US 4,903,819 AGranted

Apparatus for transporting garment hangers

AssigneeSussman, Jennewein Bekleidungstechnik GmbH

InventorsHans Heinold, Josef Rau, Thomas Unverzagt

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Abstract

Apparatus for transporting garment hangers has an overhead track for one or more trolleys having horizontal webs for the hooks of a series of garment hangers. An upwardly sloping first ramp is adjacent a portion of the path of movement of the web of an oncoming trolley, and a downwardly sloping second ramp follows the first ramp. The ramps are disposed at one side of the track and diverge laterally from the path of movement of the trolleys. A conveyor with a set of entraining pins is set in motion when a trolley approaches the upwardly sloping ramp to transfer successive hooks or groups of successive hooks from the web of the foremost loaded trolley onto the first ramp where the hooks advance toward and thereupon slide along the second ramp. A second conveyor can be set in motion when a trolley approaches the first ramp to positively advance the foremost loaded trolley along the first ramp. The two conveyors can be driven by a common prime mover.

Claims9

Dependent claims

Apparatus for transporting garment hangers of the type having hooks, comprising means for delivering a series of hangers in a predetermined direction along a predetermined path, including a first support for the hooks of hangers;

means for accepting hangers from said delivering means, including a second support for the hooks of hangers, said second support having a receiving section adjacent a predetermined portion of said path, said receiving section including an upwardly sloping first ramp and said second support further comprising a downwardly sloping second ramp following said upwardly sloping ramp;
and means for transferring the hooks of hangers of said series from said first support onto said receiving section, said transferring means comprising a conveyor having a plurality of entraining elements for the hooks of hangers reaching said portion of said path, and means for transporting said entraining elements along a second path having a portion adjacent said portion of said predetermined path so that an entraining element moving along said portion of said second path engages an oncoming hook and conveys the hook from the predetermined path onto and along said first ramp toward said second ramp.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.