Conveyor system
OwnerKurt Stollinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A conveyor system is designed for moving loads along a curved path and takes the form of a guide pipe having within it a piston-like driver which may be shuttled from one end to the other thereof by forcing driving fluid, as for example water and oil, into the one end or the other end of the pipe. A sleeve-like runner is placed on the outside of the pipe and is joined up with the driver by a magnet system which may take the form of a magnetic driving part on the driver and so placed thereon as to be radially spaced from the inner wall face of the pipe. The driver within the pipe and the runner on the pipe, together with any magnet system on them, have outer and inner forms taking into account the curved forms of the pipe.
Claims13
A conveyor system, comprising a pipe which is made of a nonmagnetic material and has a curved portion, an inner surface, an outer surface and two ends;
- a piston axially slidably disposed within said pipe, sealing engaging said inner surface of said pipe, and including first magnetic means;
- means for effecting a fluid-tight seal at each of said ends of said pipe;
- means for selectively supplying fluid to and removing fluid from said pipe on opposite sides of said piston to effect reciprocal movement of said piston within said pipe lengthwise thereof;
- a runner slidably supported on said outer surface of said pipe for axial movement with respect to said pipe and including second magnetic means, said first and second magnetic means magnetically coupling said piston and said runner so that said runner moves axially of said pipe with said piston;
- and means for facilitating movement of said piston and said runner along said curved portion of said pipe, including an outer surface on said piston which faces said inner surface of said pipe and an inner surface on said runner which faces said outer surface of said pipe, said outer surface on said piston and said inner surface on said runner each having a profile, in an axial direction, which is concave and arcuate.
A conveyor system, comprising a pipe having a curved portion and two ends, a piston disposed within said pipe and sealingly slidably engaging an inner surface thereof, means for sealing each said end of said pipe, means for selectively supplying fluid to and removing fluid from said pipe on opposite sides of said piston to effect reciprocal movement of said piston within said pipe lengthwise thereof, and a runner slidably supported on an outer surface of said pipe for movement lengthwise thereof, said piston and said runner being drivingly coupled by magnetic means which produces a magnetic attraction therebetween, said piston having an outer surface and said runner having an inner surface, said outer surface of said piston and said inner surface of said runner each having a profile, in an axial direction, which is concave and arcuate, thereby facilitating movement of said piston and said runner along said curved portion of said pipe.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.