Conveying methods and apparatus

A method of conveying articles comprising the steps of:

• A) conveying articles upwardly on a driven inclined first conveyor at an angle of at least 25 degrees, so that any articles disposed atop other articles will fall off;
• B) discharging the articles from an upper end of the first conveyor downwardly onto a second conveyor traveling generally horizontally at a linear speed at least twice that of the first conveyor in a direction substantially perpendicularly to a direction of travel of the first conveyor, as viewed in plan, whereby the articles tend to become aligned in single file on the second conveyor;
• and
• C) discharging the articles from a downstream end of the second conveyor downwardly onto an upstream end of a third conveyor traveling generally horizontally at a linear speed at least twice that of the second conveyor in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the second conveyor as viewed in plan.

A method of conveying articles comprising the steps of:

• A) introducing articles onto an upstream conveyor traveling in a generally horizontal direction, the articles being introduced adjacent an inner longitudinal edge of the upstream conveyor in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the upstream conveyor, as viewed in plan;
• B) driving the upstream conveyor at a linear speed at least twice that of the speed of articles introduced onto the upstream conveyor;
• C) discharging the articles onto a slide extending downwardly from a downstream end of the upstream conveyor to an upstream end of a downstream conveyor, the slide being transversely inclined toward an inner longitudinal edge of the downstream conveyor;
• D) guiding the articles along the slide and into contact with a vertical wall extending along the inner longitudinal edge of the downstream conveyor;
• and
• E) driving the downstream conveyor at substantially the same linear speed as the upstream conveyor.