Apparatus for conveying articles

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SPRAY COATING THE OUTWARDLY FACING OPPOSITE SIDES OF A SERIES OF GENERALLY RECTANGULAR ARTICLES COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF INDEPENDENTLY MOVABLE ARTICLE SUPPORTS EACH CARRYING AN ARTICLE TO BE COATED, A FIRST CONVEYOR TRACK FOR GUIDING SAID ARTICLE TO BE COATED, A FIRST OVER A FIRST PORTION OF A PREDETERMINED PATH, MOVING MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF RELEASABLE MEMBERS EACH ENGAGING ONE OF SAID ARTICLE SUPPORTS FOR MOVING SAID SUPPORTS SUCCESSIVELY OVER THE FIRST PORTION OF SAID PATH AT A CONSTANT VELOCITY AND WITH A RELATIVELY WIDE SPACING BETWEEN ADJACENT ARTICLE, A SECOND CONVEYOR TRACK FOR GUIDING SAID SUPPORTS IN SUCCESSION OVER A SECOND, A THIRD AND A FOURTH PORTION OF SAID PATH, TRANSFER MEANS FOR DEPOSITING THE ARTICLE SUPPORTS AS THEY SUCCESSIVELY REACH SAID SECOND PATH PORTION ONTO SAID SECOND CONVEYOR TRACK AND FOR DISENGAGING SAID SUPPORTS FROM THE SUPPORT-ENGAGING MEMBER OF SAID MOVING MEANS WHILE MAINTAINING THE SUPPORTED ARTICLES IN A STABLE POSITION RELATIVE TO ADJACENT ARTICLES, MEANS INCLUDING A ROTATING SCREW WITH A THREAD OF VARYING PITCH ENGAGING WITH ARTICLE SUPPORTS DEPOSITED ON SAID SECOND CONVEYOR TRACK FOR FIRST MOVING SAID SUPPORTS ALONG THE SECOND PORTION OF SAID PATH WITH A GRADUALLY DECREASING SPACING BETWEEN ADJACENT ARTICLES TRAVERSING SAID SECOND PATH PORTION, AND SECONDLY MOVING SAID SUPPORTS ALONG THE THIRD PORTION OF SAID PATH AT A CONSTANT VELOCITY AND WITH A RELATIVELY CLOSE SPACING BETWEEN ADJACENT ARTICLES TRAVERSING SAID THIRD PATH PORTION WHEREBY THE OUTWARDLY FACING OPPOSITE SIDES OF ADJACENT BUT SPACED APART ARTICLES WILL FORM TWO SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS SURFACES TO BE COATED, AND THIRDLY MOVING SAID SUPPORTS ALONG THE FOURTH PORTION OF SAID PATH WITH A GRADUALLY INCREASING SPACING BETWEEN ADJACENT ARTICLES TRAVERSING SAID THIRD PATH PORTION, AND SPRAY COATING MEANS ADJACENT SAID THIRD PATH PORTION FOR SPRAY COATING THE CLOSELY SPACED OUTWARDLY FACING OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE ARTICLES MOVING THEREALONG.