Heavy duty accumulator

Claim 1

AN ARTICLE ACCUMULATOR CONVEYOR CHARACTERIZED BY AN ARTICLE SUPPORTING TRACK AND A POWERED, CONTINUOUSLY OPERATING PROPELLING MEMBER HAVING ARTICLE ENGAGING DOGS AT SPACED INTERVALS AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE ARTICLE LENGTH PLUS THE SPACING TO BE MAINTAINED BETWEEN ARTICLES WHEN ACCUMULATED; A SECTIONALIZED PROPELLING MEMBER SUPPORT AND A PLURALITY OF SUPPORT MEANS OF VARIABLE HEIGHT SUPPORTING EACH INDIVIDUAL SECTION, SAID SUPPORT MEANS IN RAISED POSITION HOLDING THE DOGS OF SAID PROPELLING MEMBER IN ARTICLE ENGAGING POSITION AND IN LOWERED POSITION HOLDING SAID PROPELLING MEMBER AND DOGS IN PISITION TO PASS BENEATH THE ARTICLES WITHOUT ENGAGEMENT; EACH OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS CONSTITUTING A STATION; A SENTRY ARM AT EACH OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS MOUNTED FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN A RAISED AND LOWERED POSITION, AN INITIATOR MEANS AT THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID CONVEYOR CONNECTED TO THE SUPPORT MEANS AND SENTRY ARM OF THE ADJACENT FIRST STATION; A PLURALITY OF CONNECTING LINKS EACH OPERATIVELY CONNECTING THE SENTRY ARM OF ONE STATION TO THE SUPPORT MEANS AND SENTRY ARM OF THE NEXT ADJACENT STATION UPSSTREAM OF SAID CONVEYOR; SAID INITIATOR MEANS UPON BEING CONTACTED BY A FIRST ARTICLE SHIFTING SAID SUPPORT MEANS AT THE FIRST STATION TO LOWERED POSITION AND SHIFTING THE SENTRY ARM AT SAID FIRST STATION TO RAISED ARTICLE ENGAGING POSITION SAID SENTRY ARM AT SAID FIRST STATION UPON BEING CONTACTED AND DEPRESSED BY A SECOND ARTICLE SHIFTING THE SUPPORT MEANS AT THE SECOND STATION TO LOWERED POSITION AND THE SENTRY ARM AT THE SECOND STATION TO RAISED POSITION; AND SHIFTING OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND SAID SENTRY ARM BEING REPEATED AT EACH STATION PROGRESSIVELY UPSTREAM OF THE CONVEYOR AS MORE ARTICLES ACCUMULATE THEREON.