Patent ID: 6062773
Filing Date: 2000-05-16
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
An air conveyor system for conveying an article having an article body and at least one flange extending radially outwardly from an upper portion of the article body, said at least one flange having a pair of downwardly facing shoulder portions on opposite sides of the article, the conveyor system comprising:a guide mechanism comprising a pair of spaced apart, generally parallel rails configured for engaging the shoulder portions to thereby support the article and guide the article as it is conveyed through the conveyor system;a plurality of air jet conveyor nozzles;a plenum in fluid communication with the conveyor nozzles for forcing pressurized air through the conveyor nozzles and adjacent the guide mechanism in a manner to push the article downstream along the rails from an inlet end of the guide mechanism to an outlet end of the guide mechanism;an article alignment mechanism positionable adjacent the inlet end of the guide mechanism and configured for directing the article into the inlet end of the guide mechanism, said article alignment mechanism comprises a pair of guide plates having opposing guide edges spaced laterally apart and defining an article receiving channel, said guide edges extending rearwardly from the inlet end of the guide mechanism and having forward ends generally adjacent the inlet end of the guide mechanism and distal ends upstream of the guide mechanism, the guide edges converge continuously inwardly toward one another from the distal ends thereof to the forward ends thereof to align the article with the guide rails of the guide mechanism as the article moves forwardly between the guide edges;at least one air jet infeed nozzle between the distal ends and the forward ends of the article alignment mechanism guide edges; andat least one conduit providing fluid communication between the plenum and said at least one infeed nozzle;said at least one infeed nozzle and said conduit being configured such that air in the plenum passes through the conduit and through said at least one infeed nozzle in a manner to push the article into the inlet end of the guide mechanism.