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:
May. 09, 1989
Filed:
Apr. 08, 1987
Frederick E Fauth, Sr, Towson, MD (US);
American Bottlers Equipment Co., Inc., Owings Mills, MD (US);
Abstract
An improved conveyor drive unit with a method of operation thereof, which can be rapidly and easily mounted on a roller-type conveyor system and which, when arranged in series, can be sequentially stopped and restarted relative to predetermined parameters in the article flow along a conveyor path. In one embodiment, each drive unit has an arm which extends at a desired distance over an article conveyor path which can be tripped at the occurrence of accumulation. A pneumatic valve is operably coupled to the arm for releasing air into an actuating cylinder having operably coupled thereto a shifter rod. The shifter rod is axially displaced by the actuating cylinder which in turn releases a drive collar from a keyed sprocket of the pinion gears of a transfer mechanism or 'module' of the conveyor system. When the drive collar is disengaged, the operation of transport mechanism or module is thus halted. When normal article flow is to be resumed, the drive collar is engaged to the sprocket and the transport mechanism or module is restarted. Instead of an arm operable coupled to the pneumatic valve, article sensing, counting and timing device operably coupled to solenoids are used in other embodiments.