Simplimatic Engineering Company

Brian K Hilbish

Michael A Wilson

Paul W Smith

Arnold C Burgess

David W Leonard, Sr

David R Burns

An air conveyor includes guides for stabilizing articles during conveyance and a plenum with apertures for providing pressurized air. In the preferred embodiment, the air conveyor also includes opposed spacers defining passages having a closed end and an open end. The passages are in fluid communication with the apertures of the plenum for directing streams of pressurized air through the open ends at the articles in a downstream direction to propel the articles. In another embodiment, channels defined in support structure for the guides form part of passageways for directing streams of pressurized air at an inclined and downstream angle to propel the articles. The guides are removable to allow the conveyor to be adapted to different sized and shaped articles. The air conveyor may also include an additional plenum and additional opposed spacers associated with the plenum for propelling the articles downstream. The angle of the slots can be larger for creating an article-to-article separation or smaller for creating a contiguous article flow.

Thrust slot air conveyor having a varying slot angle

An air conveyor which includes guides for stabilizing articles during conveyance and a plenum with apertures for providing pressurized air is provided. In the preferred embodiment, the air conveyor also includes opposed spacers defining passages having a closed end and an open end. The passages are in fluid communication with the apertures of the plenum for directing streams of pressurized air through the open ends at the articles in a downstream direction to propel the articles. In another embodiment, channels defined in support structure for the guides form part of passageways for directing streams of pressurized air at an inclined and downstream angle to propel the articles. The guides are removable to allow the conveyor to be adapted to different sized and shaped articles. The air conveyor may also include an additional plenum and additional opposed spacers associated with the plenum for propelling the articles downstream.

Thrust slot air conveyor

A neck guide air conveyor having passageways formed above the support structure for the neck guides to direct pressurized air over the collars of articles to propel the articles. The passageways are connected to a source of pressurized air and direct the pressurized air at an inclined and downstream angle over the collars of the articles from a point above the support structure for the neck guides. The passageways may be partially formed of a plurality of channels integrally molded in the support structure for the neck guides. The passageways may also be partially formed by a spacer having a plurality of slots open toward the articles where the spacer is placed above and adjacent the support structure for the neck guides.

Thrust slot neck-guided air conveyor

An air conveyor is provided with a plenum chamber with a perforated deck plate, side walls, and a holddown with holes of an area density sufficiently low to pressurize an enclosed article transport zone. The side walls include brackets for mounting doors openable to remove damaged articles. The deck plate is mounted to support bars by countersunk rivets.

Pressurized air conveyor

An air conveyor is provided with a plenum chamber with a perforated deck plate, side walls, and a holddown with holes of an area density sufficiently low to pressurize an enclosed article transport zone. On curved portions of the air conveyor the holddown holes have an area density gradient which increases from an outer toward an inner side of the curve. In another aspect, the invention provides methods for accumulating articles without undue damage and for moving articles away from the outer side of the curve.

Pressurized air conveyor curve and method

An air conveyor for articles having outwardly extending flanges. The air conveyor includes a plenum chamber having a base portion, walls extending from said base portion to form a conveying channel, flange guides mounted to said walls for supporting articles beneath their flanges, and apertures in the walls beneath the flange guides for directing air from the plenum chamber toward the articles beneath the flanges. A reduced friction flange guide which may be used with the air conveyor includes flange guides angled with respect to the flanges. A relatively quickly and easily adjustable article guide which may be used with the conveyor includes a pair of article guides movable between a first position for guiding articles having a first size and shape, and a second position.

Bottle air conveyor with adjustable guides

An air conveyor is provided for articles having outwardly extending flanges comprising a plenum chamber having a base portion, walls extending from said base portion to form a conveying channel, flange guides mounted to said walls for supporting articles beneath their flanges, and apertures in the walls beneath the flange guides for directing air from the plenum chamber toward the articles beneath the flanges. A reduced friction flange guide which may be used with the air conveyor is also provided and comprises flange guides angled with respect to the flanges.

Bottle air conveyor

An air conveyor is provided comprising a plenum chamber including a deck plate, a plurality of first apertures in the deck plate for directing air from the plenum chamber to convey articles, and a plurality of protuberances extending from the deck plate for receiving bottoms of the articles. The protuberances preferably protrude from the deck plate far enough to support the articles above accumulated slide resistance increasing material. The air conveyor deck plate preferably also includes a plurality of second apertures for directing air from the plenum chamber to aid in lifting the articles.

Air conveyor deck having protuberances

An air conveyor system is provided for transporting a stream of articles en masse along a channel from a generally upstream position in a generally downstream direction towards a generally downstream position. A conveyor surface has opposing edges with the channel therebetween and a plurality of air propulsion slots extending through the surface, these slots being directionally oriented to propel articles pneumatically on the surface in the downstream direction. A plenum is provided for connecting to a source of air under pressure and in communication with the slots. At least one guide member defines at least one boundary for the channel, by being mounted adjacent at least one of the opposing edges of the surface in alignment with the downstream direction to generally direct flow of articles in the downstream direction by impeding article movement across the member. The member has a guide member height above the surface that is substantially less than a height of the articles above the surface, the member height being chosen to cause the articles to either flow in the downstream direction or be propelled over the guide member to a region outside of the channel.

Growing community of inventors

Bedford, VA, United States of America

Brian K Hilbish