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US 6,601,690 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for transferring drive
AssigneeScootabout International Limited
InventorDavid Lynton Jephcott
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A drive-transferring apparatus has a constraining guide (10) carrying a plurality of drive-transferring members (11) interconnected compressively. Drive members (13a) drive the drive-transferring members (11) about the constraining guide (10). One or more elongate apertures, such as slots (13), permit access to the drive-transferring members for connection of further members thereto, as well as for reading data carried by the drive-transferring members (11) or by members connected thereto.
Claims39
A drive-transferring apparatus, comprising:
- a drive assembly;
- a constraining guide defining a drive-transfer path;
- and
- a plurality of non-permanently connected drive-transferring members movably captive in the constraining guide for movement along the drive-transfer path and drivably engaged with the drive assembly, wherein:
- (i) the constraining guide includes at least one aperture permitting engagement of the drive-transferring members with at least one load support for articles in a drive-transferring manner;
- (ii) at least a plurality of the drive-transferring members are compressively interengaged for transferring drive from one drive-transferring member to the next along the drive-transfer path;
- at least a plurality of the compressively interengaged drive-transferring members being nonrotatable and slidable along the constraining guide, the drive-transferring members being moved by an external drive means;
- and
- (iii) at least one of the drive-transferring members includes means for conveying information relating to the drive-transferring members to a receiver for further processing.
6 more elements
A conveyor, comprising:
- a constraining guide defining a drive-transfer path;
- a plurality of non-permanently connected drive-transferring members movably captive in the constraining guide and movable along the drive-transfer path;
- and
- a drive assembly operable to engage at least one of the drive-transferring members to move the plurality of drive-transferring members;
- wherein:
- (i) the constraining guide includes at least one aperture permitting engagement of the drive-transferring members with at least one load support for articles in a drive-transferring manner;
- (ii) the drive-transferring members are movable by means of compressive interconnection, and at least a portion of each of at least a plurality of the drive-transferring members is nonrotatable, and moves by translation relative to the constraining guide, the drive-transferring members being moved by an external drive means;
- and
- (iii) at least one of the drive-transferring members includes means for conveying information relating to the drive-transferring members to a receiver for further processing.
6 more elements
A conveyor, comprising:
- a constraining guide defining a drive-transfer path;
- a plurality of non-permanently connected drive-transferring members movably captive in the constraining guide and movable along the drive-transfer path;
- and
- a drive assembly operable to engage at least one of the drive-transferring members to move the plurality of drive-transferring members;
- wherein:
- (i) the constraining guide includes at least one aperture permitting engagement of the drive-transferring members with at least one load support for articles in a drive-transferring manner;
- (ii) the drive-transferring members are movable by means of compressive interconnection via an external drive means, each drive-transferring member having a nonrotatable body and at least one roller that is captured in the constraining guide and that supports the nonratatable body, the nonrotatable body projecting beyond the radius of the at least one roller to engage a nonrotatable body of an adjacent drive-transferring member;
- and
- (iii) at least one of the drive-transferring members includes means for conveying information relating to the drive-transferring members to a receiver for further processing.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.