Pneumatic conveyors

Claim 2

A pneumatic conveyor for transporting successive articles comprising, in combination: means defining a suction chamber having a first opening facing an article to be transported and a second opening; means for applying suction to the chamber; positioning means for locating the article and the chamber defining means in substantially air-tight contact, with the article blocking said first opening; and wall means disposed within the second opening of the chamber in position to engage said article when the article is in said substantially air-tight contact, said wall means being movable within said chamber to transport said article along said first opening with the article in said substantially air-tight contact.

Claim 3

A pneumatic conveyor for transporting successive articles comprising, in combination: means defining a suction chamber having a first opening facing an article to be transported and a second opening; means for applying suction to the Chamber; positioning means for locating the article and the chamber defining means in substantially air-tight contact, with the article blocking said first opening; wall means disposed within the second opening of the chamber in position to engage said article when the article is in said substantially air-tight contact, said wall means being movable within said chamber to transport said article along said first opening with the article in said substantially air-tight contact, said wall means blocking said second opening during at least a portion of its movement within said chamber; and means responsive to the movement of the wall means to a predetermined position within said chamber for returning said wall means to its initial position.

Claim 4

A pneumatic conveyor for transporting successive articles comprising, in combination: means defining a suction chamber having a first opening facing an article to be transported and a second opening; means for applying suction to the Chamber; positioning means for locating the article and the chamber defining means in substantially air-tight contact, with the article blocking said first opening; wall means disposed within the second opening of the chamber in position to engage said article when the article is in said substantially air-tight contact, said wall means being movable within said chamber to transport said article along said first opening with the article in said substantially air-tight contact, said wall means blocking said second opening during at least a portion of its movement within said chamber; and means responsive to the movement of the wall means to a predetermined position within said chamber for returning said wall means to its initial position.

Claim 5

A pneumatic conveyor according to claim 2, in which the suction applied to said chamber holds the article and the chamber defining means in said substantially air-tight contact and simultaneously moves said wall means to said predetermined position.

Claim 6

A pneumatic conveyor for transporting an article comprising, in combination: means defining an elongate chamber having an open end and an additional opening intermediate its ends in facing relationship with an article to be transported; positioning means for locating the article and the chamber defining means in substantially air-tight contact, with the article blocking said additional opening; means including an end wall disposed within the open end of the chamber in position to engage said article when said article is in said substantially air-tight contact, said end wall being movable between a rearward position adjacent said open end and a forward position intermediate the ends of the chamber; means for maintaining said end wall in substantially air-tight contact with the chamber defining means during the major portion of the movement of the end wall from its rearward to its forward position; and means for applying suction to said chamber, the applied suction holding the article in contact with the chamber defining means and moving the end wall from said rearward position to said forward position, said end wall transporting said article along said additional opening during its movement.

Claim 7

A pneumatic conveyor for transporting an article comprising, in combination: means defining an elongate chamber having an open end and an additional opening intermediate its ends in facing relationship with an article to be transported; positioning means for locating the article and the chamber defining means in substantially air-tight contact, with the article blocking said additional opening; means including an end wall disposed within the open end of the chamber in position to engage said article when said article is in said substantially air-tight contact, said end wall being movable between a rearward position adjacent said open end and a forward position intermediate the ends of the chamber; means for maintaining said end wall in substantially air-tight contact with the chamber defining means during the major portion of the movement of the end wall from its rearward to its forward position; and means for applying suction to said chamber, the applied suction holding the article in contact with the chamber defining means and moving the end wall from said rearward position to said forward position, said end wall transporting said article along said additional opening during its movement.

Claim 8

A pneumatic conveyor for transporting an article comprising, in combination: means defining an elongate chamber having a fixed wall at one end thereof and being open at the opposite end, the chamber including an additional opening intermediate its ends in facing relationship with an article to be transported; positioning means for locating the article and the chamber defining means in substantially air-tight contact, with the article blocking said additional opening; means including an end wall disposed within the open end of the chamber in position to engage said article when said article is in said substantially air-tight contact, said end wall being movable between a rearward position in which the end wall blocks said open end and a forward position intermediate the ends of the chamber; means for maintaining said end wall in substantially air-tight contact with the chamber defining means during the major portion of the movement of the end wall from its rearward to its forward position; means for applying suction to said chamber, the applied suction holding the article in contact with the chamber defining means and moving the end wall from said rearward position to said forward position, said end wall transporting said article along said additional opening during its movement; and means responsive to the movement of said end wall into said forward position for returning said end wall to said rearward position.

Claim 9

A pneumatic conveyor for transporting an article comprising, in combination: means defining an elongate chamber having a fixed wall at one end thereof and being open at the opposite end, the chamber including an additional opening intermediate its ends in facing relationship with an article to be transported; positioning means for locating the article and the chamber defining means in substantially air-tight contact, with the article blocking said additional opening; means including an end wall disposed within the open end of the chamber in position to engage said article when said article is in said substantially air-tight contact, said end wall being movable between a rearward position in which the end wall blocks said open end and a forward position intermediate the ends of the chamber; means for maintaining said end wall in substantially air-tight contact with the chamber defining means during the major portion of the movement of the end wall from its rearward to its forward position; means for applying suction to said chamber, the applied suction holding the article in contact with the chamber defining means and moving the end wall from said rearward position to said forward position, said end wall transporting said article along said additional opening during its movement; and means responsive to the movement of said end wall into said forward position for returning said end wall to said rearward position.

Claim 10

A pneumatic conveyor according to claim 5, in which the last-mentioned means comprises a counterweight externally located with respect to said chamber; and means for connecting the counter-weight to said end wall.

Claim 11

A pneumatic conveyor according to claim 5, which further comprises a plurality of idler rollers externally supported with respect to said chamber adjacent the chamber''s additional opening for facilitating the movement of the article.

Claim 12

A pneumatic conveyor for transporting an article comprising, in combination: means defining an elongate chamber having a fixed wall at one end thereof and being open at the opposite end, the chamber including an additional opening intermediate its ends in facing relationship with an article to be transported; positioning means for locating the article and the chamber defining means in substantially air-tight contact, with the article blocking said additional opening; means including an end wall of T-shaped cross section disposed within the open end of the chamber in position to engage said article when said article is in said substantially air-tight contact, said end wall being movable between a rearward position in which the bar of the T blocks said open end and is substantially parallel to said fixed wall and a forward position in which the bar of the T is disposed at an angle with respect to said fixed wall; means for maintaining the bar of said T in substantially air-tight contact with the chamber defining means during the major portion of the movement of said end wall from its rearward to its forward position and for thereafter moving said bar out of its substantially air-tight contact with said chamber defining means as the end wall approaches said forward position; and means for applying suction to said chamber, the applied suction holding the article in contact with the chamber defining means and simultaneously moving the T-shaped end wall from said rearward position to said forward position, said end wall transporting said article along said additional opening during its movement.

Claim 13

A pneumatic conveyor for transporting an article comprising, in combination: means defining an elongate chamber having a fixed wall at one end thereof and being open at the opposite end, the chamber including an additional opening intermediate its ends in facing relationship with an article to be transported; positioning means for locating the article and the chamber defining means in substantially air-tight contact, with the article blocking said additional opening; means including an end wall of T-shaped cross section disposed within the open end of the chamber in position to engage said article when said article is in said substantially air-tight contact, said end wall being movable between a rearward position in which the bar of the T blocks said open end and is substantially parallel to said fixed wall and a forward position in which the bar of the T is disposed at an angle with respect to said fixed wall; means for maintaining the bar of said T in substantially air-tight contact with the chamber defining means during the major portion of the movement of said end wall from its rearward to its forward position and for thereafter moving said bar out of its substantially air-tight contact with said chamber defining means as the end wall approaches said forward position; and means for applying suction to said chamber, the applied suction holding the article in contact with the chamber defining means and simultaneously moving the T-shaped end wall from said rearward position to said forward position, said end wall transporting said article along said additional opening during its movement.

Claim 14

A pneumatic conveyor according to claim 8, in which: the chamber defining means further includes a pair of longitudinal side walls, each of said side walls having a groove extending in the direction of movement of the article; and the maintaining means for the bar of said T comprises a pair of rollers carried by said end wall and respectively extending into the grooves in the side walls.

Claim 15

A pneumatic conveyor according to claim 9 in which: the groove in each of the side walls forms a parallelogram having two longitudinally extending lengths; and the maintaining means for the bar of said T comprises an additional pair of rollers carried by the stem of the T and respectively extending into said grooves, the rollers in each groove being disposed on the same longitudinally extending length during the movement of the end wall from said rearward position to said forward position and being disposed in different longitudinally extending lengths during the return movement of the end wall from said forward position to said rearward position.

Claim 16

A pneumatic conveyor for transporting an article comprising in combination: means defining an elongate chamber having a fixed wall at one end thereof and being open at the opposite end, the chamber including an additional opening intermediate its ends in facing relationship with an article to be transported; positioning means for locating the article and the chamber defining means in substantially air-tight contact, with the article blocking said additional opening; means including an end wall of T-shaped cross section disposed within the open end of the chamber in position to engage said article when said article is in said substantially air-tight contact, said end wall being movable between a rearward position in which the bar of the T blocks said open end and is substantially parallel to said fixed wall and a forward position in which the bar of the T is disposed at an angle with respect to said fixed wall; means for maintaining the bar of said T in substantially air-tight contact with the chamber defining means during the major portion of the movement of said end wall from its rearward to its forward position and for thereafter pivoting said bar out of its substantially air-tight contact with said chamber defining means as the end wall approaches said forward position; means for applying suction to said chamber, the applied suction holding the article in contact with the chamber defining means and simultaneously moving the T-shaped end wall from said rearward position to said forward position, said end wall transporting said article along said additional opening during its movement; and means automatically responsive to the movement of said T-shaped end wall into said forward position for returning said end wall to said rearward position.

Claim 17

A pneumatic conveyor for transporting an article comprising in combination: means defining an elongate chamber having a fixed wall at one end thereof and being open at the opposite end, the chamber including an additional opening intermediate its ends in facing relationship with an article to be transported; positioning means for locating the article and the chamber defining means in substantially air-tight contact, with the article blocking said additional opening; means including an end wall of T-shaped cross section disposed within the open end of the chamber in position to engage said article when said article is in said substantially air-tight contact, said end wall being movable between a rearward position in which the bar of the T blocks said open end and is substantially parallel to said fixed wall and a forward position in which the bar of the T is disposed at an angle with respect to said fixed wall; means for maintaining the bar of said T in substantially air-tight contact with the chamber defining means during the major portion of the movement of said end wall from its rearward to its forward position and for thereafter pivoting said bar out of its substantially air-tight contact with said chamber defining means as the end wall approaches said forward position; means for applying suction to said chamber, the applied suction holding the article in contact with the chamber defining means and simultaneously moving the T-shaped end wall from said rearward position to said forward position, said end wall transporting said article along said additional opening during its movement; and means automatically responsive to the movement of said T-shaped end wall into said forward position for returning said end wall to said rearward position.

Claim 18

A pneumatic conveyor for transporting an article comprising in combination: means defining an elongate chamber having a pair of longitudinal side walls and a fixed wall at one end thereof, the chamber being open at its opposite end and including an additional opening intermediate its ends in facing relationship with an article to be transported; positioning means for moving the article into engagement with the chamber defining means, the chamber defining means including a plurality of sealing skirts carried by said side walls and said fixed wall for maintaining the article in substantially air-tight contact therewith, with the article blocking said additional opening; means including an end wall of T-shaped cross section disposed within the open end of the chamber in position to engage said article when said article is in said substantially air-tight contact, said end wall being movable between a rearward position in which the bar of the T blocks said open end and is substantially parallel to said fixed wall and a forward position in which the bar of the T is disposed at an angle with respect to said fixed wall; means for maintaining the bar of said T in substantially air-tight contact with the chamber defining means during the major portion of the movement of said end wall from its rearward to its forward position and for thereafter pivoting said bar out of its substantially air-tight contact with said chamber defining means as the end wall approaches said forward position; means communicating with the chamber adjacent said fixed wall for applying suction to said chamber, the applied suction holding the article in contact with the chamber defining means and simultaneously moving the T-shaped end wall from said rearward position to said forward position, said end wall transporting said article along said additional opening during its movement; and means automatically responsive to the movement of said T-shaped end wall into said forward position for returning said end wall to said rearward position.

Claim 19

A pneumatic conveyor for transporting an article comprising in combination: means defining an elongate chamber having a pair of longitudinal side walls and a fixed wall at one end thereof, the chamber being open at its opposite end and including an additional opening intermediate its ends in facing relationship with an article to be transported; positioning means for moving the article into engagement with the chamber defining means, the chamber defining means including a plurality of sealing skirts carried by said side walls and said fixed wall for maintaining the article in substantially air-tight contact therewith, with the article blocking said additional opening; means including an end wall of T-shaped cross section disposed within the open end of the chamber in position to engage said article when said article is in said substantially air-tight contact, said end wall being movable between a rearward position in which the bar of the T blocks said open end and is substantially parallel to said fixed wall and a forward position in which the bar of the T is disposed at an angle with respect to said fixed wall; means for maintaining the bar of said T in substantially air-tight contact with the chamber defining means during the major portion of the movement of said end wall from its rearward to its forward position and for thereafter pivoting said bar out of its substantially air-tight contact with said chamber defining means as the end wall approaches said forward position; means communicating with the chamber adjacent said fixed wall for applying suction to said chamber, the applied suction holding the article in contact with the chamber defining means and simultaneously moving the T-shaped end wall from said rearward position to said forward position, said end wall transporting said article along said additional opening during its movement; and means automatically responsive to the movement of said T-shaped end wall into said forward position for returning said end wall to said rearward position.