US3721331A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Side discharge belt conveyor assembly
Assignee: Brown International Corp
•
Filing: 1970-10-23
•
Granted: 1973-03-20
•
Expires: 1990-10-23
Abstract
Abstract A side discharge belt conveyor assembly for fragile articles such as grapefruit sections employs three flat parallel conveyor belts all moving in the same direction, and having lateral spaces between adjacent side edges. Diverter blades are pivotally supported in close proximity to the upper surfaces of the belts in order to sweep the fragile articles laterally off all the side edges of the belts at predetermined locations, thereby minimizing the extent of required lateral travel of the fragile articles. Two oppositely-movable diverter blades above each side belt are connected to one diverter blade above a side portion of the wide center belt for simultaneous movement in unison between inoperative longitudinal positions and operative slanted positions. A deflector and additional pivoted blades are provided for diverting broken grapefruit sections from the central portion of the wide center belt to transverse discharge chutes at predetermined locations.
Inventors
- 👤 F Holbrook
- 👤 D Rickard
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 00:27
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G47/00; B65G47/74; B65G47/76; B65G47/766; A; A23; A23N; A23N4/00; A23N4/12; A23N4/18; B65G2201/00; B65G2201/02; B65G2201/0202; B65G2201/0211
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
150 words
In a side discharge belt conveyor assembly for fragile articles such as grapefruit sections, the combination of: parallel laterally spaced belts, each of the belts having upper reach portions supported in flat horizontal position, means for driving said belts in the same direction, diverter blades pivotally supported in close proximity to said upper reaches of said belts, certain of said diverter blades being mounted in pairs above the center of one of the belts, others of said diverter blades being mounted above an adjacent belt, each of said blades being movable from an inoperative longitudinal position to an operative slanted position to sweep articles laterally off a side edge of one of the belts at a predetermined location, and means interconnecting the diverter blades in each pair above the first said belt with one of the blades above said adjacent belt for movement in unison between operative and inoperative positions.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
150 words
In a side discharge belt conveyor assembly for fragile articles such as grapefruit sections, the combination of: parallel laterally spaced belts, each of the belts having upper reach portions supported in flat horizontal position, means for driving said belts in the same direction, diverter blades pivotally supported in close proximity to said upper reaches of said belts, certain of said diverter blades being mounted in pairs above the center of one of the belts, others of said diverter blades being mounted above an adjacent belt, each of said blades being movable from an inoperative longitudinal position to an operative slanted position to sweep articles laterally off a side edge of one of the belts at a predetermined location, and means interconnecting the diverter blades in each pair above the first said belt with one of the blades above said adjacent belt for movement in unison between operative and inoperative positions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
The combination set forth in claim 1 in which a stationary support structure is positioned above said belts, said diverter blades being pivotally mounted on said support structure, and selectively operable power means on said support structure for moving said diverter blades.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
177 words
In a side discharge belt conveyor assembly for fragile articles such as grapefruit sections, the combination of: a center belt positioned between and spaced laterally from two side belts, the center belt being wider than the Side belts and parallel thereto, each of the belts having upper reach portions supported in flat horizontal position, means for driving all three belts in the same direction, diverter blades pivotally supported in close proximity to said upper reaches of said belts, certain of said diverter blades being mounted in pairs above the center of said side belts, respectively, others of said diverter blades being mounted in laterally spaced pairs above said center belt, each of said blades being movable from an inoperative longitudinal position to an operative slanted position to sweep articles laterally off a side edge of one of said belts at a predetermined location, and means interconnecting the diverter blades in each pair above the side belts with one of the laterally spaced diverter blades above the center belt for movement in unison between operative and inoperative positions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
177 words
In a side discharge belt conveyor assembly for fragile articles such as grapefruit sections, the combination of: a center belt positioned between and spaced laterally from two side belts, the center belt being wider than the Side belts and parallel thereto, each of the belts having upper reach portions supported in flat horizontal position, means for driving all three belts in the same direction, diverter blades pivotally supported in close proximity to said upper reaches of said belts, certain of said diverter blades being mounted in pairs above the center of said side belts, respectively, others of said diverter blades being mounted in laterally spaced pairs above said center belt, each of said blades being movable from an inoperative longitudinal position to an operative slanted position to sweep articles laterally off a side edge of one of said belts at a predetermined location, and means interconnecting the diverter blades in each pair above the side belts with one of the laterally spaced diverter blades above the center belt for movement in unison between operative and inoperative positions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
203 words
In a side discharge belt conveyor assembly for fragile articles such as grapefruit sections, the combination of: a center belt positioned between and spaced laterally from two side belts, the center belt being wider than the side belts and parallel thereto, each of the belts having upper reach portions supported in flat horizontal position, means for driving all three belts in the same direction, diverter blades pivotally supported in close proximity to said upper reaches of said belts and each being movable from an inoperative longitudinal position to an operative slanted position to sweep articles laterally off a side edge of one of said belts at a predetermined location, said diverter blades including a first series mounted above the center of one of the side belts, and a second series mounted above the center of the other of the side belts, the diverter blades including a third series mounted above one side portion of the center belt and a fourth series mounted above the other side portion of the center belt, and means interconnecting each diverter blade above the side belts with a diverter blade above an adjacent side portion of the center belt for movement in unison between operative and inoperative positions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
203 words
In a side discharge belt conveyor assembly for fragile articles such as grapefruit sections, the combination of: a center belt positioned between and spaced laterally from two side belts, the center belt being wider than the side belts and parallel thereto, each of the belts having upper reach portions supported in flat horizontal position, means for driving all three belts in the same direction, diverter blades pivotally supported in close proximity to said upper reaches of said belts and each being movable from an inoperative longitudinal position to an operative slanted position to sweep articles laterally off a side edge of one of said belts at a predetermined location, said diverter blades including a first series mounted above the center of one of the side belts, and a second series mounted above the center of the other of the side belts, the diverter blades including a third series mounted above one side portion of the center belt and a fourth series mounted above the other side portion of the center belt, and means interconnecting each diverter blade above the side belts with a diverter blade above an adjacent side portion of the center belt for movement in unison between operative and inoperative positions.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
157 words
In a side discharge belt conveyor assembly for fragile articles such as grapefruit sections, the combination of: a conveyor belt having an upper reach supported in flat horizontal position and having parallel side edges, means for driving said belt, a longitudinal series of adjacent pairs of diverter blades positioned in close proximity to said upper reach of the conveyor belt, means above said upper reach for pivotally supporting each pair of said diverter blades so that each blade is movable from an inoperative longitudinal position to an operative slanted position to sweep articles laterally off a side edge of the conveyor belt, and separate means for moving each of said diverter blades between its operative and inoperative positions, whereby articles may be selectively diverted over either one or both side edges of the belt at a single predetermined location along the conveyor belt or allowed to pass to the next pair of diverter blades in the series.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
157 words
In a side discharge belt conveyor assembly for fragile articles such as grapefruit sections, the combination of: a conveyor belt having an upper reach supported in flat horizontal position and having parallel side edges, means for driving said belt, a longitudinal series of adjacent pairs of diverter blades positioned in close proximity to said upper reach of the conveyor belt, means above said upper reach for pivotally supporting each pair of said diverter blades so that each blade is movable from an inoperative longitudinal position to an operative slanted position to sweep articles laterally off a side edge of the conveyor belt, and separate means for moving each of said diverter blades between its operative and inoperative positions, whereby articles may be selectively diverted over either one or both side edges of the belt at a single predetermined location along the conveyor belt or allowed to pass to the next pair of diverter blades in the series.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
43 words
The combination set forth in claim 5 in which a stationary support structure is positioned above said conveyor belt, said diverter blades being pivotally mounted on said support structure, and selectively operable power means on said support structure for moving said diverter blades.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
The combination set forth in claim 5 in which each diverter blade sweeps less than one-half of the width of the conveyor belt.
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) | 1976-03-19 | 1976-09-18 | 1977-03-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-03-19 | 1980-09-18 | 1981-03-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-03-19 | 1984-09-18 | 1985-03-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |