Sorting system using a roller-top conveyor belt
First Claim
1. A conveyor system comprising:
- a main conveyor conveying articles on an outer conveying surface along a main conveying path;
at least one cross conveyor disposed along the main conveying path and intersecting and passing through the main conveyor, the cross conveyor including;
a roller-top belt having a plurality of rollers extending outward of an outer article-supporting surface and having axles for rotation of the rollers about axes generally perpendicular to the main conveying path to direct first preselected articles atop the rollers along the main conveying path, anda drive engaging the roller-top belt to advance the belt along a discharge path generally perpendicular to the main conveying path and convey second preselected articles atop the rollers along the discharge path; and
means for selectively raising and lowering the roller-top belt relative to the main conveyor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sorting conveyor system in which a main conveyor is intersected by one or more cross conveyors forming sorting stations at one or more gaps along a main conveying path. The cross conveyor includes a roller-top belt having rollers extending outward of a top article-supporting side and arranged to rotate about axes perpendicular to the main conveying path. The cross conveyor includes a bidirectional drive to selectively advance the roller-top belt in one of two opposite directions to discharge articles transferred onto the cross conveyor in the gap off the side of the main conveying path. The cross conveyor also serves as a low-friction roller-top bridge when the roller-top belt is stopped. The bridge allows articles to cross the gap from an upstream portion of the main conveyor to a downstream portion.
50 Citations
37 Claims
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1. A conveyor system comprising:
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a main conveyor conveying articles on an outer conveying surface along a main conveying path; at least one cross conveyor disposed along the main conveying path and intersecting and passing through the main conveyor, the cross conveyor including; a roller-top belt having a plurality of rollers extending outward of an outer article-supporting surface and having axles for rotation of the rollers about axes generally perpendicular to the main conveying path to direct first preselected articles atop the rollers along the main conveying path, and a drive engaging the roller-top belt to advance the belt along a discharge path generally perpendicular to the main conveying path and convey second preselected articles atop the rollers along the discharge path; and means for selectively raising and lowering the roller-top belt relative to the main conveyor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A conveyor system comprising:
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an upstream conveyor conveying articles along a main conveying path; a downstream article receiver aligned with the upstream conveyor and forming part of the main conveying path and spaced apart from the upstream conveyor across a gap to receive articles from the upstream conveyor across the gap; a cross conveyor disposed in the gap between the upstream conveyor and the downstream article receiver and intersecting and passing through the main conveying path, the cross conveyor including; a roller-top belt having a plurality of rollers having axles for rotation of the rollers about axes generally perpendicular to the main conveying path, and a drive engaging the roller-top belt to selectively stop and advance the roller-top belt bidirectionally across the main conveying path along the gap; and means for selectively raising and lowering the roller-top belt relative to the upstream conveyor and the downstream article receiver; wherein first preselected articles atop the rollers are directed by the rotation of the rollers from the upstream conveyor to the downstream article receiver when the roller-top belt is stopped and wherein second preselected articles atop the rollers are conveyed across the main conveying path when the roller-top belt is advancing. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A conveyor system comprising:
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a downstream conveying surface; an upstream conveying surface conveying articles toward the downstream conveying surface along a main conveying path extending along the upstream and downstream conveying surfaces, the upstream conveying surface being separated from the downstream conveying surface across a gap; a cross conveyor disposed in the gap and intersecting and passing through the main conveying path and including a roller-top belt having rollers with salient portions extending above a top side of the belt to contact conveyed articles received from the upstream conveying surface and direct preselected articles atop the rollers to the downstream conveying surface, the rollers having axles for rotation of the rollers about axes generally perpendicular to the main conveying path; and means for selectively raising and lowering the roller-top belt relative to the upstream conveying surface and the downstream conveying surface. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A conveyor system for selectively discharging articles comprising:
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a main conveyor conveying articles along a main conveying path and interrupted by one or more gaps along the main conveying path; one or more cross conveyors intersecting and passing through the main conveying path at the one or more gaps, each cross conveyor including; a roller-top belt having a plurality of rollers arranged to rotate freely to roll first preselected articles atop the rollers received from the main conveyor across the gap in the direction of the main conveying path, and a drive engaging the roller-top belt to advance the roller-top belt across the main conveying path to divert second preselected articles atop the rollers away from the main conveying path; and means for selectively raising and lowering the roller-top belt relative to the main conveyor. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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30. A conveyor system comprising:
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a main conveyor conveying articles along a main conveying path and interrupted by one or more gaps along the main conveying path; one or more cross conveyors intersecting and passing through the main conveying path at the one or more gaps, each cross conveyor including; a roller-top belt capable of advancing in at least one direction across the main conveying path and having a plurality of rollers arranged to receive conveyed articles in the gap from the main conveyor and to rotate freely in the direction of the main conveying path, and means for raising and lowering the roller-top belt between a first position wherein a first preselected conveyed article is supported atop the rollers by both the roller-top belt and the main conveyor and a second higher position lifting a second conveyed article supported atop the rollers on the roller-top belt out of contact with the main conveyor. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A conveyor system comprising:
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a main conveyor conveying articles along a main conveying path and interrupted by at least one gap along the main conveying path; at least one cross conveyor intersecting and passing through the main conveying path at a gap, each cross conveyor including; a roller-top belt having a plurality of rollers arranged to rotate freely to roll first preselected articles received from the main conveyor across the upstream end of the gap in the direction of the main conveying path, and a drive engaging the roller-top belt to selectively stop the roller-top belt to allow a first preselected conveyed article to ride across the roller-top belt on the rollers past the gap along the main conveying path, advance the belt in a first cross direction along a discharge path diverting a second preselected conveyed article atop the rollers away from the main conveying path to a first side of the conveying path, and advance the belt in an opposite second cross direction along the discharge path diverting a third preselected conveyed article atop the rollers away from the main conveying path to an opposite second side of the conveying path; and means for selectively raising and lowering the roller-top belt relative to the main conveyor. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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37. A method for diverting articles from a main conveyor conveying articles along a main conveying path, the method comprising:
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operating a roller-top conveyor belt having rollers arranged to rotate on axes generally perpendicular to the main conveying path as a bidirectional cross conveyor intersecting and passing through a main conveyor to divert articles from the main conveyor by bidirectionally driving the roller-top conveyor belt in either opposite direction to convey the articles atop the rollers on the roller-top conveyor belt to receiving stations on opposite sides of the main conveyor; raising the roller-top conveyor belt relative to the main conveyor above the level of the main conveyor when the roller-top conveyor belt is being driven to convey articles atop the rollers to either receiving station.
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Specification