Conveying arrangement for containers

Claim 1

A chain conveyor arrangement for conveying a plurality of containers such as cans arranged in a line comprising two endless articulated link chains having a plurality of associated conveying caps secured to the links thereof, said chains being spaced apart and substantially parallel along a conveying run thereof, said sets of caps facing one another and being spaced apart, each of said caps having a conveying surface opposite said chain and which is unidirectionally tapered in the longitudinal direction of said chain to form a generally sawtoothed discontinuous conveying surface for conveying a plurality of containers arranged in a line, corresponding associated guides engaging the oppositely outer faces of said caps and maintaining said chain and associated caps in substantially parallel path spaced relation along and on opposite sides of a desired first article-conveying path, second guides engaging said link chains and directing said link chains and associated caps along respective desired paths along and on opposite sides of a second desired article-conveying path, said second guides being equally canted with respect to the longitudinal center line of said second desired article conveying path to thereby effect corresponding canted paths for said link chains and associated caps along said second article conveying path, said second guides being equally arcuate along said second article conveying path and said second article conveying path being similarly arcuate, said second guides being sprocket wheels having their axes inclined with respect to the longitudinal center line of said second article conveying path, said sprocket wheel axes being substantially equally inclined with respect to the longitudinal center line of said second article conveying path, and an article conveying chute disposed in feeding relation to said sets of caps in the zone of said second arcuate article conveying path aNd having its chute exit to said sets of caps adjacent the wider open portion of said second arcuate conveying path, the direction of feed of said chute being in the direction of convergence of said link chains and associated sets of caps along said second arcuate article conveying path.