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US 2006/0037839 A1Published application
Alignment conveyor
AssigneePackaging Progressions, Inc.
InventorLawrence Ward
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An alignment conveyor adapted to align a row of products in a side-by-side fashion is provided. The products are aligned in an alignment region of the conveyor by causing, a reverse rotation of the rollers, thereby halting progress of the products in the run on the conveyor until the row of products are aligned. Thereafter, the aligned row continues down the conveyor for further processing or packaging.
Claims11
An alignment conveyor adapted to generally align a row of products in a side-by-side fashion, comprising:
- a plurality of free rolling rollers, having sufficient width to hold a row of products in a generally side-by-side arrangement, and connected together to define a conveyor path;
- a conveyor mechanism for transporting the free rolling rollers in a first direction, at a first speed;
- an alignment region located along the conveyor path including an acceleration mechanism located in an upstream area;
- and a deceleration mechanism located in a downstream area;
- the acceleration mechanism which rotates at least some of the rollers, located in an upstream area of the alignment region, so that a product supporting portion of the rollers moves in the first direction to accelerate the products to a speed faster than the first speed;
- and
- the deceleration mechanism moveable from a first disengaged state to a second engage state to rotate the rollers, located in the downstream area of the alignment region, so that the product supporting portion of the rollers moves in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, to decelerate the products to a speed slower than the first speed.
4 more elements
A method of aligning rows of products on a conveyor comprising:
- providing a plurality of free rolling rollers connected together to define a conveyor path having sufficient width to hold rows of products to be conveyed in a first direction in a generally side-by-side arrangement;
- transporting a first row of the products on the conveyor in the first direction;
- rotating the rollers moving through a downstream area of an alignment region so that the product supporting surface of the rollers moves in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, until the products in the first row are in an aligned side-by-side arrangement;
- and
- after alignment, allowing the first row of products aligned in a side by side arrangement to continue in the first direction down the conveyor path.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.