Diverter
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A paddle diverter assembly comprising:
- an arm; and
an actuator for moving said arm from a home position to a diverting position, said actuator being adapted to permit said arm to move away from the diverting position upon impact with an object to be diverted to thereby absorb at least some of the impact between the arm and the object being diverted and adapted to return said arm to said diverting position by an electromagnetic field.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A paddle diverter assembly according to the present invention includes an arm and an actuator for actuating the arm to move toward a diverting position. The actuator is adapted to permit the arm to move away from the diverting position upon impact with the object to be diverted and then to return to the diverting position to thereby absorb at least some of the impact between the arm and an object being diverted.
62 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A paddle diverter assembly comprising:
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an arm; and an actuator for moving said arm from a home position to a diverting position, said actuator being adapted to permit said arm to move away from the diverting position upon impact with an object to be diverted to thereby absorb at least some of the impact between the arm and the object being diverted and adapted to return said arm to said diverting position by an electromagnetic field. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 40)
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14. A paddle diverter assembly comprising:
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an arm, said arm comprising a driven diverting surface, said driven diverting surface comprising a drive belt; an actuator for moving said arm from a home position to a diverting position, said actuator being adapted to permit said arm to move away from the diverting position upon impact with an object to be diverted to thereby absorb at least some of the impact between the arm and the object being diverted; wherein said arm includes a spring, said spring deflecting to absorb impact when said arm impacts the object being diverted by said arm, said spring comprising a plate spring; said arm including a medial portion and a lougitudinal axis, and said spring being provided at said medial portion and having a londtudinal extent, said longitudinal extent extending along said longitudinal axis of said arm; and wherein said plate spring includes a longitudinal groove extending along said longitudinal extent, said drive belt having a rib, said rib extending into said groove wherein said groove provides vertical support to said drive belt.
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15. A paddle diverter assembly comprising:
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an arm, said arm comprising a driven diverting surface, and said driven diverting surface comprising a drive belt, said arm supporting belt pulleys for supporting said drive belt; an actuator for moving said arm from a home position to a diverting position, said actuator being adapted to permit said arm to move away from the diverting position upon impact with an object to be diverted to thereby absorb at least some of the impact between the arm and the object being diverted; and wherein said arm comprises at least first and second arm portions, said first and second arm portions releasably interlocked, when released said first and second arm portions permitting removal of the drive belt without disassembly of the paddle diverter assembly. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A diverter system comprising:
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a conveying surface having a conveying direction and for conveying an article at a conveying speed; a pair of diverter assemblies at opposite sides of said conveying surface, each of said diverter assemblies comprising an arm mounted for pivotal movement between a non-diverting position and a diverting position wherein said arm is pivoted across at least a portion of said conveying surface; and a drive system independently and selectively moving said arms between said diverting positions and said non-diverting positions wherein said arms may be individually moved to their respective diverting positions and wherein an article conveyed on said conveying surface is diverted in a diverting direction when the article contacts one of said arms when said one arm is in said diverting position, wherein said drive system permits said arms to pivot away from their diverting positions when impacted by an article to thereby reduce the impact on the article being diverted and return said arms to their diverting positions by an electromagnetic field. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method or selectively diverting an object, said method comprising:
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providing at least one paddle assembly having an arm; moving the arm with a drive assembly to a diverting position; and absorbing at least some of the impact between the object and the arm with the drive assembly allowing the arm to move away from the diverting position when the arm makes contact with an object to thereby absorb some of the impact; and returning the arm to the diverting position with an electromagnetic field. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification