US3650376A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Accumulating conveyor
Assignee: Conveyor Systems Inc
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Filing: 1970-08-17
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Granted: 1972-03-21
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Expires: 1990-08-17
Abstract
Abstract An accumulating conveyor having laterally spaced roller means for supporting articles for movement along a conveying path and means for stopping articles on the conveyor where desired. The articles are most advantageously impelled along the laterally spaced roller means by one or more longitudinally spaced projecting portions preferably on a continuous belt whose upper section moves in the space between the laterally spaced roller means. EAch projecting portion of the belt rises slightly above a plane tangent to the top of the roller means and has an upwardly and rearwardly inclining leading edge portion which provides a shoulder which pushes the rear of an article along the laterally spaced roller means and readily slips beneath the article when the article is held against further movement along the laterally spaced roller means.
Inventors
- 👤 William J Burgis
- 👤 Marvin H Coleman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 08:36
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G47/00; B65G47/22; B65G47/26; B65G47/261; B65G47/268
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
259 words
An accumulating conveyor comprising laterally spaced article support means having upper article engaging surfaces for supporting the opposite side marginal portions of an articles and positioned along a conveying path in a direction where gravity is inoperative to impel an article thereon, article stopping means located at a point adjacent to said path and selectively movable into and out of the path of movement of an article on said laterally spaced article support means, the articles accumulating one behind the other when the article stopping means is moved into the path of said articles, respective article impelling means longitudinally spaced a distance greater than the length of the articles to be impelled thereby the conveyor being devoid of article impelling means therebetween, the leading portion of each of said article impelling means rising above the plane of the article engaging surfaces of said laterally spaced article support means and inclining upwardly and rearwardly from points at or adjacent to the plane of said surfaces to provide an inclined article pushing shoulder which normally engages the central portion of the rear end of an article to push the same along said support means when the article is free to move along said path and having an upper surface of relatively low friction material which readily slips beneath the article when the article is held against such movement so the impelling means moves past the article, and means for repeatedly moving said longitudinally spaced article impelling means between said laterally spaced article support means along said conveying path in said direction.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
259 words
An accumulating conveyor comprising laterally spaced article support means having upper article engaging surfaces for supporting the opposite side marginal portions of an articles and positioned along a conveying path in a direction where gravity is inoperative to impel an article thereon, article stopping means located at a point adjacent to said path and selectively movable into and out of the path of movement of an article on said laterally spaced article support means, the articles accumulating one behind the other when the article stopping means is moved into the path of said articles, respective article impelling means longitudinally spaced a distance greater than the length of the articles to be impelled thereby the conveyor being devoid of article impelling means therebetween, the leading portion of each of said article impelling means rising above the plane of the article engaging surfaces of said laterally spaced article support means and inclining upwardly and rearwardly from points at or adjacent to the plane of said surfaces to provide an inclined article pushing shoulder which normally engages the central portion of the rear end of an article to push the same along said support means when the article is free to move along said path and having an upper surface of relatively low friction material which readily slips beneath the article when the article is held against such movement so the impelling means moves past the article, and means for repeatedly moving said longitudinally spaced article impelling means between said laterally spaced article support means along said conveying path in said direction.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The accumulating conveyor of claim 1 wherein said upwardly and rearwardly inclining leading edge portion of said article impelling means has an outer low friction surface.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
64 words
The accumulating conveyor of claim 2 wherein said upwardly and rearwardly inclining leading portion of each of said article impelling means makes a very small angle with the article support plane of said laterally spaced article support means which engages and supports the articles, said laterally spaced article support means being roller means which offers little resistance to the movement of an article thereover.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
136 words
The accumulating conveyor of claim 1 wherein said means for moving said article impelling means is a continuously driven belt whose upper section moves in the space between said laterally spaced article support means, the belt including portions located at or below the article support plane of said laterally spaced article support means and longitudinally spaced portions of the belt carrying said article impelling means which merge with said former belt portions and project above said support plane when the portion of the belt involved becomes part of the upper section of the belt, and there is further provided belt support means extending between said laterally spaced article support means for supporting the upper section of the belt in position where said article impelling means can impel an article on said laterally spaced article support means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
The accumulating conveyor of claim 4 wherein said leading portion of each of said article impelling means which engages and pushes an article extends substantially for the full width of the belt.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The accumulating conveyor of claim 5 wherein each of said article impelling means are formed by an outwardly thickened portions of the belt.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
65 words
The accumulating conveyor of claim 6 wherein each thickened portion of the belt is formed by laminated layers including an outer layer of material of about the same thickness throughout a single intermediate layer which has a varying cross section to thicken the belt and form said inclined leading portion of the article impelling means, and an inner layer of about the same thickness throughout.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
The accumulating conveyor of claim 7 wherein said inner layer of said belt is made of a relatively high coefficient of friction material.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The accumulating conveyor of claim 7 wherein said inner and outer layers are relatively thin layers and said intermediate layer is a relatively thick layer made of a rubberlike material.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
40 words
The accumulating conveyor of claim 7 wherein said inner layer is an initially unvulcanized rubber which has been vulcanized under heat and pressure adhesively to secure the same over substantially all confronting surfaces of said inner and outer intermediate layers.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-03-21 | 1975-09-20 | 1976-03-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-03-21 | 1979-09-20 | 1980-03-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-03-21 | 1983-09-20 | 1984-03-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |