Abstract: A flexible membrane (54) confines the rod-like articles in a transition zone (10) (which may be the filling head of a tray filler). The membrane is extended or retracted under tension in response to pressure of articles in the zone. The amount of extension or retraction is used to generate a signal which controls a conveyor (18) feeding articles to the zone (10) or a conveyor (38) taking articles away from the zone (e.g. in trays 36). The signal may be generated by a rotary potentiometer (64) rotatable with a spiral spring (62) to which the membrane (54) is connected.

Abstract: An article feeding apparatus capable of reliably feeding articles one by one to the next process. It comprises a plurality of feed troughs (5) adapted to be individually vibrated and disposed side by side with each other with their take-in ends formed as flat surfaces in juxtaposed relation in a plane, a plurality of arranging conveyors (10) disposed adjacent the feed troughs in the direction of feed of articles, each conveyor serving to arrange articles in a line which are being fed from its associated feed trough and feed them, pool hoppers (14) installed at the take-out ends of the arranging conveyors and adapted to open and close, a bucket conveyor (15) for transferring to the next process the articles dropped from the pool hoppers one by one into buckets supported to turn around the axes of pivots, and means disposed at a predetermined position in the path of travel of the bucket conveyor for separating a plurality of articles from each other if such plurality are charged into a bucket.

Abstract: A device for separation, orientation, and positioning of parts essentially flat in their general shape, characterized by the fact that the parts are supplied in flat position upon a storage rail and that the device includes, in combination, a tilter which can be activated by a piston between an initial, raised position and a second, tilted position, with the tilter including a support forming a continuation of the storage rail when the tilter is in raised position so as to receive the first of parts from the reserve, with stops arresting the rest of the parts, and with the support further including retaining members (9) for preventing the part from being dislodged, while stop pads stop the first part remaining on the rail during tilting of the tilter.

Abstract: The specification discloses an article retention system for transfrer equipment, particularly transfer equipment for carrying can ends to a series of stations to produce an easy-opening end. The can ends are supported by an indexing belt and contact means in the form of spring steel strips and are arranged in overlying and contacting relationship with the can ends supported by the belt. A contacting force of between 200 to 500 grams is sufficient to retain the can ends in a predetermined orientation such that the ends are accurately presented to each station. In an alternative embodiment a fixed rail overlies the edges of the can ends and spring loaded rollers engage the indexing belt to force the can ends into engagement with the rails to maintain the orientation in a manner similar to the above.

Abstract: A bottle single filer for combining bottles (10) fed in a plurality of rows on an inlet conveyor (11) to a single row on an outlet conveyor (14), has a plurality of oblong separators (38), which are controlled so as to be movable through a closed path in which they extend obliquely across the inlet conveyor in parallel with the transverse rows of bottles on it. At a specific location in this path the individual separator moves down between two bottle rows which it follows until the bottles contact and slide along a barrier (17), which is formed by a transfer section of one side rail and forms a smaller angle with the transport direction than the separators, the bottles being pushed on to the outlet conveyor along said barrier. In connection with the side rails the separators ensure that only one row of bottles at a time can pass, to thereby obviate bridge formation and jamming. This also reduces the risk of bottle collision and thus the noise level.

Abstract: An endless conveyor particularly suited for use in food processing includes a plurality of conveyor flights flexibly connected at their sides by endless chains. Each flight has a longitudinally curved supporting portion upon which a supported product may be blanched, dried, or otherwise treated. The conveyor is supported at its ends by sprockets cooperable with the chains. The radius of curvature of the supporting portion approximates the pitch of the sprockets such that the conveyor flights, as they travel radially about the axis of rotation of the sprockets, form a continuous cylinder-like surface.

Abstract: This invention relates to a conveyor scraper assembly which includes a track arrangement which is adapted for location beneath a conveyor belt, a carriage which is adapted for engagement with and sliding movement on the track arrangement, means for locking the carriage to the track a plurality of aligned scraper blade assemblies and springs resiliently connecting the blade assemblies to the carriage.

Abstract: A right angle transferring conveyor system comprising a right angle transfer assembly which includes a base, a pair of support plates connected to the base, and a plurality of rollers rotatably attached in proximity to the top of each of the support plates. A drive sheave is rotatably secured to each of the support plates at a situs on the same below the rollers. A pair of endless belts is trained over and carried by two sets of rollers and drive sheaves. A drive shaft is interconnected between the two drive sheaves to provide common rotary power for the two drive sheaves when the drive shaft receives the same. A first beveled gear is integrally bound to the drive shaft to aid in transmitting rotary power to the drive shaft means. A right angle power sheave is bound to one end of a power sheave shaft. The other end of the power sheave shaft terminates with a second beveled gear that meshes with the first beveled gear. A pneumatic assembly is provided for elevating the right angle transfer assembly.

Abstract: A conveyor apparatus for transporting elongated, flat electronic component assemblies or the like through a surface treatment chamber in a predetermined orientation. A continuous belt is provided with two parallel spaced rows of retention pins which are automatically separated in the loading zone to facilitate positioning of the assemblies on the conveyor. A wedge-shaped shoe member forces the respective pins transversely outwardly and is provided with an aperture permitting the insertion of the assemblies therethrough. Secure retention of the assemblies in the treatment chamber is assured by an inverted U-shaped channel which urges the retention pins into engagement with the component assemblies. The pins may be bent outwardly to enhance the compressive forces exerted by the pin pairs comprising the respective rows. A center-ribbed exit belt pulley deforms the belt along its longitudinal center axis thereby spreading the pin rows to aid removal of the assemblies following surface treatment.

Abstract: A vibratory distribution system for flowable material such as bulk food products has a number of vibratable cascaded elongate primary conveyor channel sections tilted to one side about their longitudinal axes to cause the product to gravitate towards the lower side wall of each section. Each side wall has an opening through which product falls into a respective secondary conveyor section which carries the product to packaging. The flow rate of product can be precisely controlled by selective activation of the conveyor section, and by varying the vibration amplitude of the operating conveyor sections.

Abstract: A conveyor comprises a driven conveyor reciprocably movable in a horizontal direction between two spaced driven supports. The supports move vertically, before and after the horizontal conveyor movement, to raise objects from the driven conveyor and to lower objects onto the driven conveyor. The driven conveyor and the supports have a common drive motor driving a mechanical driven train, the movements of the driven conveyor and the supports being synchronized with each other so that the driven conveyor interrupts its movements when the supports move. The driven conveyor comprises a carriage movable in a frame and coupled to the drive motor via a crank mechanism, in which a first crank connected to the drive motor engages a guide movably mounted in the frame and actuating the carriage. This guide is arranged to be at rest during a portion of the rotational cycle of the crank.

Abstract: An apparatus for conveying and sorting food items into parallel lines of uniformly spaced food items. Food items are received onto a conveyor belt from a baking or other processing station with the items arranged generally randomly. Guides direct the food items into parallel lines to a set of rotary members mounted upon a rotary shaft above the conveyor belt. Two rotary members are provided for each line of food items. Each of the rotary members is constructed of a central hub having a plurality of retractable spokes extending therefrom. Two spokes are in contact with the surface of the conveyor belt at any one time. The distance between the ends of the spokes in contact with the conveyor belt is set to be approximately the same as the diameter of the food items being conveyed. The food items engage the spokes of the rotary members in much the same manner as the teeth of a sprocket gear engage a chain to thus maintain a uniform spacing between food items in each line.

Abstract: A belt construction comprising a tension section, a compression section, a load-carrying section intermediate the tension section and the compression section, and a load-supporting top section secured to the tension section and extending beyond opposed sides of the tension section, the top section and the tension section being formed of the same material and being homogeneously secured together. A fabric covering covers the exterior of the tension, compression and load-carrying sections and is substantially U-shaped in cross section with the free ends of the legs thereof being embedded in the top section. The top section has opposed surfaces one of which has an intermediate portion thereof secured to the tension section and the other of which provides a load supporting surface for the belt construction, the top section having a tire cord reinforcing member disposed intermediate the opposed surfaces thereof.

Abstract: A plurality of molded, resilient elastomer blade supports are mounted on and keyed to a shaft extending across and spaced from a conveyor belt; each blade support includes an integral blade mount projection on which a scraper blade is mounted. A torsion bias mechanism, using a resilient resin torsion tube, biases the shaft to rotate the scraper blades toward the conveyor belt to compensate for wear and absorb shocks. In some embodiments, the blades are integral with the blade supports; in others, each blade is connected to its support by a connecting rod that includes a resilient joint for added flexure in the overall scraper structure.

Abstract: An improved device (1) for forming groups (3) of cigarettes in cigarette packaging machines, in which a group forming wheel (2) comprises, uniformly distributed along its periphery, axial containers (8) each arranged to receive several layers (31, 32, 33) of cigarettes constituting the contents of one packet; said layers (31, 32, 33) being fed in succession into each container (8) during its traversing of a loading station (7), and retention means (34;56) being mobile with said container (8) at least during said traversing, in order to transversely retain the layers (31, 32, 33) in position once inserted, said retention means (34;56) being arranged to oscillate radially relative to the forming wheel (2).

Abstract: An axial translation device for partly finished cigarettes disposed alongside one another in such a way as to form two substantially parallel rows, the device being provided with an input conveyor, an output conveyor and a conveyor roller for each said row disposed between the said input conveyor and output conveyor and tangential thereto, the said two conveyor rollers having parallel, but non coincident axes and supporting the partly finished cigarettes of the associated said row in an axially movable manner under the thrust of actuator means.

Abstract: A conveyance system which adjusts the quantitative rate at which items are conveyed independently of the linear velocity at which items are conveyed while the conveyance operation is on-going, is disclosed. The conveyance system includes a roller section that receives the items being conveyed at a first conveyance velocity, a positioning device that moves the items lateral to the direction of conveyance, a control device that controls the rate of operation of the positioning device, and a second roller section that includes a gear box which adjusts the linear conveyance velocity of and the spacing between the items being conveyed.

Abstract: The pincers consist of a plate (1) having lateral openings (2 and 3) on one side and a center opening (4) on the other, which links up with the lateral openings in the adjacent plate so as to form a conveyor chain for bottles gripped by the jaws (14 and 15) of the pincers, which act in conjunction with a half-collar (20) fitting the outline of the neck of the bottle being processed, which can thus follow any path of travel, held only by the neck (FIG. 3).

Abstract: Present conveyors such as portable grain augers are most commonly positioned, raised and lowered manually and may be powered by a small air-cooled engine or the power take-off of a farm tractor. The disclosed undercarriage assembly for such conveyors utilizes a tractor for all modes of transport, positioning, raising and lowering, and powering of the conveyor. This undercarriage configuration allows a tractor to be coupled beside and in parallel with the conveyor. The undercarriage moves as a unit with the tractor but is freestanding when uncoupled. The tractor power take-off is utilized to drive the conveyor through the use of an additional right angle gear box mounted on the undercarriage. The tractor hydraulic and electrical systems may be utilized to power winch and cylinder controls which act to raise and lower the conveyor.

Abstract: Book blocks are transferred between vertically displaced levels via a first conveying path which extends upwardly at an angle, the conveying path being intercepted by a movable feed table which engages the book blocks and re-orients the motion thereof into a generally horizontal plane wherein the blocks are engaged by block clamps. The upstream edge of the feed table is caused to move along a closed generally circulatory path which extends above and below the inclined conveying path while the downstream edge of the feed table is constrained to move along an arcuate path which extends from the upper end of the first conveying path to a path which is parallel to that of the block clamps.