Accumulating conveyor system

Claim 2

An accumulating conveyor system comprising: a longitudinal frame having a plurality of equally spaced article support stations through which articles are advanced intermittently from a load station to an unload station on said frame; sensing means associated with each of said support stations to determine whether its associAted support station is empty; a plurality of longitudinally spaced conveyor modules, each module comprising an enclosed housing mounted for reciprocal movement along the longitudinal axis of said frame, each module being associated with a pair of adjacent stations; transfer means carried by each module housing and responsive to the sensing means associated with one of said pair of adjacent stations immediately thereahead when said modules are reciprocated in one direction and when said one immediately ahead station is empty so as to become operative to engage the article in the other of said pair of associated stations immediately there-behind to transfer said article from said other station to said one station, said transfer means not being made operative by said sensing means when the station associated therewith is not empty; actuating means carried by within each of said module housings, said actuating means comprising a reciprocating rod means having its opposite ends extending outwardly from its associate housing for positioning into an operative position the transfer means of all modules behind the module whose transfer means becomes operative in response to its associated sensing means; and means associated with the module disposed at the load station of said frame to coact with said actuating means to place said transfer means of all modules thereahead into an inoperative position when said plurality of conveyor modules is reciprocated in an opposite direction, whereby said articles are advanced forwardly to the next immediate station only if an empty station is thereahead.

Claim 3

The accumulating conveyor system defined in claim 1 further comprising: means for reciprocating said modules in back and forth strokes to move said modules from one of their associated stations to the other of their associated stations and return said module to said one associated station; said transfer means comprising an article engaging means carried by each of said modules; said article engaging means being movable to a first position wherein said article engaging means is operable to engage an article supported in said one associated station and transfer said article to said other associated station and a second position wherein said article engaging means is inoperative; and said article engaging means remaining in said second position unless actuated by said sensing means.

Claim 4

An accumulating conveyor system comprising: a longitudinal frame having a plurality of equally spaced article support stations through which articles are advanced intermittently from a load station to an unload station on said frame; sensing means associated with each of said support stations to determine whether its associated support station is empty; a plurality of longitudinally spaced conveyor modules adapted for reciprocal movement along the longitudinal axis of said frame, each module being associated with a pair of adjacent stations; transfer means carried by each module and responsive to the sensing means associated with one of said pair of adjacent stations immediately thereahead when said modules are reciprocated in one direction and when said one immediately ahead station is empty so as to become operative to engage the article in the other of said pair of associated stations immediately therebehind to transfer said article from said other station to said one station, said transfer means not being made operative by said sensing means when the station associated therewith is not empty; actuating means carried by each of said modules for positioning into an operative position the transfer means of all modules behind the module whose transfer means becomes operative in response to its associated sensing means; means associated with the module disposed at the load station of said frame to coact with said actuating means to place said transfer means of all modules thereahead into an inoperative position when said plurality of conveyOr modules is reciprocated in an opposite direction, whereby said articles are advanced forwardly to the next immediate station only if an empty station is thereahead; each of the actuating means in each module comprises a longitudinal reciprocating rod means having its opposite ends extending outwardly from its associated module; said opposite ends of said rod means being longitudinally aligned with the outer end of adjacent rod means in adjacent modules; said ends of said rod means being adapted to alternately engagably abut the ends of its adjacent rod means in adjacent modules; each of said rod means being movable to a first position toward the load station of said frame when said modules are reciprocated toward the unload station to actuate its associated transfer means and place the same in an operative position, and movable to a second position toward the unload station of said frame when said modules are reciprocated toward the load end of said frame to place said transfer means into an inoperative position; a rod means in a module associated with a station that is empty being actuated by said sensing means to move said rod means to said first position and abuttably engage the rod means therebehind to move all of said rod means therebehind to said first rod means position; and said rod means being adapted to abuttably engage the ends of rod means immediately thereahead when said rod means is moved to its second position so as to move all successive rods of the modules thereahead to said second position.

Claim 5

An accumulating conveyor system comprising: a longitudinal frame having a plurality of equally spaced article support stations through which articles are advanced intermittently from a load station to an unload station on said frame; sensing means associated with each of said support stations to determine whether its associated support station is empty; a plurality of longitudinally spaced conveyor modules adapted for reciprocal movement along the longitudinal axis of said frame, each module being associated with a pair of adjacent stations; transfer means carried by each module and responsive to the sensing means associated with one of said pair of adjacent stations immediately thereahead when said modules are reciprocated in one direction and when said one immediately ahead station is empty so as to become operative to engage the article in the other of said pair of associated stations immediately therebehind to transfer said article from said other station to said one station, said transfer means not being made operative by said sensing means when the station associated therewith is not empty; actuating means carried by each of said modules for positioning into an operative position the transfer means of all modules behind the module whose transfer means becomes operative in response to its associated sensing means; means associated with the module disposed at the load station of said frame to coact with said actuating means to place said transfer means of all modules thereahead into an inoperative position when said plurality of conveyOr modules is reciprocated in an opposite direction, whereby said articles are advanced forwardly to the next immediate station only if an empty station is thereahead; each of the actuating means in each module comprises a longitudinal reciprocating rod means having its opposite ends extending outwardly from its associated module; said opposite ends of said rod means being longitudinally aligned with the outer end of adjacent rod means in adjacent modules; said ends of said rod means being adapted to alternately engagably abut the ends of its adjacent rod means in adjacent modules; each of said rod means being movable to a first position toward the load station of said frame when said modules are reciprocated toward the unload station to actuate its associated transfer means and place the same in an operative position, and movable to a second position toward the unload station of said frame when said modules are reciprocated toward the load end of said frame to place said transfer means into an inoperative position; a rod means in a module associated with a station that is empty being actuated by said sensing means to move said rod means to said first position and abuttably engage the rod means therebehind to move all of said rod means therebehind to said first rod means position; and said rod means being adapted to abuttably engage the ends of rod means immediately thereahead when said rod means is moved to its second position so as to move all successive rods of the modules thereahead to said second position.

Claim 6

The accumulating conveyor system defined in claim 3 wherein: said transfer means further comprises an external lever means carried by each module and operatively connected to said rod means of its associated module; and said external lever means cooperating with the sensing means associated with an empty station to move said rod means associated therewith to said first position when said modules are reciprocated toward said unload station.

Claim 7

The accumulating conveyor system defined in claim 4 wherein: said rod means and said transfer means of each module are enclosed in a sealed housing; said external lever means extending outwardly therefrom for engagement with said sensing means; and said transfer means further comprising an externally mounted article engaging means engaging said articles to cause a transfer thereof when said modules are reciprocated toward said unload station.

Claim 8

A conveyor module adapted for use in an accumulating conveyor system of the type having a longitudinal frame with a plurality of equally spaced article support stations through which articles are advanced intermittently from a load station to an unload station of said frame and in which sensing means are provided at each support station to determine whether its associated support station is empty; said conveyor module being adapted to be positioned for reciprocal movement with respect to said longitudinal frame and associated with one pair of adjacent stations; said conveyor module comprising an enclosed housing having a pair of opposed bores; an actuating rod reciprocably mounted in said housing bores along an axis parallel to the direction of reciprocal movement of said module; means in said housing for moving said actuating rod back and forth such that the opposite ends of said actuating rod are adapted to alternately engagably abut the outer ends respectively of rods carried by the modules immediately ahead and immediately behind said housing; article engaging means carried by said housing and movable upon actuation between a first position wherein said article engaging means is positioned to engage the article disposed in one of said pair of adjacent article supports and transfer said article to the other of said pair of article supports when said module is reciprocated in one direction and a second position wherein said article engaging means is so positioned as to not engage an articlE disposed in said one article support when said module is reciprocated in said one direction; and means carried in said housing operatively connecting said article engaging means to said rod such that when said rod is reciprocated in said one direction said article engaging means is moved to said second position and when said rod is reciprocated in an opposite direction said article engaging means is moved to said first position.

Claim 9

A conveyor module adapted for use in an accumulating conveyor system of the type having a longitudinal frame with a plurality of equally spaced article support stations through which articles are advanced intermittently from a load station to an unload station of said frame and in which sensing means are provided at each support station to determine whether its associated support station is empty; said conveyor module being adapted to be positioned for reciprocal movement with respect to said longitudinal frame and associated with one pair of adjacent stations; said conveyor module comprising an enclosed housing having a pair of opposed bores; an actuating rod reciprocably mounted in said housing bores along an axis parallel to the direction of reciprocal movement of said module; means in said housing for moving said actuating rod back and forth such that the opposite ends of said actuating rod are adapted to alternately engagably abut the outer ends respectively of rods carried by the modules immediately ahead and immediately behind said housing; article engaging means carried by said housing and movable upon actuation between a first position wherein said article engaging means is positioned to engage the article disposed in one of said pair of adjacent article supports and transfer said article to the other of said pair of article supports when said module is reciprocated in one direction and a second position wherein said article engaging means is so positioned as to not engage an articlE disposed in said one article support when said module is reciprocated in said one direction; and means carried in said housing operatively connecting said article engaging means to said rod such that when said rod is reciprocated in said one direction said article engaging means is moved to said second position and when said rod is reciprocated in an opposite direction said article engaging means is moved to said first position.

Claim 10

A conveyor module adapted for use in an accumulating conveyor system of the type having a longitudinal frame with a plurality of equally spaced article support stations through which articles are advanced intermittently from a load station to an unload station of said frame and in which sensing means are provided at each support station to determine whether its associated support station is empty; said conveyor module being adapted to be positioned for reciprocal movement with respect to said longitudinal frame and associated with one pair of adjacent stations; said conveyor module comprising an enclosed housing having a pair of opposed bores; an actuating rod reciprocably mounted in said housing bores along an axis parallel to the direction of reciprocal movement of said module; the opposite ends of said actuating rod being adapted to alternately engagably abut the outer ends respectively of rods carried by the modules immediately ahead and immediately behind said housing; article engaging means carried by said housing and movable upon actuation between a first position wherein said article engaging means is positioned to engage the article disposed in one of said pair of adjacent article supports and transfer said article to the other of said pair of article supports when said module is reciprocated in one direction and a second position wherein said article engaging means is so positioned as to not engage an article disposed in said one article support when said module is reciprocated in said one direction; means carried in said housing operatively connecting said article engaging means to said rod such that when said rod is reciprocated in said one direction said article engaging means is moved to said second position and when said rod is reciprocated in an opposite direction said article engaging means is moved to said first position; means carried externally of said housing and operatively connected to said rod; and said externally mounted means cooperating with said sensing means when said station associated with said sensing means is empty to move said rod means in said other direction whereby said article engaging means is moved to said first position.

Claim 11

A conveyor module adapted for use in an accumulating conveyor system of the type having a longitudinal frame with a plurality of equally spaced article support stations through which articles are advanced intermittently from a load station to an unload station of said frame and in which sensing means are provided at each support station to determine whether its associated support station is empty; said conveyor module being adapted to be positioned for reciprocal movement with respect to said longitudinal frame and associated with one pair of adjacent stations; said conveyor module comprising an enclosed housing having a pair of opposed bores; an actuating rod reciprocably mounted in said housing bores along an axis parallel to the direction of reciprocal movement of said module; the opposite ends of said actuating rod being adapted to alternately engagably abut the outer ends respectively of rods carried by the modules immediately ahead and immediately behind said housing; article engaging means carried by said housing and movable upon actuation between a first position wherein said article engaging means is positioned to engage the article disposed in one of said pair of adjacent article supports and transfer said article to the other of said pair of article supports when said module is reciprocated in one direction and a second position wherein said article engaging means is so positioned as to not engage an article disposed in said one article support when said module is reciprocated in said one direction; means carried in said housing operatively connecting said article engaging means to said rod such that when said rod is reciprocated in said one direction said article engaging means is moved to said second position and when said rod is reciprocated in an opposite direction said article engaging means is moved to said first position; means carried externally of said housing and operatively connected to said rod; and said externally mounted means cooperating with said sensing means when said station associated with said sensing means is empty to move said rod means in said other direction whereby said article engaging means is moved to said first position.

Claim 12

The module defined in claim 7, further comprising a plurality of said modules mounted adjacent said support stations in a longitudinally spaced manner, the outer ends of the rods of each module respectively abutting the outer end of the rod carried by the module immediately ahead and immediately therebehind; all of said modules having their article engaging means moved to said first position when their associated rod means are reciprocated in said other direction; and all of said module rods being shifted in said other direction when any module thereahead has its externally mounted means cooperatively engaged with a sensing means associated with an empty support station while all modules ahead of said empty station have rods which are not abuttably engaged by the module associated with said empty station.

Claim 13

The conveyor module defined in claim 8, wherein the module associated with the load end of said frame has additional external means cooperating with said frame to move said rod in said one direction when said modules are moved in said other direction; said actuating rod associated with said last mentioned module having its other end abuttably engaging the outer end of the rod carried by the module immediately thereahead, which rod is moved in said one direction and each successive rod in the module thereaheAd is moved in said one direction whereby all of the article engaging means of all modules ahead of said first module are moved to said second position such that said article engaging means do not engage said articles when said modules are reciprocated in said other direction.

Claim 14

An accumulating conveyor system comprising: a longitudinal frame having a plurality of equally spaced article support stations through which articles are advanced intermittently from a load station to an unload station on said frame; sensing means associated with each of said support stations to determine whether its associated support station is empty; a plurality of longitudinally spaced conveyor modules; support means supporting said modules such that each of said modules is associated with a pair of adjacent stations; reciprocating means for reciprocating said support means in back and forth strokes to move said modules from one of their associated stations to the other of their associated stations and return said modules to said one associated station, each of said modules having article engaging means movable to a first position wherein said article engaging means is operable to engage an article supported in said one associated station and move said article to said other associated station, and a second position wherein said article engaging means is inoperative, said article engaging means being normally in said second position; an internal actuating means in each of said modules, each of said actuating means being operable to move said article engaging means to said first and second positions; each of said actuating means further comprising a longitudinal reciprocating rod means within said module and having its opposite ends extending outwardly from its associated module, said opposite ends of each rod means being longitudinally aligned with the outer ends of adjacent rod means in adjacent modules, said ends of said rod means being adapted to alternately engagably abut the ends of the rod means in adjacent modules, each of said rod means being movable to a first position toward the load station of said frame to actuate said actuating means to move its associated article engaging means to said first position, and movable to a second position toward the unload station of said frame to actuate said actuating means to move said article engaging means to said second position; said rod means abuttably engaging the end of the rod means immediately thereahead when said rod means is moved to said second position to move all of the successive rods in the modules ahead of said empty station to said second position; external dog means carried by each module and operatively connected to its associated actuating means and rod means; said external dog means cooperating with the sensing means associated with said other associated station when same is empty to actuate said actuating means and said rod means to move its associated article engaging means and its associated rod means to their first positions when said module support means is reciprocated toward said unload station; and means associated with the module disposed at the unload station of said frame to move the rod means therein to said second position and all rod means associated with modules ahead of said load module when said module support means is reciprocated toward the load end of said frame.

Claim 15

An accumulating conveyor system comprising: a longitudinal frame having a plurality of equally spaced article support stations through which articles are advanced intermittently from a load station to an unload station on said frame; sensing means associated with each of said support stations to determine whether its associated support station is empty; a plurality of longitudinally spaced conveyor modules; support means supporting said modules such that each of said modules is associated with a pair of adjacent stations; reciprocating means for reciprocating said support means in back and forth strokes to move said modules from one of their associated stations to the other of their associated stations and return said modules to said one associated station, each of said modules having article engaging means movable to a first position wherein said article engaging means is operable to engage an article supported in said one associated station and move said article to said other associated station, and a second position wherein said article engaging means is inoperative, said article engaging means being normally in said second position; an internal actuating means in each of said modules, each of said actuating means being operable to move said article engaging means to said first and second positions; each of said actuating means further comprising a longitudinal reciprocating rod means within said module and having its opposite ends extending outwardly from its associated module, said opposite ends of each rod means being longitudinally aligned with the outer ends of adjacent rod means in adjacent modules, said ends of said rod means being adapted to alternately engagably abut the ends of the rod means in adjacent modules, each of said rod means being movable to a first position toward the load station of said frame to actuate said actuating means to move its associated article engaging means to said first position, and movable to a second position toward the unload station of said frame to actuate said actuating means to move said article engaging means to said second position; said rod means abuttably engaging the end of the rod means immediately thereahead when said rod means is moved to said second position to move all of the successive rods in the modules ahead of said empty station to said second position; external dog means carried by each module and operatively connected to its associated actuating means and rod means; said external dog means cooperating with the sensing means associated with said other associated station when same is empty to actuate said actuating means and said rod means to move its associated article engaging means and its associated rod means to their first positions when said module support means is reciprocated toward said unload station; and means associated with the module disposed at the unload station of said frame to move the rod means therein to said second position and all rod means associated with modules ahead of said load module when said module support means is reciprocated toward the load end of said frame.

Claim 16

An accumulating conveyor system comprising: a longitudinal frame having a plurality of equally spaced article support stations through which articles are advanced intermittently from a load station to an unload station on said frame; sensing means associated with each of said support stations to determine whether its associated support station is empty; a plurality of longitudinally spaced conveyor modules adapted for reciprocal movement along the longitudinal axis of said frame, each module being associated with a pair of adjacent stations; transfer means carried by each mOdule and responsive to the sensing means associated with one of said pair of adjacent stations immediately thereahead when said modules are reciprocated in one direction and when said one immediately ahead station is empty so as to become operative to engage the article in the other of said pair of associated stations immediately therebehind to transfer said article from said other station to said one station, said transfer means not being made operative by said sensing means when the station associated therewith is not empty; actuating means carried by each of said modules for positioning into an operative position for transfer means of all modules behind the module whose transfer means becomes operative in response to its associated sensing means; means associated with the module disposed at the load station of said frame to coact with said actuating means to place said transfer means of all modules thereahead into an inoperative position when said plurality of conveyor modules is reciprocated in an opposite direction, whereby said articles are advanced forwardly to the next immediate station only if an empty station is thereahead; each of the actuating means in each module comprising a longitudinal non-pivoting reciprocating rod means movable in opposite directions along the same linear path and having its opposite ends extending outwardly from its associated module; said opposite ends of said rod means being longitudinally aligned with the outer end of adjacent rod means in adjacent modules; said ends of said rod means being adapted to alternately engageably abut the ends of its adjacent rod means in adjacent modules; each of said rod means being linearally movable in a direction along said linear path toward the load station of said frame to a first position when said modules are reciprocated toward the unload station to actuate its associated transfer means and place the same in an operative position, and linearally movable in an opposite direction along said linear path toward the unload stations of said frame to a second position when said modules are reciprocated toward the load end of said frame to place said transfer means into an inoperative position; the rod means in the module associated with a station that is empty being actuated by said sensing means to move said rod means to said first position and abuttably engage the rod means therebehind to move all of said rod means therebehind to said first rod means position; and said rod means being adapted to abuttably engage the ends of rod means immediately thereahead when said rod means is moved to its second position so as to move all successive rods of the modules thereahead to said second position.

Claim 17

An accumulating conveyor system comprising: a longitudinal frame having a plurality of equally spaced article support stations through which articles are advanced intermittently from a load station to an unload station on said frame; sensing means associated with each of said support stations to determine whether its associated support station is empty; a plurality of longitudinally spaced conveyor modules adapted for reciprocal movement along the longitudinal axis of said frame, each module being associated with a pair of adjacent stations; transfer means carried by each mOdule and responsive to the sensing means associated with one of said pair of adjacent stations immediately thereahead when said modules are reciprocated in one direction and when said one immediately ahead station is empty so as to become operative to engage the article in the other of said pair of associated stations immediately therebehind to transfer said article from said other station to said one station, said transfer means not being made operative by said sensing means when the station associated therewith is not empty; actuating means carried by each of said modules for positioning into an operative position for transfer means of all modules behind the module whose transfer means becomes operative in response to its associated sensing means; means associated with the module disposed at the load station of said frame to coact with said actuating means to place said transfer means of all modules thereahead into an inoperative position when said plurality of conveyor modules is reciprocated in an opposite direction, whereby said articles are advanced forwardly to the next immediate station only if an empty station is thereahead; each of the actuating means in each module comprising a longitudinal non-pivoting reciprocating rod means movable in opposite directions along the same linear path and having its opposite ends extending outwardly from its associated module; said opposite ends of said rod means being longitudinally aligned with the outer end of adjacent rod means in adjacent modules; said ends of said rod means being adapted to alternately engageably abut the ends of its adjacent rod means in adjacent modules; each of said rod means being linearally movable in a direction along said linear path toward the load station of said frame to a first position when said modules are reciprocated toward the unload station to actuate its associated transfer means and place the same in an operative position, and linearally movable in an opposite direction along said linear path toward the unload stations of said frame to a second position when said modules are reciprocated toward the load end of said frame to place said transfer means into an inoperative position; the rod means in the module associated with a station that is empty being actuated by said sensing means to move said rod means to said first position and abuttably engage the rod means therebehind to move all of said rod means therebehind to said first rod means position; and said rod means being adapted to abuttably engage the ends of rod means immediately thereahead when said rod means is moved to its second position so as to move all successive rods of the modules thereahead to said second position.