Conveying device

Claim 3

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a stop member is positioned in relation to a branch line, said branch line leading from the main line via a working station to the main line and that said stop member serves to retain said carriers in a predetermined position and wherein an address apparatus is positioned for manipulating the address elements of said carriers in a manner to give said carriers a new address code and wherein feeding elements belonging to said conveyor are adapted to positively feed said carriers one at a time from said stop member to said address apparatus and from there to a loading element which latter serves to transfer said carriers to the main line.

Claim 4

A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said carriers each have a roller with a flange, said stop member which is positioned in connection with the branch lines consists of a two-armed lever with a leg positioned for abutting against the roller flanges of said carrier, and a normally horizontal leg, a second lever having said horizontal leg normally resting thereon and being pivotally arranged within the action area of said feeding elements such that it will be pivoted by the latter, thereby causing the legs of said two-armed lever which abut against said roller flanges, to be moved away from said roller flanges.

Claim 5

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the branch lines includes a first section which from the main line leads obliquely downwards and is in the shape of a tube forming a chute, and a second section, directed obliquely upwards and also being in the shape of a tube, intermittently operated feeding members provided on said second section adapted to feed said carriers up to and beyond an upper turning point of said second section, a Loading arm to which said carriers move from said upper point by gravity by means of which they may be transported to the main line.

Claim 6

A device as claimed in claim 4, including a slot in said second section, a pressure medium operated cylinder constituting a part of said obliquely upwards directed tube of the branch line and a belt moveable by a plunger of said cylinder and which belt is guided in said tube, and a plurality of feed dogs on said belt projecting through said slot.

Claim 7

A device as claimed in claim 5, including sliding structures having said feeding dogs pivotally connected thereto and having friction elements for cooperation with the interior of said tube and wherein the lower portion of each feeding dog extends through an opening in the belt which latter is displaceably arranged relative to said sliding structures such that said feeding dogs will be lowered and raised upon engagement with the edges, which limit said opening.

Claim 8

A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said address apparatus is provided with a plurality of actuating members, keys of a keyboard for operating said actuating members, said actuating members being lockable in their set position and serving to actuate the address elements of said carriers when the latter pass said address apparatus and releasing elements for releasing said actuating members from their locking position.

Claim 9

A device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said address apparatus includes a pivotably arranged pressing member, which is actuated by the passing carriers such that it is pivoted during the passage of said carrier in question and thereby serves to press said carrier against said actuating members

Claim 10

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main line includes a conveyor belt, having feeding perforations and dogs, a grooved member, extending in a endless path and guiding said belt, two synchronously driven sprockets, cooperating with said belt feeding perforations, with one sprocket engaging one part of said belt and the other sprocket engaging the other part of said belt, such that said belt will be under the influence of a pulling as well as a pushing force.

Claim 11

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each carrier consists of a rodlike element which at its lower end is fork shaped, a roller element having flanges, provided on said rodlike element, a pawl normally closing said fork which is pivotably connected to one leg of said fork and intended to serve as a gripper element for looseably holding the object to be transported.

Claim 12

A device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said pawl at the end which is adjacent to the pivot point of said pawl is provided with a projection, and a remote-controlled arm is capable of manipulating said pawl projection.

Claim 13

A device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said pawl has an opening, in which a garment hanger hook or the like may be introduced.

Claim 14

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein buffer lines are connected to some of the working stations in the transfer line and there is a device in each of said buffer lines to sense and direct into said buffer lines said carriers, addressed to the line in question and a device, activated by a code belonging to the first carrier in a group of carriers and including a stop member to arrest upon said buffer line the whole group of carriers and a releasing device, operated by the operator, to release when desired, said stop member so that all said carriers in the group move to the working station to which said buffer line is connected.

Claim 15

A device as claimed in claim 13, including pivotable loading and unloading arms at the ends of said branch lines

Claim 16

A device as claimed in claim 14 wherein the unloading arms by means of the sensing apparatus, which are arranged at different positions alongside the main line and which serve to sense the address of the carriers and the feed elements of the main line may be alternately brought up to an upper position, in which said arms do not act upon the carriers, Or to a lower position, in which the carriers in question by means of the feeding elements of the main line are forced to move up on the loading arms.

Claim 17

A device as claimed in claim 14, wherein said unloading arm is in the shape of a tube, which upon its periphery has a longitudinally extending ridge, which by presence of a carrier on the tube and when the unloading element is in its upper position will prevent by abutment against the carrier said unloading arm from being swung down as long as the carrier is present within the area of said ridge.

Claim 18

A device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the conveyor has dogs each provided with a sloping edge, which serves to bring back the unloading arms to their upper, inactive position.

Claim 19

A device as claimed in claim 13, including a pair of arms, a spring-loaded catch which normally retains said pair of arms, a special actuating key of the first carrier in a group, intended to be fed to a buffer line, is adapted to actuate said spring-loaded catch, which acts against the carrier in an inactive position such that said pair of arms is released and occupy a stop position, in which it prevents the passage of said carriers, and in which a remotely controlled means is adapted to bring back at will the pair of arms to its initial position.

Claim 20

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the address element of each carrier consists of a plurality of operating arms, adapted to be pivoted between two end positions and being provided with actuating portions, which in one of the end positions of said arms project more from its carrier in an axial direction than they do when the arm in question is in its other end position and wherein said arms are adapted to be looseably arrested in their actual end position.

Claim 21

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a bar is adapted to be pivoted such that its lower end portion from a lower position adjacent to a working place may be swung up towards a carrier arrested in the branch line leading to the working place, that a U-shaped yoke is pivotably connected to the lower end of said bar and that a clamping element to be activated by the operator, may be released so that it, from an upper inactive position, will swing down and come into contact with said yoke to grasp an object, for example a cloth piece and that said clamping elements when said bar is swung up towards the arrested carrier may enter into the same to deliver the objects to said carrier.

Claim 22

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said loading arms which are curved and obliquely downwardly directed from the branch lines and intended to transfer said carriers from the actual branch line to the main line, are turnably arranged relative to the branch line and that each of the loading arms has two stop pins, located on a distance between each other peripherically as well as axially such that the rear stop pin when the loading arm is swung down stops said carriers behind said stop pin while the front stop pin permits the foremost carrier to leave the loading arm and wherein the rear stop pin releases the carrier and the front stop pin stops the carrier when the loading arm is in its upper, normal position.

Claim 23

A device as claimed in claim 21, including a loading apparatus having a solenoid and an arm assembly, an impulse means connected to said solenoid and positioned near to one of said stop pins, said impulse means being operated by a carrier abutting against said stop pin in such a manner that an impulse is transmitted to said solenoid, said solenoid causing arm assembly of the loading apparatus to move to a ready position.

Claim 24

A device as claimed in claim 22, including a lever having a dent, the arm assembly includes retracting springs and two cages rotatable about a common axis and each being under the influence of one of said retracting springs, the first of said cages having an abutment element directed towards a carrier in the line and an angular arm, which normally rests against the dent of said lever and a shoulder by means of which the cage in question may be retained by aid of said solenoid in an initial position against the action of its retracting spring, the second of said cages having a pair of arms directed towards a carrier in the line and an operating arm axially directed towards said lever, the angular arm of said first cage being positioned behind the dent of said lever when said cage by means of said solenoid is in its ready position, the actuating of the cage by means of said conveyor and acting upon said abutment element causing said angular arm of said cage to move said lever a stop member, an overhead arm connected to said loading arm abutting against said stop member and releasable by said lever whereby said overhead arm may swing down to its active position while said lever is brought out of engagement with said angular arm, belonging to said operating arm by means of said operating arm, which is actuated by the influence of a carrier upon said pair of arms, thereby causing said operating arm to move such that it acts upon a bevelled surface of said lever to swing the same upwards such that the dent of the same will not be able to engage said angular arm.

Claim 25

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said unloading element has a projection, said carriers have operating arms, said sensing apparatus, provided at the main line and in connection with the branch lines, each comprise a support element, an arm assembly controlling said support element, a plurality of sensing arms adapted to come into contact with said operating arms of said carriers when the latter pass said sensing apparatus such that said sensing arms in case of concordance between the codes, constituted by said operating arms and said sensing arms of said sensing apparatus in question permit said element assembly to be moved from a position, in which it cannot operate said support element, belonging to the sensing apparatus and acting upon said projection of an unloading arm into a position, in which said element assembly when influenced by the carrier which has operated the sensing arm, cause said support element to move away such that said projection and consequently the entire unloading arm may move down to its unloading position.

Claim 26

A device as claimed in claim 24, wherein said arm assembly includes a pair of arms, a sensing pin, the movement of which is normally limited by abutment against said sensing arms and further arm, a catch connected to said support and having a dent contacted by said further arm but which further arm when the proper sensing arms have been operated, may fall down behind the dent in question such that said pair of arms in the arm assembly, which act against and are operated by said carriers when a carrier passes may bring with itself said catch so that said support element may be moved to an inactive position.

Claim 27

A device as claimed in claim 25, including said sensing arms pivoted about a common axis and that said sensing arms, belonging to the proper combination, are of two complimentary shapes, such that each of said sensing arms as well as both of the same may stop the movement of said sensing pin in a specific direction making it possible for said sensing pin to penetrate between the actual sensing arms only when both of said sensing arms have been moved into a specific position.