Patent ID: 9580198
Date: 2017-02-28
CPC Classifications: B65C,B65G

Claim:
1. A line converger comprising: a conveyor belt having a first end, a second end, a width, and a length defined by said first end and said second end, said conveyor belt disposed for movement to convey a plurality of packages along said length in a conveying direction, wherein said width allows for conveyance of two or more of a plurality of packages in a side-by-side arrangement in said conveying direction; at least one guide rail having an upstream end and a downstream end, said at least one guide rail disposed above said conveyor belt between said first end and said second end of said conveyor belt; wherein said at least one guide rail is disposed to reduce a conveying width of said conveyor belt between a first conveying width and a second conveying width, and wherein said first conveying width allows conveyance of two or more of a plurality of packages in a side-by-side arrangement, and said second conveying width only allows conveyance of a plurality of packages in a one-after-the-other arrangement; wherein said upstream end of said at least one guide rail at least partially defines said first conveying width, and said downstream end of said at least one guide rail at least partially defines said second conveying width, and wherein said downstream end of said at least one guide rail is disposed for movement in at least a direction transverse to said conveying direction for reducing or increasing the second conveying width; said at least one guide rail further comprising a guide member disposed at said downstream end to align a package at a location along said width of said conveyor belt; at least two stoppers disposed above said conveyor belt between said first end and said second end and upstream of said at least one guide rail, each of said at least two stoppers being arranged laterally adjacent to each other in a direction transverse to the conveying direction, wherein each of said at least two stoppers are independently moveable for selectively stopping the conveyance of one or more of a plurality of packages conveyed on said conveyor belt while said conveyor belt is moving; a control unit in electronic communication with said conveyor belt; a label dispenser disposed above said conveyor belt proximate said second end of said conveyor belt and disposed downstream of said downstream end of said at least one guide rail, said label dispenser being disposed along said width of said conveyor belt to align with said downstream end of said at least one guide rail for applying a label to a package while the package is still fully or partly conveyed on the length of the conveyor belt; and said label dispenser further including a sensor connected to the control unit for detecting a leading edge of a package upon which the label is to be applied.