Article aligning apparatus

Claim 3

The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said transfer conveyor includes an indexing station adapted to momentarily stop an article as it travels between said in-feed conveyor to said sorting conveyor, and control means for actuating said indexing station to synchronize movement of an article on said transfer conveyor with the movement of article carrying locations on said sorting conveyor to effect transfer of an article onto an article carrying location.

Claim 4

In a material handling system including an induction station for inducting randomly received articles onto a sorting conveyor having movable article carrying trays at predetermined spaced locations along the sorting conveyor, said trays including an upwardly projecting rear edge; aligning means for positioning an article on the article carrying trays of the sorting conveyor in alignment against said rear edge comprising: a movable aligning member positioned adjacent said conveyor above said article carrying trays such that an article positioned on a tray can contact said movable member to be rotated thereby, a first guide finger extending into the line of travel of said article carrying trays, spaced above said trays, and positioned in alignment with said movable aligning member across said sorting conveyor therefrom to force an article against said movable aligning member, and a pair of inwardly projecting second guide fingers located downstream said sorting conveyor from said first guide finger and extending inwardly over said article carrying trays of said sorting conveyor to contact an article thereon and force an article on a tray rearwardly against said projecting edge of said tray as it passes said second guide fingers.

Claim 5

In a material handling system including an induction station for inducting randomly received articles onto a sorting conveyor having movable article carrying trays at predetermined spaced locations along the sorting conveyor, said trays including an upwardly projecting rear edge; aligning means for positioning an article on the article carrying trays of the sorting conveyor in alignment against said rear edge comprising: a movable aligning member positioned adjacent said conveyor above said article carrying trays such that an article positioned on a tray can contact said movable member to be rotated thereby, a first guide finger extending into the line of travel of said article carrying trays, spaced above said trays, and positioned in alignment with said movable aligning member across said sorting conveyor therefrom to force an article against said movable aligning member, and a pair of inwardly projecting second guide fingers located downstream said sorting conveyor from said first guide finger and extending inwardly over said article carrying trays of said sorting conveyor to contact an article thereon and force an article on a tray rearwardly against said projecting edge of said tray as it passes said second guide fingers.

Claim 6

The apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said movable aligning member comprises: an endless belt, a pair of vertically oriented guide rollers spaced to receive said endless belt thereover, and drive means for moving said endless belt over said guide rollers.

Claim 7

The apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said first guide member comprises a springable member, an arm coupled to said springable member and mounted in fixed relationship to said sorting conveyors in a position such that said springable member contacts an article on a tray as it passes between said first guide finger and said movable aligning member to force the article against said movable aligning member due to the spring tension of said springable member.

Claim 8

The apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said second guide fingers include bias means for holding said guide fingers in an inwardly projecting position and which allows the fingers to swing outwardly once an article has contacted the projecting edge of a tray passing between said second guide fingers.