Abstract: A vacuum single filer is provided for brining multiple rows of containers into single file at high speeds and over a relatively short distance. This is accomplished by discharging the containers in diagonal rows of three from a slotted dead plate onto a perforated conveyor belt extending over vacuum plenum chambers having slots therein for drawing a vacuum. The slot or slots aligned with the outermost container in each diagonal row draws sufficient vacuum to hold the outer container in fixed position and a deflector is used to direct the other containers into alignment behind the outer container and to slide them laterally across the belt as the belt moves them downstream until they are finally brought into single file alignment. An infeed vacuum conveyor cooperates with the slotted dead plate to arrange the containers in diagonal rows having a precise alignment prior to being picked up by the conveyor belt.

Abstract: An entirely automatic, cold box type machine for molding an integral connecting core, which machine is provided with a sand blowing mechanism and a gassing mechanism, these mechanisms being suspended above an upper frame of the molding machine and traversable, and with a liftable drag car being mounted on the platform of the molding machine, characterized in that a rotatable connecting core feeding device is provided at one side portion outside the molding machine, a reversing unloader is provided at the other side portion, and a connecting core transfer car having a connecting core lifting device is traversably suspended from the upper frame in parallel with the sand blowing mechanism and the gassing mechanism.

Abstract: An accumulating transfer conveyor utilizing a reciprocal drive and comprising a conveyor frame for supporting an article and a plurality of reciprocating sensing accumulating pads or hooks associated therewith. Each sensing accumulating pad or sensing accumulating hook senses the leading edge of an article or an article support member and means for transferring the article or the article support member forward. The sensing accumulating pads and hooks further sense the trailing edge of a preceding article or article support member so as to prevent against any contact between two articles or article support members.

Abstract: A bottle orienting device is disclosed in which bottles are fed into a first station randomly in either a top down or a bottom down condition, moving pockets pick up the individual bottles and transport them past a sensor which determines the particular condition thereof and responds with an appropriate signal when a predetermined condition is found, means are provided to rotate the pockets carrying the bottles so that all bottles have the same orientation condition, either top down or bottom down as desired, at this point bottle air cleaning means can be operatively provided, with all bottles being selectively first presented in a top down condition to the air cleaning device, means are then provided to reverse the condition of the bottles to the bottom down position, and then the bottles are discharged from the device, if air cleaning is not desired, the bottles found to be in the wrong orientation at the sensing station are rotated to present them bottom down to the discharge, of significance all bottles m

Abstract: A conveyor belt assembly is provided with automatic tension adjustment. The assembly includes a conveyor belt trained about a pair of pulleys. A drive means powers one of the pulleys, each of which are mounted upon slidably interconnected frame members. A hydraulic cylinder in fluid communication with the motor and connected at opposite ends to each frame member automatically extends the first frame member with respect to the second frame member so as to increase the tension upon the conveyor belt as the load upon the belt increases. As the load upon the belt decreases, the fluid pressure within the motor and hydraulic cylinder decreases such that the first frame member is retracted with respect to the second frame member, thereby decreasing the tension upon the conveyor belt.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an advancement device particularly adapted for use in a press for step-wise transport of material or of a workpiece; two gripper rails spaced from one another extend therein along a transport path. The gripper rails are reciprocally movable together along an advancement direction, while being movable in respective opposite directions along a direction transverse to the advancement direction. Two longitudinal guides receive the gripper rails, respectively, and a transverse drive drives the longitudinal guides in the respective opposite directions along the transverse direction. An advancement sled is reciprocally movable along the advancement direction, and an advancement drive drives the advancement sled reciprocally along the advancement direction. The gripper rails are connected to the advancement sled rigidly along the advancement direction, but are movably connected thereto along the transverse direction.

Abstract: A transport conveyor for empty conical winding tubes includes a recirculating band system to drive jammed tubes for rotation in a direction causing them to remain mutually parallel along the chute of the conveyor. Every alternate tube is reversed by means of a holding pin and a rotating shoe. A fin upstanding from the conveyor floor supports all the tubes with their axes parallel.

Abstract: In this apparatus for separating a pallet which is to be extracted from a rack at a removal side on a roller conveyor, a stop latch is provided for retaining following pallets, said latch being operated by a control flap connected by way of a rod and a toggle mechanism. The toggle mechanism comprises two arms. To define the collapsed position of the toggle mechanism there is provided on the toggle mechanism arm a projection which bears against the pivot pin of the other toggle mechanism arm. The extended position of the toggle mechanism is defined by stops which in the extended position bear either against the pivot pin of the toggle mechanism arm or the pivot pin of the stop latch.

Abstract: An idler roll assembly comprises a unitary, solid roller formed essentially of ultra-high molecular weight high-density polyethylene resin mounted without separate bearing components for rotation on a shaft member and also for movement about the shaft member within allowed tolerances and boundaries, to provide a maintenance free roller assembly which also assists in improved operation of systems of which the roller assembly is a component part.

Abstract: Roller-path system for the transportation of persons and goods, having an endless tread-plate band reversed around a horizontal axis as well as either a freely supported or a roller supported traction chain and self-supporting tread plates, each plate having two pull and two drag support-rod parts arranged close to the slate corners, respectively, opposite each other, where these plates can either directly support themselves, freely supporting rollers and the pull support-rod parts in addition to the traction chain, or can indirectly support themselves, having the pull support-rod parts mounted in traction chains with intermediate rollers and fork-shaped tread-plate resting elements which are attached by drag support-rod parts. The support-rod parts are provided as replaceably arranged system-adaptable pull and drag bolts.

Abstract: A Telescopic conveyor comprises a fixed housing which is open at one end through which a number, as for instance two, three or more, lengthy and belt carrying units arranged above each other are extendably and retractably and slidably mounted within the housing to be slit out from the housing, whereby the lower slidable units at the outer end comprise supporting means for carrying the slidable units positioned above and whereby each of the slidable units comprise at least two belt rollers or drums of which one is positioned foremost at each of the units and whereby furthermore a telescopic drive unit is contained within the conveyor comprising one or more drive belts or drive chains with the ends of each drive belt or drive chain being connected in one end to the fixed and in the other end to the uppermost slidable unit so that at least one of the drive belts or the drive chains are driven by a drive roller or drum respectively by a sprocket.

Abstract: A parts supplying apparatus for use with a button assembling and setting machine includes a chute having a longitudinal guide track in and along which parts slide down one at a time, and a loading unit having a guide groove communicating with the guide track and a pusher disposed in the guide groove and slidably movable toward and away from a working station in the machine for feeding a part which has fallen from the guide track into the guide groove, in and along the latter to the working station. The chute has an exhaust nozzle disposed adjacent to a discharge end of the guide track and opening in such a direction that compressed air issued from the nozzle impinges against the underside of the part to force the latter to move smoothly from the guide track to the guide groove without stopping at a junction therebetween.

Abstract: A chain adjustment arrangement including a drive gear having a fixed axis, an idler gear having a movable axis, and a driven gear having a movable axis, a first rigid link mounted between the axes of the drive gear and the idler gear, and a second rigid link mounted between the axes of the idler gear and the driven gear. The first and second links serve to maintain the idler gear in engagement between the drive gear and the driven gear upon manual movement of the driven gear to take up stretch in the conveyor chain.

Abstract: An orientation device for properly orienting nuclear fuel rod end plugs (18) in their proper mode for ultimate use and processing includes a funnel (12) the inside diameter (d) of which is greater than the diameter (D) of each end plug (18), and the diameter (D) of each plug (18) is greater than the length (L) of each plug. The plugs (18) are permitted to pass through the funnel bore (30), however, only when the longitudinal axis of each plug is coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the funnel bore (30) because the diagonal dimension (DG) of each plug as defined between any point on the plug's upper peripheral surface (26) and a point disposed diametrically opposite the first point upon the lower peripheral surface (28) is greater than the diameter (d) of the funnel bore.

Abstract: An apparatus for carrying and separating articles includes a pair of parallel endless belts made of an elastic material, a plurality of carrying rods bridging the two belts in the transversal direction and carriers each engaged with adjacent carrying rods and capable of sliding relative thereto in transversal directions. Articles are put on the carriers and are separated with displacement of the carriers in transversal directions. The belt has a core buried in it and incapable of elongation or contraction in the length direction. The pair of belts have carrying rod mounting pins projecting from their opposed edges. These pins are coincident with the center of the cores. They each have an engaged portion and an embedded portion, the engaged portion being engaged in an end of a carrying rod, the embedded portion being embedded in a belt.

Abstract: A conveyor passes across the exit end of a dryer through which strips of lasagna have passed carried on a succession of stick feeders. The conveyor is divided into a succession of narrow flights defined by upstanding push fingers. Mounted above the flight conveyor at the exit end of the dryer are a series of parallel tiltable shelves or flippers each having a width corresponding to a conveyor flight. Each of the stick feeders as it emerges from the dryer lays a group, for example, twenty-four U-shaped lasagna strips in parallel across the series of flippers. The stick feeder is then withdrawn through the open end of the U-shaped lasagna strip and the flippers are tilted to allow the lasagna strips to slide down into the conveyor flights. A friction belt moving at a speed faster than that of the conveyor assists in pulling the lasagna strips from the flippers and into the conveyor flights.

Abstract: A belt conveyor frame including a supporting surface for an endless conveyor belt, a slot across the surface formed of two parallel faces and at an angle to the direction of proposed belt travel and over which the conveyor belt will move in opposite directions to two pulleys and disposed below and to the sides of the faces. The conveyor belt in passing over the faces, around the pulleys and then over the other face provides an angled discontinuity in the conveying surface of the belt. An interceptor device with diverter plates movably attached to an endless flexible member is mounted in the discontinuity so that the plates can be selectively raised to intercept and deflect an object passing on the conveyor.

Abstract: Apparatus is described for arranging containers (1) e.g. bottles vertically, comprising an entry unit, sets of rod-shaped guides (23,24,25) helically shaped and symmetrical relative to the vertical longitudinal plane of the apparatus, and two belts (16) symmetrical and adjacent to such plane, which engage the initially uppermost side of the container. Operating in unison with and having the same speed as the lower branches of said two belts (16) are, firstly, the upper branch of an auxiliary belt (26), underneath said two belts (16), followed by inwardly facing branches of two subsidiary belts (31), symmetrical in relation to said plane and almost horizontal, so that the side of the container which is originally lowermost is continuously engaged by firstly the upper branch of the auxiliary belt (26) and then by the inwardly facing branch of one or the other of such subsidiary belts (31). This construction gives more reliable operation, especially at high speeds, then previously known apparatus.

Abstract: A chain link for a product capturing chain, including a pair of opposed retaining lips integral with the link for retaining the resilient gripping member.

Abstract: A belt training device for a conveyor. The conveyor includes an endless belt which is mounted for travel on a drive roll and an idler roll and a trainer wheel is mounted on a pivotable bracket beneath the return run of the belt and adjacent the drive roll. The wheel is pivoted upwardly into engagement with the lower surface of the return run adjacent the side edge of the belt, toward which the belt would normally drift on reverse travel of the belt.