Conveyor system with diverting track network

A method for diverting articles from a conveying surface of a conveyor comprising:

• providing a plurality of movable pushers associated with the conveying surface and adapted to be movable transversely across the conveying surface;
• providing a plurality of diverting tracks configured to guide selected ones of said movable pushers across the conveying surface;
• providing a plurality of diverters, each said diverter adapted to selectively divert at least one movable pusher along one of said diverting tracks when said diverter is activated into a diverting state;
• selecting at least two diverters from said plurality of diverters;
• activating a first one of said selected diverters into the diverting state to divert at least one shoe onto one of said diverting tracks;
• and
• activating a second one of said selected diverters into the diverting state to divert another one of said shoes onto another one of said diverting tracks substantially after activating said first one of said selected diverters into the diverting state, said second selected diverter being upstream of said first selected diverter.

A diverting assembly for diverting articles from a conveying surface of a conveyor comprising:

• a plurality of movable pushers associated with the conveying surface and adapted to be movable transversely across the conveying surface;
• a plurality of diverting tracks configured to guide selected ones of said movable pushers across the conveying surface;
• a plurality of diverters, each said diverter adapted to selectively divert at least one movable pusher along one of said diverting tracks when said diverter is activated into a diverting state;
• and
• a controller adapted to activate into the diverting state, at least occasionally, at least two diverters from said plurality of diverters such that an article to be diverted on the conveying surface is initially diverted with a partial rotational motion and subsequently diverted without further rotational motion.

A method of diverting articles from a conveying surface of a conveyor comprising:

• providing a plurality of movable pushers associated with the conveying surface and adapted to be movable transversely across the conveying surface;
• providing a plurality of diverting tracks configured to guide selected ones of said movable pushers across the conveying surface;
• providing a plurality of diverters, each said diverter adapted to selectively divert at least one movable pusher along one of said diverting tracks when said diverter is activated into a diverting state;
• determining a length of an article to be diverted;
• activating at least two of said diverters into a diverting state at substantially the same time if the length of the article to be diverted is less than a first distance;
• and
• activating at least two of said diverters into a diverting state at different times if the length of the article to be diverted is greater than the first distance.

A conveyor sorter, comprising:

• a conveying surface movable in a longitudinal direction;
• a plurality of diverting rails extending diagonally under said conveying surface;
• a plurality of pusher shoes capable of traveling across said conveying surface, said pusher shoes including article-contacting members extending at least partially above said conveying surface to divert articles on said conveying surface and follower members extending at least partially below said conveying surface to engage selected ones of said diverting rails to laterally displace articles on said conveying surface;
• a plurality of diverters associated with said diverting rails, each said diverter adapted to selectively transfer at least one of said follower members onto one of said diverting rails;
• wherein a plurality of said diverting rails have at least a first portion and a second portion, said first portion having a first angle with respect to said longitudinal direction and said second portion having a second angle with respect to said longitudinal direction that is different from said first angle.

A method of laterally displacing articles on a conveying surface traveling in a longitudinal direction;

• providing a plurality of pusher shoes;
• selecting particular ones of said pusher shoes to laterally displace an article on said conveying surface;
• and
• laterally displacing said selected pusher shoes at a first lateral rate during an initial portion of travel of said selected pusher shoes across said conveying surface and at a second lateral rate during a subsequent portion of said travel, said first rate different from said second rate.

A conveyor sorter, comprising:

• a conveying surface movable in a longitudinal direction, said conveying surface including a plurality of surface members extending across said conveying surface and being oriented generally transverse to said longitudinal direction;
• a plurality of diverting rails extending diagonally under said conveying surface;
• a plurality of pusher shoes capable of traveling across said conveying surface along said surface members, said pusher shoes including article-contacting members extending at least partially above said conveying surface to divert articles on said conveying surface and follower members extending at least partially below said conveying surface to engage selected ones of said diverting rails to laterally displace articles on said conveying surface;
• a plurality of diverters associated with said diverting rails, each said diverter adapted to be selectively activated into a diverting state in which said diverter transfers at least one of said follower members onto one of said diverting rails;
• a controller adapted to select at least one of said diverters to be activated into said diverting state, said controller adapted to select said at least one diverter based upon the location of an article's axis of rotation on said conveying surface.