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AssigneeProgressive Tool & Industries Co.
InventorsRobert O. Alexander, Michael R. Dugas, Mark W. Hazelton, Patrick J. Kenny
Estimating the term…
A carrier is mounted for movement along a conveying path defined by a pair of conveying rails, one of which has a relatively short gap at a work station. A manipulator device is located at the work station and includes a relatively short conveying rail section which may selectively located to span the gap in the one rail or located in a position displaced from the rail. An article support frame is mounted upon the carrier for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the rails between conveying position and a transfer position. A rail gripping device fixed to the support frame slides along the one rail to support the support frame in its conveying position during movement of the carrier along the rails. When the carrier arrives at the work station, the gripping device engages the short rail section of the manipulator which is then actuated to displace the rail section from the rail to pivot the support frame to its transfer position in which an article supported on the support frame may be processed by tooling located at the work station.
Article handling apparatus comprising a pair of first and second spaced parallel elongate conveying rails defining a fixed conveying path, one of said rails including a movable rail section, manipulator means operable to move said movable rail section between a first position wherein said section is aligned with and functions as a portion of said one of said rails and a second position wherein said section is located in displaced parallel offset relationship from said first position, an article carrier mounted on said rails for movement along said fixed conveying path, an article support frame mounted on said carrier for movement relative to said carrier between a conveying position and a transfer position, rail gripping means fixedly secured to said support frame and slidable along said one of said rails for locating said support frame in its conveying position when said gripping means is located on the fixed portions of said one of said rails and being operable when located on said rail section to move said support frame relative to said carrier between said conveying position and said transfer position in response to movement of said rail section between its first and second positions.
Article handling apparatus comprising fixed frame means, a carrier mounted on said frame means for movement along a fixed conveying path, article support means for detachably supporting an article, mean mounting said article support means upon said carrier for movement therewith along said conveying path and for movement relative to said carrier between a conveying position and a transfer position, manipulating means mounted on said frame means at a first location on said path, said manipulating means including a manipulator member mounted for movement between a first position wherein said member is located on said conveying path and a second position wherein said member is displaced from said path, drive means for driving said member in movement between said first and second positions, and gripping means fixedly mounted upon said support means engageable with said member when said carrier is at said first location to couple said support means to said member to move said support means relative to said carrier between said conveying and transfer positions in response to movement of said member between said first and second positions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.