Abstract: A vibratory conveyor has a bed or trough that carries the workpieces, and supported above a base plate. A vibratory motor employs linear bearing to provide vibratory that is kept in the plane of the conveyor bed. A directional fabric material lying on the trough is smooth or slippery in one direction but grips the workpieces in the opposite direction. The vibratory motor keeps the motion in the back and forth direction, with almost no vertical component, for quieter operation and without shaking that can damage delicate workpieces. The direction of motion can be selected by orienting the fabric.

Abstract: This relates to an oscillating or reciprocating conveyor wherein the work pieces move in a single plane, generally horizontal, and wherein the conveyor, if desired, may also be a rocking conveyor. This particularly relates to a drive for such a conveyor wherein the conveyor is moved in the work piece advanced direction by a fluid cylinder and wherein there are compression springs for moving the conveyor rearwardly at the end of each forward stroke. More particularly, there are provided rapid exhaust systems for cylinders whereby the conveyor and work pieces carried thereby may be advanced at a relatively slow uniform rate and at least at certain predetermined periods the fluid cylinder can be rapidly exhausted and driven by the spring or springs so as to rapidly reverse the direction of movement of the conveyor with the result that the conveyor moves rearwardly while the advanced work pieces remain stationary. If desired, a suitable shock absorber arrangement may also be provided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for positioning an article having opposed ends at least one of which is flat and an irregular surfaced body portion between the ends so that the article can stably rest on the flat end including feeding one or more of such articles to a substantially horizontal support surface in random orientation and imparting a simultaneous back-and-forth and side-to-side motion on the surface with the resulting forces on each article created by such motion causing each article to seek a stable position bringing each article to rest on the flat end of the article.

Abstract: A vibrating conveyor has a working mass drivable in vibrations, a counter mass which is also driven via the working mass in vibrations which are transferred to a support or a mounting base, and a device for dampening or reducing this transmission which includes a plurality of roller bearing elements provided between the vibrating conveyor and a mounting base and each formed as a unit including two bearing shells with running tracks and at least one roller part between the running tracks, wherein the running tracks before and after the roller part is inclined in opposite direction in form of a predetermined curve, and when the counter mass is driven in rotation the counter mass and the mounting base are pressed from one another by the roller bearing element which results in damping relative to the mounting base.

Abstract: A poultry conveyor for conveying birds in a poultry processing plant including a support frame, an elongate conveying trough, mounting means movably mounting the conveying trough on the support frame for movement along a generally horizontal path with the trough being inclined with respect to the horizontal, and drive means for reciprocally moving the conveying trough along the generally horizontal path to cause birds deposited in the conveying trough to be moved along the trough in a given direction.

Abstract: A shaker conveyor is operated by a drive mechanism using rotary motion converted to reciprocating motion by an eccentric, which provides for a shaker conveyor driven by a compact drive system.

Abstract: The channel between the convergent tobacco compacting upper and lower chain conveyors of a tobacco shredding machine receives particles of tobacco from one or more vibrating troughs which define paths extending in parallelism with the direction of travel of particles between the chain conveyors toward the cutting station. The troughs can have stepped bottom walls to effect preliminary homogenization and compacting of particles on their way toward the rear portion of the lower conveyor which extends rearwardly beyond the upper conveyor. The quantity of tobacco particles in one or more troughs is monitored by photocells whose signals are utilized to vary the speed of the motor for the chain conveyors, the frequency and/or amplitude of vibratory movements of the trough or troughs and/or the rate of feed of particles to the trough or troughs when the monitored quantity deviates from a desirable range of quantities.