Continuous drier apparatus

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF CONVEYING FRESHLY FORMED SPAGHETTI EXTRUDED AND SPREAD ON RACK RODS FROM A CONTINUOUS SPREADER THROUGH A SINGLE PASS MULTI-TIERED DRIER COMPARTMENT PROVIDED WITH AN ENDLESS MULTI-TIERED CONVEYOR COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) CONTINUOUSLY CONVEYING SAID RACK ROD ON A FIRST ENDLESS CONVEYOR IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL SINGLE TIER FLOW FROM SAID SPREADER TOWARD SAID DRIER COMPARTMENT; (B) BLOCKING FURTHER ADVANCE OF SAID RODS BY A FIRST ROD ALIGNMENT SENSING MEANS WHICH ENGAGES THE LEAD ROD AT EACH END THEREOF WHEN SAID LEAD ROD IS ALIGNED TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF SAID FLOW FROM SAID SPREADER, SAID FIRST SENSING MEANS EMITTING A FIRST SIGNAL WHEN SAID LEAD ROD IS SO ALIGNED; (C) IN RESPONSCE TO SAID FIRST SIGNAL AND EACH SUCCESSIVE FIRST SIGNAL TRANSFERRING SAID LEAD ROD AND EACH SUCCESSIVELY ALIGNED LEAD ROD FROM SAID FIRST CONVEYOR A VERTICAL DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE SPACING OF THE TIERS OF SAID MULTI-TIERED CONVEYOR BY MEANS OF A SECOND ENDLESS CONVEYOR, SAID SECOND CONVEYOR HAVING AN UPWARD AND LATERALLY DISPLACED DOWNWARD PASS OF EQUAL VERTICAL TRAVERSE FOR EACH ADVANCE OF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR; (D) DIVERTING SAID RODS IN A GROUP OFF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR ON SAID DOWNWARD PASS ONTO SAID MULTI-TIERED CONVEYOR WHEN THE LEAD ROD ON SAID CONVEYOR IS ADJACENT THE LOWEST TIER OF SAID MULTI-TIERED CONVEYOR SAID DIVERTING STEP SIMULTANEOUSLY REMOVING EACH OF SAID GROUP OF SAID RODS SPACED TO CORRESPOND WITH THE SPACING OF SAID MULTI-TIERED CONVEYOR; (E) CONVEYING SAID GROUP OF RODS THROUGH SAID DRIER COMPARTMENT UNDER THE TIME, TEMPERATURE, AND HUMIDITY CONDITIONS REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED POISTURE CONTENT; (F) BLOCKING FURTHER ADVANCE OF SAID GROUP OF RODS BY A SECOND ROD ALIGNMENT SENSING MEANS WHICH ENGAGES SAID RODS AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF WHEN SAID RODS ARE ALIGNED TRANSVERSE TO THEIR DIRECTION OF FLOW THROUGH SAID DRIER COMPARTMENT, SAID SECOND SENSING MEANS EMITTING A SECOND SIGNAL WHEN ALL RODS OF SAID GROUP ARE SO ALIGNED; (G) IN RESPONSE TO SAID SECOND SIGNAL TRANSFERRING SAID RODS FROM SAID MULTI-TIERED CONVEYOR TO A ROD DISCHARGE STATION BY MEANS OF A THIRD ENDLESS CONVEYOR, SAID THIRD ENDLESS CONVEYOR HAVING AN UPWARD AND LATERALLY DISPLACED DOWNWARD PASS; AND (H) IN RESPONSE TO THE ACTUATION OF SAID THIRD ENDLESS CONVEYOR LATERALLY DISPLACING SAID CONVEYOR AWAY FROM SAID MUTLI-TIERED CONVEYOR AFTER SAID RODS ARE LIFTED THEREFROM TO PREVENT CONTACT OF SAID GROUP OF RODS WITH SAID MULTI-TIERED CONVEYOR DURING THE UPWARD PASS OF SAID THIRD CONVEYOR.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF CONVEYING FRESHLY FORMED SPAGHETTI EXTRUDED AND SPREAD ON RACK RODS FROM A CONTINUOUS SPREADER THROUGH A SINGLE PASS MULTI-TIERED DRIER COMPARTMENT PROVIDED WITH AN ENDLESS MULTI-TIERED CONVEYOR COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) CONTINUOUSLY CONVEYING SAID RACK ROD ON A FIRST ENDLESS CONVEYOR IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL SINGLE TIER FLOW FROM SAID SPREADER TOWARD SAID DRIER COMPARTMENT; (B) BLOCKING FURTHER ADVANCE OF SAID RODS BY A FIRST ROD ALIGNMENT SENSING MEANS WHICH ENGAGES THE LEAD ROD AT EACH END THEREOF WHEN SAID LEAD ROD IS ALIGNED TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF SAID FLOW FROM SAID SPREADER, SAID FIRST SENSING MEANS EMITTING A FIRST SIGNAL WHEN SAID LEAD ROD IS SO ALIGNED; (C) IN RESPONSCE TO SAID FIRST SIGNAL AND EACH SUCCESSIVE FIRST SIGNAL TRANSFERRING SAID LEAD ROD AND EACH SUCCESSIVELY ALIGNED LEAD ROD FROM SAID FIRST CONVEYOR A VERTICAL DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE SPACING OF THE TIERS OF SAID MULTI-TIERED CONVEYOR BY MEANS OF A SECOND ENDLESS CONVEYOR, SAID SECOND CONVEYOR HAVING AN UPWARD AND LATERALLY DISPLACED DOWNWARD PASS OF EQUAL VERTICAL TRAVERSE FOR EACH ADVANCE OF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR; (D) DIVERTING SAID RODS IN A GROUP OFF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR ON SAID DOWNWARD PASS ONTO SAID MULTI-TIERED CONVEYOR WHEN THE LEAD ROD ON SAID CONVEYOR IS ADJACENT THE LOWEST TIER OF SAID MULTI-TIERED CONVEYOR SAID DIVERTING STEP SIMULTANEOUSLY REMOVING EACH OF SAID GROUP OF SAID RODS SPACED TO CORRESPOND WITH THE SPACING OF SAID MULTI-TIERED CONVEYOR; (E) CONVEYING SAID GROUP OF RODS THROUGH SAID DRIER COMPARTMENT UNDER THE TIME, TEMPERATURE, AND HUMIDITY CONDITIONS REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED POISTURE CONTENT; (F) BLOCKING FURTHER ADVANCE OF SAID GROUP OF RODS BY A SECOND ROD ALIGNMENT SENSING MEANS WHICH ENGAGES SAID RODS AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF WHEN SAID RODS ARE ALIGNED TRANSVERSE TO THEIR DIRECTION OF FLOW THROUGH SAID DRIER COMPARTMENT, SAID SECOND SENSING MEANS EMITTING A SECOND SIGNAL WHEN ALL RODS OF SAID GROUP ARE SO ALIGNED; (G) IN RESPONSE TO SAID SECOND SIGNAL TRANSFERRING SAID RODS FROM SAID MULTI-TIERED CONVEYOR TO A ROD DISCHARGE STATION BY MEANS OF A THIRD ENDLESS CONVEYOR, SAID THIRD ENDLESS CONVEYOR HAVING AN UPWARD AND LATERALLY DISPLACED DOWNWARD PASS; AND (H) IN RESPONSE TO THE ACTUATION OF SAID THIRD ENDLESS CONVEYOR LATERALLY DISPLACING SAID CONVEYOR AWAY FROM SAID MUTLI-TIERED CONVEYOR AFTER SAID RODS ARE LIFTED THEREFROM TO PREVENT CONTACT OF SAID GROUP OF RODS WITH SAID MULTI-TIERED CONVEYOR DURING THE UPWARD PASS OF SAID THIRD CONVEYOR.