Patent ID: 7021452

Claim:
Apparatus for diverting a stream of articles, comprising: a first conveyor driven in a first direction and at a first speed; a second conveyor driven in a second direction generally opposite of said first direction and at a second speed; said first and second conveyors disposed generally parallel to each other; a diverter element driven in a path generally parallel to said first and second conveyors, said diverter element extending at least partially across said first and second conveyors to divert articles conveyed on said first conveyor onto said second conveyor; wherein said diverted element is supported on a carrier, said carrier driven at a speed and a direction corresponding to a differential speed of said first and second conveyors, further including a first drive mechanism for said first conveyor and a second drive mechanism for said second conveyor, and a differential drive configured with said carrier; and wherein said first and second conveyors are disposed generally directly adjacent to each other such that articles on said first conveyor are diverted by said diverter element onto said second conveyor without support of an intermediary element between said conveyors.