Carriage and apparatus for transporting articles

Apparatus for transporting articles comprising:

• a plurality of carriages;
• and
• means for moving the carriages along a predetermined direction of movement;
• and
• wherein each carriage includes first and second pairs of wheels, the wheels in each pair being arranged coaxially, and the axes of the two pairs being spaced apart and extending substantially parallel relative to one another and substantially transversely to the direction of movement;
• said carriage further comprising a body member arranged to support said first and second pairs of wheels, said body member including a top cover member and a skid member connected to said top cover member, and further comprising an open channel defined by said top cover member and extending through said carriage between said first and second pair of wheels, said channel extending substantially parallel to said axes.

Apparatus for transporting articles comprising:

• a plurality of carriages;
• and
• means for moving the carriages along a predetermined direction of movement;
• wherein each carriage comprises a first hub member having a first axis, a first pair of wheels arranged on said first hub member, the wheels of said first pair of wheels being arranged coaxially relative to said first axis, and a second hub member being spaced from said first hub member, said first and second hub members being arranged such that said first and second axes are spaced apart and extend substantially parallel relative to one another, wherein a second pair of wheels is arranged on said second hub member, the wheels of said second pair of wheels being arranged coaxially relative to second axis, wherein said wheels of said first and second pairs of wheels have peripheral surfaces, the first and second axes extend substantially transversely relative to the direction of movement and are spaced along the direction of movement;
• and
• wherein said carriage further comprises a body member arranged to support said first and second pairs of wheels, said body member including a top cover member connecting said first and second hub members and a skid member connected to said top cover member, the body member being arranged such that said peripheral surfaces of said wheels of said first and second pair of wheels form article supporting surfaces, and said body member further includes an open channel defined by said top cover member and extending through said carriage between said first and second pairs of wheels, said channel extending substantially transversely relative to said direction of movement.

Apparatus for transporting articles comprising:

• a plurality of carriages;
• means for moving the carriages along a predetermined direction of movement;
• and
• support means over which the carriages are arranged to be moved,
• wherein each carriage comprises first and second pairs of wheels, the wheels in each pair being arranged coaxially, and the axes of the two pairs extending substantially transversely to the direction of movement and being spaced along the direction of movement, and a skid member for supporting said first and second pairs of wheels, the skid member being arranged such that the peripheral surfaces of the wheels form article supporting surfaces, and such that a channel extending substantially transversely to the direction of movement extends through the carriage between the two pairs of wheels, wherein said support means comprise support members, one or more of which is movable, arranged to contact said wheels of the carriages to cause rotation thereof.

Apparatus for transporting articles comprising:

• a plurality of carriages;
• and
• means for moving the carriages along a predetermined direction of movement including a plurality of axles extending substantially transversely to the direction of movement and coupled to at least one endless chain to form an endless conveyor, and means for moving said axles;
• and
• wherein a plurality of said carriages are pivotally mounted on each axle, the carriages carried by each axle being spaced along the respective axle across the width of the conveyor;
• wherein each said carriage comprises first and second pairs of wheels, the wheels in each pair being arranged coaxially, the axes of the two pairs extending substantially transversely to the direction of movement and being spaced along the direction of movement, and a skid member for supporting said first and second pairs of wheels, the skid member being arranged such that peripheral surfaces of the wheels form article supporting surfaces, and such that a channel extending substantially transversely to the direction of movement extends through the carriage between the two pairs of wheels.

Apparatus for transporting articles comprising:

• a plurality of carriages;
• support means for supporting the carriages;
• and
• means for moving the carriages along a predetermined direction of movement;
• wherein each carriage comprises first and second pairs of wheels, the wheels in each pair being arranged coaxially, and the axes of the two pairs extending substantially transversely to the direction of movement and being spaced along the direction of movement, and a skid member for supporting said first and second pairs of wheels, the skid member being arranged such that peripheral surfaces of the wheels form article supporting surfaces, and such that a channel extending substantially transversely to the direction of movement extends through the carriage between the two pairs of wheels;
• and
• wherein said support means comprises a plurality of elongated support members spaced across the transverse extent of the conveyor, alternate ones of the support members being fixed and the others of the support members being movable, wherein spacing between adjacent support members is large enough to receive the skid member of a respective carriage such that the wheels of that carriage run along two spaced adjacent support members.

Apparatus for carrying and enabling rotation of articles, said apparatus comprising;

• at least one carriage, each carriage including first and second pairs of wheels, the wheels in each pair being arranged coaxially, and the axes of the two pairs being spaced apart and extending substantially parallel relative to one another, and wherein said carriage further comprises a body member arranged to support said first and second pairs of wheels, said body member comprising a top cover member and a skid member connected to said top cover member;
• support means for supporting each carriage on said apparatus;
• and
• means for moving each carriage over said support means such that said first and second axes extend transversely to the direction of movement of said carriage, said support means comprising a plurality of surfaces arranged to contact said wheels of said first and second pairs of wheels;
• said wheels of said first and second pairs of wheels having peripheral surfaces, wherein said peripheral surfaces of said wheels are one of serrated, and screw threaded, and wherein one or more of said wheels of said first and second pairs of wheels is arranged to contact a surface during movement of said carriage over said support means, whereby rotation is imparted to the wheel or wheels contacting the surface.

Apparatus for carrying and enabling rotation of articles, said apparatus comprising:

• at least one carriage having first and second pairs of wheels with first and second axes respectively, the wheels in each pair being arranged coaxially, and the axes of the two pairs being substantially parallel and spaced apart, and a skid member for supporting said first and second pairs of wheels;
• support means for each carriage comprising a plurality of transversely spaced elongate support members, alternate ones of the support members being fixed and the others of the support members being movable, the spacing between adjacent support members being large enough to receive the skid member of a respective carriage such that the wheels of that carriage run along two spaced adjacent support members;
• and
• means for moving each carriage over said support means comprising at least one axle extending substantially transversely to the direction of movement, along which the carriages are spaced, and to which the carriages are coupled;
• wherein at least one of surfaces of the wheels is one of serrated, and screw threaded, and wherein one or more of the wheels of each carriage is arranged to contact the support means during the movement of the carriage thereover whereby rotation is imparted to the contacted wheels.