Conveyor and method for transporting workpieces
OwnerRichard A. Dooleyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A conveyor for and method of transporting workpieces along a path having a straight portion and a curved portion are provided. Workpieces during certain operations must be maintained a minimum distance apart during transportion. The workpieces, on the curved portion of the conveyor path, are moved outside the conveyor path to enable them to travel greater distances and maintain a minimum spacing without the necessity of spacing them an extra distance apart on the straight portions of the conveyor path. This enables a larger number of workpieces to be handled on a given conveyor or enables a shorter conveyor to be employed for a given number of workpieces.
Claims18
A conveyor for carrying large workpieces along a path which includes a straight poriton and a curved portion, said conveyor comprising rail means having a straight portion and a curved portion, a flexible conveyor drive having means disposed for engagement with opposite surfaces of said rail means to be directed along said straight portion and said curved portion of said rail means, an elongate member moved by said conveyor drive and supported by said rail means, with an end of said elongate member spaced from said conveyor drive, whereby said end can move transversely of said rail means and said conveyor drive when on the curved portion of said rail means, and a workpiece support carried by said end of said member for supporting a large workpiece.
A conveyor for carrying large workpieces along a predetermined path, said conveyor comprising rail means having a straight portion and a curved portion, a flexible conveyor drive having rollers disposed a predetermined distance apart for engagement with opposite surfaces of said rail means, an elongate member moved by said conveyor drive, said elongate member having an end spaced from said flexible conveyor drive and movably transversely thereof when on the curved portion of said rail means, and a workpiece support carried by said end of said member for supporting a large workpiece.
A method of conveying workpieces along a path having a straight portion and a curved portion, said method comprising moving the workpieces along the path, and moving the workpieces outwardly from the curved portion of the path, to cause the workpieces to be spaced apart a minimal distance along the curved portion of the path at least equal to the distance between the workpieces along the straight portion of the path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.