Pressure free article conveyor

Claim 2

In an article conveyor having longitudinally spaced article carrying rollers, article sensing roller means normally projected above a predetermined group of said article carrying rollers to form the latter rollers into groups spaced along the conveyor, drive means operable along a fixed path spaced from said groups of article carrying rollers, a power take-off drive roller for each of said groups of article carrying rollers, each of said power take-off rollers being fixed in position so as to be constantly engaged with said drive means, a drive transfer wheel for each power take-off drive roller, link means connected to each of said drive transfer wheels and acting to hold said latter wheels in position to bear by gravity upon an adjacent power take-off drive roller, said drive traNsfer wheels being movable along the periphery of each power take-off drive roller into and out of frictional engagement with at least one of the rollers of a group of article carrying rollers adjacent said drive transfer wheel to rotate said one roller of the group, friciton wheels engaged between said article carrying rollers in each group to drive said rollers from said one roller of the group of article carrying rollers, and actuating means operably connected between a sensor roller and said link means to pull said drive transfer wheel in a direction along the periphery of the adjacent power take-off drive roller and into a position for driving a trailing upstream group of article carrying rollers, said actuating means and the connected link means being effective upon the depression of any one sensing roller by an article engaging the same to allow said associated drive transfer wheel to move in a direction disengaging said drive transfer wheel from driving the trailing group of article carrying rollers by moving said drive transfer wheel along the periphery of the engaged power take-off roller to a position out of fricitonal contact with the article carrying roller of said trailing group of article carrying rollers.

Claim 3

The article conveyor of claim 1 wherein said actuating means comprise push-pull means interconnecting a sensor roller with a drive transfer wheel spaced one group of article carrying rollers upstream form the group of rollers adjacent said latter sensing roller location in said series of article carrying rollers, and resilient means positioning each sensing roller in normally projected position and moving the interconnected drive transfer wheel along the periphery of said engaged power take-off roller into frictional drive operation with said at least one of the article carrying rollers adjacent said drive transfer wheel.

Claim 4

In an article conveyor having a continuous span of article supporting rollers arranged in groups and a roller drive belt spaced from the roller groups and movable along a fixed path, the improvement of a plurality of belt power take-off roller means spaced along the conveyor span between said belt and each of the groups of supporting rollers, each belt powered take-off roller having a fixed position engaged on said belt, a drive transfer wheel constantly bearing by gravity upon the periphery of the adjacent take-off roller and movable between a first position spaced from an adjacent group of article supporting rollers and a second position in driving engagement with the latter group of rollers; article sensing means spaced along the span of the conveyor between said groups of said article supporting rollers; separate linkage means operatively connecting one of said sensing means with one of said drive transfer wheels; and separate resilient means connected to and normally yieldingly pulling each of said linkage means into a position corresponding to said second position allowing the connected one of said drive transfer wheels to drive said group of rollers, and said sensing means responding to the movement thereover of each article on the conveyor span to momentarily and sequentially actuate said connected linkage means against said resilient means for moving said drive transfer wheel to said first position to interrupt the drive to said group of rollers, said resilient means restoring said drive transfer wheel to said second position upon passage of the articles.

Claim 5

In an article conveyor having a continuous span of article supporting rollers arranged in groups and a roller drive belt spaced from the roller groups and movable along a fixed path, the improvement of a plurality of belt power take-off roller means spaced along the conveyor span between said belt and each of the groups of supporting rollers, each belt powered take-off roller having a fixed position engaged on said belt, a drive transfer wheel constantly bearing by gravity upon the periphery of the adjacent take-off roller and movable between a first position spaced from an adjacent group of article supporting rollers and a second position in driving engagement with the latter group of rollers; article sensing means spaced along the span of the conveyor between said groups of said article supporting rollers; separate linkage means operatively connecting one of said sensing means with one of said drive transfer wheels; and separate resilient means connected to and normally yieldingly pulling each of said linkage means into a position corresponding to said second position allowing the connected one of said drive transfer wheels to drive said group of rollers, and said sensing means responding to the movement thereover of each article on the conveyor span to momentarily and sequentially actuate said connected linkage means against said resilient means for moving said drive transfer wheel to said first position to interrupt the drive to said group of rollers, said resilient means restoring said drive transfer wheel to said second position upon passage of the articles.

Claim 6

In an article conveyor the combination which comprises: longitudinally spaced article carrying rollers; article sensing roller means spaced along said conveyor and each being related to an adjacent group of said article carrying rollers located immediately upstream thereof; separate motion controlling means connected to each sensing roller means and normally projecting said sensing roller means above the rollers of its adjacent upstream group; drive means operable along a fixed path spaced below all of said groups of article carrying rollers; a power take-off driVe roller for each of said groups of article carrying rollers, each of said power take-off drive rollers being fixed in position so as to be constantly engaged with said drive means; a drive transfer wheel bearing by gravity upon each power take-off drive roller and movable along the periphery thereof into and out of frictional engagement with at least one of the rollers of a group of article carrying rollers adjacent said drive transfer wheel to rotate said one roller of the group; friction wheels engaged between said article carrying rollers of each group to rotate said rollers of the group upon rotation of said one roller; and separate actuating means operably connecting each of said motion controlling means for each of said article sensing roller means to a drive transfer wheel for the next trailing upstream group of article carrying rollers, said separate actuating means, solely upon its article sensing roller means being depressed from its normally projecting position by an article moving on said article carrying rollers and independent of the position of any other sensing roller means, forcing said drive transfer wheel of the next trailing upstream group of article carrying rollers to move by gravity on the periphery of the power take-off drive roller to a position out of frictional engagement with said at least one of the rollers of said trailing upstream group, whereby the transfer of power from said adjacent power take-off drive roller is broken.

Claim 7

In an article conveyor the combination which comprises: longitudinally spaced article carrying rollers; article sensing roller means spaced along said conveyor and each being related to an adjacent group of said article carrying rollers located immediately upstream thereof; separate motion controlling means connected to each sensing roller means and normally projecting said sensing roller means above the rollers of its adjacent upstream group; drive means operable along a fixed path spaced below all of said groups of article carrying rollers; a power take-off driVe roller for each of said groups of article carrying rollers, each of said power take-off drive rollers being fixed in position so as to be constantly engaged with said drive means; a drive transfer wheel bearing by gravity upon each power take-off drive roller and movable along the periphery thereof into and out of frictional engagement with at least one of the rollers of a group of article carrying rollers adjacent said drive transfer wheel to rotate said one roller of the group; friction wheels engaged between said article carrying rollers of each group to rotate said rollers of the group upon rotation of said one roller; and separate actuating means operably connecting each of said motion controlling means for each of said article sensing roller means to a drive transfer wheel for the next trailing upstream group of article carrying rollers, said separate actuating means, solely upon its article sensing roller means being depressed from its normally projecting position by an article moving on said article carrying rollers and independent of the position of any other sensing roller means, forcing said drive transfer wheel of the next trailing upstream group of article carrying rollers to move by gravity on the periphery of the power take-off drive roller to a position out of frictional engagement with said at least one of the rollers of said trailing upstream group, whereby the transfer of power from said adjacent power take-off drive roller is broken.

Claim 8

The article conveyor combination of claim 4 wherein each of said separate actuating means includes push-pull linkage connected to one of said motion controlling means, an idler element supporting said linkage remote from said one motion controlling means, and link means extending from said idler element to one of said drive transfer wheels to maintain the latter wheel in constant gravitational engagement on one of said drive rollers.