Diverter system
A diverter system includes a conveying surface with a conveying direction for conveying an article at a conveying speed, a first diverter assembly at a first side of the conveying surface, and a second diverter assembly at the second side of the conveying surface. In addition, each of the diverter assemblies includes an arm mounted for pivotal movement between a non-diverting position and a diverting position. When actuated the arm of the actuated diverter assembly is pivoted across at least a portion of the conveying surface. The system further includes a first driver for selectively moving the arm of the first diverter assembly between its diverting position and its non-diverting position and a second driver for selectively moving the arm of the second diverter assembly between its diverting position and its non-diverting position. The first driver and the second driver are independently actuatable wherein the arms may be sequentially or each arm may be individually moved to their respective diverting positions and wherein an article conveyed on the conveying surface is diverted in a diverting direction when the article contacts one of the arms when the one arm is in said diverting position.
Latest Rapistan Systems Advertising Corp., a corporation of the State of Delaware Patents:
This application is a divisional application of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/796,917, filed Mar. 10, 2004, entitled DIVERTER, by Applicant Stephen C. Wolf, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,124,876, which claims priority to U.S. provisional application entitled ASYNCHRONOUS PADDLE DIVERTER, Ser. No. 60/477,720, filed Jun. 11, 2003 (Attorney Docket No. RAP04 P-645A) and pending U.S. provisional application entitled ASYNCHRONOUS PADDLE DIVERTER, Ser. No. 60/456,777, filed Mar. 21, 2003 (Attorney Docket No. RAP04 P-645), which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
The present invention relates to a diverter and, more particularly, to a paddle diverter for use in diverting objects, such as in a material handling system.
Paddle diverters typically comprise arms that are pivotally mounted adjacent, for example, a conveyor. The arms are driven by a driver, such as a motor, either directly or through linkages, to move between a home position, typically, adjacent the conveyor to a diverting position where the arm moves across the conveying surface of the conveyor to divert an object being conveyed on the conveying surface in a diverting direction.
Heretofore, the home and extended positions of paddle diverters have been controlled by mechanical stops; hence, paddle diverters tend to generate significant noise levels and, further, tend to generate a great deal of wear and tear on the components of the paddles due to the impact created with the mechanical stops. The faster the paddle is operated, the greater the noise and the impact on the object being diverted. In addition, the mechanical stops are not generally adjustable and hence tend to limit the application of a paddle diverter.
To increase the divert speed of the paddle diverter, many paddles incorporate belts. The belts are tensioned and driven so that they can impart speed to the object being diverted to generally maintain the throughput of the conveyor system. However, over time the belts require replacement, which heretofore requires the disassembly of the paddle diverter, which is time consuming and hence costly.
Consequently, there is a need for a diverter that can be operated at higher speeds while generating lower noise levels and, further, reducing the impact on the article being diverted. Furthermore, there is a need for a diverter for which belt replacement is simpler and quicker than heretofore known.
SUMMARYAccordingly, the present invention provides a paddle diverter assembly that reduces the impact on objects being diverted and also produces less noise than existing paddle diverters. Furthermore, when the paddle diverter assembly includes a drive belt, the paddle diverter assembly of the present invention is adapted to permit easy replacement of the drive belt without requiring the complete disassembly of the paddle diverter assembly.
In one form of the invention, a paddle diverter assembly includes an arm and a drive system for moving the arm between a non-diverting position and a diverting position. The drive system is adapted to permit the arm to absorb at least some of the impact and to move away from the diverting position upon impact with an object being diverted to reduce the impact on the object being diverted.
In one form of the invention, the drive system is adapted to permit the arm to return to the diverting position after the impact with the object.
In other aspects, the arm includes a driven diverting surface, such as a drive belt.
In other aspects the drive system comprises a driver, such as a motor, and a servo controller that selectively powers the driver to selectively move the arm of the diverter assembly.
In yet a further aspect, the arm of the paddle diverter assembly includes a spring to absorb at least some of the impact with the object being diverted. For example, the spring may comprise a plate spring and may be provided at the medial portion of the arm. The plate spring includes a longitudinal extent that extends along the longitudinal axis of the arm. When incorporating a drive belt with a rib or ribs, the plate spring may include a corresponding longitudinal groove or grooves extending along its longitudinal extent, with the rib or ribs extending into the groove or grooves of the plate spring, which thereby provides support to the belt.
According to yet other aspects, the arm includes at least first and second arm portions, with the arm portions releasably interlocked. When released, the first and second arm portions permit removal of the drive belt without disassembly of the paddle diverter assembly. For example, the arm portions are preferably slidably interlocked.
Furthermore, the first and second arm portions may include a slidable joint therebetween, which permits the first and second arm portions to slide relative to each other and, further, permits the first and second arm portions to be selectively fixable when the first and second arm portions are interlocked. For example, the slidable joint may comprise a dovetail joint and, preferably, an angled dovetail joint wherein relative movement of one of the arm portions results in a reduction in the overall length of the arm to facilitate removal of the belt. Furthermore, the arm portions preferably comprise extruded non-solid members that provide rigidity to the arm while lowering the weight of the arm.
According to another form of the invention, a diverter system includes a conveying surface, a pair of diverter assemblies at opposite sides of the conveying surface, and a drive system. Each of the diverter assemblies comprises an arm mounted for pivotal movement between a non-diverting position, wherein the arm is adjacent the conveying surface, and a diverting position, wherein the arm is pivoted across at least a portion of the conveying surface. The drive system independently and selectively moves the arms between their diverting and non-diverting positions wherein an article conveyed on a conveying surface is diverted in a diverting direction when the article contacts one of the arms when the one arm is in its diverting position.
In one aspect, the drive system permits the arms to move away from their diverting positions when impacting the article to be diverted to reduce the impact on the article and, further, moves the arms back to their non-diverting positions after the article is diverted.
In other aspects, the drive system comprises a motor for each arm, with the motors independently actuated to independently pivot the arms. For example, the drive system may comprise a controller, which selectively actuates the motors of the respective arms. A suitable controller may comprise a servo controller.
In other aspects, each of the arms includes a driven diverting surface, such as a drive belt. The drive belts are driven by driven rollers, which in turn are driven by the drive system. Furthermore, each driven roller includes a driven axis about which the driven roller is driven. The arms pivot about respective pivot axes when pivoting between their non-diverting and diverting positions, with the driven axis of a driven roller of a respective arm being preferably generally co-linear with the pivot axis of the respective arm.
According to yet other aspects, the drive system is adapted to decouple movement of the drive belts about their driven axes from the movement of the arms about their pivot axes. For example, the drive system may include separate drivers for pivoting the arms and for driving the drive belts, which are independently actuated by the drive system.
According to yet another form of the invention, a belted driving assembly includes a rigid member, first and second pulleys mounted to the rigid member and spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of the rigid member, and a drive belt which is supported by the pulleys. The rigid member comprises first and second portions, with the first and second portions releasably interlocked at a fixed length wherein the tension on the drive belt is maintained and being releasable wherein the first and second pulleys can be moved closer together wherein the drive belt can be removed for repair or replacement.
In one aspect, the first and second portions are interlocked by a slidable joint, such as a dovetail joint. Preferably, the joint is non-orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the rigid member wherein relative movement of one of the first and second portions will result in the overall length of the rigid member being reduced so that the pulleys are moved closer together to permit easy removal of the belt from the assembly.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a paddle diverter assembly that reduces impact on objects being diverted and, further, reduces the noise generated by the diverter assembly. In addition, when belts are incorporated, the present invention provides a paddle configuration that facilitates removal of the belt. These and other objects and advantages will be appreciated from the drawings and description that follow.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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Pivot cylinder 36 is journaled in frame 28 by a cylindrical hub 40 that is mounted to frame 28. Frame 28 includes an upper flange or plate member 44 with an opening 44a through which pivot cylinder 36 extends. Cylindrical hub 40 includes an upper flange 42 that rests on the upper surface of and is secured to plate member 44 of frame 28 by, for example, fasteners. Cylindrical hub 40 supports a plurality of bearings, such as roller bearings 44, which journal pivot cylinder 36 and provide lateral support to pivot cylinder 36 in hub 40. Pivot cylinder 36 is vertically supported in hub 40 by an annular lock nut 46 that is mounted to cylinder 36 and bears on spacers 45a provided at the upper end of hub 40. Furthermore, the lower end of cylindrical pivot cylinder 36 includes an enlarged shoulder 36a which bears against spacers 45b provided in the lower end of hub 40 to limit upward movement of pivot cylinder 36 in hub 40. Mounted to the lower most end of pivot cylinder 36 is a gear sprocket or pulley 48, for example, by fasteners 48a, which is driven by a driver, such as a motor, which will be more fully described below in reference to drive system 110. In this manner, when sprocket 48 is driven to rotate pivot cylinder 36 about its drive axis 36a, arm 26 will rotate about pivot axis 30 to move between its diverting and non-diverting positions.
As noted above, in the illustrated embodiment, paddle diverter assembly 14 includes a driven diverting surface, preferably a driven belt 22. Referring again to
Pulley 54 is mounted between flanges 64 and 66 by a shaft 54b, which is journaled in flanges 64 and 66 on bearings 68, which permit pulley 54 to rotate about its respective rotational axis 54a. Similarly, pulley 52 is mounted in arm mount 34 on a shaft 70, which is journaled in upper member 56 of arm mount 34 and lower end 36a of pivot shaft 36 by bearings 72. The lower most end 70a of drive shaft 70 is coupled to a drive pulley or sprocket 74, which in turn is coupled to a driver, such as a motor, as will be more fully described below in reference to drive system 110. In this manner, when drive sprocket 74 is driven about axis 30, drive pulley 52 will drive belt 22 about pulley 54 and, in turn, around arm 26.
Optionally, paddle diverter assembly 14 includes a pulley hub 54e that is mounted to lower segment 54c of pulley 54e. Hub 54c preferably comprises a low friction material, such as plastic, and provides a support for arm 26 at its cantilevered end in the event the arm 26 is loaded vertically downward, for example, by someone stepping on the arm. As a result, hub 54e protects the bearings and other components of paddle diverter assemblies 14, 16 in the even that the cantilevered end of arm 26 is loaded sufficiently to cause it to deflect.
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As noted above, arm 26 is adapted to facilitate removal of belt 22 and, preferably, without requiring the full disassembly of the diverter assembly. As best understood form
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Optionally, the pulleys of the paddle diverter assemblies of the present invention may be formed from a plurality of similar pulley sections. Referring to
The paddle diverter assembly of the present invention may incorporate an arm cover 410, such as illustrated in
Alternately, the cover may be formed as an unhanded cover so that it can be used on either the right arm or the left arm. Referring to
End portion 430′ includes a cup-shaped member 430a′, which is provided to accommodate a top mounted motor, and a base 430b′. Base 430b′ includes a recessed or offset portion 430c′ that extends under upper generally horizontal wall 420′ of base 412′ when mounted to base 412′ and, further, is sized so that when extended under wall 420′, upper surface 430e′ of base 430b′ will be substantially aligned and flush with the upper surface 420a′ of wall 420′. In addition, recessed portion 430c′ is provided with mounting openings 430d′ to allow end portion 430′ to be fastened to wall 420′.
Cup-shaped member 430a′ extends upwardly and is preferably integrally formed with base 430b′ to provide a unitary part; though it should be understood that cup-shaped member 430a′ and base 430b′ may be separately formed and then, preferably, secured together. Cup-shaped member 430a′ is located inwardly from the outer end of base 430b′, which is sized and configured to align with and match the profile of the upper wall 420′ of base 412′. As noted above, central portion 421 of upper wall 420′ includes terminal ends 421a′ and 421b′ that are spaced inwardly from the outer ends of wall 420′. Hence, the upper surface 430e′ of base 430b′ is preferably sized to extend between a respective terminal end, such as 429a′ and the outer ends wall 420′.
End portion 429′ includes a base 429a′ with a recessed portion 429b′, which similarly extends under wall 420′ at an opposed end from portion 430′. Furthermore, recessed portion 429b′ is sized so that when recessed portion 429b′ is extended under wall 420′, upper surface 429c′ of flange 429a′ will be aligned and substantially flush with upper surface 420a′ of wall 420′ and, further, extend between terminal end 421b′ and the opposed outer end of wall 420′. In addition, recessed portion 429b′ also preferably includes one or more mounting openings 429d′ to allow portion 429′ to be secured to base member 412′.
As would be understood, end portions 430′ and 429′, therefore, have a similar, if not identical footprint, so that they are interchangeable to reconfigure base member 412′ between a left handed configuration and a right handed configuration so that cover is in effect “unhanded” and can be used on either the left or right arm of the diverter assembly.
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Motor 111 includes a drive sprocket 112 about which a drive pulley 113 extends to engage drive sprocket 48 mounted on pivot cylinder 36. Second motor 114 similarly includes a drive sprocket 115. A drive belt 116 extends around sprocket 115 for driving drive sprocket 74, which is mounted to shaft 70. Preferably, the arm drive motor 111 includes a switch and potentiometers built into the motor and, further, are coupled to a fault indictor circuit. Furthermore, control system 120 selectively and independently actuates motors 111 and 114. As it would be understood, therefore, the driven belts may be independently driven from arms 26 and, further, paddle diverters 14 and 16 may be independently pivoted between their respective diverting and non-diverting positions.
Optionally, control system 120 includes sensors to detect location and size of the object or articles conveyed on the conveying surface 12a of conveyor 12. For example, control system 120 may include a pair of spaced apart sensors 121a and 121b (
Preferably, control system 120 uses servo control to control the position of the arms. In addition, control system 120 preferably includes a servo controller for each arm drive motor (111), which use feedback control loops to determine the position of the respective diverter assembly arms. This enables control system 120 to control the degree of rotation of the respective diverter assembly arms and, further, the direction of the rotation of the diverter assembly arms. For example, control system 120 includes a separate servo amp and overtravel switches 122a and 122b for each arm. Suitable servo amplifiers include Series MR-J2S from Mitsubishi. In addition, this enables control system 120 to control the drivers to sequentially move the diverter arms or to individually move the diverter arms. For example, in some applications, only one arm is moved.
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Optionally, control unit 123 may include a module 123e that can provide additional access ports to application dependent logic 123d to vary the application dependent control. For example, in an asynchronous mode, the application dependent logic 123d may be separately and independently in communication with the arm drive motors of the leading lag arms. In a synchronous mode, for example, a single connection may be used to control both arms.
In addition, control unit 123 may incorporate an actuator sensor interface 123f (ASI Bus). Actuator sensor interface 123f may provide additional information about the respective components of each paddle diverter assembly.
Furthermore, control unit 123 preferably includes an opto coupler/relay 123g, which isolates the main processor from potential electrical damage from control unit 123. Opto coupler relay 123g interfaces with application dependent logic 123d and detects when an alarm or fault mode occurs to trigger a supervisory controller in the main control system (120a). Opto coupler relay 123g provides a hardware indicator to the main control system of whether the diverter assembly, namely, the arm drive motor is healthy or not so that the main control system can cut the power to the drive arm motor and also the belt drive motor.
Furthermore, given that the arm drive motors are servo controlled, when the respective arms of the diverter assemblies impact an article, the control system will permit the diverter to move away from the diverting position to absorb some of the impact of the article to therefore reduce the impact on the article being diverted. In other words, the control system provides an electrical or electronic spring for the diverter assemblies so that the output shaft of the arm drive motor of an arm may be temporarily rotated in an opposite direction from its driving direction against the force of the magnetic coil in the motor, which then is overcome by the electromagnetic field in the coil to return the arm to its diverting position.
In addition, each of the respective arms of the diverter assemblies may include an impact plate or spring mounted to the arm to also absorb some of the impact from the article. Referring again to
As would be understood from the foregoing description, paddle diverter assemblies 14 and 16 may be used to divert articles from either side of the conveyor, such as illustrated in
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In the illustrated embodiment, pivot cylinder 636 extends through an opening 628a provided in diverter assembly frame 628 and into a hub 640, which is mounted to frame 628 by a plurality of fasteners 640a. For details of diverter assembly frame 628, reference is made to frame 28. Hub 640 includes a plurality of roller bearings 644, which journal pivot cylinder 636 in hub 640. The distal end of pivot cylinder 636 projects through hub 640 and is coupled to a drive pulley 648, which is similarly coupled by a belt or the like to a drive pulley 715 of a second motor 714, which is controlled along with motor 671 by a control system similar to control system 120.
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As would be understood from the foregoing description, the paddle diverter assemblies of the present invention may be used in a variety of different configurations. Referring to
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Drive arm 926 is driven by a motor 915 (shown in phantom), which is preferably mounted below frame 928, which is of similar construction to frame 28. Linkage arm 926a is pivotally mounted at its proximal end to frame 928 and at its distal end to arm 26 and together with drive arm 926 move arm 26 across the conveying surface of conveyor 912 in an arcuate path while maintaining arm 26 generally parallel to the direction of flow of conveyor 912. As best seen in
While several forms of the invention have been shown and described, other forms will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, although illustrated as a symmetrical assembly, arms 26 of diverter assemblies 14 and 16 may have different lengths with their ends generally meeting at a location offset from the center of the conveying surface. Furthermore, the various aspects of the diverter assemblies may be combined with other features not specifically illustrated herein and, further, the diverter assemblies of the present invention may be used in combination with non-belt conveyors, such as illustrated in
Additionally, the arm of the respective diverter assembly may be used in a horizontal application, such as in a pop-up diverter. Furthermore, the releasable interlocking feature of the extruded sections forming the arm may be used to releasably interlock sections of conveyor beds, including conveyor beds formed from extruded members and other types of members, such as a belt conveyor or a dual or quad-sorter belt conveyor section, to facilitate removal of the conveyor belt. In addition, a dual joint insert may be used where one of the joints forms an acute clockwise angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the arm or conveyor bed and the other joint forms an obtuse clockwise angle with respect to the longitudinal axis so that the two joints form a wedge shape insert that can be removed to shorten the arm length or conveyor bed length to facilitate the belt removal.
As previously noted, other types of drivers may be used to move the arms, such as cylinders, including pneumatic and/or hydraulic cylinders, and/ or rotary actuators, including pneumatic or hydraulic rotary actuators, such as pneumatic motors, including a servo- controlled pneumatic motors, or linear actuators, such as rack and pinion mechanism. For example, a linear rack may be used to rotate a curved rack or gear, which would then provide the rotational motion to the arm. Therefore, it should be understood that the term “driver” is used in its broadest sense and is not limited to a motor.
Therefore, it will be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims, which follow as interpreted under the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents.
Claims
1. A diverter system comprising:
- a conveying surface having a conveying direction and for conveying an article at a conveying speed in said conveying direction, said conveying surface having parallel spaced first and second sides;
- a first diverter assembly at said first side of said conveying surface;
- a second diverter assembly at said second side of said conveying surface;
- each of said diverter assemblies comprising an arm mounted for pivotal movement between a non-diverting position and a diverting position, when actuated said arm of the actuated diverter assembly being pivoted across at least a portion of said conveying surface;
- a first driver for selectively moving said arm of said first diverter assembly between its diverting position and its non-diverting position; and
- a second driver for selectively moving said arm of said second diverter assembly between its diverting position and its non-diverting position, said first driver and said second driver being independently actuatable wherein said arms may be sequentially or each arm may be individually moved to their respective diverting positions and wherein an article conveyed on said conveying surface is diverted in a diverting direction when the article contacts one of said arms when said one arm is in said diverting position.
2. The diverter system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said drivers permits one arm of said arms to move away from its diverting position when impacting an article to thereby reduce the impact on the article being diverted and moves said one arm back to said non-diverting position after the article is diverted by said one arm.
3. The diverter system in claim 1, further comprising a controller, said controller selectively and independently actuating said drivers.
4. The diverter system in claim 3, wherein said controller comprises a servo controller.
5. The diverter system according to claim 1, wherein each of said arms includes a driven diverting surface.
6. The diverter system according to claim 5, wherein at least one of said driven diverting surfaces comprises a drive belt.
7. The diverter system according to claim 6, wherein said drive belt is driven by a driven roller.
8. The diverter system according to claim 7, wherein said driven roller includes a driven axis about which said driven roller is driven, and said arm with said drive belt pivoting about a respective pivot axis when pivoting between its non-diverting position and its diverting position.
9. The diverter system according to claim 8, wherein said driven axis and said respective pivot axis are generally collinear.
10. The diverter system according to claim 8, further comprising a drive system, said drive system includes said first and second drivers and said driven roller, said drive system being configured to de-couple movement of said drive belt about said driven axis from movement of said arm about said respective pivot axis.
11. The diverter system according to claim 10, wherein said drive system includes a motor for driving said drive belt, said motor and said first and second drivers independently actuated by said drive system.
12. The diverter system according to claim 11, wherein at least one driver of said drivers is configured to permit said arm associated with said one driver to move away from the diverting position upon impact with an object to be diverted to thereby absorb at least some of the impact between the arm and the object being diverted.
13. The diverter system according to claim 12, wherein said driver is configured to return said arm associated with said one driver to said diverting position by an electromagnetic field.
14. The diverter system according to claim 1, wherein said drivers extend downwardly from said arms no more than 12 inches.
15. The diverter system according to claim 1, wherein each of said drivers comprise a motor and a servo controller selectively powering said motor, said motors permitting said arms to move away from their diverting positions upon impact with an object to thereby form an electric spring.
16. A diverter system comprising:
- a conveying surface having a conveying direction for conveying an article at a conveying speed;
- a pair of diverter assemblies at opposite sides of said conveying surface, each of said diverter assemblies comprising an arm mounted for pivotable movement between a non-diverting position and a diverting position wherein said arm is pivoted across at least a portion of said conveying surface, and each of said arms including a driven diverting surface;
- a driver for each arm, said drivers being independently actuated to move said arms for moving said arms between said diverting positions and said non-diverting positions; and
- a controller, said controller selectively and independently actuating said drivers and said driven diverting surfaces of each of said arms, wherein said arms may be sequentially or each arm may be individually moved to their respective diverting positions and when an article conveyed on said conveying surface is diverted in a diverting direction when the article contacts one of said arms when said one said one arm is in said diverting position.
17. The diverter system according to claim 16, wherein each of said arms includes a horizontal extent and a drive belt extending around said horizontal extent, said belts being driven around their respective horizontal extents and providing said driven diverting surfaces for each of said arms.
18. The diverter system according to claim 17, wherein each of said drive belts is driven by a driven roller.
19. The diverter system according to claim 18, wherein said drivers are decoupled from said drive rollers wherein movement of said drive belts about their respective driven axis is decoupled from movement of said arm about said pivot axes.
20. The diverter system according to claim 19, further comprising a motor for driving each of said drive belts, said drivers of said arms being independently actuated from said motors.
21. A method of selectively diverting an object on a conveyor with a conveying surface, said method comprising:
- providing a conveyor with a conveying surface having a conveying direction and two opposed sides;
- providing a first paddle arm at or adjacent one side of the conveying surface;
- providing a second paddle arm at or adjacent the other side of the conveyor;
- selectively moving the first paddle arm with a first driver to a diverting position; and
- selectively and independently moving the second paddle arm with a second driver to a diverting position wherein the arms may be synchronously moved or asynchronously moved to their diverting positions.
22. The method according to claim 21, wherein moving comprises pivoting the respective arms to their diverting positions.
23. The method according to claim 22, wherein said moving the first paddle with a first driver comprises moving the first paddle arm with a servo-controlled motor.
24. The method according to claim 23, wherein said moving the second paddle arm with a second driver includes moving the second paddle arm with a second servo-controlled motor.
25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising providing a controller and selectively actuating the first driver and the second driver with the controller.
26. The method according to claim 25, wherein said selectively actuating includes independently actuating the first driver and the second driver.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 17, 2006
Publication Date: Feb 15, 2007
Applicant: Rapistan Systems Advertising Corp., a corporation of the State of Delaware (Grand Rapids, MI)
Inventor: Stephen Wolf (Grand Rapids, MI)
Application Number: 11/582,086
International Classification: B65G 47/10 (20060101);