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US 3,944,056 AGranted
Pivoted bucket conveyor
AssigneeCampbell Soup Company
InventorWilliam J. Feehery, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeCampbell Soup Company
InventorWilliam J. Feehery, Jr.
Estimating the term…
A pivoted bucket conveyor is disclosed in which pivotally mounted buckets carried by a chain conveyor is provided with the buckets normally arranged to travel in a horizontal position across a reject station and, upon receipt of a signal from an inspection station, to pivot and discharge their contents at the reject station. A flexible bucket guide member is provided at the reject station to engage beneath projections on the sides of the buckets and guide the buckets across the reject station. Pins carried by a second chain conveyor engage and support the flexible bucket guide member at points between each bucket and permit the flexible guide member to be deflected upon dumping of a bucket at a position beneath the bucket being dumped and still direct movement of adjacent buckets. Modified forms of guide members are also disclosed to stabilize and direct movement of all buckets other than the particular bucket being pivoted or dumped.
A pivoted bucket conveyor including conveyor means to move buckets along a predetermined path, means pivotally connecting the buckets to said conveyor to permit dumping of selected buckets at a predetermined location, dump means at said predetermined location to dump the contents of said selected buckets at said location by engaging and causing rotation of said buckets about the pivotal connection of said buckets to said conveyor, a first guide member extending generally parallel to said conveyor, guide means on said buckets in engagement with said guide member to prevent rotating movement of said buckets, said guide member being interrupted at said predetermined location to permit said selected buckets to be rotated and dumped at said location, and a yieldable flexible second guide member spanning the interrupted portion of said first guide member to guide buckets other than said selected buckets past said predetermined location.
A pivoted bucket conveyor including conveyor means to move buckets along a predetermined path, means pivotally connecting the buckets to said conveyor to permit dumping of selected buckets at a predetermined location, dump means at said predetermined location to dump the contents of said selected buckets at said location by engaging and causing rotation of said buckets about the pivotal connection of said buckets to said conveyor, guide means extending lengthwise of said conveyor to engage and guide movement of said buckets and normally prevent pivotal movement of said buckets relative to said conveyor, at least a portion of said guide means including the portion thereof at said predetermined location being flexible and being deflected by an engaged portion of a selected bucket when said selected bucket is pivoted by said dump means, and movable support means between adjacent buckets in engagement with the flexible portion of said guide means to engage and support said flexible portion of said guide means between adjacent buckets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.