C. L. Frost & Son, Inc.

Frost Links, Inc.

Frost Tech LLC

Pfizer Corporation

Bristol-myers Squibb Compnay

Frost, Inc.

Conveyor Maintenance & Supply, Inc.

Bristol-myers Squibb Holdings Ireland

Bristol-myers Squibb Holdings Ireland Unlimited Company

Charles C Frost

Siegfried K Weis

Jonathan Mark Rathbun

Gerald W Gurney

Frederick R Sytsma

Ryan L Kastamo

James A Mitchell

James J Mitchell

Keith Miller

Jatin M Patel

Douglas J Van Der Meulen

Richard A Hyvarinen

Charles J Deschaine

Walter M Rosin

Douglas J VanDerMeulen

Jonathan M Rathbun

David R Moore

Jingpin Jia

Wayne E Schmidt

Chuck Deschaine

Chandra Vemavarapu

Chandra Vema-Varapu

An extended life conveyor chain in which a wheeled chain member (e.g. a chain link or chain supporting trolley) includes a projecting detent which engages a detent receiver on a load bearing wheel inner member locking the inner member against rotation with respect to the link. A rotating outer wheel rotates around the inner member. This relieves torsional pressure on a swaged connection between the inner non-rotating wheel portion and a fixed axle on the link and prevents resulting wear.

Extended life conveyor chain trolley and method

A conveyor chain having links joined by link pin biased into any of multiple operating positions with its positioning head blocked against rotation by engagement with a detent on a positioning link. The pin can be lifted so that its head is above the level of the detent, rotated to a new operating position, and allowed to be biased back into its position with the head again blocked against rotation by the detent, whereby the wear surface of the pin can be changed to accommodate for chain wear occurring when a link rotates relative to the link pin.

Conveyor chain with adjustable link pins

A conveyor or drive chain wear monitor includes two sensors spaced apart from one another a predetermined distance which is less than the distance between the two selected measuring points on a chain. Two timers are provided, one of which is a chain speed timer and the other of which is the chain wear timer. The two timers are both controlled by the spaced sensors. The problem of sensor beams being broken by irrelevant beam breaking obstacles located between the successive spaced measuring points is solved by providing an ignore obstacle software routine in the wear monitor computer. The ignore obstacle software routine allows a user to program the monitor to ignore any number of irrelevant obstacles which might occur between two spaced measuring points on a chain.

Chain wear monitoring device

A method and apparatus for repairing overhead conveyor chain by removing a section of track, locating a mobile repair station under the exposed track, and effecting the needed repair on the chain by cycling the intact chain past the mobile repair station and repairing it as it passes. Repair embodiments include re-swaging and repair, replacement or rotation of chain links.

Method and apparatus for repairing conveyor chain

A conveyor or drive chain wear monitor includes two sensors spaced apart from one another a predetermined distance which is less than the distance between the adjacent measuring points on a chain. Two timers are provided, one of which is a chain speed timer and the other of which is the chain wear timer. The two timers are both controlled by the spaced sensors. The upstream sensor, as determined by the direction of travel of the chain, turns the speed timer on and the wear timer off. The downstream sensor turns the speed timer off and the wear timer on. Thus, when a measuring point passes the upstream sensor, the speed timer is turned on, and is not turned off again until the same measuring point passes the downstream timer. Knowing the distance between the upstream and downstream sensors, the computing module determines the speed at which the chain is moving as a function of the length of time, as determined by the speed timer, it took a measuring point on the chain to pass from the upstream sensor to the downstream sensor. When a measuring point passes the downstream sensor, it turns on the wear timer. The wear timer then remains on until a measuring point on the chain passes the upstream sensor. The wear timer will thus be turned on by a downstream measuring point, and turned off by the following upstream measuring point. Knowing the speed of the chain, the computing module can now determine the degree of wear on the chain as a function of the speed of the chain and the wear time which the wear timer is on, as compared to the baseline value for the same function when the chain is new.

An overhead conveyor, components therefor and method for making same, in which the conveyor chain has a nominal pitch 'X,' bit a maximum allowable chain pull value which is equal to or greater than the maximum allowable chain pull value for a chain having a nominal pitch of X+1. Trolleys can be attached to the chain at intervals which differ from the intervals of a chain with pitch of X+1. Fewer synchronized drives are required for driving longer chains. A lower pitch chain can be used to drive larger trolleys, without sacrificing the maximum allowable chain pull value always used in conjunction with the larger trolley.

High load conveyor chain and method

Compositions comprising crystalline apixaban particles having a Dequal to or less than 89 &#x3bc;m, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, are substantially bioequivalent and can be used to for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of thromboembolic disorders.

Apixaban formulations

A conveyor slide plate for movably supporting a support element along a track or rail of a material handling system includes a body portion configured to be received at the track or rail and to move along the track or rail when driven by a chain of the material handling system. The body portion of the slide plate includes at least one reservoir formed in an upper surface of the body portion. The reservoir is configured to receive lubricating fluid therein, and is configured to direct the flow of the lubricating fluid toward a sliding interface between the body portion of the slide plate and the track or rail, such as to at least one perimeter region of the body portion of the slide plate.

Conveyor slide plate with reservoir

A section of chain for conveying product along a material handling system includes a pin connecting a center link between two side links. The pin may be dialable or selectably positioned at the side links to control and adjust the wear surface of the pin relative to the chain links. The pin may have a rotationally non-symmetrical shaft portion to provide different wear surfaces that engage a center link of the section of chain. The different wear surfaces may be sized and shaped to accommodate wear at the wear surface of the center link. The shaft portion may include a rotationally non-symmetrical ball member or portion on the shaft portion to enhance flexibility of the section of chain. The pin may be dialed to the next position or wear surface in response to an output of a wear measurement device or system.

Conveyor chain

A pin assembly for a chain of a material handling system includes a pin element and an attachment element. The pin element includes a shaft portion, a head portion at an end of the shaft portion, and an attachment portion at an end of the shaft portion opposite the head portion. The attachment element is configured to attach to the attachment portion of the pin element, and is positionable at the attachment portion and is retainable thereto. The attachment element may comprise a second head portion to define an I-type pin assembly or may comprise a side link and pusher member construction or other element or member. A mounting extension may extend from the attachment portion for mounting an object to the pin assembly after the attachment is attached to the pin element.

Pin assembly for conveyor chain

A chain pin or pin element for connecting chain links together to form a section of a chain for conveying products along a conveyor line or path of a material handling system includes a shaft portion and a head portion at at least one end of the shaft portion. The shaft portion is received through respective chain links to define a joint of the section of chain, while the head portion or head portions retain the pin at the links. At least one head portion of at least some of the pins includes a reservoir and a channel formed therein. The reservoir is configured to receive a lubricating fluid, such as from a lubricating device of the material handling system, while the channel functions to distribute the lubricant from the reservoir and toward and onto the shaft portion of the pin to lubricate the joint of the chain.

Conveyor chain pin with reservoir

A conveyor system includes a conveyor line, a conveyor chain movable along the conveyor line, and an electronic device located at a movable component that moves with the chain along the conveyor line. The electronic device may comprise a locating device operable to generate a locating output indicative of a location of the movable component along the conveyor line. Optionally, the electronic device may comprise a sensing device operable to sense a chain characteristic at the component and to generate a sensor output indicative of the chain characteristic. Data collected by the electronic device may be stored at the device and/or transmitted to a controller of the conveyor line. The controller may be operable to determine the chain characteristic at a particular location of the transmitting device in response to the device output.

Measuring device for conveyor chain

A pin detection system and/or method for detecting a pin or bolt in a section of chain comprises a chain or section of chain having a plurality of chain links connected together by a plurality of pins or bolts or the like. At least one end of at least one of the pins or bolts may have an extension extending longitudinally therefrom. A sensor or detector is provided along a conveying path of the chain for sensing the presence of the pin or bolt and/or extension as the section of chain is conveyed along the conveying path. The sensor provides a signal indicative of a detection of the pin or bolt or extension. A control may control at least one accessory associated with the conveyor system in response to a signal generated by the sensor.

Pin detection system

A section of chain for conveying product along a material handling system includes a pin connecting a center link between two side links. The pin may have a sleeve portion around and at least partially along the shaft portion of the pin. The sleeve portion may engage a center link of the section of chain and may be movable relative to the shaft portion. The sleeve portion may comprise a polymeric material. The sleeve portion may be molded over an I-pin or the like, or may be slid or pressed onto a stud-ended pin or bolt or the like. The pin may include a generally spherical-shaped ball member or portion on the shaft portion to enhance flexibility of the section of chain. The pin may be dialable or selectably positioned at the side links to control and adjust the wear surface of the pin relative to the chain links.

Growing community of inventors

Ada, MI, United States of America

Charles C Frost