Patent ID: 7413088

Claim:
Apparatus for self-clearing of clogs developed between adjacent ends of downstream and upstream conveyors adapted to carry products thereon in the course of transfer of the products past a gap defined between the conveyors, comprising a shield disposed between the adjacent ends of the conveyors and configured to cover less than all of the gap between the conveyors and having a proximal side edge disposed adjacent the end of the upstream conveyor, thereby defining an opening for the discharge of debris associated with the products being transferred between the conveyors through said opening, means for mounting said shield for selected degrees of covering relationship to the gap between the conveyors, means for biasing said shield toward a position of maximum covering of the gap while permitting automatic movement of said shield toward a position of reduced covering of the gap as a function of the application of a force against said shield occasioned by the initiation of a clog by debris associated with the products being transferred between said shield and the upstream conveyor, wherein said means for mounting said shield comprises shaft means rotatably mounting said proximal side edge of said shield across the width of the gap, said width being measured substantially perpendicular to the forward direction of movement of the downstream conveyor; and hinge means for mounting said shaft means for hinged movement generally laterally between the adjacent ends of the conveyors and within the gap.