Abstract: A vending machine system for loading and dispensing pre-baked unpackaged food including a fixed cartridge disposed in a refrigerator of a vending machine, and a transport cartridge adapted to removably attach to the fixed cartridge, the transport cartridge operable for holding trays of unpackaged food and loading the trays of unpackaged food from the transport cartridge into the fixed cartridge, wherein, when the transport cartridge is removably attached to the fixed cartridge, a front opening of the transport cartridge aligns with a front opening of the fixed cartridge, and wherein the rack of the transport cartridge aligns with the conveyor system of the fixed cartridge such that trays of unpackaged food within the transport cartridge can simultaneously be transitioned from the rack to the conveyor system.

Abstract: A carrier belt for loading materials includes a carrier body, a protective film on a mounting surface of the carrier body, and at least one dividing strip sandwiched between the protective film and the carrier body, thereby spacing protective film from the carrier body to form a gap. The mounting surface comprises a plurality of loading areas to carry the materials and at least one non-loading area. The at least one dividing strip is arranged on the on the non-loading area, a height of the gap is greater than a thickness of each of the materials. A carrier roll is also provided.

Abstract: A rotary milking platform 1 has a deck 2, a circular upper beam 4 connected to and supporting the deck, a circular lower beam 6 and a series of carriages 5 connected end to end to form a ring between the beams. The platform is formed such that the upper beam 4 is arranged to rest and rotate on the ring of carriages 5 to rotate the deck 2. Each carriage has at least one carriage roller 10, and each roller 10 arranged to rotate on the lower beam 4. Each roller 10 also has a retention flange 11 at only one side. The flanges 11 of some of the rollers 10 are at or adjacent an inner side of the ring, and the flanges 11 of others of the rollers are at or adjacent an outer side of the ring. The rollers 10 of the ring are arranged such that at least one roller is oriented with its flange 11 on an opposite side to another of the flanged rollers immediately adjacent to it. The flanges prevent the carriages from moving off the lower beam 4 when the platform 1 is in use.

Abstract: The disclosure describes systems and methods for separating a plurality of molecular entities with differing densities. The system includes: a pair of magnetic poles of like polarity to provide a magnetic field; and a container holding the plurality of molecular entities in a fluid medium comprising nanoparticles that substantially change a magnetic susceptibility of the fluid medium such that, when the container is placed inside the magnetic field, sufficient gradients in an effective density of the fluid medium are generated inside the container to levitate the plurality of molecular entities to respective layers within the container, each respective layer corresponding to a respective density.

Abstract: A sprocket and chain assembly for bicycles is revealed. The sprocket and chain assembly for bicycles includes a bicycle sprocket and a bicycle chain. A contact part of the bicycle sprocket and a contact part of the bicycle chain in contact with each other are made of a multi-layer clad metal which is composed of a first metal and a second metal. The first metal has higher hardness and density than the second metal. A surface material for the contact parts of the bicycle sprocket and the bicycle chain is the first metal for providing sufficient wear resistance and ensuring service life of both the bicycle sprocket and the bicycle chain. Moreover, the lightweight design of the bicycle sprocket and the bicycle chain is achieved and sufficient structural strength is provided by the contact parts made of the multi-layer clad metal.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to an improvement to vending machines and particularly gumball machines, and is equally applicable to vending machines of like design. A system and method are disclosed to convert a conventional gumball vending machine to a solar light fixture using an inner rod nut. A system and method are disclosed to convert a conventional vending machine to contain a rotary turntable.

Abstract: A bicycle transmission device for connecting to a freehub body on a rear wheel, which has convex keys arranged radially on the periphery. The bicycle transmission device includes a connecting member, a fastener, and a cogset assembly. The connecting member includes a cylindrical body portion, connection keys protruding from a periphery of the body portion, a cut groove passing through the body portion, and first and second connecting seats located on two sides of the cut groove. The inner wall of the body portion has concave grooves corresponding to the convex keys. The fastener is adapted to be connected to the connecting seats and to pull them together. The cogset assembly includes a cogset seat and sprockets. The cogset seat has a first socket hole fitting around the connecting member and connection grooves corresponding to and adapted to be connected to the connection keys. The sprockets with different numbers of chain teeth are adapted to be connected to the cogset seat.

Abstract: A grid sorter for discharging articles received from many inputs to selected discharge destinations. The grid sorter comprises a rectangular grid of parallel conveyor lines. Each line has a series of bidirectional conveyors fed articles by infeed conveyors at each end of the line. Omnidirectional-roller sorters, at the intersections of the conveyor lines, can pass articles received from one line in multiple directions: along that same line; in either direction to an intersecting line; or obliquely to a selected discharge between lines. Omnidirectional rollers in the omnidirectional-roller sorters are controlled by a controller to push articles in selected directions to predetermined discharge destinations.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, devices, and computer program products are disclosed for container transportation. An example system includes a conveyor network that includes a plurality of conveyors and each conveyor supports one or more containers thereon. Each conveyor defines a conveyor length and a conveyor operating speed. The system further includes a computing device operably coupled to the conveyor network. The computing device receives a starting location and a destination location of a first container within the conveyor network and receives an operating density for each conveyor in the conveyor network. The computing device determines a first travel path for the first container between the starting location and the destination location based upon the conveyor length, the conveyor operating speed, and the operating density for each conveyor in the conveyor network. The first travel path minimizes a total travel time for the first container between the starting location and the destination location.

Abstract: A dispenser for sheet materials is disclosed. The dispenser includes a housing and a front cover. The dispenser includes a first internal door configured to secure a first roll of sheet material in a dispensing position and a second internal door configured to secure a second roll of sheet material in a dispensing position. The first and second doors include first and second nozzles for dispensing sheet material. The dispenser is a centrally unwinding dispenser.

Abstract: An installation for sorting postal parcels or packets, has a carousel sorting conveyor having transport bins that are moved around a closed loop over a plurality of sorting outlets formed by respective storage receptacles, a feed magazine in which bulk stored parcels are put into series and then injected into the transport bins of the conveyor while it is moving, and a monitoring and control unit that acts on the bins of the sorting conveyor so as to open each of them over a receptacle that corresponds to a delivery address of the article following a sorting plan, includes a first sorting pass to sort parcels into first receptacles that are of high bulk storage capacity, and a subsequent sorting pass where the parcels are sorted into second receptacles that are smaller than the first receptacles.

Abstract: A transfer device including at least one first transfer component and at least one second transfer component are provided. The first transfer component includes a first carrier pad contacting the transferred object, and the second transfer component includes a second carrier pad contacting the transferred object, and material of the first carder pad has stronger capability to capture electrons than that of the second carrier pad and material of the second carrier pad has stronger capability to lose electrons than that of the first carder pad.

Abstract: A measurement system and a method for measuring a coefficient of friction on a slidable conveyor belt in a direction of movement are provided. The system includes a disk floatingly placed on the conveyor belt and having a bottom surface, wherefrom projects at least one rounded element that rests on the conveyor belt, having a shape that, regardless of the relative orientation of the disk and the conveyor belt, at least one rounded element extends along a direction not parallel to the direction of movement, a pair of abutment elements maintaining the disk fixed with respect to the direction of movement of the conveyor belt, and a pair of load cells operatively associated with the abutment elements and with the disk, to measure a thrust force exerted by the disk on each load cell by effect of the relative sliding of the conveyor belt with respect to the disk.

Abstract: An automatic electromechanical braking roller system includes a power drive unit (PDU) comprising a sensor configured to detect a speed of a unit load device (ULD), a controller configured to receive a speed signal corresponding to a speed of the ULD from the sensor, and an electromechanical braking roller (EBR) spaced apart from the PDU and configured to receive a braking signal from the controller in response to the speed of the ULD being greater than a threshold value. In response to the speed of the ULD being less than the threshold value, the EBR is configured to rotate freely about an axis in a first state. In response to the speed of the ULD being greater than the threshold value, the EBR is configured to reduce the speed of the ULD in a second state.

Abstract: To provide a technology of efficiently and effectively sorting microparticles to be sorted from a sample solution. The present technology provides a control device being a device that controls a processing condition when sorting microparticles from a sample liquid flowing through a flow path, the control device provided with a control unit that controls a sorting processing condition on the basis of a content of microparticles to be sorted in the sample liquid. In the control device according to the present technology, the control unit may control the sorting processing condition on the basis of a surviving rate and/or an activation rate of biological particles to be sorted with respect to the sorting processing condition.

Abstract: An apparatus for treating containers includes a transporter that moves containers along a transport direction, a displacer, and a treatment device with two treatment positions. The displacer has three arms that move transverse to the transport direction. The arms are driven independently such that two of the three arms contact bearing points on opposite sides of a container. These two arms move synchronously to displace the container between the transporter and one of the treatment positions.

Abstract: A link chain comprises an inner link plate, an outer link plate, a bushing and a pin that form a chain link, and a labyrinth seal between the outer link plate and the inner link plate. The labyrinth seal comprises at least one lug having lug length and at least one groove having a groove depth, the lug length and groove depth being between 10% to 50% of an average respective link plate thickness, wherein in response to an overload of the link chain, the flow of force within the link chain is partially diverted across surfaces of the labyrinth seal formed by the at least one lug and the at least one groove.

Abstract: A roller chain includes a plurality of inner and outer link units and a plurality of sealing rings. Each inner link unit includes two inner chain plates and two bushings. Each outer link unit interconnects an adjacent pair of the inner link units, and includes two outer chain plates and two connecting rods. Each of the outer chain plates has two inner surrounding surface portions each partially defining a retaining space. Each of the sealing rings is disposed in a respective one of the retaining spaces in the outer chain plates.

Abstract: A product dispensing system and methods of use are described. The system includes a linear dispensing unit configured to hold a number of products in an equal number of respective channels in a stacked orientation. Single units of the products are dispensed onto dedicated carriers which maintain an orientation of the product units. The carriers are independently moveable and identifiable and are moved to aggregate various product units associated with a single order and to transport the product units to a validation system. The validation system uses a variety of sensors to verify the identity of the product unit and to cross-reference the product identity with the order. A label is applied to the product unit and the product unit is further transported to a packaging system while continuing to maintain an orientation thereof.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for transferring products to or from a collecting surface within a line for the continuous processing of said products, wherein a first transit zone is fed longitudinally with products by an entry conveyor; a second transit zone supplies products longitudinally to an exit conveyor; at least one column of products is transferred, by being pushed transversely, via a transfer tool provided with members disposed on either side of each column; wherein, at the moment of transfer, each column is gripped by said members being moved toward one another, a first member being fixed, while a second member is mounted in a movable manner. The invention also relates to a transfer device for implementing such a method.