Abstract:
A conveying arrangement includes a conveying chain having a series of stems on which items to be conveyed can be spaced at a first distance. The conveying chain also includes a plurality of adapter blocks attached to at least some of the stems such that the items can be spaced at a second distance.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates generally to a conveying arrangement for changing the spacing of articles on a conveying chain.  
         [0003]     2. Related Art  
         [0004]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a conventional drive chain  1  has stems  2  with a spacing or pitch A of about 1.5 inches. The drive chain  1  is used to transport mounting chucks or other types of carriers for transporting objects. For example, this arrangement can be used to transport containers mounted thereon (not shown) through a spraying operation and can be hundreds or thousands of feet long, for example, about 1300 feet.  
         [0005]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , a drive chain  1  can have a mounting chuck  4  mounted on every other stem  2  such that the spacing between each mounting chuck  4  is about twice that of the spacing between adjacent stems  2 . Thus, in the exemplary embodiment, the spacing B between mounting chucks will be about 3.0 inches. In the use described above, the first spacing B of 3.0 inches between mounting chucks  4  is suitable for conveying containers of 16 ounces and smaller on each mounting chuck  4 . However, the first spacing of 3.0 inches may not be sufficient to accommodate bottles of greater than 16 ounces on each mounting chuck  4 . For example, if the first spacing of 3.0 inches between mounting chucks is used, a container greater than 16 ounces can only mounted on every other mounting chuck in the arrangement of  FIG. 2 . In the alternative, a mounting chuck  4  could be arranged on every third stem such that the containers could be mounted on each mounting chuck. This provides a spacing of 4.5 inches between chucks, which can result in an excessive amount of space between objects and an undesirable reduction in the number of objects attachable to the drive chain. Either of these scenarios for a container of greater than  16  ounces results in decreased production and wasted product used in the spraying process.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     A conveying arrangement in accordance with the present invention includes a conveying chain having a series of stems on which items to be conveyed can be spaced at a first distance, and a plurality of adapter blocks attached to at least some of the stems such that the items can be spaced at a second distance. As such, the plurality of adapter blocks change the spacing of the conveying chain.  
         [0007]     The plurality of adapter blocks include a plurality of first adapter blocks adapted to receive an item to be conveyed at a first position offset with respect to the chain stems, and a plurality of second adapter blocks adapted to receive an item to be conveyed at a second, different position offset with respect to the chain stems. The plurality of first and second adapter blocks are arranged such that the items can be spaced at the second distance.  
         [0008]     Further objectives and advantages, as well as the structure and function of preferred embodiments will become apparent from a consideration of the description, drawings, and examples. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements.  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  depicts a conventional conveying chain used in conjunction with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  depicts a conveying arrangement with conveyed items spaced at a first spacing.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  depicts an exemplary embodiment of a conveying arrangement in accordance with the present invention in which the conveyed items are spaced at a second spacing.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4A  depicts a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a half offset adapter block in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4B  depicts a top view of the half offset adapter block shown in  FIG. 4A .  
         [0015]      FIG. 4C  depicts a side view of the half offset adapter block shown in  FIG. 4A .  
         [0016]      FIG. 4D  depicts a cross sectional view of the half offset adapter block shown in  FIG. 4C  through line I-I.  
         [0017]      FIG. 5A  depicts a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a full offset adapter block in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 5B  depicts a top view of the full offset adapter block shown in  FIG. 5A .  
         [0019]      FIG. 5C  depicts a side view of the full offset adapter block shown in  FIG. 5A .  
         [0020]      FIG. 5D  depicts a cross sectional view of the half offset adapter block shown in  FIG. 5C  through line II-II. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]     Embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail below. In describing embodiments, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected. While specific exemplary embodiments are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations can be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the invention. Any reference cited herein is hereby incorporated by reference.  
         [0022]     The present invention utilizes a combination of adapter blocks to change the spacing of the conveying chain from a first spacing to a second spacing. In the exemplary embodiment, the spacing of the mounting chucks can be changed from 3.0 inches to 3.5 inches, which can more efficiently accommodate mounting chucks for, for example, bottles that are greater than 16 ounces.  
         [0023]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , in the exemplary embodiment, two types of adapter blocks are used to change the spacing from the first spacing B, as shown in  FIG. 2 , to the second spacing C. A first type of adapter block is a half offset block  6 ,  7 , which receives two chain stems in upper bores and receives a mounting chuck in a lower bore at a position horizontally outside of the two chain stems. A second type of adapter block is a full offset block  10 ,  11 , which receives two chain stems in upper bores and receives a mounting check in a lower bore at a position horizontally inside of the two chain stems. A plurality of the half adapter blocks  6 ,  7  and the full adapter blocks  10 ,  1   1  are arranged such that the items can be spaced at the second spacing C.  
         [0024]     In the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the half offset adapter blocks  6 ,  7  and the full offset adapter blocks  10 ,  11  are arranged on the stems  4  to form a unit  12  of conveying stems  4  to space the items at the second spacing C. A single unit  12  has the following consecutive arrangement, as shown from left to right in  FIG. 3 : a first stem has a mounting chuck mounted thereon; a second stem is uncovered; third and fourth stems have one of the half offset adapter blocks  6  mounted thereon; fifth and sixth stems have another one of the half offset adapter blocks  7  mounted thereon; a seventh stem is uncovered; an eighth stem has a mounting chuck  4  mounted thereon; ninth and tenth stems have one of the full offset adapter blocks  10  mounted thereon; eleventh and twelfth stems is uncovered; and thirteenth and fourteenth stems have another one of the full offset adapter blocks  11  mounted thereon. Each of the lower bores of the full adapter blocks  10 ,  11  and the offset adapter blocks  6 ,  7  receive one of the mounting chucks  4 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the half offset adapter block  6  is the same as half offset adapter block  7 , except that adapter block  7  is rotated about its vertical axis with respect to adapter block  6 . Similarly, the full offset adapter block  10  is the same as full offset adapter block  11 , except that adapter block  11  is rotated about its vertical axis with respect to adapter block  10 .  
         [0025]      FIGS. 4A-4D  show various views of an exemplary embodiment of the half offset adapter block  6 ,  7 .  
         [0026]     The following dimensions are by way of example only. The half offset blocks  6 ,  7  are generally cube shaped with a length  14  of about 2.7 inches, a width  16  of about 1 inch, and a height  18  of about 1.6 inches. The two upper bores  22  of each half offset block  6 ,  7  have a diameter of about 0.4 inches. Each of the upper bores  22  of the half offset block  6 ,  7  has a center about 0.6 inches from an adjacent end of the half offset block, and the lower bore  24  of each half offset block  6 ,  7  has a diameter of about 0.4 inches. The lower bore  24  of the half offset block  6 ,  7  has a center about 1.1 inches from one of the ends of the half offset block.  
         [0027]      FIGS. 5A-5D  show various views of an exemplary embodiment of the full offset adapter block  10 ,  11   
         [0028]     The following dimensions are by way of example only. Each full offset block  10 ,  11  is generally cube shaped with a length  26  of about 3.2 inches, a width  28  of about 1 inch, and a height  30  of about 1.6 inches. The two upper bores  32 ,  34  of the full offset block  10 ,  11  have a diameter of about 0.4 inches. One of the upper bores  32  of the full offset block  10 ,  11  has a center about 0.6 inches from one of the ends of the full offset block, and the other upper bore  34  of the full offset block  10 ,  11  has a center about 2.1 inches from the same end of the full offset block  10 ,  11 . The lower bore  36  of the full offset block  10 ,  11  has a diameter of about 0.4 inches and a center that is about 2.6 inches from the end of the full offset block.  
         [0029]     Although the illustrated embodiment of the adapter blocks are adapted to receive mounting checks, other embodiments can include mounting chucks formed integrally therewith. Further, although the exemplary embodiment desribed herein is used for transporting containers, the invention can also be used to transport other articles suspended from a drive chain. The use of half offset blocks and full offset blocks is by way of example. A person skilled in the art could utilize differently dimensional sets of offset blocks to achieve a variety of spacings. The spacings could be similar or dissimilar depending on the particular use. The invention is useful for obtaining similar or regular spacings between chucks or objects being conveyed. It will be understood that more than two types of offset blocks may be utilized to achieve different spacings.  
         [0030]     The embodiments illustrated and discussed in this specification are intended only to teach those skilled in the art the best way known to the inventors to make and use the invention. Nothing in this specification should be considered as limiting the scope of the present invention. All examples presented are representative and non-limiting. The above-described embodiments of the invention may be modified or varied, without departing from the invention, as appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.