The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 09, 1980
Filed:
Oct. 01, 1979
Ronald J Mrugala, Brooklyn Park, MN (US);
Keith W Nord, Stillwater, MN (US);
Ronald B Benson, Stillwater, MN (US);
Ex-Cell-O Corporation, Troy, MI (US);
Abstract
The specification discloses an accumulating conveyor system (10) including fixed support rails (24), a pair of chains (18), each having half tall links (70) and half short links (72), mounted around upper and lower movable guides (68) and (66) respectively. Air bags (52) serve to raise the guides and chains to lift stacks or cases off the rails, and a cylinder (96) serves to index the raised guides and chains forward, whereupon the air bags are deflated to set the stacks back onto the rails, and the cylinder retracts. When a stack is thus 'walked' to the end of the tall links, a switch (104) causes the chains to retract the length of a stack plus a clearance gap relative to the guides (68) to accommodate the accumulation of the next stack and bringing short links beneath the accumulated stacks. When it is desired to discharge the accumulated stacks, a dual level plate member (88), which is slidable relative to the guides, allows the air bags to raise the guides one level higher, thereby causing the short links to lift the accumulated stacks and carry them to discharge when the cylinder indexes. Accumulation and discharge may occur simultaneously.