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Rail conveyor and rail switches therefore

  • US 4,920,891 A
  • Filed: 07/15/1988
  • Issued: 05/01/1990
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1988
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A rail switch, for use in a rail arrangement including at least a first rail pathway and a second rail pathway which merge into and form a common rail pathway for at least a portion of the rail arrangement, the rail switch to be disposed at a predetermined location where the first rail pathway and the second rail pathway merge into the common rail pathway and at which the rails within each of the pathways are separated from each other and thus render each of the pathways discontinuous, the rail switch to function to interconnect either the common rail pathway into the first rail pathway by moving a first shiftable rail section between and into a positon of coaction with the separated rails of the first rail pathway to thus render the first rail pathway continuous or the common rail pathway into the second rail pathway by moving a second shiftable rail section between and into a position of coaction with the separated rails thereof to thus render the second rail pathway continuous, the rail switch comprising:

  • (a) rail switch support means for disposing the rail switch at a predetermined location;

    (b) at least two shiftable rail sections carried by said rail switch support means for simultaneous movement with respect thereto between either a first position wherein a first one of said shiftable rail sections is positioned to establish the first rail pathway as a continuous rail pathway and a second position wherein a second one of said shiftable rail sections is positioned to establish the second rail pathway as a continuous rail pathway;

    (c) operating means carried by said rail switch support means for shifting said shiftable rail sections simultaneously between said first position and said second position; and

    (d) rail cooperating means to be disposed for coaction with said shiftable rail sections and the separated rails of the rail pathways which the shiftable rail sections are to coact with;

    (e) each of said rail cooperating means to include body means of predetermined external configuration carried either by said shiftable rail section or the rail of the rail arrangement with which said shiftable rail section will coact, and, seat means of a configuration corresponding to at least a portion of said predetermined external configuration of said body means, and carried by either said shiftable rail section or the rail of the rail arrangement with which said shiftable rail section will coact, whichever of same is not carrying said body means;

    (f) said body means and said seat means being disposed for coaction one with the other when either said first one or said second one of said shiftable rail sections are respectively positioned to establish either said first rail pathway or such second rail pathway as a continuous rail pathway and when so disposed coacting with each other due to said respective configurations such that load forces applied to the shiftable rail section will effect an alignment of said shiftable rail section with the separated rails of the rail pathway which the shiftable rail section is to coact with to render the pathway continuous, and will transfer loads applied to said shiftable rail section directly to the separated rails of the rail pathway which the shiftable rail section is to coact with and any support structure therefor.

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