Two-belt passive-roller case turner
First Claim
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1. A case turner comprising:
- a first conveyor belt advancing in a conveying direction at a first speed, the first conveyor belt having article-supporting rollers freely rotatable on axes parallel to the conveying direction;
a second conveyor belt adjacent the first conveyor belt and advancing in the conveying direction at a second speed different from the first speed, the second conveyor belt having article-supporting rollers freely rotatable on axes parallel to the conveying direction;
wherein the first conveyor belt defines a first plane and the second conveyor belt defines a second plane that intersects the first plane at an intersection angle of less than 180°
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Abstract
A case turner and associated method for rotating conveyed articles. The case turner includes a pair of conveyor belts advancing side by side in a conveying direction. The belts, which are tilted downward toward each other, have rows of article-supporting rollers that can rotate freely on axes parallel to the conveying direction. Each of the belts advances at a different speed so that an article bridging both belts is rotated as it is conveyed along the belt. The speed differential is set to provide a desired degree of rotation for the length of the two belts.
31 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A case turner comprising:
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a first conveyor belt advancing in a conveying direction at a first speed, the first conveyor belt having article-supporting rollers freely rotatable on axes parallel to the conveying direction; a second conveyor belt adjacent the first conveyor belt and advancing in the conveying direction at a second speed different from the first speed, the second conveyor belt having article-supporting rollers freely rotatable on axes parallel to the conveying direction; wherein the first conveyor belt defines a first plane and the second conveyor belt defines a second plane that intersects the first plane at an intersection angle of less than 180°
. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A case turner comprising:
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a pair of conveyor belts advancing side by side in a conveying direction and tilted downward toward each other, each of the conveyor belts having article-supporting rollers freely rotatable on axes parallel to the conveying direction; a drive system advancing the pair of conveyor belts with a speed differential between each of the conveyor belts. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for rotating a conveyed article, comprising:
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advancing a pair of side-by-side conveyor belts tilted downward toward each other in a conveying direction; conveying an article bridging the pair of side-by-side conveyor belts on article-supporting rollers in the conveyor belts that are freely rotatable on axes parallel to the conveying direction; advancing the pair of conveyor belts with a speed differential between each of the conveyor belts to cause the article to rotate while being conveyed in the conveying direction. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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Specification