Automatic tie plate sorting conveyor
First Claim
1. A sorting conveyor for rail tie plates or the like comprising:
- an inclined frame having an upper end and a lower end;
an endless conveyor belt formed of a plurality of links pivotally joined to one another, said links having plate pockets formed thereon, said belt having an upper strand and a lower strand and adapted to travel a continuous path upon said frame between said lower end and said upper end;
means for driving said belt on said frame;
plate supply means adapted to retain a pile of tie plates at said lower end of said conveyor, a first plurality of the plates being wholly retained in said plate pockets of said moving belt, a second plurality of the plates being only partially retained in said pockets and misaligned on said belt; and
rejecter means adapted to intercept the misaligned plates carried on said upper strand of said belt and return the intercepted plates to said pile, said rejecter means including at least one rejecter hook mounted to said frame above said working strand of said belt, said hook being biased in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of said upper strand of said belt upon said frame, and being provided with a free end adapted to slidingly engage said upper belt strand.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A sorting conveyor for rail tie plates or the like including an inclined frame having an upper end and a lower end, and an endless conveyor belt formed of a plurality of links pivotally joined to each other. The links are designed to have plate retaining pockets formed thereon and the belt is adapted to travel a contoured path on the frame between the lower end and the upper end. The belt has an upper working strand and a lower slack strand. A hopper provides a supply of randomly oriented tie plates to the lower end of the conveyor which are agitated or tumbled by the action of the moving conveyor belt. At least one rejector hook is provided to ensure proper positioning of the plates within the pocket. As the conveyor belt progresses towards the upper end of the frame, certain plates are oriented properly within the plate pockets and will be conveyed to the upper end of the frame through the movement of the conveyor belt. Plates which are not properly oriented are rejected from the conveyor belt by the rejector hook which flings the plates back to the lower end of the conveyor for eventual proper placement within the pockets.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A sorting conveyor for rail tie plates or the like comprising:
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an inclined frame having an upper end and a lower end; an endless conveyor belt formed of a plurality of links pivotally joined to one another, said links having plate pockets formed thereon, said belt having an upper strand and a lower strand and adapted to travel a continuous path upon said frame between said lower end and said upper end; means for driving said belt on said frame; plate supply means adapted to retain a pile of tie plates at said lower end of said conveyor, a first plurality of the plates being wholly retained in said plate pockets of said moving belt, a second plurality of the plates being only partially retained in said pockets and misaligned on said belt; and rejecter means adapted to intercept the misaligned plates carried on said upper strand of said belt and return the intercepted plates to said pile, said rejecter means including at least one rejecter hook mounted to said frame above said working strand of said belt, said hook being biased in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of said upper strand of said belt upon said frame, and being provided with a free end adapted to slidingly engage said upper belt strand. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A sorting conveyor for rail tie plates or the like comprising:
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an inclined frame having an upper end and a lower end; an endless conveyor belt formed of a plurality of links pivotally joined to one another, said links having upper surfaces and adapted to have plate retaining pockets formed thereon, said belt having an upper strand and a lower strand and adapted to travel a continuous path upon said frame between said lower end and said upper end; means for driving said belt on said frame; a plate hopper adapted to retain a pile of randomly oriented tie plates at said lower end of said conveyor and in communication with said upper strand, a first plurality of the plates in said pile being wholly retained in said pockets of said moving belt and being conveyed to said upper end of said conveyor, a second plurality of the plates being misaligned and only partially retained in said pockets; and at least one rejecter hook pivotally secured to said frame so as to slidingly contact said upper strand of said belt, said at least one rejecter hook adapted to intercept the misaligned plates carried on said belt, to eject said misaligned plates from said pockets and cause said plates to return to said pile.
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19. A rejecter hook for a sorting conveyor for rail tie plates or the like, the conveyor including an inclined frame having an upper end and a lower end, an endless conveyor belt formed of a plurality of links pivotally joined to one another, the links having plate pockets formed thereon, the belt having an upper strand and a lower strand and adapted to travel a continuous path on the frame between the lower end and upper end, means for driving the belt on the frame, and plate supply means adapted to retain a pile of tie plates at the lower end of the conveyor, a first plurality of the plates being wholly retained in the pockets of the moving belt, a second plurality of the plates being only partially retained in the pockets and misaligned on the belt, said rejecter hook comprising:
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a substantially `L`-shaped member having a pivot leg with a pivot end and a free leg with a free end, said pivot leg being joined to said free leg at respective ends thereof opposite said pivot end and said free end to form an approximate right angle; said pivot end adapted to be pivotally secured to the conveyor frame above said belt; said free end adapted to slidingly engage the upper belt strand so as to intercept the plates on the conveyor belt upper strand and to eject misaligned plates therefrom; and said rejecter hooks adapted to be biased in a direction opposite the direction of travel of the upper strand of the belt upon the frame. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification