Conveyors

Claim 2

A conveyor apparatus, comprising: a runway for trolleys; releasable abutments disposed along the path of the conveyor; a plurality of trolleys movable on said runway and from which loads may be hung; each trolley comprising a pivot arm having a drive hook rigidly attached thereto, a sensor comprising a rockable lever pivotally mounted on said trolley and biased by a tension spring, one end of which co-opErates with a stop abutment and the other end of which co-operates with the pivot arm, that end of the rockable lever which co-operates with the pivot arm being in the shape of a rounded apex and having two flanks adapted to co-operate alternately with two facets of the pivot arm to lock the same in its two end positions, and the pviot arm having between said two facets a ramp with which the last-mentioned end of the rockable lever co-operates for enabling the tension spring to return the pivot arm from its retracted position to its operative position, said trolley also comprising sensor-controlled means for moving the pivot arm into two corresponding end positions when the sensor is in its end positions; and an endless chain extending substantially parallel to said runway, said chain having drive dogs thereon, which dogs are adapted to co-operate with the drive hook on each trolley so that when a trolley engages a stop abutment the drive dog is released from the trolley drive hook and the pivot arm of the trolley is locked in its retracted position.

Claim 3

A conveyor apparatus, comprising: a runway for trolleys; a plurality of trolleys movable on said runway and from which loads may be hung; each trolley comprising a pivot arm having a drive hook rigidly attached thereto, a sensor pivotally mounted on said trolley and biased by resilient means, a portion of said sensor engaged with said pivot arm, said sensor adapted to cooperate with the immediately preceding trolley so that engagement of a sensor with said immediately preceding trolley will cause pivoting of said pivot arm to a position between a retracted end position and a projecting operative end position, said resilient means biasing said sensor in a direction from its retracted end position toward its operative end position, the said pivot arm comprising a forward extension which extends beyond the sensor which extension, when the pivot arm moves into its retracted end position, comes into a position to co-operate with a ramp inclining upwardly and rearwardly from the immediately previous trolley, each trolley also comprising sensor-controlled means for moving the pivot arm into two corresponding end positions when the sensor is in its end positions; and an endless chain extending substantially parallel to said runway, said chain having drive dogs thereon, which dogs are adapted to co-operate with the drive hook on each trolley so that when a trolley engages a stop abutment the drive dog is released from the trolley drive hook and the pivot arm of the trolley is locked in its retracted position.

Claim 4

A conveyor apparatus, comprising: a runway for trolleys; a plurality of trolleys movable on said runway and from which loads may be hung; each trolley comprising a pivot arm having a drive hook rigidly attached thereto, a sensor pivotally mounted on said trolley and biased by resilient means, a portion of said sensor engaged with said pivot arm, said sensor adapted to cooperate with the immediately preceding trolley so that engagement of a sensor with said immediately preceding trolley will cause pivoting of said pivot arm to a position between a retracted end position and a projecting operative end position, said resilient means biasing said sensor in a direction from its retracted end position toward its operative end position, the said pivot arm comprising a forward extension which extends beyond the sensor which extension, when the pivot arm moves into its retracted end position, comes into a position to co-operate with a ramp inclining upwardly and rearwardly from the immediately previous trolley, each trolley also comprising sensor-controlled means for moving the pivot arm into two corresponding end positions when the sensor is in its end positions; and an endless chain extending substantially parallel to said runway, said chain having drive dogs thereon, which dogs are adapted to co-operate with the drive hook on each trolley so that when a trolley engages a stop abutment the drive dog is released from the trolley drive hook and the pivot arm of the trolley is locked in its retracted position.

Claim 5

A conveyor according to claim 2 wherein the abutment for the sensor of an immediately following trolley and the ramp associated with the extension of the pivot arm of the immediately preceding trolley are combined to form a single hook-shaped member disposed at the rear of each trolley.

Claim 6

A conveyor according to claim 1 wherein, at the time when the trolley sensor has encountered a stop abutment so that the chain drive dog is released from the trolley hook, a flank of the end of the rockable lever and a facet of the pivot arm are engaged with one another locking the pivot arm in its retracted position.

Claim 7

A conveyor according to claim 4 comprising a number of releasable abutments each actuatable by any trolley to stop the trolley immediately behind, each abutment being disposed at a predetermined distance from the immediately previous abutment and from the immediately following abutment to allow for trolley loading, wherein the conveyor comprises along the runway a number of unlocking rockers, one end of each such unlocking rocker comprising a ramp for pushing said rocker aside by the immediately previous trolley as it passes by, so that the other end of the rocker is moved to release the pivot arm of the immediately following trolley, the unlocking rockers returning to their initial position after the trolley has passed by.

Claim 8

A conveyor according to claim 5, wherein the abutments take the form of a Rocker, mounted so that one end thereof may be pushed aside by the immediately previous trolley so that the other end is brought on to the path of the immediately following trolley, and return means acting on the rocker.

Claim 9

A conveyor according to claim 5, wherein that end of the rocker which is pushed aside by the immediately previous trolley is pawl-shaped to prevent trolley recoil when the trolley has pushed aside such rocker end.

Claim 10

A conveyor according to claim 6, wherein that end of the releasable abutment rocker which is disposed on the side of the immediately previous trolley has an extension for ensuring that such abutment is retracted only when the immediately previous trolley has travelled a predetermined distance.

Claim 11

A conveyor according to claim 5, wherein the pivot arm has at least one finger, wherein that end of a release rocker which is disposed opposite the ramp comprises a blade which engages below the finger.

Claim 12

A conveyor according to claim 1, having near a first stored trolley a releasable auxiliary abutment adapted to be placed temporarily in the path of the immediately following trolley.

Claim 13

A conveyor according to claim 10, wherein the auxiliary abutment acts on the trolley body.

Claim 14

A conveyor according to claim 10, wherein the releasable auxiliary abutment is a rocker which is biased by return means and which is operable by a passing trolley to move it into the path of the immediately following trolley.