Quick adjusting guide rail for conveyor

Claim 2

In a conveyor apparatus for conveying articles having a movable conveyor means, a conveyor support adapted to mount said movable conveyor means and a pair of guide rails for maintaining the conveyed articles properly positioned on the movable conveying means, means for mounting said guide rails for lateral adjustment perpendicular to the direction of movement of said conveyor means comprising a pair of guide rail mounting members each having a base portion extending generally laterally substantially parallel to one another, a generally vertically extending upstanding portion adapted to mount said guide rail and a connecting portion operatively connecting said upstanding portion to said base portion, said conveyor support being provided with recesses below said conveyor means and at opposite sides thereof, said recesses being adapted to receive the substantially parallel base portions of said guide rail mounting members respectively, said base portions being movable in a generally lateral direction into and out of said recesses between inner and outer positions, said connecting portions in the inner position of said guide rail mounting member extending upwardly above said conveyor means and inwardly thereover, thereby to position said upstanding portions inwardly of the outer edges of said conveyor means, and adjustable locking means to lock said base portions of said guide rail mounting members to said conveyor support in any position between said inner and outer positions.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said conveyor support comprises a pair of spaced side walls, means structurally connecting said side walls at spaced intervals along the length of said conveyor support, said recesses comprising openings in said side walls adjacent said structural connecting means, said adjustable locking means being effective to lock said base portions of said guide rail mounting members to said structural connecting means.

Claim 4

In a conveyor apparatus for conveying articles having a movable conveyor means, a conveyor support adapted to mount said movable conveyor means and a pair of guide rails for maintaining the conveyed articles properly positioned on the movable conveying means, means for mounting said guide rails for lateral adjustment perpendicular to the direction of movement of said conveyor means comprising a pair of guide rail mounting members each having a latErally extending base portion, an upstanding portion adapted to mount said guide rail and a connecting portion operatively connecting said upstanding portion to said base portion, said conveyor support being provided with recesses below said conveyor means and at opposite sides thereof, said recesses being adapted to receive the base portions of said guide rail mounting members, said base portions being movable in a direction into and out of said recesses between inner and outer position, said connecting portions in the inner position of said guide rail mounting member extending upwardly above said conveyor means and inwardly thereover, thereby to position said upstanding portions inwardly of the outer edges of said conveyor means, and adjustable locking means to lock said base portions of said guide rail mounting members to said conveyor support in any position between said inner and outer positions, wherein said conveyor support comprises a pair of spaced side walls, means structurally connecting said side walls at spaced intervals along the length of said conveyor support, said recesses comprising openings in said side walls adjacent said structural connecting means, said adjustable locking means being effective to lock said base portions of said guide rail mounting members to said structural connecting means, wherein said recesses comprise openings in said side walls and said structural connecting means comprises a hollow tubular member open at both ends and registering with said openings, said locking means being adapted to force said base portions of said guide rail mounting members into frictional locking engagement with said tubular member.

Claim 5

In a conveyor apparatus for conveying articles having a movable conveyor means, a conveyor support adapted to mount said movable conveyor means and a pair of guide rails for maintaining the conveyed articles properly positioned on the movable conveying means, means for mounting said guide rails for lateral adjustment perpendicular to the direction of movement of said conveyor means comprising a pair of guide rail mounting members each having a latErally extending base portion, an upstanding portion adapted to mount said guide rail and a connecting portion operatively connecting said upstanding portion to said base portion, said conveyor support being provided with recesses below said conveyor means and at opposite sides thereof, said recesses being adapted to receive the base portions of said guide rail mounting members, said base portions being movable in a direction into and out of said recesses between inner and outer position, said connecting portions in the inner position of said guide rail mounting member extending upwardly above said conveyor means and inwardly thereover, thereby to position said upstanding portions inwardly of the outer edges of said conveyor means, and adjustable locking means to lock said base portions of said guide rail mounting members to said conveyor support in any position between said inner and outer positions, wherein said conveyor support comprises a pair of spaced side walls, means structurally connecting said side walls at spaced intervals along the length of said conveyor support, said recesses comprising openings in said side walls adjacent said structural connecting means, said adjustable locking means being effective to lock said base portions of said guide rail mounting members to said structural connecting means, wherein said recesses comprise openings in said side walls and said structural connecting means comprises a hollow tubular member open at both ends and registering with said openings, said locking means being adapted to force said base portions of said guide rail mounting members into frictional locking engagement with said tubular member.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said base portions are received within said hollow tubular member in overlapping relationship, said locking means being effective to force said base portions into frictional locking engagement with opposing walls of said tubular member.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said locking means comprises expandable means received within said tubular member and manually adjustable means operatively connected to said expandable means, accessible through at least one of said openings and effective upon adjustment thereof to cause said expandable means to expand toward said opposing walls of said tubular member.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said base portions are received within said hollow tubular member in overlapping relationship, said locking means being effective to force said base portions into frictional locking engagement with opposing walls of said tubular member.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said locking means comprises an expandable wedge assembly, said expandable means comprising a pair of oppositely facing wedge blocks having interfitting inclined surfaces and said adjustable means comprising means to adjustably draw said wedge blocks toward each other.

Claim 10

In a conveyor apparatus for conveying articles having a movable conveyor means, a conveyor support adapted to mount said movable conveyor means and a pair of guide rails for maintaining the conveyed articles properly positioned on the movable conveying means, means for mounting said guide rails for lateral adjustment perpendicular to the direction of movement of said conveyor means comprising a pair of guide rail mounting members each having a base portion extending generally laterally substantially parallel to one another, a generally vertically extending upstanding portion adapted to mount said guide rail with the article-engaging surface of said guide rail located inboard of said upstanding portion and a connecting portion operatively connecting said upstanding portion to said base portion, said conveyor support being provided with recesses below said conveyor means and at opposite sides thereof, said recesses being adapted to receive the substantially parallel base portions of said guide rail mounting members respectively, said base portions being movable in a generally lateral direction into anD out of said recesses between inner and outer positions, said connecting portions in the inner position of said guide rail mounting member extending upwardly above said conveyor means, thereby to position said upstanding portions, and adjustable locking means to lock said base portions of said guide rail mounting members to said conveyor support in any position between said inner and outer positions.

Claim 11

In a conveyor apparatus for conveying articles having a movable conveyor means, a conveyor support adapted to mount said movable conveyor means and a pair of guide rails for maintaining the conveyed articles properly positioned on the movable conveying means, means for mounting said guide rails for lateral adjustment perpendicular to the direction of movement of said conveyor means comprising a pair of guide rail mounting members each having a base portion extending generally laterally substantially parallel to one another, a generally vertically extending upstanding portion adapted to mount said guide rail with the article-engaging surface of said guide rail located inboard of said upstanding portion and a connecting portion operatively connecting said upstanding portion to said base portion, said conveyor support being provided with recesses below said conveyor means and at opposite sides thereof, said recesses being adapted to receive the substantially parallel base portions of said guide rail mounting members respectively, said base portions being movable in a generally lateral direction into anD out of said recesses between inner and outer positions, said connecting portions in the inner position of said guide rail mounting member extending upwardly above said conveyor means, thereby to position said upstanding portions, and adjustable locking means to lock said base portions of said guide rail mounting members to said conveyor support in any position between said inner and outer positions.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said conveyor support comprises a pair of spaced side walls, means structurally connecting said side walls at spaced intervals along the length of said conveyor support, said recesses comprising openings in said side walls adjacent said structural connecting means, said adjustable locking means being effective to lock said base portions of said guide rail mounting members to said structural connecting means.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said recesses comprise openings in said side walls and said structural connecting means comprises a hollow tubular member open at both ends and registering with said openings, said locking means being adapted to force said base portions of said guide rail mounting members into frictional locking engagement with said tubular member.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said base portions are received within said hollow tubular member in overlapping relationship, said locking means being effective to force said base portions into frictional locking engagement with opposing walls of said tubular member.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said locking means comprises expandable means received within said tubular member and manually adjustable means operatively connected to said expandable means, accessible through at least one of said openings and effective upon adjustment thereof to cause said expandable means to expand toward said opposing walls of said tubular member.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said base portions are received within said hollow tubular member in overlapping relationship, said locking means being effective to force said base portions into frictional locking engagement with opposing walls of said tubular member.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said locking means comprises an expandable wedge assembly, said expandable means comprising a pair of oppositely facing wedge blocks having interfitting inclined surfaces and said adjustable means comprising means to adjustably draw said wedge blocks towards each other.