Abstract: An elevating conveyor having a first endless belt entrained around a plurality of spaced support or guide drums for elevating material through an elevating section to a discharge station and a second endless loading belt also entrained around guide drums to cooperate with the first belt at least where a loading station and the elevating section merge so that in this vicinity the belts are in overlying relationship with each other so that material on the upper surface of one belt is held on the surface by the other belt. The two belts are moved at similar speeds in the same direction and a fixed plate cooperates with the first belt in the elevating section so that material located between the belt and plate is elevated to the discharge station by upward movement of the first belt through the elevating section. The conveyor may be of C, L or Z shape and the first belt preferably has upstanding side walls, the top faces of which bear against low friction material supported on the plate.

Abstract: A belt conveyor apparatus according to this invention defines a conveyance path including a first pulley and at least a second pulley. An endless belt member is adapted for continuous travel about the pulleys and comprises a lower portion which engages the pulleys and an integral upper portion adapted to receive objects therein at a first location on said conveyance path and transport the objects to a second location for discharge. The upper belt portion includes an opposed pair of longitudinally disposed crest-like members, biased towards each other in a substantially abutting relationship. The crest-like members define therebetween a continuous, normally biased closed, channel along the upper belt portion. Means are disposed at the first and second locations and operatively associated with the belt member for urging the normally biased together crest-like members apart in order to provide access to the continuous channel whereby objects can be received into, or discharged from the channel.

Abstract: A curved escalator comprises a plurality of segment steps movable along the stairway path, an inner balustrade panel of balustrades vertically disposed along an outer and an inner side of the stairway path, a moving handrail supported by a handrail guide for a guided movement along the balustrade, a skirt guard mounted to the frame work and extending in parallel to a travel path of the steps, and a guide rail for guiding step axles of the steps. The guide rail varies in its radius of curvature and the position of its center of curvature along its length in accordance with the varying slope angle, and the handrail guide varies in its radius of curvature and the position of its center of curvature along its length in correspondence with the radius of curvature and the position of center of curvature of the guide rail.

Abstract: A conveyor belt scraper assembly includes an array of transversely extending, flexible scraper members engaging, in an operative position, a conveyor belt surface to be cleaned. Each flexible scraper is resiliently biased in frictional engagement with the curved surface of the conveyor belt by a tension spring. The scraper members are supported in the operative position by upper and lower crossbar support members. In the preferred embodiment, the upper crossbar support member is articulated or segmented. The separate crossbar portions are independently rotatable from a nominal resting position in which the associated scraper member is held in helical engagement with the conveyor belt. The segmented crossbar portions are pivotally mounted onto an axle and are rotatable through an arc of approximately 90.degree.

Abstract: A transport unit for tablets transports the tablets fed from a filling unit through the use of a rake with at least one V-like fork on a horizontal guiding track to tablet testing stations, packaging units etc. The guiding track comprises on either side of the area swept by the point of the V-shaped fork openings through which may fall the tablets which are not at the point of the fork during the transport. The openings of the guiding track are connected by an inclined plane to a collector container.

Abstract: An article transfer apparatus for loading rows of hot glass articles such as bottles, from a cross conveyor, through dead plates, to a linear conveyor of a lehr, utilizes a pusher bar mounted on a system of a horizontal parallelogram frame and two pairs of serially coupled vertically oriented parallelogram frames, articulated at their corners and drivingly interconnected in order to impart bilateral, advance and backward, upward and downward movements to said bar--maintaining always its vertical position and perpendicular orientation regarding the rows of bottles advancing on the cross conveyor while sweeping out said rows of bottles.

Abstract: A self-balancing screw jack that is responsive to small manually applied "upset" loads to move the load in the desired direction. A strain gauge measure the total load and is used to establish a null signal representative of the load at rest. This nulled signal is then continuously compared with the actual load signal. When the actual load signal varies from the preset nulled signal by a predetermined value, the drive motor is actuated to drive the load in the direction of the variance. A non-reversible screw jack is used to support the load in the at rest position.

Abstract: A frame supported conveyor useful in handling baggage includes inclined flights connected to movable link plates to form an endless chain assembly. A drive arrangement located beneath the conveyor engages and moves the endless chain assembly about a closed planar path. The drive arrangement is movably mounted on the frame between an operating position in engagement with the endless chain assembly and a servicing position out of engagement with and movable away from the endless chain assembly.

Abstract: A device for the disconnectable coupling of a support toggle joint of a gripper to the end of a slave arm of a remote manipulator. The arm and toggle joint each have a case in which are located means for transmitting movements to the gripper. The coupling device comprises at least two latches pivotably mounted on one of the cases and which are able to occupy a coupling position in which they bear against pins fixed to the other case. This couples the toggle joint to the end of the arm and the latches can also occupy a position in which they are disengaged from the pins in order to disconnect the toggle joint. The retractable locking means normally immobilizes the latches with respect to the case supporting them when the latches occupy the coupling position. The invention also provides a disconnection support for the coupling device.

Abstract: A flat reinforcing structure for elastomeric objects such as conveyor belts comprises a first series of parallel cords covered on one side by a second series of parallel cords which with respect to the first series are transversely disposed and whereby the cords are mutually connected at the intersections. The nominal tensile strength of the first series of cords per unit width is at least twice the nominal tensile strength of the second series of cord per unit width. The tensile strength of each cord of the first series is at least one and at most ten times the tensile strength of each of cord of the second series. The cords are preferably steel cords.

Abstract: A frame which carries a plurality of circular substrates seated in grooves in planar alignment. The substrates are seated in grooves defined within the circumferential periphery of apertures within the frame. Each groove and aperture have a diameter slightly larger than the substrate, with the groove contacting only a fraction of the rim of the substrate so that the substrate may orbit within the groove as the frame is provided with circular oscillations. This causes rotation of the substrate in the groove, i.e. the rim of the substrate "walks" around the inner circumference of the groove.

Abstract: There is provided a device and a method for turning flat articles, more particularly letter envelopes, flat bags or the like. The article is first moved out of its direction of conveyance into a curvilinear path, whereafter--without stopping in its original direction of conveyance--it is moved into a curvilinear path in a new direction until finally advancing onwards in its original direction of conveyance.

Abstract: A conveyor device has two endless conveyor belts extending in alignment and advancing in the same direction of (X--X), the adjacent ends of the belts being oriented diagonally with respect to the direction. During transfer between the two belts the products gradually abandon the first belt and pass gradually onto the second belt. This avoids any stumbling of the products, even when these are of narrow and elongate form.

Abstract: Connection means for connecting two components such as conveyor channel sections or guide sections includes an elongate connector. The connector is insertible into laterally-open recesses formed in coupling elements attached to the two components. The laterally-open recesses define an elongate aperture which is slightly longer than the connector so that the connector is received within the aperture with a predetermined amount of axial play. A retaining element prevents axial movement of the connector within the aperture by filling up the space available for said predetermined amount of axial play. The retaining element is an annular disc made of corrosion-resistant, resiliently deformable plastics material. That portion of the resilient element which, in use, is positioned at the mouth of the aperture is, at least partially, of reduced wall thickness when compared with the wall thickness of the remaining part of the retaining element.

Abstract: An apparatus moving a workpiece onto and off of a working station without stopping the conveying line or the conveying carrier. A loading carrier lifts the workpiece off the conveying carrier at a receiving station and transfers it to a jig table over the conveying line. After the operation at the working station is completed, an unloading carrier takes the workpiece off the jig table to a delivering position where it is set upon the empty conveying carrier which in the meantime had passed under the jig table.

Abstract: An apparatus for feeding waste tire chips (12) to an incinerator (11) having a feed chute (13) comprises a container (17) provided with a screw feeder (22, 23) at its bottom, upper and lower two vibrating feeders (24A), (24B), and a transfer conveyor (36) extending between the lower vibrating feeder (24B) and the feed chute (13). The screw feeder (22, 23) is controlled by a first controller (34) in response to an output signal from a first photoswitch (33) which is mounted on the upper vibrating feeder (24A) for detecting the quantity of chips delivered from the container (17). The transfer conveyor (36) and the lower vibrating feeder (24B) are controlled by a second controller (42) in accordance with an output signal from a second photoswitch (41) which is mounted on the feed chute (13) for detecting the quantity of chips to be fed to the incinerator (11) at a time. The upper vibrating feeder (24 A) is intermittently operated by a third controller (43).

Abstract: A horizontal support has an angularly reciprocatable body supported in a horizontal and rotary manner and having an axially reciprocatable rod disposed therein and articulated to gripper designed to take horizontally disposed tubes in individual sequence and to transfer them, disposed vertically, with their bases upwardly open by inserting them from the top into resilient take-up members disposed with a uniform spacing along the processing line of the machine following oscillations of this body supporting the gripper.

Abstract: In a screw conveyor the conveyor screw is arranged in a casing where there is at least one support fastened to the casing between the ends of the conveyor screw, the conveyor screw being mounted in the support via a bearing which is sealed by a seal. Included in the seal there are two sealing devices which are unrotatably but axially displaceably mounted on the screw shaft, and which are urged axially from opposite directions to press with a respective sealing portion against a corresponding sealing portion on the support. The sealing portions are situated radially outside the bearing. Each sealing device at its end facing away from the support engages against a sealing element, which in turn connects to the screw shaft.

Abstract: A conveyor assembly having one of its conveyor rollers which is movable to change the angle of its axis to the conveyor direction for causing sideways movement of the conveyor belt. Movement of the roller is controlled by a linkage drivably connected to a ratchet nut riding on a threaded spindle to move one end of the roller sideways on a carriage. A linkage adjustment arrangement is provided to adjust the degree of driving engagement of the linkage with the ratchet nut.

Abstract: An endless belt conveyor having a pulley at the tail end with slats forming slots therebetween leading to an interior space, the latter leading axially outwardly, and the pulley having end plates with radial vanes leading radially beyond the slats. The conveyor has a casing with telescoping sections that are relatively adjustable to accommodate variations in belt lengths. It also has trougher rolls mounted on the side walls of the casing, leaving the bottom portion of the interior space clear. It also includes an intermediate discharge unit which includes a pair of relatively displaced rolls, on which the upper belt run travels, which throws the grain in a suspended path, and deflector blades interposed in the suspended path which deflect the grain laterally into a discharge chute.