Abstract: The air conveyor comprises a guide rail (3) on which the articles (1) are to be suspended, and along which the articles are to be transported in a given direction of transport. The conveyor system provides a pneumatic means to move the articles in the direction of transport and further includes additional pneumatic means (10) that are designed to generate, when operated, a plurality of reverse air jets orientated onto the articles in a direction opposite that of their direction of transport. The user of the reverse jets makes it possible, in particular, to free without manual intervention articles accidentally immobilised in the course of transport, or, to slow down, immobilise or impart a rhythm to the articles as they are transported.

Abstract: The anti-contamination apparatus includes a transport enclosure (13) which has a input face (26) having an opening to admit the recipients and which contains: a guide rail capable of supporting the recipients by their protuberances; an inverted U-shaped longitudinal transport channel the legs of which surmount the guide rail. The apparatus further comprises a pneumatic device for blowing air in a direction (G) globally opposite to direction T of transport of the recipients, the device being capable of forming a frontal escape of air, from the inside towards the outside of the enclosure, via the admission opening of the input face (26).

Abstract: The method serves to form a train of articles, e.g. plastic bottles, which articles are transported in a conveyor line while being suspended and propelled along the line in a given transport direction under drive from transport air jets. The method comprises the following successive steps implemented in a segment of the conveyor that is referred to as a train-forming segment: a) articles are accumulated in at least a downstream zone of the train-forming segment under drive from transport air jets in an upstream zone of the segment, and by the articles in the downstream zone being braked (and optionally stopped) by drive from air; b) interrupting or reducing the power of the transport air jets in the upstream zone of the train-forming segment so that the articles present in said upstream zone do not penetrate into the downstream zone, while accelerating (or starting) a train of articles under drive from transport air jets in the downstream zone of the train-forming segment.

Abstract: The conveyor comprises two spaced-apart under-neck guides (3) along which articles are designed to be transported by being suspended via their collars (2) on the under-neck guides (3), and also a longitudinal stop (6) which is mounted above the under-neck guides (3) and which serves to limit the up stroke available to the articles between the under-neck guides (3). In a preferred embodiment, the top abutment is in the form of a stop (6) having an abutment-forming bottom longitudinal face (6a) in which there is formed a longitudinal central channel (6b) of width (L) that is less than the diameter (D) of an article at its top end (1d).

Abstract: The air conveyor enables suspended articles to be transported, e.g. empty plastics bottles B, under drive from air jets. It has a bottom longitudinal guide (6) which extends along the path of the articles, which has two facing longitudinal guide walls (7b), and which is positioned or suitable for being positioned relative to the suspension points of the articles in such a manner that an article suspended from the conveyor comes into contact via its base with the inside faces of the two guide walls, and is held tilted relative to the vertical and rearwards relative to the transport direction by a minimum conveying angle.