Discrete article transport and consolidating system

Claim 1

In combination: a plurality of conveyors including an inner conveyor and outer conveyors disposed on opposite sides of said inner conveyor and parallel thereto for receiving discrete articles disposed generally side by side and transporting and consolidating said articles, said inner conveyor comprising a differential speed conveyor operating at a speed differing from the speed of said outer conveyors to move the articles on said inner differential speed conveyor out of side by side relationship with the articles on said outer conveyors; and diverter means for engaging articles moved by the inner differential speed conveyor after they are moved out of said side by side relationship and displacing said articles into linear alignment with the articles moved by said outer conveyors, said diverter means comprising a reciprocal member for engaging articles moved by said inner differential speed conveyor and positively displacing said articles laterally and prime mover means connected to said reciprocal member for effecting back and forth movement thereof whereby articles engaged thereby are displaced to opposite sides of said inner differential speed conveyor onto said outer conveyors.

Claim 3

A method of consolidating descrete articles being conveyed along a predetermined number of flow paths in side by side relationship into a lesser number of flow paths, comprising the steps of: serially positioning said discrete articles in generally side by side relationship on an inner moving support surface and outer moving support surfaces disposed on opposite sides of said inner moving support surface and parallel thereto; moving said inner support surface at a differential surface speed differing from the surface speeds of said outer support surfaces to move the articles on said inner differential speed support surface out of side by side relationship with articles on said outer support surfaces; displacing the articles moved by the inner differential speed support surface after the articles thereon have been moved out of side by side relationship with articles on said outer support surfaces by exerting force on each article moved by the inner differential speed support surface in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the article moved by the inner differential speed support surface; and positioning said displaced articles in alignment with articles moved by said outer support surfaces by subjecting articles moved by said inner differential speed support surface to transverse forces in opposite directions whereby articles subjected to said forces will be displaced to opposite sides into linear alignment with articles moved by said outer support surfaces.

Claim 4

A method of consolidating descrete articles being conveyed along a predetermined number of flow paths in side by side relationship into a lesser number of flow paths, comprising the steps of: serially positioning said discrete articles in generally side by side relationship on an inner moving support surface and outer moving support surfaces disposed on opposite sides of said inner moving support surface and parallel thereto; moving said inner support surface at a differential surface speed differing from the surface speeds of said outer support surfaces to move the articles on said inner differential speed support surface out of side by side relationship with articles on said outer support surfaces; displacing the articles moved by the inner differential speed support surface after the articles thereon have been moved out of side by side relationship with articles on said outer support surfaces by exerting force on each article moved by the inner differential speed support surface in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the article moved by the inner differential speed support surface; and positioning said displaced articles in alignment with articles moved by said outer support surfaces by subjecting articles moved by said inner differential speed support surface to transverse forces in opposite directions whereby articles subjected to said forces will be displaced to opposite sides into linear alignment with articles moved by said outer support surfaces.