Abstract: An endless conveyor having two adjacent, aligned, parallel chain loops each having two rectilinear portions. Between the loops and entrained by friction are suspended carrier members for carrying objects along the two rectilinear conveying tracks defined by the chains. A latching device comprising a spring-loaded, U-shaped member which wedges between spaced chain links thereby preventing sliding of the carrier members at the loop ends is provided to allow passage from one track to the other.

Abstract: Conveyor apparatus comprises a series of spaced rollers defining thereover a travel path for articles and an article stop located adjacent and downstream with respect to one of the rollers and movable between an extended position and a retracted position. In its extended position, the article stop extends into the travel path to obstruct passage of articles from the roller, and in its retracted position the article stop is spaced from the travel path to permit passage of articles from the roller. A roller stop is secured to the article stop and movable therewith, the roller stop being operatively disengaged from the roller when the article stop is in the retracted position and operatively engaged with the roller when the article stop is in the extended position. Operative engagement of the roller stop with the roller inhibits rotation of the roller and thus reduces the momentum with which an article engages the article stop.

Abstract: A coupling includes an outer cup-shaped member which acts as a support for other portions of the coupling and which itself is revolvably supported on a conveyor that moves the coupling between workpiece loading and unloading stations. The outer cup-shaped member acts as a shield against ambient conditions which may include heating, coating or other processing means. One embodiment of the invention has a plurality of fingers mounted to move radially inward of the coupling to grasp the workpiece, which fingers are mounted to form a part of the outer shield or wall at the time that they are grasping a workpiece. Another embodiment of the invention involves an internal chuck sort of coupling using an expandable resilient member which can be an elastomeric ring to expand outwardly into a grasping relationship with a hollow portion of the workpiece. The coupling and conveyor are suited for use in handling soft or easily marked materials such as plastic, soft metals and the like.

Abstract: A drive unit having a toothed endless member for driving a conveyor. The drive unit includes an endless driving chain having tooth-like projections extending outwardly from the driving chain, each tooth-like projection having a bearing surface which coacts with the toothed side of the endless member to drive the endless member in response to movement of the driving chain. The driving chain engages a pair of sprockets to be moved around each in response to the rotation of one of the sprockets by a drive motor. Each tooth-like projection is inserted into or removed from a respective groove defined by the teeth of the endless member when that tooth-like projection is advanced around a circular path defined by the endless chain driven around one of the sprockets.

Abstract: A coupling includes an outer cup-shaped member that acts as a support for other parts and is both revolvably and slidably supported on a conveyor that moves the coupling between work stations. In the normal installation, the coupling would move between workpiece loading and unloading stations. Slide motion relative to the conveyor is used to engage and disengage a workpiece. The outer cup-shaped member acts as a shield against ambient conditions which may include heating, coating or the like. The coupling preferably involves an internal chuck feature having an expandable resilient detent member preferably in the form of a metallic stretchable annular member known as a garter spring. The coupling and conveyor are suited for use in handling soft or easily marked materials such as plastic.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for handling a column of nested, uniformly shaped snack chips. The apparatus comprises a pair of parallel, spaced elongated conveying surfaces which support an imbricated column of chips and a stationary support bar positioned therebetween. A gate engages the chips causing them to rotate backwardly transferring the support of the chips from the conveying surfaces to the bar thereby eliminating frictional drag on the articles. A second gate is provided to segregate the column into two portions.

Abstract: Apparatus for transferring parts moving serially along a first conveyor to parallel ranks on a second conveyor comprising a push bar for contacting and transferring the parts, a carriage for supporting the bar and a base for movably supporting the carriage. A first drive apparatus moves the bar from a starting position adjacent the first conveyor toward the second conveyor. A lifting apparatus raises the bar after the articles have been transferred from the first conveyor onto the second conveyor and maintains the bar in a raised position for at least a portion of its return to its starting position. The bar is mounted on a movable mounting apparatus so that the bar can move with respect to the carriage. A second drive apparatus is provided for moving the bar with respect to the carriage, the second drive apparatus including at least one drive arm for moving the bar mounting apparatus.

Abstract: The inventive orienter is used in the output path of a vibratory feeder for axially orienting uniform cylinders. It includes a tube having a side opening spaced from the input end and extending axially along a portion of the tube so cylinders that are not axially oriented fall through the side opening and down to a lower region of the feeder. The tube is rotationally oriented for positioning the lower edge of the side opening relative to a vertical plane through the axis of the tube so that the axially oriented cylinders move along the tube while overhanging the lower edge, and cylinders not axially oriented slide toward the bottom of the tube and fall over the lower edge and through the side opening. The tube preferably has a top opening at the input end, and the top opening preferably overlaps with the side opening so that relatively tall cylinders can enter the input end of the tube standing up and be rejected when they enter the side opening region.

Abstract: Conveyor flight assemblies or more particularly improved connecting means for connecting a flight to a conveyor chain.

Abstract: An improved log turner including a charge conveyor for feeding logs across an opening onto a carrying chute aligned with the charge conveyor. A discharge conveyor is located beneath the opening perpendicular to the charge conveyor. One pair of arc-shaped push-off arms is pivotally attached near the opening on opposite sides of the charge conveyor and the carrying chute. One arm of each pair of arms, opposite to one another, is pivoted to push-off and pivot a log resting on the charge conveyor and the carrying chute into the discharge conveyor.

Abstract: A rotary piston conveyor comprising a plurality of interengaged rotors in which at least one rotor is driven and, in turn, drives the other rotors. Each pair of adjacent rotors have spiral vanes which mesh to form the conveyor path as the rotors rotate. The degree of interengagement of the flanks or edges of the meshed vanes determine the efficiency of the conveyor path formed by the meshed vanes for any particular material or groups of material. Hence the rotors are adjustable to vary the interengagement of the vanes. The clearance between vanes in a direction parallel to the shaft determines the size or cross-section of the conveyor path. Hence, the rotors are longitudinally adjustable with respect to each other to vary the clearance. The adjustment device includes a split gear on the driven rotor and means for making each of the two adjustments as well as markings or indicia which may be read against a marker to show the degree of adjustment.

Abstract: A small radius conveyor belt for traveling along both straight and laterally curved paths and a conveyor system including such belt is shown. A plurality of rods extend across the belt and are pivotally connected together by tractive central links and inner and outer edge links which are longitudinally expandable and collapsible. The inner links are fully expanded and the outer links are collapsed in the straight path. The inner links collapse and the outer links expand to allow the belt to bend around the curve.

Abstract: A machine for conveying similarly shaped articles in a single file is disclosed comprising drive and return conveyors with said drive conveyor having a loading portion and a discharge portion. A plurality of similarly shaped articles are loaded at the loading portion of the drive conveyor. A separator separates the articles in a single file on the drive conveyor and ejects articles from the drive conveyor which vary from the single file. The return conveyor forms an angle relative to the drive conveyor for receiving the ejected articles from the drive conveyor to return the ejected articles on the return conveyor to the drive conveyor.

Abstract: A flexible coated wire cable conveyor structure which includes one or more flexible wire cables coated with a flexible plastic resinous cable-coating material, such as nylon, and novel means for attaching the conveyor flights to and supporting them on the flexible coated wire cable or cables including flight-attaching and supporting members integrally united, as by molding or heat-bonding to the flexible plastic resinous cable-coating material on the flexible coated wire cable or cables and for attaching the conveyor flights to and supporting them on the flexible coated wire cable or cables. In a preferred embodiment thereof, the invention includes means for detachably latching the conveyor flights to the flight-attaching and supporting members.

Abstract: The conveyor system includes a guide mechanism defining longitudinally disposed sliding surfaces for guiding rib means secured to the conveyor belt for controlling vertical movement of the runs of the conveyor and in addition defines a slot for restricting lateral movement of the conveyor. This design provides accurate control of the positions of the conveyor, which thus serves to limit the space that must be provided for conveyor systems, particularly of those types that are quite long.

Abstract: Pumping apparatus for conveying animal waste from a livestock housing to a remote storage area includes a hopper with one downwardly inclined hopper surface with the other surfaces of the hopper being vertical and in which the inclined surface supports an agitating plate which oscillates and minimizes bridging of straw across the hopper walls. The agitating plate is oscillated by a motor driven crank. Spray tubes arranged around the vertical and inclined walls provide a water curtain to further minimize sticking and bridging of the manure in the hopper. Other features of the invention include a reducing cone to reduce the diameter of the pumping chamber to that of the discharge pipe with the reducing cone provided with check valves to prevent back flow of manure from the storage area through the pump and into the livestock housing when the pump is not in use.

Abstract: Apparatus for simultaneously changing the orientation of articles and transporting the articles from a first location to a second location comprises a wheel, the first and second locations being adjacent the periphery of the wheel and being angularly displaced from each other relative to the periphery of the wheel, a plurality of recesses formed in the periphery of the wheel for receiving the articles, each of the recesses being of such size and shape relative to the articles as to retain each of the articles in a substantially fixed orientation relative to the recess in which the article is received, a kicker for feeding a respective one of the articles from the first location into a respective one of the recesses, a rachet for consecutively rotationally indexing the wheel thereby to bring consecutive recesses into substantial registry with the first location for receiving each of the articles fed from the first location by the kicker and a pair of rails for receiving the articles from the recesses at the se

Abstract: A channel section for a scraper-chain conveyor is reinforced on one or both of its side walls by means of an assembly which may be a one-piece component with elongate members mounted one above another and secured to the associated side wall to lie flush with the upper and lower surfaces of the latter. The members are connected by means of transverse brackets provided with slotted recesses which are shaped to receive the heads of bolts and the members themselves are also provided with recesses for receiving the heads of bolts or attachments. The bolts can secure attachments such as plates or guides to the channel section. Connectors which enable the channel section to be connected to other channel sections are provided at the ends thereof. These connectors and the brackets engage within a V-shaped longitudinal groove at the outside of the side wall.

Abstract: An improved screw feeder such as may be used for conveying ligno-cellulosic materials such as wood chips, shavings, sawdust and the like to pulping apparatus includes a plurality of stopper bars positioned symmetrically about the inner periphery of the screw feeder throat inlet. The stopper bars are narrow, elongate wedge-shaped and extend from the greater diameter flare bore of the conical throat to the lesser diameter taper bore. The stopper bars prevent material from rotating with the screw rather than advancing longitudinally through the throat and thus decrease plugging and clogging problems so that a higher pulping capacity due to improved feed is obtained.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an automatic tobacco harvester having a longitudinal leaf conveyor system for receiving tobacco leaf material defoliated by a defoliator assembly carried by said harvester and generally conveying the received leaf material rearwardly and upwardly about said harvester where the longitudinal conveyor system discharges the leaf material therefrom about a rearward elevated area on said harvester. The longitudinal leaf conveyor system of a particular harvester includes a series of laterally spaced longitudinal conveyor assemblies, each conveyor assembly including a horizontal conveyor section for conveying the leaf material from the defoliator assembly towards the rear of said harvester, and an elevating section which acts to convey the leaves from the horizontal section upwardly therefrom to an elevated area on said harvester where the leaves are discharged therefrom.