Abstract: An inclined conveyor for transporting shopping carts between an upper floor and a lower floor. The inclined conveyor includes a continuous conveyor assembly having a conveyor belt including a plurality of spaced drive lugs that engage a shopping cart. The moving conveyor belt transports the shopping cart between the upper and lower floors. The inclined conveyor includes a jam detector that interrupts operation of the conveyor upon detection of a jam along the conveyor. The inclined conveyor further includes a front wheel alignment and turning system for rotating at least one of the front wheels 180 degrees to place both front wheels in a common aligned position so as to prevent unnecessary operation of the jam detector along the conveyor belt. The inclined conveyor further includes a cart travel correction device for maintaining proper engagement between a portion of the cart and one of the drive lugs on the conveyor belt.

Abstract: An escalator combtooth assembly for an escalator is responsive to combplate obstruction and generates an alarm signal when an obstruction is encountered. One or more combteeth plates are pivotally mounted to the front or leading edge at a combplate assembly. In response to an encountered obstruction one or more of the plates rotate upwardly. Electrical switch contacts associated with the combteeth plates change state when the plate rotates, allowing an alarm signal to be generated. The combteeth plates may include rearwardly-extending arms which pass through accepting slots located at the rear of a ledge on a main complete body upon which the combteeth plates rest. A guide device, such as a bolt, limits the degree of available rotation for the plates, which are biased in an initial position, preferably by an elastomeric member.

Abstract: A captured belt path selection device includes a first fixed frame including a plurality of fixed, vertically oriented belts mounted thereon and a second moveable frame including a plurality of vertically oriented movable selector belts and guide rollers mounted thereon, the moveable frame being positioned adjacent to and over the fixed frame, the moveable selector belts and guide rollers being vertically offset from the fixed belts so that the moveable belts and guide rollers pass above and below at least a portion of a fixed belt as the second frame is moved from a first position to a second position. At least a first one of the moveable belts and a fixed belt transport media therebetween along a first path when the moveable, frame is in a first position and at least a second one of the moveable belts and a fixed belt transport media therebetween along a second path when the moveable frame is in a second position.

Abstract: A taking part has a taking unit that comes in contact with the piled sheets to generate a taking force and to take the sheets one by one with the taking force. A movable lever is arranged in a side of the taking unit with respect to the piled sheets, and a driving unit gives a driving force in a linear or rotational direction to the movable lever. A force controller controls the driving force given to the movable lever by the driving unit. A detecting unit detects a position of the movable lever, and a sheet supplying unit supplies the piled sheets to the taking unit. A sheet supplying unit controller controls the sheets supplying unit on the basis of the position of the movable lever detected by the detecting unit. The sheets are pressed by the lever at a preparatory step, and then the sheets are lifted and pressed to the taking unit while canceling the driving force by the lever. The sheet and the taking unit are assured to become in good contact with each other to make the taking operation stable.

Abstract: A sort bin for unloading sorted lumber pieces on a conveyor comprises a compartment having first and second spaced-apart walls for containing the lumber pieces in a pile, an entry located at an upper portion of the compartment for introducing lumber pieces, and an exit located at a bottom portion, the conveyor being below the exit and spaced apart therefrom. A support for supporting the pile of lumber pieces is movable along a course extending between an upper position adjacent to the entry and a lower position below the exit of the compartment, and has side members for preventing a spill of lumber pieces on the conveyor when the support is in its lower position. One of the side members is pivotable between a standard position and an unloading position.

Abstract: A conveyor induct system includes a control point subsystem for measuring the point at which control of an article transitions from one conveyor to another. The induct system also includes a subsystem for accurately creating or controlling the gaps between articles on the conveyor system. The control point subsystem monitors the location, and changes in the speed, of an article as it passes between two conveyors operating at different speeds. The gap control subsystem provides real time monitoring and measuring of the package gaps. The measured package gaps are fed into a feedback control system which alters the speed of a conveyor in order to change the gapping as desired.

Abstract: A tray-positioning device comprises a driving unit and a positioning unit, wherein the positioning unit provides a plurality of sidewalls that correspond to a plurality of upper sidewalls of a tray. By allowing the driving unit to move the positioning unit toward the tray or vice versa that said individual upper sidewalls are in close contact with the corresponding sidewalls, the tray-positioning device is capable of providing precise positioning for the tray.

Abstract: With an advancing motion, finger plates together with stationary transfer bars are moved to positions where uprights are not in the way, and finally the finger plates disengaged from the stationary transfer bars are held by plate holding members to be discharged to an area where preparatory work is conducted externally of a transfer feeder, together with movable transfer bars. Accordingly, inherent motions of the transfer feeder are made use of to shunt the finger plates, and as compared with the case where the finger plates are disengaged from the stationary transfer bars at standstill to shunt, cylinders for movement and guide rails are dispensed with to enable attaining light weight and the transfer feeder is enhanced in operating rate.

Abstract: The transport system for transporting items such as carriers for wafers or wafers without carriers. Conveying devices transport the items between branching devices, which branch the items to different conveying devices and to processing devices, at which the items are processed, and to storage devices, wherein the items temporarily stored. Each item to be transported has an information medium, wherein at least one first destination address is stored. The item thus carries its own destination address and can be transported to a specific processing device that corresponds to the destination address. A first destination address is read at each inlet and outlet of the transport system (at the lifts in the example) at a processing device and a second destination address is written after the processing operation at the inlets and outlets. Each branching device uses an internal destination address list to define the branching direction in that the information medium of each item is read at each branching device.

Abstract: A compact article singulation and accumulation conveyor includes a receiving portion which receives articles in random order including clusters of side-by-side articles and a discharge portion from which articles are discharged in a single file singulated stream. A first conveying surface transports articles longitudinally from the receiving portion to the discharge portion. A recirculating bed removes side-by-side articles from a downstream portion of the first conveying surface to an upstream portion of the first conveying surface. The recirculating bed is made up of at least one peel-away conveyor having a second conveying surface adapted to move side-by-side articles laterally off the first conveying surface, at least one coupling conveyor having a third conveying surface adapted to move articles from the second conveying surface upstream and at least one return conveyor having a fourth conveying surface adapted to move articles from the third conveying surface to the first conveying surface.

Abstract: A processing station in motor vehicle assembly lines has two receiving frames (20), for a motor vehicle part (33), which are mounted on associated columns (2, 3) at mutually spaced locations in a synchronously height-adjustable manner and are synchronously revolvable about mutually aligned horizontal axes of rotation. Each receiving frame (20) is mounted on two said columns (2, 3) arranged on both sides of the axis of rotation and that the mutual distance between the columns (2, 3) is greater than the width of the motor vehicle part (33) or of a transport element (29) for the motor vehicle part (33).

Abstract: A bolt-together powered belt conveyor assembly includes adjustable tail assemblies which facilitate adjustment of the overall length of the conveyor, while positively securing the position of the end rollers relative to the conveyor sections. The conveyor assembly further includes an adjustable nose-over assembly, which is adjustable to accommodate a change in angle between adjacent conveyor sections. The conveyor assembly further includes a drive assembly which is connectable between end assemblies or slider bed conveyor sections and which is adapted to be installed on a horizontal, inclined or declined conveyor section. The position of the rollers, length of the conveyor sections and angle of incline of the conveyor section may be easily adjusted via adjustment of one or more fasteners of the conveyor assembly, thereby avoiding the need of welding various components of the conveyor assembly together.

Abstract: A magnetic coupling assembly for selectively rotating rollers of a roller conveyor when the torque required to maintain this rotation does not exceed a predetermined threshold is described herein. The magnetic coupling is mounted to the side rail of a conveyor, below the conveyor rollers and include a driving portion rotatably mounted to the side rail and a driven portion rotatably mounted to the driving portion. Corresponding friction surfaces of the driving and driven portion are brought and maintained in contact via a magnet and an element made of magnetic material or another magnet. Means for varying the distance between the magnet and the element made of magnetic material are disclosed. The present invention is also concerned with means for simultaneously adjusting more than one coupling assembly and with means for detecting the rotation of conveyor rollers.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for controlling the flow of articles. The apparatus includes a first conveyor driven in a first direction and a second conveyor driven in a second opposite direction. The conveyors extend in a side-by-side and parallel relationship with a space defined therebetween. A movable transport member is disposed within the space between the conveyors and defines a bridge that extends across the space and is generally flush with the upper surfaces of the conveyors. The transport member is drivingly engaged by the conveyors so as to move linearly between the conveyors depending on a speed differential of the conveyors. At least one article transfer member comprising a driven article propelling member is carried by the transport member and is disposed transversely to the conveyors to contact and drivingly transfer the articles from the first conveyor over the bridge member and onto the second conveyor.

Abstract: In high speed reproduction apparatus in which closely spaced printed sheets are sequentially fed downstream in a sheet path at a process velocity, a dual inverter system of two independent but cooperative sheet inverters is sheet control gated to receive alternate sheets from the sheet path for inversion in the alternate independent sheet inverters. These dual alternate sheet inverters may advantageously operate at substantially the same sheet velocity as the connecting sheet path, instead of the much higher speed and acceleration/deceleration typical of conventional single inverter systems. This enables less critical higher speed cut sheet handling and thus more reliable faster printing. Yet collated sequential sheet order is maintained. This dual inverter system may be an integral part of a duplex path to provide inversion of sheets for duplex printing of their other sides.

Abstract: An article retention apparatus includes a roller conveyor unit with a plurality of rollers arranged in a horizontal plane and a plurality of ladder-shaped rack units on which articles rest. The roller conveyor unit and rack units are configured such that the rack units may be moved above and below the plane of the conveyor unit rollers without interference between the conveyor unit rollers and the rack units. By lifting the rack units one by one from below the roller plane to emerge above the roller plane, the article is transferred from the roller conveyor unit to the rack unit. The articles are taken aside of a transport system and temporarily retained by the apparatus. A belt conveyor unit can be used instead of the roller conveyor unit.

Abstract: A method for transferring book blocks or the like into a transport device of a bookbinding machine. The book block is first clamped in a force-locking manner. At least one corner of the back edge or of the front edge of the book block is aligned with a position, which can be set in a predefined manner, by relative displacement of the two sides of the book block in the plane of the book block. The book block is then clamped in a force-locking manner by the transport device.

Abstract: A conveyor for transporting articles of mixed sizes, such as luggage and/or mail has a plurality of interconnected conveyor units, each comprising an article supporting member, such as a tray or a conveyor belt or any other suitable supporting member. The article supporting members of the conveyor units may be used individually for transporting articles, and two or more consecutive conveyor units may in an aligned state to form a common article support surface for transporting articles larger than the individual article supporting member.

Abstract: A wheel for a conveyor system for transporting semiconductor wafers includes a first section for supporting a semiconductor wafer at a first level and a second section for supporting the wafer at a second level, with the first level being higher than the second level. In one embodiment, each of the first and second sections is semicircular. The first level may be substantially the same as a level at which the wafer is subjected to a wafer cleaning operation, and the distance the second level is below the first level may be in a range from about one sixteenth of an inch to about three sixteenths of an inch. A conveyor system for transporting wafers and a method for transferring wafers from a conveyor system to a wafer processing station also are described.

Abstract: A work conveying system for conveying works in a clean room includes a work holder for holding works, and a moving unit for moving the work holder.