Conveyor control system

Claim 1

A SEMI-AUTOMATIC CONVEYOR SYSTEM OF THE TYPE IN WHICH A PRIME MOVER DRIVES AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR CHAIN HAVING A PLURALITY OF EQUALLY SPACED LOAD TRANSPORTING CARRIERS SECURED THERETO FOR MOVEMENT IN A PREDETERMINED PATH, IN WHICH AT LEAST ONE LOAD STATION AND A PLURALITY OF DISCHARGE STATIONS ARE ADJACENT THE PATH, AND IN WHICH A TIMER CONTROLLED BY AN OPERATOR AT THE LOAD STATION OPERATES TO CAUSE AN OBJECT TO BE DEPOSITED IN THE FIRST EMPTY CARRIER APPROACHING THE LOAD STATION AFTER ACTUATION OF THE TIMER AND TO BE DELIVERED TO ANY DISCHARGE STATION SELECTED BY THE OPERATOR, WHEREIN THE PATH IS DIVIDED INTO A PLURALITY OF DEFINED SECTIONS EQUAL IN LENGTH TO THE SPACING BETWEEN CARRIERS AND WHEREIN THE TIMER COMPRISES: A MULTI-CHANNEL SHIFT REGISTER HAVING A PLURALITY OF STAGES EQUAL IN NUMBER TO THE PATH SECTIONS, EACH STAGE CORRESPONDING TO A PREDETERMINED SECTION OF THE CARRIER PATH; CIRCUITS CONTROLLED BY AN OPERATOR FOR CAUSING A WAITING OBJECT TO BE TRANSFERRED FROM THE LOAD STATION TO AN EMPTY CARRIER AND TO CAUSE A CODE PERMUTATION ASSIGNED TO A SELECTED DISCHARGE STATION TO BE WRITTEN INTO A STAGE OF THE SHIFT REGISTER CORRESPONDING TO THE CARRIER PATH SECTION ADJACENT WHICH THE LOAD STATION IS DISPOSED; CONTROL CIRCUITS FOR SHIFTING THE ASSIGNED CODE PERMUTATION INTO SUCEEDING STAGES OF THE SHIFT REGISTER COINCIDENT WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE OBJECT TO SUCCEEDING CARRIER PATH SECTIONS, WHEREBY THE ASSIGNED CODE PERMUTATION IS SHIFTED INTO THE CARRIER PATH SECTION ADJACENT WHICH THE SELECTED DISCHARGE STATION IS DISPOSED AS THE OBJECT REACHES THE SECTION; CIRCUITS FOR DETECTING THE PRESENCE OF THE ASSIGNED CODE PERMUTATION IN THE LAST MENTIONED SHIFT REGISTER STAGE; AND CONTROL CIRCUITS RESPONSIVE TO THE DETECTION OF THE ASSIGNED CODE PERMUTATION FOR CAUSING THE OBJECT TO BE REMOVED FROM CARRIER AT THE SELECTED DISCHARGE STATION.