Patent ID: 9415948
Filing Date: 2016-08-16
CPC Classification: B65G

Claim Text:
1. An article stabilizer device for stabilizing articles being accumulated on a moving conveyor belt, the article stabilizer device comprising: a frame; a plurality of fences movably attached to the frame, each fence being independently and selectively movable with respect to the frame from a first standby position to an operating position, the plurality of fences being movable with respect to the frame from the operating position to a second standby position, the plurality of fences being movable with respect to the frame from the second standby position to the first standby position; the article stabilizer device being in a first operating state when the fences are each in the first standby position and in a second operating state when the fences are each in the operating position and in a third operating state when the fences are each in the second standby position; when the article stabilizer device is in the second operating state, the fences being spaced apart from each other and defining a conveyor path with respect to the frame extending in a downstream direction along the fences, the fences being adapted to obstruct articles being conveyed by the conveyor belt along the conveyor path when the conveyor path is located adjacent the conveyor belt, the fences being spaced apart from one another wherein adjacent pairs of fences cooperatively define an accumulation area between them along the conveyor path to permit articles on the conveyor path to be captured and retained in the accumulation area between the adjacent pairs of fences; when the article stabilizer device is in the first operating state or the third operating state, the fences being spaced away from the conveyor path so as to not obstruct articles being conveyed by the conveyor belt when the conveyor path is located adjacent the conveyor belt; each upstream fence of the adjacent pairs of fences being movable from the first standby position to the operating position without entering the accumulation space cooperatively defined between the upstream fence and the adjacent downstream fence of the adjacent pair of fences; and each fence being movable from the operating position of the fence to the second standby position of the fence without entering any accumulation area cooperatively defined by the fence.