Spacing device

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR CHANGING THE LATERAL SPACING OF A PLURALITY OF ARTICLES ON A CONVEYOR, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A CONVEYOR BELT OF A CERTAIN WIDTH FOR CONVEYING AND DELIVERING ARTICLES IN ONE DIRECTION FROM A DELIVERY END; (B) AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR HAVING A FORWARD SIDE AND A REARWARD SIDE, AND HAVING AN UPPER HORIZONTAL RUN MOVING FORWARDLY IN SAID ONE DIRECTION AND HAVING A LOWER REVERSELY MOVING HORIZONTAL RUN; (C) MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID ENDLESS CONVEYOR IN SAID ONE DIRECTION; (D) A PLURALITY OF ELONGATE CARRIER PLAQUES MOUNTED ON SAID ENDLESS CONVEYOR TO BE CARRIED FORWARDLY THEREBY FROM SAID CONVEYOR BELT AND MOVABLE LATERALLY THEREON PERPENDICUAL TO SAID ONE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT, EACH OF SAID PLAQUES HAVING A TOP SIDE AND AN UNDERSIDE AND HAVING A MEMBER PROJECTING FROM SAID UNDERSIDE THEREOF; (E) SAID PLURALITY OF CARRIER PLAQUES ASSEMBLY TO DEFINE A PLURALITY OF PATHS OVER THE ENDLESS CONVEYOR, EACH PATH HAVING AN ARTICLE RECEIVING END POSITIONED TO RECEIVE ARTICLES ON THE PLAQUES DIRECTLY FROM SAID DELIVERY END OF SAID CONVEYOR BELT AND HAVING AN ARTICLE DISCHARGE END; (F) SAID CARRIER PLAQUES IN EACH OF SAID PATHS BEING IN LONGITUDINAL EDGE ENGAGING RELATION WITH THE SAID TOP SIDES THEREOF TOGETHER FORMING AN UNBROKEN ARTICLE SUPPORTING SURFACE THROUGH THE LENGTH OF THE PATH; (G) SAID ARTICLE RECEIVING ENDS OF SAID PATHS BEING IN RELATIVELY CLOSE SIDE BY SIDE RELATION AND POSITIONED APPROXIMATELY CENTRALLY OF THE ENDLESS CONVEYOR AND SAID CONVEYOR BELT WIDTH BEING AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE COMBINED WIDTHS OF SAID RECEIVING ENDS OF THE PATHS FOR DELIVERING ARTICLES FROM THE BELT DIRECTLY ONTO THE PLAQUES; (H) A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL ARTICLE RECEIVING CONVEYOR BELTS EQUAL IN NUMBER TO SAID PATHS DISPOSED AT SAID FORWARD SIDE OF SAID ENDLESS CONVEYOR IN A POSITION FOR EACH TO RECEIVE ARTICLES DIRECTLY THEREON FROM THE PLAQUES OF THE ADJACENT PATHS; (I) SAID INDIVIDUAL ARTICLE RECEIVING CONVEYOR BELTS EACH BEING OF A WIDTH LESS THAN THE FIRST SAID CONVEYOR BELT BUT AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE WIDTHS OF THE PATHS FORMED BY THE PLAQUES; (J) SAID PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL ARTICLE RECEIVING CONVEYOR BELTS BEING IN SPACED RELATION WITH ONE ANOTHER AND OFFSET LATERALLY OF THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID ENDLESS PLAQUE CARRYING CONVEYOR WITH RESPECT TO THE ARTICLE RECEIVING ENDS OF THE ADJACENT PATHS OF PLAQUES; (K) FIRST GUIDE CAM RAIL MEANS LOCATED UNDER THE UPPER RUN OF SAID ENDLESS CONVEYOR AND ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED BY THE DEPENDING MEMBERS ON SAID CARRIER PLAQUES TO URGE SAID PLAQUES INTO LATERAL DIVERSION PATHS AND EFFECTING THE SAID LATERAL OFFSETTING OF THE PLAQUES OF THE PATHS; (L) AND SECOND GUIDE CAM RAIL MEANS LOCATED ABOVE THE LOWER RUN OF SAID ENDLESS CONVEYOR AND ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED BY SAID MEMBERS AND TO RETURN SAID CARRIER PLAQUES TO THE CENTRAL POSITION; (M) SAID FIRST AND SECOND GUIDE CAM RAIL MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID PATHS OF PLAQUES FUNCTIONING TO RESTRICT OR MAINTAIN THE PLAQUES TO MOVEMENT CONTINUOUSLY IN A FIXED PATH SO THAT THE PLAQUES OF ONE PATH CANNOT CROSS OVER TO AN ADJACENT PATH.

Claim 2

A DEVICE FOR CHANGING THE LATERAL SPACING OF A PLURALITY OF ARTICLES ON A CONVEYOR, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A CONVEYOR BELT OF A CERTAIN WIDTH FOR CONVEYING AND DELIVERING ARTICLES IN ONE DIRECTION FROM A DELIVERY END; (B) AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR HAVING A FORWARD SIDE AND A REARWARD SIDE, AND HAVING AN UPPER HORIZONTAL RUN MOVING FORWARDLY IN SAID ONE DIRECTION AND HAVING A LOWER REVERSELY MOVING HORIZONTAL RUN; (C) MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID ENDLESS CONVEYOR IN SAID ONE DIRECTION; (D) A PLURALITY OF ELONGATE CARRIER PLAQUES MOUNTED ON SAID ENDLESS CONVEYOR TO BE CARRIED FORWARDLY THEREBY FROM SAID CONVEYOR BELT AND MOVABLE LATERALLY THEREON PERPENDICUAL TO SAID ONE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT, EACH OF SAID PLAQUES HAVING A TOP SIDE AND AN UNDERSIDE AND HAVING A MEMBER PROJECTING FROM SAID UNDERSIDE THEREOF; (E) SAID PLURALITY OF CARRIER PLAQUES ASSEMBLY TO DEFINE A PLURALITY OF PATHS OVER THE ENDLESS CONVEYOR, EACH PATH HAVING AN ARTICLE RECEIVING END POSITIONED TO RECEIVE ARTICLES ON THE PLAQUES DIRECTLY FROM SAID DELIVERY END OF SAID CONVEYOR BELT AND HAVING AN ARTICLE DISCHARGE END; (F) SAID CARRIER PLAQUES IN EACH OF SAID PATHS BEING IN LONGITUDINAL EDGE ENGAGING RELATION WITH THE SAID TOP SIDES THEREOF TOGETHER FORMING AN UNBROKEN ARTICLE SUPPORTING SURFACE THROUGH THE LENGTH OF THE PATH; (G) SAID ARTICLE RECEIVING ENDS OF SAID PATHS BEING IN RELATIVELY CLOSE SIDE BY SIDE RELATION AND POSITIONED APPROXIMATELY CENTRALLY OF THE ENDLESS CONVEYOR AND SAID CONVEYOR BELT WIDTH BEING AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE COMBINED WIDTHS OF SAID RECEIVING ENDS OF THE PATHS FOR DELIVERING ARTICLES FROM THE BELT DIRECTLY ONTO THE PLAQUES; (H) A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL ARTICLE RECEIVING CONVEYOR BELTS EQUAL IN NUMBER TO SAID PATHS DISPOSED AT SAID FORWARD SIDE OF SAID ENDLESS CONVEYOR IN A POSITION FOR EACH TO RECEIVE ARTICLES DIRECTLY THEREON FROM THE PLAQUES OF THE ADJACENT PATHS; (I) SAID INDIVIDUAL ARTICLE RECEIVING CONVEYOR BELTS EACH BEING OF A WIDTH LESS THAN THE FIRST SAID CONVEYOR BELT BUT AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE WIDTHS OF THE PATHS FORMED BY THE PLAQUES; (J) SAID PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL ARTICLE RECEIVING CONVEYOR BELTS BEING IN SPACED RELATION WITH ONE ANOTHER AND OFFSET LATERALLY OF THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID ENDLESS PLAQUE CARRYING CONVEYOR WITH RESPECT TO THE ARTICLE RECEIVING ENDS OF THE ADJACENT PATHS OF PLAQUES; (K) FIRST GUIDE CAM RAIL MEANS LOCATED UNDER THE UPPER RUN OF SAID ENDLESS CONVEYOR AND ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED BY THE DEPENDING MEMBERS ON SAID CARRIER PLAQUES TO URGE SAID PLAQUES INTO LATERAL DIVERSION PATHS AND EFFECTING THE SAID LATERAL OFFSETTING OF THE PLAQUES OF THE PATHS; (L) AND SECOND GUIDE CAM RAIL MEANS LOCATED ABOVE THE LOWER RUN OF SAID ENDLESS CONVEYOR AND ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED BY SAID MEMBERS AND TO RETURN SAID CARRIER PLAQUES TO THE CENTRAL POSITION; (M) SAID FIRST AND SECOND GUIDE CAM RAIL MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID PATHS OF PLAQUES FUNCTIONING TO RESTRICT OR MAINTAIN THE PLAQUES TO MOVEMENT CONTINUOUSLY IN A FIXED PATH SO THAT THE PLAQUES OF ONE PATH CANNOT CROSS OVER TO AN ADJACENT PATH.