Patent US3690435A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3690435A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Article conveyor system
Assignee: Rexam Beverage Can Co
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Filing: 1970-04-16
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Granted: 1972-09-12
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Expires: 1990-04-16
Abstract
Abstract An article conveying system including an elongated endless conveyor and one or more transverse endless conveyors intersecting the elongated conveyor. The transverse conveyors are swingable in relation to the elongated endless conveyor to move the respective conveying reaches above and below one another and provide for the transfer of articles moving in one direction on the transverse conveyor to be conveyed in a second direction on the elongated conveyor.
Inventors
- 👤 John W King
- 👤 John D Sweeney
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 15:49
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G47/00; B65G47/52; B65G47/64; B65G47/644; B65G47/645; B65G47/647
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
334 words
An article conveying system comprising in combination an elongated conveyor assembly having parallel spaced apart endless belt conveyors; drive means connected to the belt conveyors; support means for said belt conveyors, said support means having spaced openings defining upwardly directed slots; idler rollers on saiD support means adjacent the upwardly directed slots with said endless belt trained about said rollers to locate an upper horizontal conveying reach below said slot; a swingable transverse conveyor assembly including frame means having spaced apart side frame members, one end of the spaced apart side frame members pivotally mounted on a main frame, the opposite ends of the spaced apart side frame members positionable within the slots in the elongated main conveyor and movable vertically relative thereto; power lift means connected to the transverse conveyor assembly to swing the opposite end of said conveyor relative to the slots in the elongated conveyor assembly support means; sprocket means supported on the transverse conveyor assembly and in alignment with the side frames, endless chain conveyors trained about the sprocket means, common drive means connected to the endless chain conveyors, said chain conveyors having an upper conveying reach positionable above and below the upper conveying reach of the elongated belt conveyor; a third endless conveyor supported on the main frame and having an upper conveying reach in alignment with and in operative association with said chain conveyors adjacent the pivotal mounting of the transverse conveyor assembly to the main frame; and drive means coupled to the third conveyor; whereby an article positioned on the third endless conveyor may be moved to the upper conveying surface of the chain conveyors on the transverse conveyor and may be moved therefrom and elevated by said power lift means above the elongated belt conveyors and conveyed over the top of the elongated belt conveyor upper reach and the transverse conveyor assembly may then be lowered by said power lift means to deposit the article on the upper conveying reach of the elongated conveyor assembly belts.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
334 words
An article conveying system comprising in combination an elongated conveyor assembly having parallel spaced apart endless belt conveyors; drive means connected to the belt conveyors; support means for said belt conveyors, said support means having spaced openings defining upwardly directed slots; idler rollers on saiD support means adjacent the upwardly directed slots with said endless belt trained about said rollers to locate an upper horizontal conveying reach below said slot; a swingable transverse conveyor assembly including frame means having spaced apart side frame members, one end of the spaced apart side frame members pivotally mounted on a main frame, the opposite ends of the spaced apart side frame members positionable within the slots in the elongated main conveyor and movable vertically relative thereto; power lift means connected to the transverse conveyor assembly to swing the opposite end of said conveyor relative to the slots in the elongated conveyor assembly support means; sprocket means supported on the transverse conveyor assembly and in alignment with the side frames, endless chain conveyors trained about the sprocket means, common drive means connected to the endless chain conveyors, said chain conveyors having an upper conveying reach positionable above and below the upper conveying reach of the elongated belt conveyor; a third endless conveyor supported on the main frame and having an upper conveying reach in alignment with and in operative association with said chain conveyors adjacent the pivotal mounting of the transverse conveyor assembly to the main frame; and drive means coupled to the third conveyor; whereby an article positioned on the third endless conveyor may be moved to the upper conveying surface of the chain conveyors on the transverse conveyor and may be moved therefrom and elevated by said power lift means above the elongated belt conveyors and conveyed over the top of the elongated belt conveyor upper reach and the transverse conveyor assembly may then be lowered by said power lift means to deposit the article on the upper conveying reach of the elongated conveyor assembly belts.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
296 words
An article conveyor system comprising: a main frame having a main frame conveyor means; a swingable endless conveyor means the upstream end of which is pivotally connected to said main frame adjacent the downstream end of said main frame conveyor means to receive articles therefrom and comprising a pair of spaced apart side frames, frame means interconnecting said frames, sprockets supported adjacent opposite ends of each of said side frame members, an endless conveyor trained about the pair of sprockets on each of said side frames, and common drive means connected to said conveyor; means connected to said swingable conveyor means to pivotally oscillate the downstream end of said swingable conveyor means about the pivotal connection to said main frame; an endless main conveyor transverse said swingable conveyor means, said main conveyor having an endless belt conveyor forming a horizontal upper conveying surface transverse to said first endless conveyor, drive means connected to said conveyor; support means for said conveyor; said support means having a spaced opening defining at least one pair of upwardly directed slots; idler rollers on said support means adjacent the upwardly directed slots with said endless conveyor trained about said rollers to locate an upper horizontal conveying reach below said slots; said horizontal upper conveying surface presented on either side of said slots and eccentrically thereof, thus forming an eccentrically horizontal upper surface, said slots permitting pivotal oscillation of said downstream end of said swingable conveyor means between positions above and below said main conveyor, the downstream end of said swingable endless conveyor means extending through at least one pair of said slots and substantially across said main conveyor, said main conveyor thereby receiving one article from said swingable conveyor as said swingable conveyor passes from above to below said main conveyor.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
296 words
An article conveyor system comprising: a main frame having a main frame conveyor means; a swingable endless conveyor means the upstream end of which is pivotally connected to said main frame adjacent the downstream end of said main frame conveyor means to receive articles therefrom and comprising a pair of spaced apart side frames, frame means interconnecting said frames, sprockets supported adjacent opposite ends of each of said side frame members, an endless conveyor trained about the pair of sprockets on each of said side frames, and common drive means connected to said conveyor; means connected to said swingable conveyor means to pivotally oscillate the downstream end of said swingable conveyor means about the pivotal connection to said main frame; an endless main conveyor transverse said swingable conveyor means, said main conveyor having an endless belt conveyor forming a horizontal upper conveying surface transverse to said first endless conveyor, drive means connected to said conveyor; support means for said conveyor; said support means having a spaced opening defining at least one pair of upwardly directed slots; idler rollers on said support means adjacent the upwardly directed slots with said endless conveyor trained about said rollers to locate an upper horizontal conveying reach below said slots; said horizontal upper conveying surface presented on either side of said slots and eccentrically thereof, thus forming an eccentrically horizontal upper surface, said slots permitting pivotal oscillation of said downstream end of said swingable conveyor means between positions above and below said main conveyor, the downstream end of said swingable endless conveyor means extending through at least one pair of said slots and substantially across said main conveyor, said main conveyor thereby receiving one article from said swingable conveyor as said swingable conveyor passes from above to below said main conveyor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
The apparatus defined in claim 2, in which said common drive means is a transverse shaft interconnecting the sprockets adjacent one end of the side frames and a motor coupled to the shaft to operate the endless conveyors for synchroNized movement.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus defined in claim 3, and further including bearing means secured to the main frame for supporting said shaft, said transverse shaft serving as a pivot axis for said swingable conveyor.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The apparatus defined in claim 4, in which the swingable endless conveyor means are a pair of endless chain conveyors.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
61 words
The apparatus defined in claim 5, in which said frame means interconnecting said side frames comprises transverse frame members secured at their opposite end portions to said side frames and providing a connection with said pivotal oscillation means, and in which said pivotal oscillation means is disposed intermediate the ends of said side frame members and spaced from said pivot axis.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
290 words
An article conveying system comprising in combination an elongated conveyor assembly having an endless belt forming a horizontal upper conveying surface, said upper conveying surface having at least one pair of spaced openings defined along the upper conveying surface, said openings being located intermediate opposite ends of said surface, said horizontal upper conveying surface running on either side of said pair of openings and centrally thereof, thus forming an essentially continuous horizontal upper surface in a first direction; a swingable transverse conveyor assembly having an upper conveying surface formed by a pair of spaced endless conveyors; drive means connected to the transverse conveyor for driving the upper conveying surface thereof in a direction angularly related to the direction of travel of said elongated conveyor assembly, said pair of spaced endless conveyors positioned in said pair of spaced openings at said one end of said transverse conveyor said one end of said transverse conveyor movable between positions to locate the upper conveying surface of said end of said transverse conveyor above and below the upper conveying surface of the elongated conveyor assembly; pivot means supporting the opposite end of said transverse conveyor; and power lift means connected to the swingable transverse conveyor whereby the upper conveying surface of the driven transverse conveyor can be positioned above and below the upper conveying surface of the elongated conveyor so that an article conveyed along the transverse conveyor upper conveying surface can be elevated above the upper conveying surface of the elongated conveyor and the transverse conveyor can be lowered below the upper conveying surface of the elongated conveyor thereby depositing the article on the elongated conveyor assembly for movement thereon in a direction different from the direction of the transverse conveyor conveying surface.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
290 words
An article conveying system comprising in combination an elongated conveyor assembly having an endless belt forming a horizontal upper conveying surface, said upper conveying surface having at least one pair of spaced openings defined along the upper conveying surface, said openings being located intermediate opposite ends of said surface, said horizontal upper conveying surface running on either side of said pair of openings and centrally thereof, thus forming an essentially continuous horizontal upper surface in a first direction; a swingable transverse conveyor assembly having an upper conveying surface formed by a pair of spaced endless conveyors; drive means connected to the transverse conveyor for driving the upper conveying surface thereof in a direction angularly related to the direction of travel of said elongated conveyor assembly, said pair of spaced endless conveyors positioned in said pair of spaced openings at said one end of said transverse conveyor said one end of said transverse conveyor movable between positions to locate the upper conveying surface of said end of said transverse conveyor above and below the upper conveying surface of the elongated conveyor assembly; pivot means supporting the opposite end of said transverse conveyor; and power lift means connected to the swingable transverse conveyor whereby the upper conveying surface of the driven transverse conveyor can be positioned above and below the upper conveying surface of the elongated conveyor so that an article conveyed along the transverse conveyor upper conveying surface can be elevated above the upper conveying surface of the elongated conveyor and the transverse conveyor can be lowered below the upper conveying surface of the elongated conveyor thereby depositing the article on the elongated conveyor assembly for movement thereon in a direction different from the direction of the transverse conveyor conveying surface.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
The combination defined in claim 7, in which the endless elongated conveying means includes a flexible belt and the transverse endless conveyor means is an endless chain conveyor.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus defined in claim 8, in which the transverse conveyor assembly includes spaced apart endless conveyors having end portions positionable in said openings, said endless conveyors spaning the width of said flexible belt.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
47 words
The apparatus defined in claim 7, further including a main frame having endless conveyor means in alignment with and having one end positioned adjacent the upper conveying surface of the transverse swingable conveyor assembly adjacent the pivot means, drive means for said main frame endless conveyor means.
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) | 1975-09-12 | 1976-03-13 | 1976-09-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-09-12 | 1980-03-13 | 1980-09-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-09-12 | 1984-03-13 | 1984-09-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |