Babcock Industries Inc.

Wayne R James

Suren A Varjabedian

Warren D Neal

A sorter feeder system for automatically singulating, orienting, accelerating and conveying an article in the form of commercial packages (boxes, cartons or crates of square or rectangular shape) onto a moving tray or slat sorter conveyor. The article is oriented such that its shortest dimension will be parallel to the direction of travel of the sorter conveyor. The system comprises an intermittently operated feeder conveyor which delivers articles to an elevated roller lift table having continuously running rollers which convey the article to a continuously running belt driven side guide which then acts in conjunction with the rollers to urge the article against a swing blade stop positioned at substantially right angle to the side guide. The article is then conveyed from the roller conveyor area to a tray on the sorter conveyor by simultaneously swinging the blade stop out of its interfering position and dropping the roller lift table such that said article is now in contact with a continuously running multistrand induction belt conveyor extending to the sorter conveyor. The velocity of the induction belts and the timing of the deposit of the article on the belts are synchronized with an empty tray signal positioned on the continuously running sorter conveyor, so that the article is delivered to a designate tray, and in a predetermined orientation.

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Roswell, GA, United States of America

Wayne R James