Conveyor elevator apparatus
OwnerJacob I. Nevo-Hacoheninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This disclosure is concerned with improved conveyor elevator apparatus employing closed-loop horizontal main conveyors carrying vehicle-supporting platforms with the aid of followers that track follower channels extending in staggered fashion with the main conveyor channels, and employing novel direction-changing transverse end portions at which auxiliary conveyors engage the followers and insure horizontal stability of the platforms in their vertical travel through the transverse direction-changing end portions.
Claims16
In conveyor elevator apparatus having a pair of substantially co-extensive main closed-loop channels and a pair of substantially co-extensive follower closed-loop channels, said pairs of channels being longitudinally staggered, each channel having upper and lower horizontal sections adapted for movement of platforms therealong in opposite horizontal directions, respectively, said main channels receiving main conveyors mounting successively spaced horizontal platforms supported near one end by attachment to the main conveyors and supported near the other end through follower means that ride in said follower channels, and so that each platform is supported at four points at all times, the combination of longitudinally staggered direction-changing transverse end portions at an end of each of the main and follower channels transversely connecting their respective upper and lower horizontal sections, each end portion defining two sloping sections and an adjacent vertical section by which the platforms move transversely between the upper and lower horizontal sections;
- and a pair of auxiliary conveyor means disposed adjacent said direction-changing end portions of the follower channels, respectively, and engaging the follower means of the platforms at the vertical section and at least one of the sloping sections of each of those end portions so that the auxiliary conveyor means is compelled to move in synchronism with such follower means, the length of the auxiliary conveyor means being less than the length of the adjacent transverse end portions but sufficient always to engage the auxiliary conveyor means with the follower means of at least two platforms, with one such platform at said one of the sloping sections of an end portion when another is at the vertical section thereof, to enable each platform moving along a vertical section of an end portion to remain stable horizontally due to engagement of the auxiliary conveyor means with the follower means of a platform at said sloping sections of that end portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.