Patent GB-1099046-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to conveyors
Inventor: ROOKE SYDNEY WILLIAM
IPC: B65G47/48
Filed: 1965-11-16
Abstract: 1,099,046. Endless conveyers. SOVEX Ltd. Nov. 7,1966 [Nov.16, 1965], No. 48583/65 Heading B8A.  In a conveyer in which documents 46 are carried in trays 1 which are drawn around a circuit by an endless chain 2 and each tray 1 can be caused automatically to discharge its documents 46 at a discharged station, the tray has a bottom inclined towards one side where it is normally closed by an openable flap 13. The chain 2 is guided by wheels 7, 7 running between vertical rails 8, 8, and wheels 5, 5, running on a horizontal track 6. This assembly may be enclosed in a housing 49 having a flexible seal 50 for a connecting member 9 which supports the respective tray 1. Each flap 13 carries a series of 6 setting rods 27 designated by letters A-F (Fig. 2), and a further set of 6 rods 27 designated by digits 1-7. Each rod 27 may be depressed into an operative position by manually pressing a plunger portion 29. For discharge at a given station a corresponding combination of one rod 27 of the series A-F, and one of the series 1-7 is depressed. At each discharge station an arrangement of four levers 36; 37, 38 and 39, is provided, each being connected with a toothed wheel 40 in engagement with a rack bar 41 normally spring- loaded to a leftward position (as viewed in Fig. 3) by a spring 42. At each discharge station, the positions of the levers 36, 38 and 39, are different in relation to the lever 37. In operation, as a tray approaches a discharge station, a member 43 carried by the flap 13 engages the lever 37 (Fig. 4 (a), not shown). This actuates the rack bar 41 to turn the remaining levers 36, 38 and 39, into an operative position (Fig. 4 (b), not shown), in which the lever 36 is normally engaged by the lower end of the depressed rod 27 of the series 1-7. This gives a further degree of rotation to the levers 38, and 39 (Fig. 4 (c), not shown), in which the lever 39 is normally engaged by the depressed rod 27 of the series A-F. This brings the lever 38 into a position in which it is adapted to engage a pawl 26 connected by linkage to release rods 17, 17. These are carried by the flap 13 and normally engage apertures in the end walls 12, 12 of the tray 1. When they are retracted in this manner the flap tends to open to a small degree as limited by the engagement of a roller 44 with a cam rail 45. As the tray proceeds into the unloading area, the roller 44 runs on a portion 45b of the cam rail 45 to permit the flap 13 to open into the discharge position. The rods 27 are retained in their set position by the action of a lip 33 on a latch member 30a which prevents retraction of a flange 32 on each rod 27. When the flap 13 is moved to the open position, lugs (not shown) on the end walls 12, 12, engage the latch member 30a to release the flanges of the depressed rods and permit them to move back into their normal positions. The tray 12 may open to either side using an inverted -V-shape for the bottom of the tray, or using an inclined bottom actuated by' the discharging operations. In a modification (not shown), flaps on both sides of the tray may be moved at the same time so that the flap farthest from the discharge side is used to sweep articles across a flat bottom of the tray. Alternatively, a tiltable tray normally inclined to one side may be provided, discharge being effected to that side by opening a flap, and to the other side by tilting of the trays.