Suspended tray conveyor

Claim 2

A tray elevator conveyor of the type embodying a series of load carriers mounted on endless flexible conveying elements which are driven to move said carriers through an elongated path within a support structure having opposed sides and having means for guiding orientation of said carriers throughout their movement along said path comprised of inner and outer guide tracks on each of the opposed sides of the structure and guide members associated with each load carrier guidingly engaged with each of said tracks, said inner guide track on each of said sides intersecting said outer track so that a portion of said inner track lies outside said outer track to cause said carriers to move between load-carrying and folded positions the improvement comprising: said outer guide track on one of said sides and said inner guide track on the other of said sides being discontinuous at said intersections; said inner guide track on said one side and said outer guide track on said other side being continuous at said intersections; and said guide members being formed to remain in operative engagement with both of said continuous guide tracks and with one of said discontinuous guide tracks at said intersections to control the orientation of said carriers as they move past said intersections.

Claim 3

A tray elevator conveyor as defined in claim 1 wherein: said continuous guide tracks define first bearing surfaces; said discontinuous guide tracks project inwardly a greater distance than said continuous guide tracks to define second bearing surfaces inwardly of said first bearing surfaces; and said guide members engageable with said first and second bearing surfaces.

Claim 4

A tray elevator conveyor as defined in claim 2 wherein: said guide members comprise a pair of outwardly projecting rollers on each side of each of said load carriers; and one of said rollers on each of said sides engages said first bearing surfaces and said other roller on each of said sides engages said second bearing surfaces.

Claim 5

A tray elevator conveyor as defined in claim 3 wherein: each pair of said rollers is mounted on a bell crank having a first arm rotatably supporting one of the pair of rollers and a second arm disposed in fixed angular relation to said first arm carrying the other of the pair of rollers, said roller on said second arm on said one side of said tray and said roller on said first arm on said other side of said tray projecting outwardly a greater distance than the other roller on each side so that said first mentioned rollers engage said first bearing surfaces and said other rollers engage said second bearing surfaces.

Claim 6

A tray elevator conveyor as defined in claim 4 wherein said carriers are each in the form of a tray; and said first arm of each bell crank associated with each tray lies generally in the plane of each tray and said second arm of such hold crank extends approximately 90* to the first arm.

Claim 7

A conveyor of the type embodying a series of load carriers mounted on endless flexible conveying elements which are driven to move the carriers through an elongated path on a support structure having opposed sides and having means for orienting the carriers throughout their movement along said path comprised of inner and outer guide tracks on each of the opposed sides of the structure and guide members having track engaging components at each side of the carriers operably engaged at portions of said path with the tracks to control the orientation of the carriers, the inner guide track on one side of the structure intersecting the outer guide track at a point directly opposite the point of intersection of the inner and outer tracks on the other side, so that a portion of the inner track lies outside the outer track, said tracks being constructed at the intersection of the tracks on one side of the structure for retaining control of the track engaging components on one side of the carriers and constructed at the intersection on the opposite side for simultaneously releasing the control of at least one track engaging component on the other side of the carriers the intersection of said tracks on one side of the structure for retaining control of the guide members and means at the opposite intersection for simultaneously releasing the control of at least one guide member at the other side of the load carrier.

Claim 8

A conveyor of the type embodying a series of load carriers mounted on endless flexible conveying elements which are driven to move the carriers through an elongated path on a support structure having opposed sides and having means for orienting the carriers throughout their movement along said path comprised of inner and outer guide tracks on each of the opposed sides of the structure and guide members having track engaging components at each side of the carriers operably engaged at portions of said path with the tracks to control the orientation of the carriers, the inner guide track on one side of the structure intersecting the outer guide track at a point directly opposite the point of intersection of the inner and outer tracks on the other side, so that a portion of the inner track lies outside the outer track, said tracks being constructed at the intersection of the tracks on one side of the structure for retaining control of the track engaging components on one side of the carriers and constructed at the intersection on the opposite side for simultaneously releasing the control of at least one track engaging component on the other side of the carriers the intersection of said tracks on one side of the structure for retaining control of the guide members and means at the opposite intersection for simultaneously releasing the control of at least one guide member at the other side of the load carrier.

Claim 9

A tray conveyor according to claim 6 wherein the guide members at each side of the carriers are bell cranks.