Apparatus for diverting a lane of successive articles to plural lanes

Apparatus for supporting, conveying, and steering articles comprising:

• a plurality of generally upright shafts, each shaft having a top end and a bottom end;
• supporting-arranging means for supporting the shafts and arranging the top ends in a transverse row, with transverse spacing between adjacent shafts;
• a bracket mounted on the top end of the shaft, and pivotable about an axis disposed through said shaft;
• an axle horizontally mounted on each bracket;
• rollers rotatably mounted on the axles for supporting and conveying articles, the rollers having ring portions;
• a transverse drive shaft powered by a power source and spaced below the axles, the transverse drive shaft having a plurality of ring portions which are transversely spaced in alignment with the ring portions of the rollers;
• a transverse rod supported for translatory movement, the rod extending past and linking each bracket so translatory changes of position in the rod cause angular changes of position of the brackets;
• impelling means for impelling translatory changes of position of the rod, thereby pivoting the rollers through a range of angular positions for steering the articles;
• flexible, endless bands for transmitting power between the ring portions of the drive shaft and the ring portions of the rollers;
• the endless bands having resiliency for transmitting power even while stretched or twisted in response to pivoting of the rollers;
• and
• the endless bands define central openings while transmitting power, and portions of the supporting-arranging means are fixedly passed through those openings without interfering with the transmission of power by the endless bands.

An apparatus for supporting, conveying, and diverting a lane of successive articles to supply at least two lanes;

• the apparatus comprising:
• an array of rollers providing rolling surfaces upon which the articles can be supported and conveyed;
• supporting-arranging means for supporting each roller to rotate about a first axis and pivot about a second axis and for arranging the rollers by arranging the second axes in a plurality of transverse rows, with longitudinal spacing between adjacent rows and transverse spacing between adjacent rollers of the same row;
• driving means powered by a power source for positively driving the rollers;
• row-pivoting means for each transverse row of rollers for pivoting the rollers of that row through a range of angular positions;
• and
• detector-preparator-selector means for operating the row-pivoting means and thereby steer the articles across the array of rollers along prescribed sharp-angled paths, by detecting the infeed of articles onto the array of rollers and then monitoring the progressive positions of the articles along the array of rollers, by pivoting each roller head-on relative to the line of travel of each oncoming article, and by selecting rows of rollers at selected instants when a selected article is concurrently in rolling contact with the rolling surfaces of some of the rollers of those selected rows for pivoting the rollers of those selected rows from one position to another position as to attain recoilless accuracy.

A method of supporting, conveying, and diverting a lane of successive articles to supply at least two lanes;

• the method comprising the steps
• providing rollers that have rolling surfaces upon which the articles can be supported and conveyed;
• supporting each roller to rotate about a first axis and pivot about a second axis;
• arranging the rollers by arranging the second axes in a plurality of transverse rows, with longitudinal spacing between adjacent rows and transverse spacing between adjacent rollers of the same row;
• powering a driving means for positively driving the rollers;
• detecting the infeed of articles onto the array of rollers and then monitoring the progressive positions of the article along the array of rollers;
• pivoting each roller head-on relative to the line of travel of each oncoming article;
• and
• selecting rows of rollers at selected instants when a selected article is concurrently in rolling contact with the rolling surfaces of some of the rollers of those selected rows for pivoting the rollers of those selected rows from one position to another position as to attain recoilless accuracy, thereby steering the articles across the array of rollers along prescribed sharp-angled paths.