Abstract An endless-chain conveyor system for transporting heavy or bulky articles, such as the containers in containerisation, the system incorporating one or more endless-chain conveyors comprising load-supporting members pivoted together to permit them to be carried round with the endless conveyor or conveyors, and rollers which run on rails and transmit the load to be conveyed to the rails. The rollers are preferably driven on the rails by tangential drive by the said members in being displaced by independent chaindrive means. The members may be provided with resilient pads, e.g., of toothed form, to yield to bottom corner fitments on the containers. The conveyors are advantageously arranged as a pluripartite system supporting the containers at least along opposite side regions thereof and each formed by a tandem plurality of separate endless-chain sections.
An endless chain system for transporting bulk containers, said system comprising endless chain conveyor means and sprocket means therefor; means for driving said sprocket means; loadsupporting members connected in said chain conveyor means to permit them to be carried round with said conveyor means and to pivot in relation to one another in passing round said sprocket means, said chain conveyor means and said load-supporting members forming a transporting unit, rollers rotatably supported by said unit and, transportable therewith, and, rails upon which said rollers run during transportation; said load-supporting members being directly supported at each side thereof by said rollers on said rails and having resilient load-supporting toothed pads, each pad having a plurality of teeth which project upwardly with respect to said rails and which are deflectable in a direction parallel to said rails and yield elastically to the container supported thereby.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
144 words
An endless chain system for transporting bulk containers, said system comprising endless chain conveyor means and sprocket means therefor; means for driving said sprocket means; loadsupporting members connected in said chain conveyor means to permit them to be carried round with said conveyor means and to pivot in relation to one another in passing round said sprocket means, said chain conveyor means and said load-supporting members forming a transporting unit, rollers rotatably supported by said unit and, transportable therewith, and, rails upon which said rollers run during transportation; said load-supporting members being directly supported at each side thereof by said rollers on said rails and having resilient load-supporting toothed pads, each pad having a plurality of teeth which project upwardly with respect to said rails and which are deflectable in a direction parallel to said rails and yield elastically to the container supported thereby.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
An endless chain system according to claim 1 for transporting bulk containers with downwardly projecting corner projections, in which said load-supporting members have resilient surfaces which yield elastically to said corner projections and uniformly support the bottom of the container.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
An endless chain system according to claim 1 comprising spaced chain conveyors with said load-supporting members bridging the said conveyors transversely, at least two of said conveyors being arranged in close tandem at each side.