Conveyor intersection

Claim 1

AN INTERSECTION ASSEMBLY FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF CONVEYED ARTICLES WHICH COMPRISES: A CORNER TRANSFER UNIT INCLUDING BELT AND ROLLER CONVEYORS HAVING MULTIPLE INTERLOCKED BELTS AND ROLLERS CAPABLE OF MOVING LOADS AT RIGHT ANGLES TO ONE ANOTHER, SAID BELTS DEFINING A FIXED HORIZONTAL LOAD-CARRYING SURFACE AND SAID ROLLERS DEFINING A MOVABLE HORIZONTAL LOAD-CARRYING SURFACE ELEVATABLE FROM AN INOPERATIVE POSITION BENEATH THE FIXED LOADCARRYING SURFACE TO AN OPERATIVE POSITION ABOVE THE LATTER, A FIRST PRIME MOVER, FIRST ELEVATABLE DRIVE MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE FIRST PRIME MOVER AND THE ROLLER CONVEYOR OPERATIVE UPON ACTUATION TO DRIVE THE LATTER AND LIFT IT INTO OPERATIVE POSITION, AND A SECOND PRIME MOVER CONNECTED TO THE BELT CONVEYOR IN DRIVING RELATION; FIRST BELT CONVEYOR HOLDING MEANS POSITIONED AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE BELT CONVEYOR FORMING AN EXTENSION THEREOF AND DEFINING A SECOND FIXED HORIZONTAL LOAD-CARRYING SURFACE SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR WITH THE FIRST OF SAID FIXED LOAD-CARRYING SURFACES; MEANS INTER-CONNECTING THE BELT CONVEYOR AND FIRST BELT CONVEYOR HOLDING MEANS OPERATIVE TO DRIVE THE LATTER AT THE SAME SPEED AND IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS SAID BELT CONVEYOR; FIRST ELEVATABLE PLATFORM MEANS DISPOSED BENEATH AND BETWEEN THE BELTS OF THE FIRST BELT CONVEYOR HOLDING MEANS OPERATIVE UPON ACTUATION TO LIFT A LOAD FREE OF SAID BELTS; FIRST ROLLER CONVEYOR HOLDING MEANS POSITIONED AT THE ENTRANCE OF TH EROLLER CONVEYOR FORMING AN EXTENSION THEREOF, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF ROLLERS DEFINING A THIRD LOAD-CARRYING SURFACE COPLANAR WITH THE MOVABLE LOAD-CARRYING SURFACE WHEN THE LATTER IS LIFTED INTO ITS OPERATIVE POSITION, A THIRD PRIME MOVER, SECOND FRICTION DRIVE MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE THIRD PRIME MOVER AND FIRST ROLLER CONVEYOR HOLDING MEANS IN DRIVING RELATION, AND FIRST ELEVATABLE BRAKING MEANS DISPOSED BENEATH THE FIRST ROLLER CONVEYOR HOLDING MEANS OPERATIVE UPON ACTUATION TO LIFT THE ROLLERS OF THE LATTER FREE OF THE SECOND FRICTION DRIVE MEANS; AND, CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING FIRST SENSING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENT OF A LOAD ONTO THE FIRST ROLLER CONVEYOR HOLDING MEANS TO OPERATE THE FIRST ELEVATABLE BRAKING MEANS, SECOND SENSING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENT OF A LOAD ONTO THE FIRST BELT CONVEYOR HOLDING MEANS TO OPERATE THE FIRST ELEVATABLE PLATFORM MEANS, INCOMING TRAFFIC REGULATING MEANS INCLUDING SCANNING MEANS AND FIRST TIME-DELAY MEANS COOPERATING TO CONTROL THE RELEASE OF LOADS FROM THE HOLDING MEANS, SAID SCANNING MEANS BEING OPERATIVE TO CONTINUOUSLY SAMPLE THE FIRST AND SECOND SENSING MEANS