Ser-Tek Systems, Inc.

Mark D Van Dyke

David E Boring

A conveyor assembly includes an endless belt comprised of links which are driven by spaced sprockets. The conveyor carries a plurality of longitudinally spaced pairs of clamping members. The clamping members in each pair are relatively laterally displaceable between a gripping position, at which at least one of the clamping members moves toward the other to cooperatively grip an article for securing it to the conveyor, and a release position at which the at least one clamping member moves apart from the other clamping member to release the gripped article. An operator mechanism associated with each laterally movable clamping member is operative to automatically move the associated clamping member to a clamping position or to a release position in accordance with the direction of displacing movement of the conveyor links with respect to a predetermined attitude. In an alternative embodiment of the invention the clamping members are mounted on flights carried by the links of a roller chain and each clamping member is moved to its clamping position or release position in accordance with the relative displacement occurring between adjacent flights as the roller chain links, which carry the flights, are mutually displaced in traversing a chain drive sprocket.

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Hanover, PA, United States of America

Mark D Van Dyke