Conveyor having high speed discharge capabilities

A conveying apparatus for conveying a flat bottomed package thereon, comprising:

• a two-layer crowned deformable belt including an upper deformable crowned portion and a lower, less deformable, structural portion;
• and
• a substantially horizontal slider bed positioned adjacent said deformable belt;
• said belt and said slider bed configured to combine to support the weight of said packages, and said cushioned belt configured to urge said package along said conveying axis.

A conveying apparatus for conveying a flat-bottomed package thereon, said conveying apparatus comprising:

• a conveyor belt with a crowned top, said belt including an elongate substantially straight portion, said crowned top deforming under the weight of said package when placed thereon, said deformation being from its undeformed relaxed crowned shape to a deformed shape;
• and
• first and second elongate planar support means positioned on opposing sides of said straight portion of said belt and configured to provide support at a common plane, said plane intersecting or lying below said crowned top of said conveyor belt when said package is not positioned thereon,
• said belt and one of said first and second support means configured to combine to support the weight of said package, and said cushioned belt configured to urge said package along said conveying axis.

A conveying apparatus for conveying a package having a substantially planar, downwardly-directed lower surface, said conveying apparatus comprising:

• an endless belt having a portion lying along a substantially straight path having a longitudinal path axis, said belt defming an upper surface configured to contact said downwardly-directed lower surface of said package and to transport said package thereon while allowing said package to be tilted laterally thereon from an untilted neutral orientation to a tilted orientation;
• an ejection member configured to contact and urge said package such that said package is tilted from said neutral to said tilted orientation;
• and
• a withdrawal member positioned below the plane of and spaced from said downwardly-directed lower surface when said package is in said neutral orientation, but also positioned to be in frictional contact with a portion of said downwardly-directed lower surface when said package is in said tilted orientation and still in at least instantaneous contact with said endless belt, said frictional contact being sufficient to allow said withdrawal member to assist in the removal of said package from said belt,
• such that said package can be contacted and urged by said ejection member moving relatively towards said withdrawal member from said neutral to said tilted orientation and said withdrawal member can assist in the removal of said package from said belt.

A conveying apparatus for conveying a package having a substantially planar lower surface, said conveying apparatus comprising:

• an endless belt configured to transport a package along a conveying path, said endless belt having a crowned upper surface allowing said package to be tilted laterally atop said crowned surface such that said lower package surface can be in contact with said crowned surface yet can be tilted from a substantially horizontal to an inclined orientation;
• a withdrawal member having a frictionally engaging member configured to engage said package only when tilted laterally;
• and
• an ejection member for moving relatively towards said withdrawal member and contacting and tilting said package laterally across the longitudinal axis of said belt such that said withdrawal member frictionally engages a portion of said lower surface of said package while said package is at least instantaneously in contact with said endless belt, and tends to remove said package from atop said conveyor.

A conveying apparatus for conveying a package having a substantially planar, downwardly-directed lower surface including first and second spaced-apart lower surface portions, said conveying apparatus comprising:

• an endless belt having a portion lying along a substantially straight path having a longitudinal path axis, said belt defining an upper surface configured to contact said downwardly-directed lower surface of said package and to transport said package thereon, said belt having a width less than that of said package to allow said package to extend laterally therefrom on both sides of the belt to provide access from below to said lower surface portions of said planar lower surface and to allow said package to be tilted laterally thereon from a neutral orientation to one of two tilted orientations, said orientations being a first and a second tilted orientation;
• a first ejection member including at least one conveyor roller mounted to rotate about an axis substantially transverse to the conveying axis, said conveyor roller configured to contact and urge said first lower surface portion of said package such that said package is tilted from said neutral to said first tilted orientation;
• a second ejection member including at least one conveyor roller mounted to rotate about an axis substantially transverse to the conveying axis, said conveyor roller configured to contact and urge said second lower surface portion of said package such that said package is tilted from said neutral to said second tilted orientation;
• a first withdrawal member positioned below the plane of and spaced from said downwardly-directed lower surface when said package is in said neutral orientation, but also positioned to be in frictional contact with said downwardly-directed lower surface when said package is in said second orientation, said frictional contact being sufficient to allow said withdrawal member to assist in the removal of said package from said belt,
• a second withdrawal member positioned below the plane of and spaced from said downwardly-directed lower surface when said package is in said neutral orientation, but also positioned to be in frictional contact with said downwardly-directed lower surface when said package is in said second tilted orientation, said frictional contact being sufficient to allow said withdrawal member to assist in the removal of said package from said belt,
• such that said package can be contacted and urged by said first ejection member from said neutral to said first tilted orientation and said first withdrawal member can assist in the removal of said package from said belt in a first direction, and such that said package can be contacted and urged by said second ejection member from said neutral to said second tilted orientation and said second withdrawal member can assist in the removal of said package from said belt in a second direction.

A conveying apparatus for conveying a package having a substantially planar, downwardly-directed lower surface including first and second spaced-apart lower surface portions, said conveying apparatus comprising:

• an endless belt having a portion lying along a substantially straight path having an upstream and downstream portion both lying along a longitudinal path axis, said belt defining an upper surface configured to contact said downwardly-directed lower surface of said package and to transport said package thereon, said belt having a width less than that of said package to allow said package to extend laterally therefrom to provide access to said lower surface portions of said planar lower surface and to allow said package to be tilted laterally thereon from a neutral position to a first tilted position;
• a pair of slider beds on opposite sides of said first portion of said belt, said slider beds each defining a plurality of support portions all lying substantially in a first common plane;
• and
• a discharge station having two movable support means each defining a plurality of support portions all lying substantially in a second common plane, said movable support means commonly selectively movable relative to said longitudinal axis of said belt such that said plurality of support portions can be selectively moved from a position in which said first common plane is common to said second common plane to a position in which said first common plane is at an angle to said second common plane.

A conveying apparatus for conveying a package having a substantially planar, downwardly-directed lower surface including first and second spaced-apart lower surface portions, said conveying apparatus comprising:

• an endless belt having a portion lying along a substantially straight path having a longitudinal path axis, said belt defining an upper surface configured to contact said downwardly-directed lower surface of said package and to transport said package thereon, said belt having a width less than that of said package to allow said package to extend laterally therefrom on both sides of the belt to provide access from below to said lower surface portions of said planar lower surface and to allow said package to be tilted laterally thereon from a neutral orientation to one of two tilted orientations, said orientations being a first and a second tilted orientation;
• a first ejection member configured to contact and urge said first lower surface portion of said package such that said package is tilted from said neutral to said first tilted orientation;
• a second ejection member configured to contact and urge said second lower surface portion of said package such that said package is tilted from said neutral to said second tilted orientation;
• a first withdrawal member positioned below the plane of and spaced from said downwardly-directed lower surface when said package is in said neutral orientation, but also positioned to be in frictional contact with said downwardly-directed lower surface when said package is in said second orientation, said frictional contact being sufficient to allow said withdrawal member to assist in the removal of said package from said belt,
• a second withdrawal member positioned below the plane of and spaced from said downwardly-directed lower surface when said package is in said neutral orientation, but also positioned to be in frictional contact with said downwardly-directed lower surface when said package is in said second tilted orientation, said frictional contact being sufficient to allow said withdrawal member to assist in the removal of said package from said belt,
• wherein said first and second ejection members are synchronized in movement such that said first ejection member moves upwardly to tilt the package and said second ejection member moves downwardly away from the package, and vice versa,
• such that said package can be contacted and urged by said first ejection member from said neutral to said first tilted orientation and said first withdrawal member can assist in the removal of said package from said belt in a first direction, and such that said package can be contacted and urged by said second ejection member from said neutral to said second tilted orientation and said second withdrawal member can assist in the removal of said package from said belt in a second direction.

A conveying apparatus for conveying a package having a substantially planar, downwardly-directed lower surface including first and second spaced-apart lower surface portions, said conveying apparatus comprising:

• an endless belt having a portion lying along a substantially straight path having a longitudinal path axis, said belt defining an upper surface configured to contact said downwardly-directed lower surface of said package and to transport said package thereon, said belt having a width less than that of said package to allow said package to extend laterally therefrom on both sides of the belt to provide access from below to said lower surface portions of said planar lower surface and to allow said package to be tilted laterally thereon from a neutral orientation to one of two tilted orientations, said orientations being a first and a second tilted orientation;
• a first ejection member including at least one conveyor roller mounted to rotate about an axis substantially transverse to the conveying axis, said conveyor roller configured to contact and urge said first lower surface portion of said package such that said package is tilted from said neutral to said first tilted orientation;
• a second ejection member including at least one conveyor roller mounted to rotate about an axis substantially transverse to the conveying axis, said conveyor roller configured to contact and urge said second lower surface portion of said package such that said package is tilted from said neutral to said second tilted orientation;
• a first withdrawal member positioned below the plane of and spaced from said downwardly-directed lower surface when said package is in said neutral orientation, but also positioned to be in frictional contact with said downwardly-directed lower surface when said package is in said second orientation, said frictional contact being sufficient to allow said withdrawal member to assist in the removal of said package from said belt,
• a second withdrawal member positioned below the plane of and spaced from said downwardly-directed lower surface when said package is in said neutral orientation, but also positioned to be in frictional contact with said downwardly-directed lower surface when said package is in said second tilted orientation, said frictional contact being sufficient to allow said withdrawal member to assist in the removal of said package from said belt,
• wherein said first and second ejection members are part of a fork assembly, said fork assembly being selectively pivotable about a pivoting axis below said conveyor belt, such that as said pivoting fork assembly pivots about said pivoting axis from a neutral position to a first pivoted position, said first ejection member contacts said first lower surface portion and causes said package to tilt towards said first tilted position, and such that as said pivoting fork assembly pivots about said same pivoting axis from said neutral position to a second pivoted position, said second ejection member contacts said second lower surface portion and causes said package to tilt towards said second tilted position,
• such that said package can be contacted and urged by said first ejection member from said neutral to said first tilted orientation and said first withdrawal member can assist in the removal of said package from said belt in a first direction, and such that said package can be contacted and urged by said second ejection member from said neutral to said second tilted orientation and said second withdrawal member can assist in the removal of said package from said belt in a second direction.