Patent ID: 8939273
Filing Date: 2015-01-27
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
1. A laner apparatus for diverting product to one of a plurality of lanes, the laner apparatus comprising: an entrance constructed and arranged to receive a plurality of products from an upstream processing line; a movable portion; a pivoting guide having a distal end and a proximal end, the distal end of the pivoting guide being attached to the entrance, the proximal end of the pivoting guide being attached to the movable portion; and at least one pacing screw attached to the movable portion, the at least one pacing screw having a thread, the thread having a pitch and a radius, the pitch and radius being selected to accommodate a unit of product between two axially adjacent portions of the thread; and a conveyor belt for receiving product metered by the at least one pacing screw, the conveyor belt being positioned downstream from the pivoting guide; a corral attached to the movable portion and downstream of the at least one pacing screw, the corral having two opposing ends and two opposing sides, the two opposing sides defining a channel between the two opposing ends of the corral, each of the two opposing sides having an interior surface and an exterior surface; and a plurality of extending guides, each extending guide having a fixed portion and a movable portion, the fixed portion being attached to the exterior surface of one of the two opposing sides of the corral, the movable portion being slidably coupled to the fixed portion of the extending guide; wherein the plurality of extending guides have an extended position and a retracted position, the extending guides configured to extend to the extended position before lateral movement of the movable portion to a new position and retract to retracted position after lateral movement of the movable portion to the new position.