Apparatus for loading articles onto conveyors

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR LOADING AND CONVEYING ARTICLES, WHICH COMPRISES A CONVEYOR HAVING SPACED DRIVEN ROLLS FOR ADVANCING ARTICLES PLACED AT IRREGULAR INTERVALS THEREALONG; AN ELEVATOR HAVING A PLATFORM DESIGNED FOR RECEIVING THE ARTICLES THEREON, THE PLATFORM BEING NORMALLY POSITIONED ABOVE THE CONVEYOR ROLLS AND HAVING SPACED APERTURES THEREALONG WHICH ARE LARGER THAN THE CONVEYOR ROLLS AND ARE DIRECTLY ALIGNED THEREABOVE; MEANS FOR LOWERING SAID ELEVATOR FROM AN UPPERMOST RECEIVING POSITION TO A LOWERMOST TRANSFERRING POSITION WHERE THE APERTURES FIT OVER THE ALIGNED CONVEYOR ROLLS AND THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE PLATFORM LIES BELOW THE UPPER SURFACES OF THE CONVEYOR ROLLS, SO THAT ARTICLES ON THE PLATFORM ARE DEPOSITED ON THE CONCEYOR ROLLS FOR ADVANCEMENT THEREBY; AND CONTROL MEANS, RESPONSIVE TO THE PRESENCE OF ANY ARTICLE THAT IS ALREADY, ON SAID CONVEYOR AND IS IN A POSITION APPROACHING SAID ELEVATOR WHERE IT WOULD OTHERWISE INTERFERE WITH THE TRANSFER OPERATION, FOR PRECLUDING THE OPERATION OF SAID ELEVATOR-LOWERING MEANS UNTIL AFTER ALL SUCH POTENTIALLY INTERFERING ARTICLES ON SAID MAIN CONVEYOR HAVE PASSED SAID ELEVATOR.