Conveyor and escalator for transporting eggs and the like

• US 6,343,688 B1
• Filed: 02/11/2000
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bruce Archibald Mckinlay
• Original Assignee: Bruce Archibald Mckinlay
• Inventors: McKinlay, Bruce Archibald
• Primary Examiner(s): Valenza, Joseph E.
• Application Number:
  US09/485,510
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 198/484.1, 198/803.13, 119/337
• US Class Current: 198/803.13
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 31/165 Egg collecting or counting
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 43/00 Testing, sorting or cleaning eggs investigating or analysing eggs, e.g. by candling G01N33/08; Conveying devices for batteries A01K31/165; Pick-up devices
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 17/007 for conveying the load on the lower run or on both upper and lower runs of the conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 17/12 comprising a series of individual load-carriers fixed, or normally fixed, relative to traction element
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 17/326 Clamps, constituted by articulated chain links
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/0208 Eggs

Abstract

A conveyor and escalator for transporting objects having a substantially uniform size and length such as eggs horizontally, vertically and helically vertically comprising at least one flexible endless support means; a drive means operably engaging said flexible endless support means for driving said flexible endless support means in a direction of advance; and a plurality of equispaced elongated paddles attached substantially perpendicular to said flexible endless support means, said paddles being adapted to support an object during linear travel and to open for receiving or releasing said object therebetween during arcuate travel. The endless flexible support means comprises an endless chain, an endless belt or an endless cable. Preferably, the endless flexible support means comprises a pair or parallel spaced-apart endless chains and at least two linearly-spaced sprocket wheels engaging each said endless chain for supporting said chain in linear travel between the sprocket wheels and in arcuate travel about said sprocket wheels, and means for rotating said sprocket wheels for advancing the endless chains. The elongated paddles may have an I-section with means at opposite ends of the I-section for removably connecting said paddles at said opposite ends to the endless chains transversely to the said direction of advance whereby the paddles remain vertically upright during horizontal linear travel to support objects on adjacent upper flanges and whereby the paddles pivot relative to each other about a longitudinal central axis during arcuate travel to open adjacent paddles at the upper flanges to receive objects therebetween during downward arcuate travel and to open adjacent paddles at adjacent lower flanges to discharge objects therefrom during upward arcuate travel. The paddles optionally may have an I-shaped cross-section, a C-shaped cross-section, a Z-shaped cross-section, an inverted J-shaped cross-section, an inverted T-shaped cross-section or an inverted 7-shaped cross-section.

Claims

1. A conveyor and escalator for transporting objects having a substantially uniform size and length comprising a pair of parallel spaced-apart endless chains and at least two linearly-spaced sprocket wheels engaging each said endless chain for supporting said chain in linear travel between the sprocket wheels and in arcuate travel about said sprocket wheels, and means for rotating said sprocket wheels for advancing the endless chains in a direction of advance, a plurality of equispaced elongated paddles attached substantially perpendicular to said chains for defining a receiving volume therebetween which closes during linear travel to contain an object in the receiving volume or support the object on the paddles, and which opens during arcuate travel to receive or release an object contained in the receiving volume or supported on the paddles, each paddle comprising an elongated web having longitudinal side edges and an arcuate flange having a concave inner face attached centrally along said concave face to each longitudinal edge of the web to form an I-section having a longitudinal central axis, an end plate having a pair of upstanding spaced-apart fingers located at each end of the paddle adapted to receive the paddle web therebetween and to engage the concave inner face of the adjacent arcuate flange, and means formed centrally on the end plates for removably rigidly connecting each of the end plates transversely to the endless chains perpendicular thereto, whereby the paddles remain vertically upright during horizontal linear travel to support objects on adjacent upper flanges and whereby the paddles pivot relative to each other about said longitudinal central axis during arcuate travel to open adjacent paddles at the upper flanges to receive objects therebetween during upward or downward arcuate travel and to open adjacent paddles at adjacent lower flanges to receive or discharge objects therefrom during upward or downward arcuate travel.