Belt conveyor for the sorting of sundry articles

Claim 1

A conveyor system for the conveying and sorting or articles into a receiving apparatus comprising: a plurality of conveying units arranged in side by side relationship for conveying articles along independent paths, each of said units including: a plurality of endless, longitudinally spaced apart conveying belts positioned lengthwise adjacent each other and mounted for movement in a direction along which the articles are to be conveyed, each of said belts being positioned at a level slightly below that of the preceding belt so as to promote smooth transfer of the articles to said each belt from said preceding belt, and at least one of said conveying belts being superimposed on the receiving apparatus; a first roller and a second roller, positioned in each of said conveying belts; each of said first and second rollers having a shaft having end portions extending axially therethrough; means for driving said rollers; two spaced apart side members extending perpendicularly to said first and second rollers and in which said end portions of the shaft of said first roller are mounted for rotation, each of said side members having a slot associated with each conveying belt and extending substantially vertically therein for guiding the oscillating movement of said conveying belt, through which slot the respective end portions of said second roller are mounted, said slot having an arcuate configuration whose radius is determined from the axis of rotation of the shaft of said first roller; and means associated with each of said conveying belts for oscillating said conveying belt between a horizontal position in which articles are conveyed to the next adjacent conveying belt and a discharge position in which the articles are deposited into a receiving apparatus, said oscillating means including at least one L-shaped member having a first leg connecting said first and said second rollers and a second leg extending perpendicularly from said first leg for controlling the oscillating movement of said second roller, said at least one L-shaped member being mounted for pivotal movement around the shaft of said first roller.