Article translation apparatus

Abstract

An article translation apparatus is described for moving a series of substantially identical articles contiguously supplied to it, each of the articles having a rearwardly directed abutment face. The apparatus comprises at least one endless conveyor loop having a series of article driving dogs equally spaced therearound, each dog having a downwardly extending driving spur adapted drivingly to engage the abutment face of an article and further including a slot at its leading end, each dog being rotatably mounted at its trailing end to the conveyor loop, the loop having equally spaced stop means extending into each slot to set upper and lower limits to the permitted rotation of each dog. The conveyor loop is power driven and positioned above the articles with a lower flight substantially parallel with the direction of travel of the articles, the pitch of adjacent pairs of the dogs along the lower flight being slightly less than the pitch of the successive abutment faces such that as each lagging dog descends into a substantially horizontal position of driving engagement with the abutment face of one article, defined by said lower limit of rotation, the abutment face of the adjacent leading article is moved out of driving engagement with the adjacent leading dog.