Apparatus for actuating a breakaway conveyor section

In a conveyor system having first and second conveyor sections spaced apart and a breakaway conveyor section having one end pivotally connected to the first conveyor section and a free end adjacent the second conveyor section in a non-actuated position, an apparatus for actuating the breakaway conveyor section to an actuated position wherein the free end is spaced away from the second conveyor section, the apparatus comprising:

• a roller extending transverse to a longitudinal axis of the breakaway conveyor section;
• a pair of sliding plates attached to opposite ends of said roller and slidably mounted on opposite sides of the second conveyor section for movement between a first position wherein said roller supports the free end of the breakaway conveyor section in the non-actuated position and a second position allowing the breakaway conveyor section to move to the actuated position;
• a pair of generally vertically extending slides each having a lower end slidably connected to an associated one of said sliding plates and an upper end;
• an over center means connected between said upper ends of said slides and the second conveyor section, said over center means having a first over center position maintaining said sliding plates in said first position and a second over center position allowing said sliding plates to move to said second position;
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• means for actuating said over center means from said first over center position to said second over center position.

An apparatus for actuating a breakaway conveyor with a fire door movable between open and closed positions, the conveyor including a section positioned beneath the fire door in its open position and having one end pivotally mounted and the other end free, the section movable between a non-actuated position to form a continuous conveyor and an actuated position forming a gap in the conveyor allowing the fire door to move to the closed position, the apparatus comprising:

• a support means positioned beneath a free end of a breakaway conveyor section and movable between a first position supporting the breakaway section in a non-actuated position and a second position allowing the breakaway section to move to an actuated position, said support means including a roller extending transverse to a path of travel of the conveyor section and a pair of sliding plates attached at opposite ends of said roller and slidably mounted on another section of the conveyor adjacent the free end of the breakaway conveyor section and a pair of support plates attached to the another section of the conveyor and having a plurality of pins extending therefrom and wherein said sliding plates each have at least one slot formed therein for engaging said pins of a respective one of said support plates whereby said pins and said slots cooperate to define a path of travel for said sliding plates and said roller between said first and second positions;
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• shutter means attached to said support means for moving said support means between said first and second positions, said shutter means adapted to contact a fire door as the fire door moves from an open to a closed position whereby a breakaway conveyor section is moved from a non-actuated to an actuated position.

In a conveyor system having first and second conveyor sections spaced apart and a breakaway conveyor section having one end pivotally connected to the first conveyor section and a free end adjacent the second conveyor section in a non-actuated position, an apparatus for actuating the breakaway conveyor section to an actuated position wherein the free end is spaced away from the second conveyor section, the apparatus comprising:

• a roller extending transverse to a longitudinal axis of the breakaway conveyor section;
• a pair of sliding plates attached to opposite ends of said roller and slidably mounted on opposite sides of the second conveyor section for movement between a first position wherein said roller supports the free end of the breakaway conveyor section in the non-actuated position and a second position allowing the breakaway conveyor section to move to the actuated position;
• a pair of generally vertically extending slides each having a lower end slidably connected to an associated one of said sliding plates and an upper end;
• an over center means connected between said upper ends of said slides and the second conveyor section, said over center means having a first over center position maintaining said sliding plates in said first position and a second over center position allowing said sliding plates to move to said second position, said over center means including two pairs of link arms, each said pair having an upper arm pivotally connected at one end to an associated one of said slides and a lower arm pivotally connected at one end to the second conveyor section, said upper and lower arms pivotally connected together at another end of each;
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• means for actuating said over center means from said first over center position to said second over center position.

An apparatus for actuating a breakaway conveyor section comprising:

• a support means slidably mounted for movement between a non-actuated position for supporting a breakaway conveyor section and an actuated position for allowing movement of the breakaway conveyor section;
• a slide slidably connected to said support means, said slide including a generally vertically extending, elongated body slidably mounted with respect to a fixed conveyor section and a generally planar foot attached to a lower end of said body and connected to said support means for moving said support means from said non-actuated position to said actuated position when said slide is moved from an upper position to a lower position with respect to the fixed conveyor section ;
• an over center means pivotally connected to said slide for movement between a first over center position maintaining said support means in said non-actuated position and a second over center position whereby said support means is moved to said actuated position;
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• means for actuating said over center means from said first over center position to said second over center position.

An apparatus for actuating a breakaway conveyor section comprising:

• a support means slidably mounted for movement between a non-actuated position for supporting a breakaway conveyor section and an actuated position for allowing movement of the breakaway conveyor section;
• a slide slidably connected to said support means;
• an over-center means pivotally connected to said slide for movement between a first over-center position maintaining said support means in said non-actuated position and a second over-center position whereby said support means is moved to said actuated position, said over-center means including a first generally vertically extending link arm having an upper end pivotally connected at a first pivot point to said slide and a second generally vertically extending link arm having a lower end pivotally connected at a second pivot point to a fixed conveyor section, said first link arm having a lower end pivotally attached at a third pivot point to an upper end of said second link arm, whereby said over-center means is in said first over-center position when said third pivot point is closer to said slide than said first and second pivot points, and is in said second over-center position when said third pivot point is farther away from said slide than said first and second pivot points;
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• means for actuating said over-center means from said first over-center position to said second over-center position.

An apparatus for actuating a breakaway conveyor section comprising:

• a support means slidably mounted for movement between a non-actuated position for supporting a breakaway conveyor section and an actuated position for allowing movement of the breakaway conveyor section;
• a slide slidably connected to said support means;
• an over-center means pivotally connected to said slide for movement between a first over-center position maintaining said support means in said non-actuated position and a second over-center position whereby said support means is moved to said actuated position;
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• means for actuating said over-center means from said first over-center position to said second over-center position, said means for actuating including a support plate extending generally transverse to a longitudinal axis of the breakaway conveyor section and attached to one end of a lever arm pivotally mounted on said slide, said lever arm having an opposite end in contact with said over-center means in said first over-center position whereby pivotal movement of said actuating plate and lever arm moves said over-center means to said second over-center position.

An apparatus for actuating a breakaway conveyor section comprising:

• a support means slidably mounted for movement between a non-actuated position for supporting a breakaway conveyor section and an actuated position for allowing movement of the breakaway conveyor section, said support means including a sliding plate slidably mounted on a fixed conveyor section and a roller pivotally attached to said sliding plate and extending beneath the breakaway conveyor section to support the breakaway conveyor section in the non-actuated position;
• a slide slidably connected to said support means, said slide including a generally vertically extending, elongated body slidably mounted on the fixed conveyor section and having a lower end slidably connected to said sliding plate;
• an over-center means pivotally connected to said slide for movement between a first over-center position maintaining said support means in said non-actuated position and a second over-center position whereby said support means is moved to said actuated position, said over-center means including a pair of link arms pivotally connected together at one end of each and extending in a generally vertical direction with an upper end of one of said link arms pivotally connected to an upper end of said slide and a lower end of the other one of the link arms pivotally connected to the fixed conveyor;
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• means for actuating said over-center means from said first over-center position to said second over-center position, said means for actuating including a lever arm pivotally connected to said slide and having one end in contact with one of said link arms in said first over-center position.