Patent ID: 6923310
Filing Date: 2005-08-02
Classification: A43D,B65G

Abstract:
1. A footwear article conveyer adapted for use with a plurality of carriers so as to carry footwear articles through a series of work stations, said conveyer comprising: an article-conveying line adapted to extend through the work stations, adapted to receive the carriers thereon and to permit sliding movement of the carriers thereon, and having an article-loading end and an article-unloading end, wherein said article-conveying line includes a pair of parallel first sliding rails adapted to permit sliding movement of the carriers thereon; a first driving unit adapted to drive intermittently the carriers to move simultaneously along said article-conveying line by a predetermined distance each time, wherein said first driving unit includes a pair of first driving rollers that are respectively disposed adjacent to said article-loading end and said article-unloading end of said article-conveying line, and a chain that is trained on said first driving rollers and that is adapted to engage releasably each of the carriers so as to drive the carriers to slide on said first sliding rails; a carrier-returning line separate from said article-conveying line and having a carrier-loading end and a carrier-unloading end, wherein said carrier-returning line includes a pair of parallel second sliding rails adapted to permit sliding movement of said one of the carriers thereon, and disposed above said first sliding rails; a first shifting unit adapted to shift one of the carriers, which is disposed at said article-unloading end of said article-conveying line, from said article-conveying line to said carrier-loading end of said carrier-returning line; a second driving unit adapted to drive said one of the carriers to move along said carrier-returning line from said carrier-loading end to said carrier-unloading end, wherein said second driving unit includes a pair of second driving rollers that are respectively disposed adjacent to said carrier-loading end and said carrier-unloading end of said carrier-returning line, and a belt that is trained on said second driving rollers and that has a toothed outer surface which is adapted to engage frictionally said one of the carriers so as to drive said one of the carriers to slide on said second sliding rail; and a second shifting unit adapted to shift said one of the carriers from said carrier-unloading end of said carrier-returning line to said article-loading end of said article-conveying line; wherein said first shifting unit includes a first vertical support, a first stage mounted movably on said first vertical support, and a first hydraulic cylinder connected to said first stage so as to move hydraulically said first stage between a first lower position, in which said first stage is disposed at a first level corresponding to said article-unloading end of said article-conveying line, thereby permitting horizontal shifting of said one of the carriers to said first stage, and a first upper position, in which said first stage is disposed at a second level corresponding to said carrier-loading end of said carrier-returning line, thereby permitting horizontal shifting of said one of the carriers to said carrier-loading end of said carrier-returning line, and wherein said first shifting unit further includes a horizontal hydraulic cylinder that is connected to the first hydraulic cylinder so as to be movable therewith, and that is operable to move said one of the carriers from said first stage to said carrier-loading end of said carrier-returning line.