Abstract: A system for the removal and replacement of the drive assembly of a chain-driven vehicle, composed of guides within the vehicle, a device for lifting the drive assembly onto the guides and including rollers via which the drive assembly is supported on the guides when lifted thereon, an auxiliary rack temporarily attachable to the rear of the vehicle to form a rearwardly-projecting extension of the guides on which the rollers can travel, and a device for moving the drive assembly through an opening in the rear of the vehicle and over the auxiliary track.

Abstract: An article feeder has a base and a frame mounted on the base with a bowl, which receives and dispenses articles, secured to the frame. The frame and bowl assembly constitute one mass of a two mass system, and the base constitutes the other mass of the system. Several sets of leaf springs are secured by clamps between the frame and the base to support the frame and bowl for rotational oscillation by a motor mounted on the base. The sets of leaf springs provide the total spring coupling between the frame and bowl assembly and the base. These sets of leaf springs are supported adjacent one clamped end thereof by adjustable supports that can alter the effective lengths of the leaf spring sets to change the torsional natural frequency of the two mass system in small increments without disturbing the clamps mounting the sets of leaf springs.

Abstract: A railway gondola car includes a depressed floor section with underframe cross members placed below the centersill, with the cross members extending completely across the width of the car. The opposite ends of the gondola car are provided with elevated floors and the car includes a simplified and reinforced construction for minimizing structural damage to the car during operation.

Abstract: This is an automatic garment hanger dispenser and hangering device for use in laundries for cleaning commercial garments and shirts that must be placed on hangers and then be passed through a cleaning "tunnel" on a conveyer suspending and transporting the hangered shirt or garment therethrough. Prior to this device, the operator could drape about one hundred seventy-five to two hundred shirts or garments on hangers per hour, but with this device, the same operator averages about four hundred to four hundred fifty hangered shirts or garments.

Abstract: A wiper system for the removal of sticky and/or moist particulate material such as bauxite or clay from the working surface of endless conveyor belts comprised of a plurality of individually adjustable wipers arranged in parallel fashion at the return side or flite of the belt, located at an angle to the main axis of the belt and flexibly mounted relative to the belt.

Abstract: A conveyor having an endless series of holders equipped with cushions to carry fragile objects has an upper run extending from a receiving station to a discharge station and a lower return run with an upward arcuate return path from the lower run to the start of the upper run. The holders are turned upside down on the lower run of the conveyor and are subject to centrifugal force on the upward arcuate return path. The cushions are envelopes of flexible sheet material containing masses of pellets. A free-falling object lands on a cushion at the receiving station of the conveyor and is decelerated without harm by forming a seating recess in the mass of pellets. The return journey of the cushions redistributes the pellets to eliminate the seating recesses and thus enables newly received objects at the receiving station to be decelerated by forming new seating recesses.

Abstract: Clamping conveyor for transporting containers of various sizes and to invert the containers during transportation. The containers are conveyed on a movable flexible endless support member to which are fixed a series of spaced clamping assemblies each of which comprises an open ended housing secured transversely to the support member, an L-shaped container gripping member having a base arm slidably extending into and being guided by the housing and having a clamping arm upstanding from the plane of the support member on one of its sides and a spring assembly which acts on the L-shaped gripping member to bias the clamping arm toward the support member. The successive clamping arms of these L-shaped members are disposed on opposite sides of the support member and interconnected by a pair of endless belts each located on one side of the support member and secured to the clamping arms. The support member is mounted on a stationary track allowing it to pivot axially by substantially 180.degree.

Abstract: An apparatus for packaging articles received as a strip having individually filled pouches which are separated by transverse seals at opposite ends of the pouches characterized by severing the pouches and then depositing the pouches on a conveying device which transports the pouches to the receptacle in which they are stacked. Preferably, the apparatus utilizes a cutting device which comprises an index wheel and a cutting wheel with the index wheel being provided with suction heads to grip the severed pouches to transport them to a position above the conveying device where they are positively ejected onto the conveying device in two rows which are preferably overlapping to reduce the width of the two rows on the conveying device.

Abstract: A conveyor system for use in processing lengths of flexible material in which the conveyor system is formed of a pair of parallel spaced chains adapted to be displaced longitudinally and carrying a plurality of gripping devices positioned to successively receive lengths of flexible material from a source thereof. The lengths of flexible material are conveyed in an intermittent fashion to permit various work operations to be performed on the successive lengths of flexible material. The gripping devices include a body member fixed to the conveyor having a notch therein adapted to receive a cross section of the lengths of flexible material, and a lever pivotally mounted on the body member and having a arcuate surface adapted to secure the lengths of flexible material in the notch of the body member.

Abstract: A device for transporting nuclear fuel rod cladding tubes transversely along a production line has a travel surface for the tubes and a transport chain running in the direction of transport parallel to the travel surface. The chain has a plurality of two-armed levers pivotally mounted thereon and springs pulling these levers in the direction of the travel of the chain. The levers have rollers at their ends which can engage between tubes on the travel surface. The springs are of such strength that the resistance to movement of a predetermined number of tubes prevents them from rising up, so that the rollers roll underneath the tubes, but permits them to rise up when a small number of tubes is in front of them to engage the tubes and pull them along the track. This provides in effect a storage if too many tubes are found on the track at any one time.

Abstract: A plurality of articles are to be transferred simultaneously from one position in which they travel on a first conveyor in a first direction to another position in which they travel on a second conveyor at a slower speed and in a second direction transversely of the first direction. A pusher bar is provided which extends parallel to the first direction and mounting links pivotally mount the pusher bar for displacement across the first conveyor toward the second conveyor in a direction having one component of movement in the second direction and another superimposed component of movement in the first direction. A crank drive is spaced from the pusher bar and is connected with the same by a connecting rod which is so associated with the mounting links as to include an angle with the latter in all of its positions which it can assume relative to the mounting links when actuated by the crank drive.

Abstract: Apparatus for conveying articles of different physical characteristics, particularly bottles of different sizes and weights which comprises a generally upright tubular guide through which the articles pass and, towards a lower delivery end of the guide tube, a rotating roller projects into the tube to contact the articles and slow them down before the articles are delivered to article receiving members from which they are ejected to be transported to a receiving station.

Abstract: The conveyor system to be disclosed is an apparatus arrangement wherein a procession of beverage cans or like articles enter the system as a single file stream which is redistributed into a multiple-row stream of articles standing on end on a slowly moving wide-belt conveyor. Essential elements of the system are a feed conveyor for progressing the articles in single file order into a transfer region, a wide-belt conveyor for transferring the articles in a lateral direction from the feed conveyor outwardly of the system, and a transfer conveyor capable of picking up groups of single file-articles and depositing them to form multiple rows on the wide-belt conveyor.

Abstract: Ski boot having part of the binding in a suitable recess in the sole of the boot. The part of the binding in the recess cooperates as desired with the other binding part which latter is fixed to the ski. In this invention the recess is transverse of the boot and open at both ends. The boot sole may be longitudinally curved on the bottom thereof to facilitate walking. Ribs may be provided within the recess to urge snow and ice outwardly through its open ends as such snow and ice is packed thereinto.

Abstract: The present conduit or trough for a vibratory conveyor is constructed especially for transporting and/or treating bulk materials such a wood chips or the like. The trough or conduit is provided inside thereof with partition plates extending substantially across the transport direction. These partition plates take up part of the depth of the trough or conduit and may be arranged at an angle relative to the transport direction. Baffles may be arranged in the conduit or trough to extend away from the partition plates and substantially in the transport direction.

Abstract: A linearly disposed method and apparatus for orienting articles such as bottles or the like in a pre-selected position, wherein bottles are fed onto a primary conveyor where a photoelectric cell-light source combination senses their orientation and, if needed, reorients the articles, preferably by an air blast which urges a part of it into contact with a secondary conveyor which is at a different relative speed from that of the primary conveyor, such speed differential serving to turn the improperly oriented bottle so as to bring it into the pre-selected position.

Abstract: A chain conveyor, comprises a conveyor trough having a bottom and angled side guide wall surfaces. A link chain extends centrally along the trough, and it is supported above the bottom on a chain support which has a bottom face which is slidable along the bottom. A catch member is supported over the chain link on the chain support and it has arm portions extending laterally to each side of the chain with guide faces which are guided in the angled side guide walls of the trough. The chain support supports the catch member so that its bottom is spaced above the bottom of the trough.

Abstract: A work turnover conveyor for stone slabs and the like. The conveyor in its normal position includes, in continuation, a work input section, a work turnover section, and a work output section. The work turnover section is comprised of first and second segments each of which is arranged to be pivoted arcuately about an axis at right angles to the conveyor section axis. A slide guide is arranged laterally along the first and second segments forming the work turnover section, and hydraulic cylinders are provided for pivoting the first and second segments downwardly at their free ends to a substantially vertical disposition with the respective ends of the segments accordingly being spaced apart one from the other at opposed ends of the slide guide so as to form a U-shaped cradle, thus achieving turnover of the stone slab upon continued articulation of the conveyor to the normal position.

Abstract: A machine for treating articles, such as containers, for example, includes an infeed worm conveyor to receive a continuous flow of containers. The speed of machine operation is regulated by a speed control mechanism so as to maintain a desired constant length accumulation of containers ahead of the infeed worm conveyor. The infeed worm conveyor is axially shiftable, under the influence of forces created by accumulated containers, to transmit such forces to the speed control mechanism as an indication of the size of container accumulation.

Abstract: A belt conveyor construction in which narrow belts are trained about rollers supported on square flanged holders that slidably fit in opposite ends of square spacers. Simple screws adjust belt tension and secure the holders in the spacers. The weight supporting run of the belts pass over flanged support rollers journalled on the spacers, and the support roller flanges extend less than the thickness of the belts.