US 6,405,853 B1Granted

Conveyor system for can end conversion systems

OwnerSteven T. Cook, James R. Schubert +1inventors

InventorsSteven T. Cook, James R. Schubert, Stephen P. Common

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Abstract

The transfer nest for an endless conveyor belt of reinforced flexible rubber-like material, optionally with cogs or teeth on its underside, a series of such nests fitted into holes in the belt. The nests are attached to the belt solely at their opposite edges on lines extending transverse to the belt. The belt with attached nests, having end shells trapped therein, is moved stepwise through progressive conversion tooling for making shells into completed can ends. Shells are positively seated into the nests by moving the shells through a discontinuous entrance rim, preferably defined by the upper parts of a circular array of independent flexible stepped (preferably L-shaped) fingers which support the shells which are each trapped in a nest as the nests are transferred through the conversion tooling. Completed ends may be carried around the end of the conveyor upper flight, and the ends can be ejected from the nests.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A carrier nest for use in a conveyor system for container end shells to be processed, said nest including

a base ring having a central through opening and a peripheral support means dimensioned to seat upon the edge of an opening in a conveyor belt holding said through opening in alignment with the belt opening,
an array of independent fingers spaced apart from each other and extending inwardly from a lower portion of said base ring and arrayed around said through opening and adapted to receive and surround the periphery of a shell and hold the shell in said nest during conversion work on the shell,
said fingers also having a flexible support arm extending between said base ring and the related finger,
said support arms being sufficiently flexible to permit independent motion of said fingers,
said fingers each also including radially inwardly extending legs thereon defining a discontinuous annular surface within said base ring adapted to support the periphery of an end shell within the nest,
said fingers also having upper cam surfaces above said inwardly extending legs defining an entrance opening into the nest which is statically lesser in area than the discontinuous annular support surface,
whereby a shell can be moved through the entrance opening by causing said arms to flex with an outward component until the shell passes said cam surfaces and moves onto the discontinuous annular support surface.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.