Conveyor system

Claim 1

A CONVEYOR SYSTEM FOR CONVERTING TWO ROWS OF CONVEYED, OPEN-TOP TRAYS OF UNIFORM SIZE TO A SINGLE ROW, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, FIRST AND SECOND CONVEYORS, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY OPERATING THE CONVEYORS AT UNIFORM SPEED, TRANSFER MEANS FOR DELIVERING TRAYS FROM ONE CONVEYOR TO THE OTHER, MOVABLE STOP-PINS ARRANGED IN OPERATIVE RELATION TO EACH CONVEYOR WHEREBY A FREE END OF EACH PIN IS ARRANGED TO ENTER OPEN TOP TRAYS ON EACH CONVEYOR AND RECEIVE CONTACT BY THE TRAILING WALL OF A TRAY TO RESTRAIN ITS FORWARD MOVEMENT ON THE CONVEYOR, INDIVIDUAL OPERATING MEANS FOR MOVING EACH PIN TO TAKE ITS FREE END OUT OF TRAY HOLDING POSITION AND RELEASE A TRAY FOR ADVANCEMENT UPON ITS CONVEYOR, CONTROL MEANS FOR EACH OF SUCH PIN OPERATING MEANS, INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND SOLENOID VALVES OF THE TYPE WHICH, WHEN ENERGIZED, WILL ASSUME A CONDITION TO EFFECT RETRACTION OF THE PIN WHICH IT CONTROLS AND THEREAFTER WILL ASSUME ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION TO EFFECT THE RETURN OF THE PIN TO TRAY-WALL ENGAGING POSITION, A CONDUCTING CIRCUIT FOR CONNECTING THE SOLENOID OF EACH SOLENOID VALVE TO A SOURCE OF ELECTRIC CURRENT, FIRST AND SECOND PHOTOCELL UNITS ARRANGED RESPECTIVELY AT THE SIDES OF THE FIRST AND SECOND CONVEYORS AT LOCATIONS UPSTREAM FROM THE TRANSFER MEANS AND IN POSITIONS WHERE TRAYS PASSING ALONG THE CONVEYORS WILL INTERRUPT THE LIGHT BEAMS OF THE PHOTOCELLS, EACH PHOTOCELL UNIT INCLUDING A SWITCH, THE SWITCH TO THE FIRST UNIT BEING INCLUDED IN THE CIRCUIT OF THE SECOND SOLENOID AND THE SWITCH TO THE SECOND UNIT BEING INCLUDED IN THE CIRCUIT TO THE FIRST SOLENOID, MEANS INCLUDED IN EACH PHOTOCELL UNIT FOR CLOSING ITS SWITCH AFTER A PREDETERMINED TIME DELAY FOLLOWING INTERRUPTION OF ITS BEAM, WHEREBY A TRAY MOVING PAST THE FIRST PHOTOCELL UNIT ON THE FIRST CONVEYOR TO INTERRUPT ITS LIGHT BEAM WILL EFFECT THE RELEASE OF A TRAY ON THE SECOND CONVEYOR AND THE RELEASED TRAY ON THE SECOND CONVEYOR IN MOVING PAST THE SECOND PHOTOCELL WILL RELEASE A TRAY ON THE FIRST CONVEYOR.