Abstract: A snap together picking container consists of two synthetic resin molded side members that are mirror images of each other, a folded blank of front, bottom and rear walls connected by living hinges and a sheet plastic top slid into mating grooves of the side members to abut against the rear wall. With or without the top, like containers may be stacked upon each other, with side shifting prevented by abutment flanges on the top of one container nesting between the side members of the upper container. Picking is provided through an opening due to a shortened top and a front wall shorter than the rear wall. Hook type snap assembly is provided between the walls and the side members having channels. Multiple width containers may be constructed by using inserts in the mold producing folding blank, which folded blank is shaped so as to be produced by a two part rigid plate mold without undercuts.

Abstract: There is disclosed a one piece synthetic resin molded bakery tray, without moving parts and without any additional parts, that can be stackable at a plurality of levels, and preferably nestable due to top to bottom functional symmetry. Substantial or even identical symmetry may be provided. Such symmetry may also be with respect to rotation of the tray about a central vertical axis. Interlocking portions are provided symmetrically on the top and bottom edges of high side walls, and a bakery product support partition is provided at a midplane of the walls. Stacking ledges may be provided at an intermediate height from the partition on each high wall for cooperating with the interlocking portions to provide an intermediate stacking position. Complementary interlocking portions may be provided on each surface of the partition adjacent each high side wall for cooperation with interlocking portions of the high side walls to obtain a low stacking position. Identical trays may be rotated 90.degree.

Abstract: A storage and retrieval system has a plurality of conveyor sections mounted one above the other on a frame. Each conveyor section can move a tray with a box of articles thereon between a loading station and a picking station automatically according to a keyboard entry control. Each conveyor section has a plurality of the trays secured together by a driven chain in an endless loop, with the trays being supported on an endless array of horizontal undriven rollers.

Abstract: A container handling system is provided for the conveyance of containers from one location to another. The system is able to handle palletized containers and operate as an order picking pallet return system. The manual operations involved in loading and unloading the containers with respect to one apparatus of the system are safeguarded from being conducted incorrectly, thereby enabling accident free use of the system under normal operation.

Abstract: A stacking and nesting container, particularly a bakery tray, is provided with bails on two opposed sidewall top edges that are pivotable between a nesting position when the trays may be nested within each other and a stacking position wherein a like tray may have its bottom supported by the bails of a lower tray, and the entire structure is molded of synthetic resin material, without metal parts or separate hinge components. The hinge for the bails is formed by pins molded into the bails and fit within self locking bearing aperature of the sidewalls.

Abstract: A guide system or rollerway in a gravity type conveyor which includes a plurality of first and second cylindrical rollers journalled for rotation about axes extending transversely between a pair of elongated rails and disposed at spaced intervals along the rail lengths. The first rollers are load bearing and each includes a resiliently compressible load bearing surface around the outer circumference thereof. The nature of the load bearing surfaces is such that they act as speed control devices for a load. The second rollers are in general alignment with each other along the rail lengths and each includes a generally radial outwardly extending guide flange adapted for engagement by a load conveyed therepassed. The second rollers are smaller in diameter than the first rollers and are normally non-load bearing. When loading of the first rollers reaches some predetermined maximum level, the load bearing surfaces thereof are radially compressed to such an extent that the second rollers become load bearing.

Abstract: Rigid synthetic foam is expanded, molded and cured in an endless mold formed by opposed spaced horizontal belt conveyors with side dams. To obtain a smooth finish on the products, a top cover belt and a bottom cover belt are employed to span the rigid slats of the conveyors, respectively. The top cover belt is stretched tightly and smoothly when the endless conveyors approach each other at the entrance to the pressure mold, by means of a downwardly depending continuous wedge shaped member along each side margin of the cover belt that cooperates with an upwardly opening correspondingly wedge shaped recess in the side dam. To obtain different thickness products, spacer blocks may be employed between the side dam and the lower conveyor.

Abstract: In a molding apparatus employing opposed endless belt conveyors to mold a non-rigid material into a rigid material, the problem of one conveyor being driven at a slightly greater speed than the other conveyor to produce harmful shear stresses within the molded product is avoided by driving both conveyors at generally the same speed during start-up until the rigid product extending between the two conveyors will tend to drive the slower conveyor at the speed of the faster conveyor, at which point the drive for the slower conveyor will be disconnected. One-way clutches may be placed in the drive of both conveyors so that it does not matter which conveyor is slower, or a one-way clutch may be placed in the drive of only one conveyor and the other conveyor constructed so that it will inherently tend to run faster than the one conveyor, or a selectively releasable coupling, such as a clutch, may be placed in the drive of one conveyor so that the drive of the one conveyor may be disconnected.

Abstract: The pour plate that is inclined downwardly between the side conveyors of a U-shaped continuous molding tunnel is adjustable in width between the correspondingly adjustable side conveyors so as to selectively produce flat-top buns of foamed synthetic resin of a desired width within the range of adjustment. Interdigitating T-shaped fingers are transversely expandible to form the pour plate and have the gaps between the fingers closed by a cover sheet extending completely over the pour plate with sides being folded downwardly between the pour plate and side conveyors where they are attached to a bias that holds the cover sheet in stretched condition over the pour plate. The bottom cover web that travels with the foam may be folded or cut to the adjusted width of the pour plate. The interdigitated finger construction of the pour plate permits adjustment of the pour plate profile so as to correspond to the rise/time curve of the foam as it expands on our pour plate.

Abstract: Two opposed endless conveyor belts, together with side dams respectively mounted on the conveyor belts form a molding tunnel for producing a continuous sheet of foamed and cured resin. A cover sheet, usually of paper, is provided between the molding surfaces of the side dams and conveyors and the product being formed. The side dams are movable toward and away from an abutting surface of the conveyor opposite to the one that they are mounted on so as to clamp the paper therebetween and prevent leakage of foam. A mechanism, particularly a spring bias and cam track, is provided to release the paper clamping pressure to permit the foaming resin briefly to permit the expanding resin to move the paper into conformity with the molding tunnel. The points along the length of the molding tunnel wherein this release occurs are adjustable as desired.

Abstract: A gravity undriven roller conveyor is provided with speed control so as to maintain articles travelling thereon within a narrow speed range generally independent of the length of the conveyor, the starting speed of the article, and the load of the conveyor by providing an elastomeric tired wheel on a bracket beneath the cylindrical rolls of a conveyor so as to engage two adjacent cylindrical rolls and absorb kinetic energy through hysteresis properties of the material of the elastomeric tire on the wheel. Vertical adjustment is provided with a rigid screw mounting or a biased spring mounting, and flanges radially overlapping the tire are provided on the wheel so as to limit the compression of the tire through such vertical adjustment to within the elastic limit of the elastomeric material.

Abstract: Composite panelling of upper and lower metal skins with side configurations for interlocking and a rigid foam core are continuously made by feeding separate upper and lower skin panels secured together by preassembled rigid foam end dams continuously past a foam station having a small height mixing head mounted on cross slides to lay down a zigzag pattern of foam between the skins, with the first and last transverse run of foam being parallel to the ends of the skins. A mixing head is such that valves are located within the head so that the two foamable chemicals do not contact each other until they are fed into the mixing chamber wherein a mechanical mixer mixes them immediately prior to being deposited, which mechanical mixer and valves are of minimum height and fully insertable within the molding space between the skins. A drive motor for the mixer is located in the main body supporting the mixing head, which main body does not enter into the mold cavity.

Abstract: Preferably for use in the production of continuous lengths of rigid foam, a molding machine employs opposed endless conveyor belts having adjacent linear runs forming therebetween a molding zone. Each of the conveyors is supported for movement toward and away from the other conveyor, and one of the conveyor supports is made up of a plurality of sections hingedly connected together to locally yield to a lump or other discontinuity in the product being produced. Double acting expansible chambers are provided to drivingly interconnect the conveyor supports for separating the conveyors, permitting the conveyors to come together, and for clamping the conveyors together under a pressure sufficient to resist the foaming pressure, with a space between the conveyors being maintained during molding by adjustable spacer blocks.

Abstract: The endless single cable conveyor with lugs moving in a guide channel for engaging either an article to be conveyed or a carrier for the article has the lugs molded of a synthetic resin onto the cable in triangular shape and received within a complimentary shaped channel for both the conveying run and the returned run respectively. With such complementary triangular shapes for both the lug and its channel, the channel may be bent in any direction as desired for the conveyor without fear of the lug moving out of the channel, and if excessive wear occurs to the portion of the lug extending beyond the channel to engage the article, the lug may be removed from the channel, rotated 120.degree., and reinserted within the channel to present a new article engaging portion that is undamaged. The channels are constructed opposite each other with a box beam between them, and the entire channel and box beam assembly is constructed in one piece by extrusion.

Abstract: Plastic is foamed in a pressure tunnel portion of a molding conveyor formed by opposed endless conveyor runs with side pieces defining the product cross section. One or both employed the endless runs, preferably the bottom conveyor run is laterally split into at least two separate endless shiftable conveyors respectively carrying the side pieces forming the sides of the pressure tunnel, which shiftable conveyors are laterally movable, with respect to the conveying or molding direction, at the tunnel entrance and the tunnel exit for clamping and unclamping respectively, that is for bringing the side pieces horizontally toward each other transverse to the molding direction to form the final configuration for the tunnel cross section and away from each other at the molding tunnel exit to release the sides of the molded product.