain travels. These slits pass through at least one leg of the guide rail and are longitudinally spaced in the direction of travel of the roller chain.

Abstract: A descent device includes a load carrier, a winder unit with a coil of cable for suspending the load carrier in mid-air so as to raise or lower the load carrier, and a retarding unit for impeding downward movement of the load carrier so that the load carrier can move downward at a lower speed to ensure safety of the occupants.

Abstract: Buffer storage of printed products conveyed in scale formation on a conveyor belt (10) is brought about by buffer device (12.1, 12.2, 12.3 etc.), running in a conveying section with a speed which is lower than the speed of the conveyor belt (10) and having a fixed reciprocal spacing and are switched by the printed products to be buffer stored into a state in which they decelerate the printed products and set same to the spacing of the buffer devices. The number of buffer devices on the conveying section is constant and the number of active buffer devices is a function of the number of printed products located on the conveying section provided for buffer storage. The buffer devices can be brake claws, which are arranged centrally between two parallel conveyor belts on a drag chain in such a way that in a lowered, inactive state they are lowered below the conveying surface of the belts, but in their non-lowered, active state project at least partly above the conveying plane.

Abstract: A sorter for orienting integrated circuit devices comprises first, second, and third sections. The first section receives the devices and sorts them into those with a leads down orientation and those with a leads up orientation. The first section comprises two opposing faces, each having a pair of lead channels. The first face lead channels receive leads of devices having a leads down orientation, and the second face lead channels receive leads of devices having a leads up orientation. The second section comprises a first channel for receiving devices from the first section having a leads down orientation, and a second channel for receiving devices from the first section having a leads up orientation. The second section further comprises an inverter integral to the second channel for inverting devices passing therethrough to a leads down orientation.

Abstract: A transport mechanism for machines that process bottles or similar containers. To exchange the formatting elements, a gripping mechanism having at least one gripper head is provided. The gripping mechanism can be disposed on a machine frame or bedplate and is controlled by a control mechanism for a mechanical replacement of at least one formatting element that is held on a functional part and is made available on an apparatus for the supply and deposition of one or more formatting elements.

Abstract: A method allows to automatically adjust a drawer conveyor in accordance with the size of articles to be transported, the conveyor running along a closed loop path and including transporting drawers comprising a pair of walls which define the dimension of the drawers. The method includes releasing one of the walls in a first section of the conveyor path, moving the released wall in a second section of the conveyor path, until it is positioned at a pre-set distance from the other one, and locking again the previously released wall in a third section of the conveyor path. The conveyor includes an operating station designed to carry out subsequently on each drawer the operations described above.

Abstract: In a mail sorting system, a transport/stacker module comprises a plurality of mailpiece carriers included in a conveyor moving in an endless serpentine path through a plurality of distributed sorting sites. Each carrier is provided with a door at each of the longitudinally carrier ends, which are opened to permit the raking of mailpieces from laterally arranged compartments of the carrier into underlying bins at the sorting sites by selectively actuating separate rakes of a rake mechanism stationed at each sorting site. The carrier doors are constructed to provide longitudinal extensions of the carrier floor, thereby minimizing the spacing between the carriers in the conveyor while preserving a requisite interior longitudinal dimension of the carrier when the doors are closed.

Abstract: A drive frame assembly includes opposite transverse drive frame members (64), each of which includes a metal plate (66) with a central portion having a plurality of longitudinal corrugations (68). The central portion is stiffened by transverse beams (78, 80). A plurality of piston-cylinder drive units each have opposite ball ends (24, 26) which are secured to end portions of the corrugations by means of ball blocks (50, 52). Opposite side portions of the metal plate (66) are free to bend relative to the central portion to accommodate variations in vertical spacing of the drive units relative to portions of the main frame of a structure in which the conveyor is mounted.

Abstract: An apparatus for aligning the ends of lumber pieces on a common register during conveyance of the lumber pieces. A lug type chain conveyor has wheel sets positioned between adjacent chains. The wheel sets have multiple freely rotating idler wheels positioned at an angle to the direction of conveyance of the conveyor. The periphery of the wheels extend above the chains a nominal distance. The lumber pieces, as they are being conveyed on the conveyor, engage the idler wheels of the wheel sets causing the idler wheels to rotate. The rotation of the idler wheels urge the lumber piece to move transverse to the travel direction of the conveyor to position the end of the lumber pieces in abutment with a register at the side of the conveyor.

Abstract: A micro-environment load lock for coupling a SMIF-type box containing a stack of semiconductor wafers directly to a wafer processing chamber includes a load lock chamber in communication with at least one wafer processing tool. The load lock also includes a seal operable to accept and sealably couple a SMIF-type box to the load lock chamber such that SMIF-type box becomes an extension of the load lock chamber, and provides a base that is selectably operable to open and close the SMIF-type box and to selectably draw a cassette of wafers from the SMIF-type box through a port in communication with the load lock chamber and into the load lock chamber. The base is also operable to seal the port in the absence of a SMIF-type box. A single robot is provided in conjunction with the load lock chamber for moving one wafer at a time between the cassette of wafers and the process chamber.