US 5,628,588 AGranted

Air conveyor having an elongated channel and a plurality of air ducts

AssigneeOuellette Machinery Systems, Inc.

InventorJoseph F. Ouellette

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Abstract

An air conveyor conveys bottle containers, the conveyor being constructed as a channel having a general, inverted-U-shaped configuration. The channel has a plurality of air ducts extending through the walls of the channel which communicate with a source of pressurized air to eject streams of air against the bottle containers being conveyed. The streams of air ejected from the ducts impinge upon the bottle containers to push the containers along the conveyor in the direction of travel. Each air duct has a first port opening, which emerges from the sidewall thereof below the pair of flanges, and a second port opening, which emerges from the sidewall thereof above the pair of flanges. The first port opening is a jet port configured to eject a stream of air against the bottle containers, and the second port opening is a vacuum port configured for drawing air from the channel.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An air conveyor for conveying containers, each container having a neck ring and a shoulder below the neck ring, each neck ring having an outer diameter dimension, the conveyor comprising:

an elongated channel with a hollow interior volume, the channel having a top wall and a pair of laterally spaced sidewalls positioned below the top wall, the top wall and the sidewalls together having an inverted-U-shaped configuration extending over and along opposite sides of the channel interior volume;
a pair of mutually opposed, laterally spaced flanges projecting from the pair of sidewalls into the channel interior volume, the channels having laterally opposed inner edges defining an elongated slot therebetween;
and
a plurality of air ducts extending through the pair of sidewalls, each air duct having at least two port openings where the air duct emerges from the sidewall thereof, with a first port opening emerging from the sidewall thereof in the channel interior volume below the pair of flanges and a second port opening emerging from the sidewall thereof in the channel interior volume above the pair of flanges wherein each first port opening is a jet port configured to eject a stream of air and each second port opening is a vacuum port configured for drawing air.

1 more element

An air conveyor for conveying containers, each container having a neck ring with a neck positioned above the neck ring and a shoulder below the neck ring, each neck ring having an outer diameter dimension, the conveyor comprising:

at least two longitudinally extending horizontal surfaces, the surfaces being laterally spaced by a distance smaller than the container neck ring outer diameter dimension;
an enclosed channel having a hollow interior positioned above the surfaces, the channel interior being sized to permit the container necks and neck rings to pass along the channel and within the channel interior with the container neck rings sliding in a friction engagement on the surfaces as the containers are conveyed along the conveyor;
a plurality of nozzles depending from at least one of the surfaces, each of the nozzles having a vacuum port opening above the surfaces and a jet port opening directed downwardly from the nozzles and below the surfaces toward the containers as the containers are conveyed along the conveyor;
a source of pressurized air supplying the jet port openings with air;
and
a plurality of air ducts extending between the air source, the channel interior, and the jet port openings, the ducts being configured for delivering the air from the air source to the jet port openings.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/623,890Filed 22 Mar 1996 · division
Priority: 17 Aug 1994
Granted: 13 May 1997
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B65G 15/14
With two or more endless belts: the load being conveyed between the belts
B65G 21/20
Supporting or protective framework or housings for endless load-carriers or traction elements of belt or chain conveyors: means incorporated in,…
B65G 47/642
By a linear displacement of the switching conveyor: in a horizontal plane
B65G 51/035
Over a flat surface or in troughs: for suspended articles, e.g. bottles