Apparatus for and method of transferring articles such as eggs
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for transferring discrete articles, comprising:
- a conveyor having at least one row of article holders for conveying articles which are spaced apart from each other in the direction of travel of the conveyor,a resilient receiving means having an upwardly facing portion positioned beneath the conveyor for receiving articles dropped from the conveyor, the upwardly facing portion of the receiving means being moveable transversely, relative to the direction of the movement of the conveyor, in a generally horizontal direction, said upwardly facing portion having a resilient structure for resiliently receiving the articles which are dropped from the conveyor and a lateral engaging structure for engaging the sides of the articles to assure movement of the articles along with the receiving means,and a receiving station positioned adjacent said upwardly facing portion of the receiving means downstream from the location where the articles are dropped thereon,whereby articles delivered from the conveyor drop onto the upwardly facing portion of the receiving means, which then moves the articles therealong in a generally horizontal direction to the receiving station.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for transferring discrete articles such as eggs or fruit from a conveyor having at least one row of article holders to a receiver having a resilient upwardly facing portion which then carries the articles generally horizontally to a receiving station. The upwardly facing portion has a resilient structure including for example brush bristles or an air bellows.
42 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An apparatus for transferring discrete articles, comprising:
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a conveyor having at least one row of article holders for conveying articles which are spaced apart from each other in the direction of travel of the conveyor, a resilient receiving means having an upwardly facing portion positioned beneath the conveyor for receiving articles dropped from the conveyor, the upwardly facing portion of the receiving means being moveable transversely, relative to the direction of the movement of the conveyor, in a generally horizontal direction, said upwardly facing portion having a resilient structure for resiliently receiving the articles which are dropped from the conveyor and a lateral engaging structure for engaging the sides of the articles to assure movement of the articles along with the receiving means, and a receiving station positioned adjacent said upwardly facing portion of the receiving means downstream from the location where the articles are dropped thereon, whereby articles delivered from the conveyor drop onto the upwardly facing portion of the receiving means, which then moves the articles therealong in a generally horizontal direction to the receiving station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An apparatus for transferring eggs, comprising:
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an article conveyor having at least one row of egg holders for conveying eggs in a row, spaced apart from each other from the direction of travel of the conveyor, a resilient receiving means comprising an endless surface and mounted for movement about a horizontal axis or horizontal axes and having brush bristles extending outwardly therefrom along its entire surface, the axis or axes being essentially parallel to the direction of travel of the article conveyor such that the receiving means moves transversely to the direction of travel of the article conveyor, said receiving means having an upwardly facing portion positioned beneath the egg holders to receive within its brush bristles eggs dropped from the article conveyor, and a receiving station positioned adjacent to said upwardly facing portion of the receiving means downstream from the location where the eggs are dropped thereon to receive eggs which have moved along the receiving means, whereby eggs dropped from the article conveyor fall into the bristles of the upwardly facing portion of the receiving means, which then moves the eggs therealong in a generally horizontal direction to the receiving station. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for transferring discrete articles from a conveyor to a receiving station, comprising:
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conveying two rows of discrete articles along a conveyor side by side in two rows of article holders which are side by side and spaced apart from other article holders in the direction of movement of the conveyor, releasing two articles, one from each row, side by side, simultaneously onto the upwardly facing portion of the receiver, which upwardly facing portion has a resilient structure to resiliently receive the articles and an engaging structure to engage the sides of the articles to assure their movement along the receiver, and moving the upwardly facing portion transversely, relative to the direction of the conveyor, in a generally horizontal direction, to deliver the articles to a receiving station. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification