| LAITRAM, L.L.C. Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
|---|
| 20160001978 | DIVERTING CONVEYOR WITH MAGNETICALLY DRIVEN MOVERS - A conveyor and method for moving articles across a conveying surface using electromagnetically operated movers in a conveyor belt. The movers are retained in tracks in the conveyor belt. A magnetic field source produces a magnetic field that varies across the width of the belt. The magnetic field interacts with electrically conductive material, ferromagnetic material, or permanent magnets in the movers to propel the movers and divert articles engaged by the movers across the belt. Movers with retractable pushers fold down at the sides of the belt to allow articles pushed by other movers to pass over and off the side of the belt. | 01-07-2016 |
| 20150298910 | TEXTURED-TOP CONVEYOR BELT MODULE - A conveyor belt module has a textured top surface to prevent adhesion of products thereto. The textured top surface is formed by a pattern of humps. The pattern comprises sets of asymmetric and symmetric humps. The symmetric humps are perpendicular to the asymmetric humps. Openings through the module are formed in between the humps. | 10-22-2015 |
| 20150292935 | WEIGHING SYSTEM USING A CONVEYOR BELT - A conveyor belt and a weighing system for weighing articles conveyed on a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt includes an array of force-sensing elements embedded in the belt to measure forces normal to the belt's conveying surface. The force-sensing elements form parts of passive resonant circuits that each include a capacitor and an inductive coil. | 10-15-2015 |
| 20150191311 | CONVEYOR SYSTEMS FOR DIVERTING OBJECTS - A conveyor system including a conveyor belt having a plurality of conveyor belt rollers configured to divert objects on the conveyor belt. A roller drive mechanism engages the conveyor belt rollers to actuate the conveyor belt rollers into rotation as the conveyor belt advances. The drive mechanism is adjustable to cause the conveyor belt rollers to rotate in a first angular direction and a second, opposite angular direction so that objects can be selectively diverted to either side of the conveyor belt at a desired diverting angle. The roller drive mechanism has drive rollers mounted in cartridges with pinion gears engaged by rack gears to adjust the orientation of the drive rollers relative to the belt rollers and the engagement of the belt rollers with the drive rollers as a function of the orientation by selective raising and lowering or laterally shifting the drive rollers. | 07-09-2015 |
| 20150129393 | ELECTROMAGNETICALLY ACTUATED SORTER - A sorting conveyor having electromagnetically actuated rollers for sorting articles off one or both sides of the conveyor. A linear stator creates a magnetic flux wave that rotates rotors in the article-supporting rollers and selects their direction of rotation. In one version the magnetic flux wave swivels the rollers to change the sorting direction. In another version the magnetic flux wave causes one set of rollers or another set of orthogonally disposed rollers to contact conveyed articles. | 05-14-2015 |
| 20150090560 | POSITIVE-DRIVE SPIRAL CONVEYOR WITH OVERLAPPING CAGE-BAR CAPS - Overlapping cage-bar caps in a spiral belt conveyor. The cage bars of a spiral-conveyor cage are covered along the majority of their length by a main cage-bar cap fastened to the cage bar at the exit of the belt from the spiral. At the belt's entrance to the spiral, an entrance cage-bar cap overlaps a portion of the main cage-bar cap and the cage bar. The overlap is great enough to prevent a gap from forming along the length of the cage bar between the main cage-bar cap and the entrance cage-bar cap. | 04-02-2015 |
| 20150083554 | CLEANABLE CONVEYOR-BELT DRIVE SYSTEM - A hygienic drive system for a belt conveyor. The drive system has a stator rigidly mounted in a housing having an outer bearing surface that is continuous with the outer surface of mounting supports and avoids hard-to-clean nooks. A rotor assembly formed by drive wheels rotatably mounted on the outer surface of the housing or by a magnetic belt wrapped around a portion of the outer surface is rotated by a rotating magnetic wave produced by the stator. The stator and rotor can form an induction motor or a synchronous motor. | 03-26-2015 |
| 20150068866 | CONVEYOR EMPLOYING A VACUUM - A sorting conveyor employs suction to stabilize products on a conveyor belt. The sorting conveyor comprises a conveyor belt including a plurality of embedded rollers for moving conveyed objects relative to the conveyor belt. A vacuum chamber below the conveyor belt houses activators for the rollers and selectively creates a vacuum zone above the conveyor belt for pulling objects on the conveyor belt. | 03-12-2015 |
| 20150047952 | POSITIVE-DRIVE SPIRAL CONVEYOR - A spiral conveyor for positively driving a hinged, modular conveyor belt along a helical path. The spiral conveyor includes a rotating cylindrical tower with parallel drive members extending from the bottom to the top of the tower on its periphery. Each drive member includes an outwardly protruding ridge extending from the bottom to the top of the tower for engaging the inside edges of the belt. In one version, the ridges at the entrance end of the spiral are movable to provide a gradually decreasing spacing between consecutive ridges as the belt enters the spiral. In another version, alignment elements at the entrance end align belt-edge structure with the tip ends of associated ridges to help engagement. In another version, the ridges at a discharge end of the tower are retractable between an extended position driving the belt and a retracted position. | 02-19-2015 |
| 20150034455 | CONVEYOR HAVING ROLLERS ACTUATED BY ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION - Conveyor rollers rotated by electromagnetic induction to propel articles conveyed atop the rollers. A magnetic-field source induces a current in the electrically conductive rollers that causes them to rotate. The rollers can be mounted in conveyor belts or immobile mats. The magnetic-field source can be static if the rollers are advance through the field or dynamic. Alternatively, the rollers can be magnetic and induce a current in a stationary electrically conductive plate that creates interacting magnetic fields to rotate the rollers. | 02-05-2015 |
| 20140339051 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR DYNAMICALLY CONTROLLING THE SPACING OF CONVEYED OBJECTS - A conveying system employs independently controlled flights. The flights are controlled separately from a conveying surface. The conveying system includes a dynamic gapping conveyor for spacing conveyed objects in a selected manner. The dynamic gapping conveyor uses flexible flights independently driven by drivers to control the spacing between conveyed objects. The independent drivers allow the position of the flights to be controlled based on the length of a conveyed object. | 11-20-2014 |
| 20140332345 | METHOD AND CONVEYOR FOR REGISTERING ARTICLES ON A CONVEYOR BELT - Method and a conveyor for registering articles on a conveyor belt. The conveyor includes a registration belt having retractable flights regularly spaced along the length of the belt and article-propelling rollers between consecutive flights. The flights are raised in an upstream portion of the conveyor, and the rollers rotated to propel articles forward against the raised flights. In a downstream portion of the conveyor, a flat-top belt under the conveyor belt runs faster than the conveyor belt and causes the flights to lower and the rollers behind the lowering flights to rotate in reverse to urge the articles away from interfering with the lowering flights. | 11-13-2014 |
| 20140332343 | DIVERTING CONVEYOR WITH BIDIRECTIONAL ASSIST ROLLER - A sorting conveyor including a diverting conveyor and a bidirectional assist roller to help sort articles over the side of the diverting conveyor. The diverting conveyor includes, in one version, a conveyor belt with diverting rollers selectively actuated to push articles toward a side of the diverting conveyor. The bidirectional assist roller rotates on an axis parallel to the main conveying direction. As articles to be diverted reach the side of the diverting conveyor, the bidirectional roller rotates in a direction to assist articles over the side of the diverting conveyor and the bidirectional roller and onto an exit conveyor. When the diverting rollers are not actuated, the bidirectional roller rotates in the opposite direction to prevent articles from exiting the side of the diverting conveyor. In some instances, the bidirectional roller can be raised above the level of the diverting rollers to further block articles not selected for sorting from exiting over the side and onto the exit conveyor. | 11-13-2014 |
| 20140305241 | SPLIT SPROCKET HAVING SLIDE TRACKS - A split sprocket for belts or chains. The split sprocket comprises two sections that slide together along parallel slide tracks that are perpendicular to two opposite walls of the sprocket's bore. The slide track includes male T-shaped, V-shaped, or jigsaw-puzzle-shaped beams on one of the sections that slide into mating female slots in the other section. The mated slide tracks prevent the sections from separating in all directions except the separation direction along the slide tracks. A fastener through one of the sections into the other prevents the assembled sprocket sections from sliding apart along the slide tracks. | 10-16-2014 |
| 20140299528 | AQUATIC LIFE AND DEBRIS COLLECTION DEVICE FOR A WATER SCREEN - A collection device for aquatic life and debris for a traveling water screen. The collection device allows sharing of water provided from a high pressure nozzle while shielding aquatic life from a high pressure spray produced by the high pressure nozzle. The collection device enables separate collection of items exposed to a high pressure spray and items protected from a high pressure spray while reducing water costs. The collection device includes a first compartment for collecting aquatic life collected by a water screen and a second compartment for collecting debris collected by the water screen. A shield dissipates or blocks a high pressure spray directed into the second compartment from entering the first compartment. A filter allows fluid to flow from the second compartment into the first compartment while blocking aquatic life in the first compartment from entering the second compartment. | 10-09-2014 |
| 20140216900 | SELF-SUPPORTING CONVEYOR BELT - A self-supporting platform is formed of a plurality of hingedly connected modules. Adjacent modules may bend inwards against each other but resist flexing in the opposite direction. Each module includes a slotted module connector extending below the module body. The slotted module connector engages a peg to allow one-way bending of the modules relative to each other. | 08-07-2014 |
| 20140216894 | WEIGHING SYSTEM USING A CONVEYOR BELT WITH LOAD CELLS - A conveyor belt module, a conveyor belt, a weighing system, and a method for weighing articles conveyed on a conveyor belt. A conveyor belt includes an array of load cells embedded in belt modules to measure forces normal to the belt's conveying surface. The measurements are transmitted from the belt to a remote controller as part of a vision system that identifies individual articles conveyed on the belt and pressing down on underlying load cells. The vision system determines which load cells underlie the individual articles and combines their measurements to compute the weights of the articles on the fly. | 08-07-2014 |
| 20140197088 | SKIMMER - A self-floating skimmer that can operate remotely from a vessel. Pontoons allow the skimmer to float at the surface of a body of water. An inclined belt conveyor whose lower end is submerged just below the surface of the water conveys material to be collected up the incline to the upper end where it is dumped from the surface of the belt into a collection tank below. For convenience in storage or transit, the skimmers can be stacked atop one another. The belt conveyor can include a bidirectional conveyor belt that is driven in either direction by a selectively reversible drive motor. | 07-17-2014 |
| 20140187132 | DEVEINING SYSTEM AND DEVICE - A deveining device efficiently removes veins from shrimp while preserving the meat of the shrimp in both appearance and quantity. The deveining device comprises a channel having a blade extending along a section of the channel for cutting the back of the shrimp as it rolls through the channel to expose a vein. A downstream vein remover severs the exposed vein from the shrimp body. Nozzles spray fluid into the channel to propel the shrimp through the channel. | 07-03-2014 |
| 20140183009 | ROLLER-NOISE REDUCTION IN CONVEYOR BELTS - Low-noise rollers in modular plastic conveyor belts. Energy-absorbing elements formed on belt rollers or in roller support structure is used to absorb the energy of impacts between rollers and the support structure. The energy-absorbing elements include resilient roller sections sandwiched between rigid sections, spring-like bent tabs on the end faces of rollers, hinged bumpers or flexible fingers between the end faces of the rollers and the roller support structure, and flexible structure protruding from the module into circumferential grooves in the outer cylindrical surface or circular grooves formed in the end faces of the rollers. | 07-03-2014 |
| 20140168411 | SHRIMP PROCESSING SYSTEM AND METHODS - Methods and systems using a vision system to process shrimp. The vision system captures images of samples of shrimps. The processor produces a digital image of the shrimps in the samples. Shrimps exiting a peeler are imaged to determine the number of tail segments in each. The shrimps are classified by the number of intact segments, and quality, yield, and throughput computed from the classification results. The processor can control operational settings of the peeler based on the classification results. In a larger system including other shrimp-processing equipment besides the peeler, other points along the processing path can be imaged by camera or sensed by other sensors to determine processing quality and to make automatic operational adjustments to the equipment. | 06-19-2014 |
| 20140166552 | AIR SEPARATOR WITH PLENUM - Apparatus and method for separating lightweight waste from product with air supplied by a plenum. An air separator includes a blower duct directing air upward through product conveyed on a foraminous conveyor. The blower duct is in communication with a plenum through an opening. One or more blowers fill and pressurize the plenum with air without blowing the air directly through the opening. The drop in pressure from the plenum to the exit end of the duct draws air uniformly through the opening and into the duct. The uniform flow of air through the duct and the conveyor lifts lightweight waste from the product. | 06-19-2014 |
| 20140158497 | BULK-PRODUCT CONVEYOR WITH SENSOR - A conveyor belt having a sensor probe extending upward from an outer conveying surface into a mat of bulk products conveyed on the belt. The probe senses a condition of the product mat at a predetermined depth. The probe height above the conveying surface may be fixed or may be adjustable to be positioned at a critical depth within the product mat. | 06-12-2014 |
| 20140144754 | SNAP-ON CONVEYOR BELT ROLLERS - Snap-on rollers for a conveyor belt. The snap-on roller may be snapped onto an axle or into a cavity of a conveyor belt module. Multi-piece snap-on rollers can be installed radially onto an axle on a conveyor belt and joined together in a puzzle pattern to form a complete roller that can rotate on the axle. | 05-29-2014 |
| 20140131172 | FEED PADDLE FOR A PROCESSING APPARATUS - An improved feed mechanism for a processor of solid objects includes a plunging paddle connected via connectors and eccentrics to a rotating shaft driven by a motor. The rotating shaft has an axis offset from the centers of the eccentrics. The plunging paddle plunges product on a conveyor belt from a feed tank to create a single layer for conveying the product to a processor. | 05-15-2014 |
| 20140124333 | TAPERED SCRAPER FOR A CONVEYOR BELT - A conveyor belt scraper includes a non-linear scraping edge for directing product towards the center of the scraper. The non-linear scraping edge comprises two obliquely extending portions that intersect at an obtuse angle to define a nadir of a channel. The non-linear scraping edge is formed at the top end of a curved inner surface that abuts a conveyor belt wrapped around a reversing element. Channeling surfaces are formed between the non-linear scraping edge and an outer surface of the scraper. The scraping edge and channeling surfaces direct product away from the conveyor belt and over the outer surface of the scraper. | 05-08-2014 |
| 20140116856 | POSITIVELY-DRIVEN, LOW TENSION TRANSFER CONVEYOR - Components of a conveyor system designed to facilitate tight transfer of products onto and off a positively-driven, low tension conveyor belt. The conveyor system includes a tension amplifier in a returnway of a conveyor belt circuit for selectively increasing tension in the conveyor belt prior to infeed without increasing the low tension in the returnway prior to the tension amplifier. | 05-01-2014 |
| 20140110227 | BELT CONVEYOR AND ELECTROMAGNETIC DRIVE - A belt conveyor having an electromagnetic drive comprising a rotor and a stator sealed in separate nonmagnetic and nonconductive housings. The rotor is mounted to a drive shaft. A drive drum or drive sprockets supported on the shaft have peripheral drive surfaces that engage a conveyor belt. The rotor is coaxial with the peripheral drive surface—either sealed within the drum or sprockets or housed on the shaft axially spaced from the drive surface. The rotor may include conductive rotor bars or permanent magnets. The stator is spaced apart from the rotor across a narrow gap and produces a traveling magnetic flux wave across the gap that causes the rotor and the peripheral drive surface to rotate and drive the conveyor belt. | 04-24-2014 |
| 20140090961 | CONVEYOR BELT HAVING BIDIRECTIONAL STACKED ROLLERS - A conveyor belt and a belt module having multiple roller sets, each roller set including a bottom roller in contact with an axially elongated top roller. Driving the bottom roller in a first direction causes rotation of the top roller in an opposite angular direction. The bottom rollers in first longitudinal lanes are arranged to rotate obliquely toward one side of the belt, and the bottom rollers in second lanes are arranged to rotate toward the other side of the belt. Either the first lanes of roller sets or the second lanes can be selectively actuated to direct articles conveyed atop the top rollers rearward and toward one side of the belt or the other or to receive articles fed onto the belt from either side. | 04-03-2014 |
| 20140087641 | SHRIMP DEHEADING APPARATUS AND METHODS - Apparatus and methods for deheading shrimp using the Venturi Effect. A shrimp-laden fluid is pumped through a conduit system and lined with one or more venturi tubes. The acceleration of the fluid through the venturis detaches the heads from the shrimp. The cross-sectional areas of the venturis each have a major axis and a shorter minor axis. The major axis is long enough to receive the majority of or all the length of a shrimp and minimize hard collisions with the entrance to the venturi that could damage the shrimp. | 03-27-2014 |
| 20140069776 | BELT CONVEYOR SYSTEM, ROLLER-ENGAGEMENT MECHANISM, AND RELATED METHOD - A conveyor system having a roller-engagement mechanism and a method for conveying articles. The conveyor system includes an infeed conveyor feeding articles to a conveyor belt advancing in a direction of belt travel. The conveyor belt comprises obliquely rotatable rollers—single rollers or stacked sets of rollers—selectively activated by the roller-engagement mechanism. The roller-engagement mechanism has a rack supporting a plurality of flat belts. The flat belts advance in the direction of travel of the conveyor belt. The rack is movable between a first position in which the flat belts advancing with the conveyor belt contact the belt rollers to inhibit their rotation and carry articles atop the belt in the direction of belt travel and a second position in which the flat belts are out of contact with the belt rollers. In the second position, the roller-engagement mechanism can allow the belt rollers to rotate freely or can include a parallel set of elongated rollers between the flat belts put into rolling contact with the belt rollers to rotate them as the conveyor belt advances in the direction of belt travel. | 03-13-2014 |
| 20140054137 | LOW BACK-PRESSURE ACCUMULATION SYSTEM - A belt conveyor having upper article-supporting belt rollers that are rotated rearward by rotating lower belt rollers only when the articles are slowed or stopped from advancing with the belt. As the belt advances in a direction of travel, the lower rollers rotate by contact with a bearing surface underlying the belt. The upper rollers have axles whose ends are retained in slots that slope downward in the belt's direction of travel. The slots provide the upper rollers a range of positions between a forward position out of contact with the rotating lower roller and a rearward position contacting the lower roller, which rotates the upper roller rearward relieving back line pressure on accumulated articles. | 02-27-2014 |
| 20140027250 | MODULAR CONVEYOR BELT WITH EXTENDED RAISED RIBS - A modular conveyor belt having extended raised ribs that overlap to prevent the top conveying surface of the belt from opening up as the belt articulates forward around a sprocket at a hinge joint. Protrusions extend from the raised ribs past the ends of the belt modules. When rows of belt modules are connected together at hinge joints, the interleaved protrusions overlap laterally over a range of articulation angles. The modules may include cavities for roller assemblies, such as engaged stacked rollers in which a bottom roller is allowed to float vertically to maintain good contact with the top roller as they wear. | 01-30-2014 |
| 20140021022 | PLASTIC CHAIN CONVEYOR WITH MAGNET CONNECTING PINS - Front and back ends ( | 01-23-2014 |
| 20140008274 | CONVEYOR SYSTEMS AND METHODS - A conveyor system and methods for conveying and unstacking flat and non-flat packages. The conveyor system includes an inclined conveyor belt delivering packages to a tilted conveyor belt that conveys flat packages along its length while non-flat packages tumble off its lower side edge to initially cull flat packages from a bulk flow of packages. Retention means, such as a high-friction outer conveying surface or a raised barrier along the length of the outer conveying surface of the tilted conveyor belt, holds flat packages on the tilted conveyor belt. The inclined conveyor belt has stop elements spaced apart along the belt's length and is advanced in stop-and-go fashion to help unstack piggy-backed packages as they are conveyed up the incline. The initially separated packages are more fully culled in a conveyor comprising a roller conveyor belt with package-supporting belt rollers rotated in a direction to push packages sidewise toward a culling element that extends along the length of the roller conveyor belt. | 01-09-2014 |
| 20130341163 | CLEANABLE CONVEYOR BELT AND CARRYWAY - A cleanable belt conveyor and a method for making a cleanable belt conveyor having an underside sculpted with concave indentations to match the shape and positions of the elongated support rails forming a carryway. The support rails may be circular in cross section, and the indentations may be complementary portions of circular cylinders to receive the rails along an extended contact area. | 12-26-2013 |
| 20130313169 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GRADING ARTICLES AND SELECTIVELY MIXING GRADED ARTICLES - Apparatus and methods for grading products and forming predetermined mixes of graded products. Graders sort products into different grades. The graded products are formed into batches of known quantity. Each batch is designated for deposit in a bin specified to have a certain mixture of graded products. A conveyor conveys the batches to the designated bin. The quantity of each batch is determined by count or weight. | 11-28-2013 |
| 20130313080 | CONVEYOR BELT APPARATUS INCLUDING MAGNETICALLY ACTUATED ROLLERS - A conveyor comprising a conveyor belt having rollers with metallic or magnetic rotors. A magnet or metallic element next to the conveyor belt is positioned to rotate the rotor. A magnetic field produced by the magnet or by the magnetic rotor rotates the rollers as they pass the magnetic field or as the magnetic field is changed. | 11-28-2013 |
| 20130306445 | CONVEYOR BELT AND MODULE WITH MAGNETS - A modular radius conveyor belt having magnetic material in adjacent belt rows, including magnets in selected rows of belt modules. Magnets in one belt row attract magnets or paramagnetic material in adjacent rows to prevent vibration between rows that could shake a conveyed article out of its preferred position or orientation on the conveyor belt. | 11-21-2013 |
| 20130299319 | SMALL-DIAMETER-ROLLER CONVEYOR - A small-diameter-roller conveyor converted from a large-diameter-roller conveyor and a method for the conversion. One or more belts are trained around the power-driven rollers of a roller conveyor. A stationary array of smaller-diameter article-supporting rollers is positioned atop the belts. The article-supporting rollers are in frictional contact with the belts. The rotation of the power-driven rollers advances the belts, which rotate the article-supporting rollers and convey articles supported atop the article-supporting rollers. | 11-14-2013 |
| 20130264175 | CLOSED-LOOP MAGNETIC POSITIONING OF CONVEYOR BELTS - A conveyor having a conveyor belt with magnetic properties that allow the belt's position to be controlled by externally generated magnetic fields and methods for controlling such a conveyor belt. Sensors sense an operating condition of the belt, such as belt speed, belt tension, belt loading, belt lateral, or radial, position, or belt elevation, and send those measurements to a controller. Electromagnets in the conveyor frame generate magnetic fields that interact with the magnetic properties of the belt to apply selected forces to position the belt in the conveyor. The controller adjusts the strength and direction of the magnetic fields generated by the electromagnets to control the operating conditions of the belt. | 10-10-2013 |
| 20130240416 | TILT ROLLER GRADER - A tilt roller grader for grading solid objects, such as shrimp. The grader has grading rollers obliquely arranged across a tilted grading bed. Jacks in cross members supporting the bed are used to jack up the grading bed across its width to adjust the flatness of the bed for uniform grading gaps between the grading rollers and the bed. | 09-19-2013 |
| 20130240335 | HINGE ROD RETAINER FOR A MODULAR CONVEYOR BELT - A hinge rod retainer for a modular conveyor belt. The retainer retains a hinge rod within a passageway, while allowing room for rod expansion or contraction relative to the belt width. The retainer comprises a flexible portion and a support forming an outside edge of the modular conveyor belt. The flexible portion comprises a flexible hook including an opening for allowing passage of the hinge rod into the passageway. The flexible hook defines a trapping region between the passageway and outside edge of the modular conveyor belt for trapping a hinge rod end. | 09-19-2013 |
| 20130240330 | CONVEYOR BELT ROLLERS WITH TWO SURFACE MATERIALS - A conveyor belt and a belt module having multiple roller sets, each roller set including a bottom roller in contact with an axially elongated two-material top roller. The periphery of the top roller has a high-friction peripheral surface separated by a central durable, low-friction peripheral surface in contact with the bottom roller. Driving the bottom roller in a first direction causes rotation of the top roller in an opposite angular direction. | 09-19-2013 |
| 20130221761 | ENERGY-HARVESTING CONVEYOR BELTS AND METHODS - Energy-harvesting and -storage devices in conveyor belts and methods for molding those devices integrally into modular belt links and for enhancing energy harvesting through resonance tuning. Piezoelectric materials, electro-active polymers, thermoelectric generators, RF receivers, photovoltaic devices, linear induction generators, and inductive transformer coupling are used to harvest energy to power belt on-board devices. | 08-29-2013 |
| 20130220776 | CONVEYOR SYSTEM, BELT, AND METHOD USING ACCELEROMETERS - Conveying systems and method for measuring accelerations in a conveyor advancing through process equipment and taking remedial and prophylactic action in response. The conveyor system includes a conveyor with embedded accelerometers making measurements conveyor accelerations. A controller uses the measurements to control the speed of the conveyor to compensate for unwanted accelerations or to damp the unwanted accelerations. The controller can also use the measurements to warn of unwanted accelerations or to predict the failure of associated or nearby equipment so that maintenance can be scheduled and to detect imminent failures and shut down the process. | 08-29-2013 |
| 20130213775 | ABRASION RESISTANT CONVEYOR BELT - A wear-resistant modular plastic conveyor belt can resist wear at the hinge for a long operating life, even in abrasive environments. The conveyor belt comprises a plurality of modules having T-shaped link ends interleaved together. A hinge rod may be inserted in a hinge passageway, formed at least in part by kidney-shaped openings in the T-shaped links. The conveyor belt employs multiple surfaces to transfer load from module to module during operation of the conveyor belt depending on the relative motion of the modules. | 08-22-2013 |
| 20130213773 | POSITIVE-DRIVE SPIRAL CONVEYOR AND BELT - A spiral conveyor for positively driving a conveyor belt ( | 08-22-2013 |
| 20130206545 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING CONTAMINATION OF A CONVEYOR - Conveying systems and method for detecting the presence and amount of biological contaminants or additives on a conveyor belt. The conveyor system includes a conveyor belt having embedded biosensors. Transmitters co-located in the belt with the biosensors transmit biosensor signals to a remote controller. The remote controller allows remote monitoring of the contamination level on the conveyor belt. | 08-15-2013 |
| 20130192954 | MULTI-DIRECTIONAL ROLLER ASSEMBLY - A multi-directional roller assembly for directing articles in a conveying system. The multi-directional roller assembly has a rotatable roller frame housing at least one set of mutually-actuating rollers. The multi-directional roller assembly directs an article supported by the assembly along a trajectory determined by the orientation of the multi-directional roller assembly relative to an input force. The orientation of the multi-directional roller assembly may be changed to change the trajectory. A conveyor system may include an array of multi-directional roller assemblies. An actuator controls the orientation of the multi-directional roller assemblies individually and may also control an array of multi-directional roller assemblies as a group. | 08-01-2013 |
| 20130146672 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING, MAPPING, AND MODIFYING THE TEMPERATURE OF A CONVEYOR - Conveying system and method for sensing and controlling the surface temperature of a conveyor transporting articles through a process that incidentally changes the temperature of the conveyor. The conveyor system includes a conveyor such as a transport belt having temperature sensors embedded in the belt at spaced locations along its length. Transmitters embedded in the belt transmit temperature readings made by the sensors to a remote controller. The remote controller controls a temperature modification unit in the belt's conveyor path that restores the temperature of the belt to an optimum range for the processing of the articles. The controller creates a temperature map of at least a portion of the conveyor path. | 06-13-2013 |
| 20130081928 | FASTENING SYSTEM FOR A CONVEYOR BELT - A fastening system for joining two ends of a conveyor belt segment includes an inhibiting surface for controlling movement of the ends relative to each other. The inhibiting surface is offset from an inner surface of a conveyor belt segment employing the fastening system and engages a surface of a corresponding conveyor belt segment to reduce tenting of the conveyor belt segment ends. | 04-04-2013 |
| 20120318644 | SNAP-ON CONVEYOR BELT ROLLERS - Snap-on rollers for a conveyor belt. The snap-on roller may be snapped onto an axle or into a cavity of a conveyor belt module. Multi-piece snap-on rollers can be installed radially onto an axle on a conveyor belt and joined together in a puzzle pattern to form a complete roller that can rotate on the axle. | 12-20-2012 |
| 20120298487 | CONVEYOR BELT MODULE WITH FIXED AXLES - A modular roller-top conveyor belt and rollers for the belt. The roller-top belt has axles that are fixed relative to the module body. Each of the pieces of the multi-piece rollers can be installed radially onto an axle and joined together in a puzzle pattern to form a complete roller that can rotate on the axle. Parallel ridges extending across the width of the modules add stiffness to the belt. | 11-29-2012 |
| 20120298486 | ROLLER-TOP BELT WITH BEAM STIFFNESS - A modular roller-top conveyor belt and multi-piece rollers for the belt. The roller-top belt has axles unitarily molded with the belt modules. Each of the pieces of the multi-piece rollers can be installed radially onto an axle and joined together in a puzzle pattern to form a complete roller that can rotate on the axle. Parallel ridges extending across the width of the modules add stiffness to the belt. | 11-29-2012 |
| 20120298485 | MULTI-PIECE CONVEYOR BELT ROLLERS - Multi-piece rollers for a conveyor belt. Each of the pieces of the multi-piece rollers can be installed radially onto an axle on a conveyor belt and joined together in a puzzle pattern to form a complete roller that can rotate on the axle. | 11-29-2012 |
| 20120298481 | MULTIWHEEL ROLLER-CONVEYOR CASE TURNER - A case turner constructed of parallel lanes of powered multiwheel rollers rotating at different tangential speeds. Rotatable wheels mounted on the peripheries of each multiwheel roller are arranged to rotate freely on axes perpendicular to the main axis of the powered multiwheel roller. An article straddling the gap between both lanes is rotated as it is conveyed along the case turner. | 11-29-2012 |
| 20120285799 | REVERSE METER BELT CONVEYOR - A conveyor and a method for metering articles on a conveyor belt advancing in a direction of belt travel. Article-supporting rollers in the belt are actuated by a stationary bearing surface defining an upstream acceleration zone to accelerate articles forward along the conveyor belt. An activation belt advancing in the direction of belt travel at a speed faster than the conveyor belt provides a mobile bearing surface that actuates the belt rollers to rotate opposite to the direction of belt travel in a downstream deceleration zone. The conveyor belt also has regularly spaced retractable flights, which are retracted by contact with the stationary bearing surface in the acceleration zone and extended into a blocking position by contact with the mobile bearing surface in the deceleration zone. Articles in the deceleration zone are pushed rearward atop the rollers into metered positions against the leading faces of the flights. | 11-15-2012 |
| 20120241292 | BELT CONVEYOR WITH SNAGLESS RETRACTABLE FLIGHTS - A belt conveyor having snagless retractable flights. The flights rotate from a retracted position generally parallel to a top conveying surface on the conveyor belt to an extended position standing up and away from the top surface. In one version of the flight, a distal edge of the flight is bent downward into a cavity in the top surface of the belt when the flight is retracted. In another version, rollers at the distal end of the flight extend upstream of the distal edge of the flight. The flight rollers are rotated when the flight is retraced to lift and propel conveyed articles over the edges of the flight. Thus, both flights avoid snagging articles with discontinuous bottoms. | 09-27-2012 |
| 20120217138 | BELT CONVEYORS AND METHODS FOR CONVEYED PRODUCTS UNDERGOING A THERMAL TREATMENT - An environmentally controlled conveyor system including a sensor-instrumented conveyor belt conveying products continuously through a thermal-treatment process and a method for determining the instantaneous position of the sensors. Temperature or other sensors are embedded in the conveyor belt across its width and along its length to advance with the product through the thermal-treatment process, such as through a pasteurizer tunnel. The sensor measurements are transmitted wirelessly from the belt to a remote system controller for monitoring or controlling the system. Data from sensors measuring environmental or belt conditions are used to determine the instantaneous positions of the sensors to coordinate the sensor data with sensor position. | 08-30-2012 |
| 20120193272 | GRADER - A roller-type grader having adjustable, widening gauging passages between consecutive rotating grader rollers and an associated method for adjusting the gauging passages. A drive rotates all the rollers in the same direction on their axes. The ends of the rollers at each end are rotatably and pivotally suspended from adjustment yokes that are movable laterally in unison along tracks by an adjustment shaft. Positioning the yokes positions the ends of the rollers relative to each other. Minimum and maximum widths of the gauging passages at opposite ends of the rollers are adjusted by rotating the adjustment shafts. | 08-02-2012 |
| 20120175222 | POSITIONING BELT CONVEYOR AND METHOD - Apparatus and method for translating articles. The apparatus has a rectangular work area defined by the upper run of a positioning conveyor having an oblique-roller conveyor belt selectively driven forward or reverse in coordination with the actuation and deactuation of the obliquely rotatable belt rollers. Tools, such as cutting tools or inspection stools, along the sides of the work area interact with the sides of the articles as they are translated without rotation in a rectangular path against guide surfaces on the periphery of the work area by the sequential reversing of the conveyor belt direction and the actuation and deactuation of the article-supporting rollers. | 07-12-2012 |
| 20120160638 | CHECKPOINT SYSTEM WITH WHEELED BINS - A checkpoint system, wheeled bins for a checkpoint system, and methods for conveying articles in wheeled bins through a checkpoint system. Each bin has four wheels that do not extend below the bin's flat bottom. In this way, the bin can be slid on its bottom along a shallow, troughed divesting table while it is being filled and conveyed on its bottom through a checkpoint and rolled on its wheels along a deeper troughed discharge lane. A bin return beneath the discharge lane returns bins to a bin storage queue beneath the divesting table. A sorter at the output of the checkpoint selectively diverts bins to one or more discharge lanes, such as individual lanes for cleared and for suspect bin contents. | 06-28-2012 |
| 20120125742 | MODULAR PLASTIC SPIRAL BELT - A modular spiral belt and method for molding belt modules for constructing a heat-resistant belt. The spiral belt is constructed of a series of hingedly interconnected belt modules. The modules have single hinge links at the outside of a turn and dual hinge links elsewhere. All the hinge links extend outward from opposite faces of a central transverse spine. The dual hinge links, which each have a pair of parallel legs joined at a distal end by a yoke, are separated by a transverse pitch greater than the transverse pitch of the single one-legged hinge links at the outside of a turn. When molded from a blend of a thermoplastic polymer and a nanoclay, belt modules are useful in heat-resistant applications without sacrificing beam stiffness. | 05-24-2012 |
| 20120080290 | Conveyor, Belt, and Module Having Multi-Directional Wheels - A belt conveyor for diverting articles on actuated multi-directional wheels in a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt has article-supporting multi-directional wheels rotatably mounted in cavities in the belt. The wheels are arranged to rotate on axes oblique to the direction of belt travel. A bearing surface underlies the belt along a carryway. As the belt advances along the carryway, the rollers on the periphery of the wheel ride on the bearing surface and cause the wheel to rotate on its oblique axis. Articles conveyed on the belt atop the wheels are diverted by the rotating wheels toward a side of the belt. | 04-05-2012 |
| 20120043184 | TWO-MATERIAL CONVEYOR BELT MODULE - A two-material conveyor belt module and a method for making it. A conveyor belt module comprises a rigid thermoplastic link substrate topped with a high-friction layer made of a resilient material. A dense array of teeth protrudes upward from the link substrate. The resilient material is overmolded onto the link substrate at a temperature high enough to melt the ends of the teeth. The melted ends of the teeth mix with the resilient material to form a bond firmly retaining the high-friction layer atop the substrate. | 02-23-2012 |
| 20120006654 | POSITIVE-DRIVE SPIRAL CONVEYOR - A spiral conveyor for positively driving a conveyor belt along a helical path. The spiral conveyor includes a rotating cylindrical tower with parallel drive members extending from the bottom to the top of the tower on its periphery. Each drive member includes an outwardly protruding ridge that varies in height from the bottom to the top of the tower. The variations in height facilitate the belt's entry onto and exit from the tower and robust, positive driving engagement with the inside edge of the belt along the majority of its path along the tower. | 01-12-2012 |
| 20110303512 | CONVEYOR BELT WITH WEAR-TOLERANT STACKED ROLLERS - A conveyor belt having multiple roller sets, each roller set including a first roller and a second roller, the first roller being movable into contact with the second roller so that driving of one of the rollers in a first angular direction causes rotation of the other roller in a second, opposite angular direction. | 12-15-2011 |
| 20110284347 | METAL-FUSED PLASTIC CONVEYOR BELT COMPONENTS AND METHODS OF MAKING - Metal-coated thermo-plastic conveyor belt components and methods for their manufacture. Hinge rods, sprockets, and belt modules are coated with metal to increase their stiffness or wear resistance or to improve other performance characteristics. | 11-24-2011 |
| 20110278138 | Conveyor Belt and Module Accommodating Rod Growth - A modular plastic conveyor belt that is useful in accommodating hinge rods that tend to lengthen during use and an edge module for constructing such a belt. An edge portion of the edge module has an elongated link end that provides an unimpeded growth path for a hinge rod within the confines of the belt. The edge portion of one edge module is hooked to the edge portion of an adjacent edge module by a pivot that is pivotally received in a mating receptacle on the adjacent module. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110278136 | Conveyor Belt and Module with Hooked Connection and Associated Method - A modular plastic conveyor belt constructed of belt modules having hooked structure to hold belt rows together during splicing for easier hinge-rod insertion and to accommodate an elongated belt edge portion permitting hinge-rod growth and a method for splicing such a belt together. The modules include a pivot end that hooks into a mating receptacle on the module of a consecutive belt row. An aperture through the receptacle and the pivot end is aligned with the apertures of other hinge elements to form a lateral passageway for a hinge rod. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110253507 | CAROUSEL CONVEYOR AND METHOD - Apparatus and method for recirculating articles on a belt conveyor. An article-recirculation path is formed in a pair of parallel conveyor belts running continuously in opposite directions. Article-supporting rollers in each belt rotate to transfer articles from one belt to the other in a transfer region at each end of the conveyor to form an endless recirculation path. | 10-20-2011 |
| 20110237169 | PEELER WITH CROWNED ROLLERS - Roller-type peeling apparatus and crowned rollers in the peeling channels of the peeling apparatus. Each peeling channel includes small-diameter insert rollers frictionally counterrotated by simultaneous contact with two large-diameter, rotating powered rollers separated across a gap. Holddowns at spaced locations along the length of the insert rollers hold the insert roller against the two powered rollers and into the mouth of the gap. The insert roller or the powered rollers are crowned between consecutive holddowns to compensate for the tendency of the insert roller to deflect and to provide uniform contact pressure between the insert roller and the powered rollers along the insert roller's length. | 09-29-2011 |
| 20110215036 | PACKAGE-CULLING CONVEYOR SYSTEM AND METHOD - A package-culling conveyor system and a method for culling flat packages from a bulk flow of flat and non-flat packages. The conveyor system includes a tilted conveyor belt that conveys flat packages along its length while non-flat packages tumble off its lower side edge to initially cull flat packages from a bulk flow of packages. Retention means, such as a high-friction outer conveying surface or a raised barrier along the length of the outer conveying surface of the tilted conveyor belt, holds flat packages on the tilted conveyor belt. The initially separated packages are more fully culled in a conveyor comprising a roller conveyor belt with package-supporting belt rollers rotated in a direction to push packages sidewise toward a culling element that extends along the length of the roller conveyor belt. Examples of culling elements include powered rollers and vertical walls forming side guards. The powered roller lifts the contact side of non-flat packages to free flat packages underneath. The belt rollers push the flat packages under the culling elements and off the side of the roller belt. The culling elements block the non-flat packages from exiting laterally off the side of the roller belt so that they are conveyed off the exit end of the roller belt separate from the flat packages. | 09-08-2011 |
| 20110176858 | CONVEYOR SHAFT ASSEMBLY WITH SPRING CLIP - A shaft assembly using spring clips to confine components mounted on the shaft in selected positions. The shaft assembly includes a shaft with components mounted along its length. Each component is confined by a pair of flanking spring clips. Each spring clip has a pair of confronting side panels resiliently coupled together. Holes through the side panels receive the shaft. The side panels are biased to converge toward each other so that a laterally applied force from a confined component acts in the direction of the bias to prevent the clip locked on the shaft from unlocking. | 07-21-2011 |
| 20110174596 | SPIRAL BELT CONVEYOR - The spiral belt conveyor is a conveyor belt system for trans-porting articles vertically along a helical path. The spiral belt conveyor includes a platform and a central frame structure extending upwardly from the platform. Two idler rollers are mounted on the platform. A helical track having an inner portion and an outer portion is concentrically disposed around the shaft. The inner portion of the helical track has a first radius, and the outer portion thereof has a second radius greater than the first radius. An upper end of the inner portion of the helical track meets an upper end of the outer portion of the helical track adjacent an upper end of the central frame structure. A conveyor belt is mounted on the helical track and the pair of idler rollers. | 07-21-2011 |
| 20110147162 | SELF-CLEARING CONVEYOR TRANSFER SYSTEM AND TRANSFER PLATE - A self-clearing conveyor transfer system for transferring articles between two mutually perpendicular conveyor belts. One version of the transfer system includes a finger transfer plate with fingers at one end extending into the end of a raised-rib belt and powered rollers at the opposite end rotating about axes perpendicular to the fingers. A second conveyor belt perpendicular to the raised-rib belt advances parallel to the roller axes. Articles transfer from one belt to the other across the finger transfer plate. Because the rollers are powered, straggling articles are not stranded on the transfer plate. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110132725 | CONVEYOR TRANSFER SYSTEM WITH FLOATING TRANSFER PLATFORM - A conveyor transfer system and a transfer platform for transferring articles from an upstream conveyor to a downstream conveyor across a gap. The transfer platform fits in the gap between two conveyors arranged end to end. At least one of the conveyors includes a conveyor belt that reverses direction around a reversing element at the gap. The transfer platform floats in the gap supported by the conveyor belt or its reversing element without a direct connection to the conveyor frame. | 06-09-2011 |
| 20110114448 | METHODS FOR SINGULATING ABUTTING ARTICLES - Methods for singulating laterally abutting conveyed articles in a conveyor ( | 05-19-2011 |
| 20110108476 | WATER SCREEN BELT MODULE - A water screen or conveyor belt module includes one or more projections in its top surface for increasing the surface area of the top surface. Each projection includes fluid flow openings that provide a pathway for liquid to drain or fluid to flow between the top and bottom of the module. The fluid flow openings may comprise slots extending in the lengthwise direction of the module and extending into the module. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110108396 | CONVEYOR WITH A GENTLE RETRACTABLE STOP - A conveyor having a retractable stop providing a nonsliding contact surface to the leading faces of conveyed articles to prevent damage to the faces of the articles. One version of such a stop has a contact surface defined by the peripheries of rollers that rotate on the accumulated articles as the stop moves from a blocking position accumulating articles on the conveyor to a retracted position releasing accumulated articles to advance downstream along the conveyor. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110089620 | RAPID-RELEASE BELT SPLICER AND METHOD OF OPERATION - A belt splicer for butt-welding conveyor belts and methods for its operation. The belt splicer has clamp jaws that close to contact the butt edges of two belt sections against opposite ends of a heating wand and to hold the two melted butt edges together as they weld to each other. A toggle linkage assembly locks the clamped jaws closed and stores energy in a spring mechanism. The toggle linkage assembly allows the rapid release of the spring energy to accelerate the clamp jaws open to pull the melted butt ends rapidly away from the sides of the wand to avoid sticking. In another version, an air cylinder is used instead of the toggle linkage assembly and spring mechanism to close and rapidly open the splicer. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110073444 | BELT CONVEYOR WITH A MODULAR INTERMEDIATE DRIVE BELT - An intermediate drive system for driving a conveyor belt with one or more intermediate drive belts. The intermediate drive belt includes lateral rows of pivotable teeth spaced apart along the length of the intermediate drive belt. The teeth extend into the conveyor belt along a portion of the carryway to drive the conveyor belt in a conveying direction. The only component external to the intermediate drive belt that the teeth contact is the intermediate drive belt. Engagement and disengagement of the teeth with the conveyor belt is effected without the use of cams against the teeth. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110073442 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SELECTIVELY ACTUATING MOVING CONVEYOR ROLLERS - A conveyor having selectively actuated rollers whose only external contact is with conveyed articles and a method for rotating such rollers. In one version, the rollers are driven by motors that are selectively energized by a wireless signal or a sensed conveyor position. In another version, the rollers are geared to a drive wheel that engages a bearing surface underlying the conveyor along the conveying path. The rollers are selectively actuated to push conveyed articles along the conveyor as it advances. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110056807 | CONVEYORS, BELTS, AND MODULES WITH ACTUATED ROLLERS - A conveyor, a conveyor belt used in the conveyor, and a belt module used to construct the conveyor belt, in which the module includes belt rollers that extend outward of a conveyor surface of the modules to support conveyed articles. The belt rollers are mounted in cavities in the modules that open onto the conveying surface and a recessed surface recessed inward of an outermost surface opposite the conveying surface through the thickness of the modules. Bearing surfaces, such as the peripheries of conveyor rollers underlying the conveyor belt along a carryway run, extend into the conveyor belt past the outer surface to contact the belt rollers. As the belt advances, the belt rollers rotate on the bearing surfaces to push conveyed articles along or across the belt. | 03-10-2011 |
| 20110056806 | Spiral Conveyor System and Methods - A double-helix spiral conveyor, a method for conveying articles up and down a spiral conveyor, and a method for constructing a drive drum for a spiral conveyor. The double-helix spiral conveyor conveys articles on the conveyor up the inner side of a spiral drum by engaging the outer edge of the belt and down the outer side of the drum by engaging the inner edge of the belt. A slew drive at the bottom of the drum drives the conveyor. | 03-10-2011 |
| 20110022221 | ROLLER-BELT SORTER WITH CONTROL GRID - Apparatus and method for sorting a mass flow of articles without collisions between articles. The apparatus includes a sorting conveyor having a plurality of article-supporting belt rollers selectively rotatable in a direction transverse to the direction of belt travel. The belt rollers are selectively rotated in individual grid cells formed along the conveyor's carryway. A control system creates an image of the incoming mass flow, computes trajectories along the sorting conveyor for each package, and actuates or deactuates the belt rollers passing through each grid cell according to the trajectories to orderly and rapidly divert articles off the side of the sorting conveyor. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110017575 | Low-Pressure Accumulation System - A low-pressure accumulation system and a conveyor belt in an accumulation conveyor for the use with the system. The belt, which is flanked on opposite sides by lines of gravity rollers, has a longitudinal lane of article-supporting belt rollers arranged in groups along the length of the conveyor belt. The groups are spaced apart from each at regular intervals. Trays sit atop the gravity rollers until they are lifted slightly higher by one of the slightly elevated groups of article-supporting belt rollers, which engage the bottom of the tray and convey it along toward a discharge end. Retractable stops selectively block the trays from advancing on the accumulation conveyor. The freely rotatable article-supporting belt rollers roll along the bottoms of any blocked and accumulated trays and provide low back pressure. The belt may also include low-friction rollers that ride on bearing surfaces below the belt to help lower friction between the belt and the conveyor structure while the belt is running. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110017031 | Box Cutter and Method - Apparatus and method for cutting boxes. The box cutter has a rectangular work area defined by the upper run of an oblique-roller conveyor belt selectively driven forward or reverse in coordination with the actuation and deactuation of the obliquely rotatable belt rollers. Cutting tools along the sides of the work area cut into the side panels of the boxes as they are translated without rotation in a rectangular path against guide surfaces on the periphery of the work area by the sequential reversing of the conveyor belt direction and the actuation and deactuation of the box-supporting rollers. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20100300836 | ROLLER-BELT DEPALLETIZER - A conveyor and a method for depalletizing and singulating packages. The conveyor comprises, in one version, a set-down conveyor on which pallet layers are deposited and conveyed, a row-separation conveyor that separates the pallet layer into spaced rows, a row-extraction conveyor that extracts a leading row of packages from the trailing rows and conveys the packages of the extracted row in a transverse direction, and a singulating conveyor that arranges the articles in a single file. The conveyor system operates by first pulling a gap in the leading row of a pallet layer when the packages cross into the row-separation conveyor. Then the row is extracted from the other rows on the row-extraction conveyor. Finally, as the packages travel on and along the singulating conveyor, they are aligned to the conveyor's outer edge and rotated, if necessary, to be properly singulated. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20100258410 | Module for a Modular Conveyor Belt - A module for a modular conveyor belt includes a flexible retainer for retaining a hinge rod in a bore of the module. A stopper limits the bending movement of the retainer and supports the midportion of the retainer to prevent stresses generated in the retainer from exceeding its design stress. | 10-14-2010 |
| 20100252398 | MERGE CONVEYOR INCLUDING HIGH-FRICTION ROLLERS - A merge conveyor comprising a timing conveyor feeding a singulating conveyor characterized by a transverse-roller conveyor belt having rollers with a high-friction peripheral surface. The timing conveyor delivers articles to the singulating conveyor one article at a time at precise intervals. The rollers in the transverse-roller belt rotate freely transverse to the conveying direction. A plow guides the timed articles received on the singulating belt into a single file. The high-friction rollers inhibit the rollers from sliding along the rollers in the conveying direction to maintain the precise timing established by the timing conveyor. | 10-07-2010 |
| 20100230245 | CONVEYOR BELT APPARATUS AND METHOD INCLUDING MAGNETICALLY ACTUATED ROLLERS - A modular conveyor belt and method provides a conveyor belt having rollers with metallic or magnetic rotors. A magnet or metallic element next to the conveyor belt is positioned to rotate the rotor. A magnetic field produced by the magnet or by the magnetic rotor rotates the rollers as they pass the magnetic field or as the magnetic field is changed. In one embodiment, the magnetic field is in the form of one or more switched reluctance motors. | 09-16-2010 |
| 20100219048 | BELT CONVEYORS WITH RETRACTABLE WALL SEGMENTS - A conveyor having a conveyor belt with wall segments that pivot between a retracted position below the conveying surface of the belt and an extended position above the conveying surface. When extended, the wall segments form a wall along the length of a portion of the belt to prevent conveyed articles from moving laterally past. The retractable wall segments are cam- or spring-actuated. Diverting conveyors using the retractable wall segments in an oblique-roller conveyor belt are useful as sorters or switches. | 09-02-2010 |
| 20100212514 | COOKER APPARATUS AND METHOD - A continuous cooker having a conveyor capable of repositioning product and cleaning itself of debris and a method for its operation. The cooker includes a conveyor that transports food atop a conveyor belt to a cooking chamber. Upper and lower diverting rollers guide the belt along an S-shaped product-repositioning path segment. The lower diverting roller is rotated at a speed different from the speed of the conveyor belt to cause the belt to slip on the roller's periphery, which effects a scraping action against the conveying side of the belt to dislodge debris. | 08-26-2010 |
| 20100200365 | CONVEYOR AND METHOD FOR SPACING PACKAGES - A spacing conveyor having article-accelerating rollers and selectively retractable stops to control the gaps between consecutive conveyed packages. A sensor measures the length of a package being fed onto the spacing conveyor. A controller selectively actuates one or more actuators positioned along the length of the conveyor to move selected stops advancing with the conveyor from a retracted position to a blocking position to receive packages a variety of sizes and to control the gaps between consecutive packages. | 08-12-2010 |
| 20100193329 | ACCUMULATION-AND-RELEASE CONVEYOR - An accumulation-and-release conveyor using a roller belt with rollers arranged to rotate in the direction of belt travel. The rollers extend through the thickness of the belt. A movable stop is positioned along the carryway just downstream of a bearing surface that is movable into and out of contact with the rollers. When the bearing surface is out of contact with the rollers, they are freely rotatable; when the bearing surface contacts the rollers, they roll on the bearing surface to propel articles in the direction of belt travel. The stop is selectively moved between a blocking position preventing articles from passing and accumulating them with low back line pressure on the freely rotatable rollers and a release position allowing articles to pass to the accumulation zone where they are propelled forward and separated from each other by the rotation of the rollers rolling on the bearing surface. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100159099 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STEAM-COOKING - Method and apparatus for steam-cooking food products to improve their appearance and decrease yield loss. A steam cooker includes a low-temperature, forced-convection cooking region in series with a high-temperature, steam-impingement cooking region. The food product is conveyed through both regions atop a foraminous conveyor belt. The temperature in the high-temperature cooking region is greater than the temperature in the low-temperature cooking region and less than or equal to 100° C. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100108468 | TRANSVERSE-ROLLER-BELT CONVEYOR AND METHODS FOR CASE TURNING - A conveyor and methods for turning cases. The conveyor includes a pair of side-by-side belts running preferably at different speeds. The different belt speeds cause the leading edge of a package straddling both belts to move toward the slower belt. The two belts include transverse rollers that can be selectively actuated in a series of actuation zones along the conveyor to push packages conveyed atop them to the right or to the left. A controller controls the actuation of the belt rollers in each zone sequentially so that the belt rollers supporting the leading edge of the package push it towards the slower belt and the belt rollers supporting the trailing edge of the package push it towards the faster belt to accelerate the turning of the package as the belts advance. | 05-06-2010 |
| 20100078296 | LIVING-HINGE CONVEYOR BELT - A conveyor belt having rodless, living hinges and a method for making such a belt. One version of the belt has spaced apart belt modules joined by tension members spanning the gaps between consecutive modules. The tension members bend in the gaps to allow the belt to articulate. Resilient fillers encapsulate the tension members and, together with top surfaces of the modules, form a generally continuous article-contacting belt surface. The belt may be made by molding the rigid belt modules and the resilient fillers onto an arrangement of elongated tension members. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20100065405 | APPARATUS FOR SENSING CONDITIONS LOCAL TO A CONVEYOR BELT - Apparatus and method for sensing conditions local to a modular conveyor belt and wirelessly transmitting signals representing those conditions to an off-belt belt monitoring system. A load cell pin installed in a clevis formed at a hinge joint between adjacent rows of a modular conveyor belt serves as a clevis pin to interconnect the rows and as a sensor sensitive to belt tension transmitted through the clevis. A special load-sensing belt module forms the clevis and holds electronic circuitry that takes the measurements made by the sensor, logs them in a memory element, and transmits them wirelessly to the belt monitoring system. The measurements may also be used as part of a closed-loop control system to control the speed or other operating characteristics of the conveyor system. Furthermore, a variety of sensors housed in sensor modules similar to standard conveyor belt modules may be installed in the belt as drop-in replacements for standard modules. | 03-18-2010 |
| 20100065403 | SPLIT-LEVEL SINGULATOR - A split-level singulator for arranging and conveying articles in a single file. The singulator comprises a central conveyor and two flanking conveyors advancing in a conveying direction. Rollers in the conveyors protrude through the thickness of the conveyors and ride on underlying supporting bearing surfaces that cause the rollers to rotate as the conveyors advance in the conveying direction. The rollers in the central conveyor rotate in the conveying direction. The rollers in the flanking conveyors rotate in directions oblique to the conveying direction to direct articles conveyed atop the rollers downstream and toward the central conveyor. The tops of the rollers of the central conveyor are vertically offset above or below the tops of the flanking oblique rollers. | 03-18-2010 |
| 20100062698 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CLEANING PEELING MACHINES - Methods and apparatus for cleaning the peeling section of a roller-type peeling machine. The apparatus includes an x-y robot disposed above the peeling section of the peeling machine. The robot has a cleaning tool, such as a liquid spray nozzle, as an end effector. A controller commands the robot to control the movement of the cleaning tool along a predetermined cleaning path to clean the peeling section. One such cleaning path follows each of the insert rollers in the peeling section of a peeling machine. An underside cleaner may be used in conjunction with the robot to simultaneously clean the underside of the peeling section. | 03-11-2010 |
| 20100059338 | CONVEYOR BELT AND METHOD FOR MOUNTING OBLIQUE ROLLERS ON LATERAL RODS - A conveyor belt and a method for providing a conveyor belt with rollers that rotate on axes oblique to the direction of belt travel. Axles are mounted on rods extending perpendicular to direction of belt travel. The axles have cylindrical outer bearing surfaces that define a central axis that is oblique to the direction of belt travel when mounted on the rods. Rollers mounted on the axles rotate on the outer bearing surfaces in a direction oblique to the direction of belt travel. | 03-11-2010 |
| 20100059334 | ROLLER-BELT CONVEYOR FOR MOVING ARTICLES ACROSS THE CONVEYOR - A conveyor using a roller belt with rollers arranged to rotate on oblique axes to urge articles toward a side guide. The conveyor includes an oblique-roller belt supported on a carryway for running in a direction of belt travel. Rollers extend above an outer conveying surface of the belt without contact with the carryway. Each roller rotates on an axis oblique to the direction of belt travel and intersects the side guide downstream of the roller's position. A retractable stop is movable to and from a blocking position along the carryway. In the blocking position, the stop blocks the conveyed articles from advancing in the direction of belt travel. The rollers underlying the blocked articles rotate as the belt runs by contact with the articles. The rotating rollers provide a component of force to the blocked articles directed toward the side guide to push the articles against the side guide or other articles as they accumulate under low pressure upstream of the stop. The conveyor may be used to register articles single file against the side guide or to group the articles for palletizing. For palletizing applications, an infeed conveyor feeds articles onto the belt at the side opposite the side guide. | 03-11-2010 |
| 20100018842 | POSITIVELY DRIVEN, TRACKING FLAT BELT AND CONVEYOR - A flat belt conveyor that is flexible along its length and has a chevron drive and a matching drive drum with helical drive surfaces on its periphery to drive and track the belt. The flat belt may comprise a series of flexible modules, or belt segments, of one or more lengths joined end to end to form an endless belt of desired length. | 01-28-2010 |
| 20090301357 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR HELPING UNLOAD A PALLET - A tiltable lift and a method for using it to aid the unloading of a pallet. The tiltable lift comprises a lift mounted atop a tiltable platform. A pallet load of pallet load elements, such as containers, cartons, boxes, trays, or bundles, deposited on the lift is tilted. A wall extending upward from the platform receives a side of the tilted pallet load, which is urged against the wall by gravity. The lift lifts the pallet load along the wall to position the topmost layer of the pallet load at a top end of the wall for easy access and removal of pallet load elements from the pallet. | 12-10-2009 |
| 20090250325 | CONVEYOR LINK CHAIN WITH UNIVERSAL COUPLING JPOINT - A conveyor chain with a universal coupling joint connecting consecutive chain links. The joint includes a joint member unitarily molded with a first link body engaged by a separately formed joint element insertable into a second adjacent link body to link the two link bodies at the joint. The insertable joint element may be made of a different material from the link body. The joint member has a convex or concave spherical bearing surface that engages a complementary concave or convex bearing surface on the joint element for universal pivoting. | 10-08-2009 |
| 20090242358 | CONVEYOR AND BELT WITH CLUTCH-DRIVEN FLIGHTS - A belt conveyor having clutch-driven flights for extremely low-torque operation. The flights have pivot members that rotate about an axis over a limited range of angles. A clutch mechanism includes a spring pushing a clutch wheel against a pivot member. The clutch wheel is arranged to rotate as the conveyor belt advances. Frictional contact between the rotating wheel and the pivot member imparts a moment on the flight to raise it to an extended position. When the flight is encumbered even by a light load, the low-torque mechanism automatically slips to prevent the flight from rising to the extended position. | 10-01-2009 |
| 20090200139 | ARTICLE-ROTATING BELT CONVEYOR - A conveyor ( | 08-13-2009 |
| 20090194391 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SENSING CONDITIONS LOCAL TO A MODULAR CONVEYOR BELT - Apparatus and method for sensing conditions local to a modular conveyor belt and wirelessly transmitting signals representing those conditions to an off-belt belt monitoring system. In a preferred version, a load cell pin installed in a clevis formed at a hinge joint between adjacent rows of a modular conveyor belt serves as a clevis pin to interconnect the rows and as a sensor sensitive to belt tension transmitted through the clevis. A special load-sensing belt module forms the clevis and holds electronic circuitry that takes the measurements made by the sensor, logs them in a memory element, and transmits them wirelessly to the belt monitoring system. The measurements may also be used as part of a closed-loop control system to control the speed or other operating characteristics of the conveyor system. Furthermore, a variety of sensors housed in sensor modules similar to standard conveyor belt modules may be installed in the belt as drop-in replacements for standard modules. | 08-06-2009 |
| 20090173598 | DIAGONAL SORTER - In one embodiment, a conveyor system includes a conveyor belt having a plurality of conveyor belt rollers configured to divert articles on the conveyor belt, and a drive mechanism that engages the conveyor belt rollers, the drive mechanism being configured to drive the conveyor belt rollers, the drive mechanism being adjustable such that the conveyor belt rollers can be selectively driven in a first angular direction and, optionally, a second, opposite angular direction so that articles can be selectively diverted to either side of the conveyor belt at a desired diverting angle. One version of the drive mechanism has drive rollers mounted in cartridges and rack gears engaging pinion gears on the cartridges to adjust the orientation of the drive rollers relative to the belt rollers to drive them in selectively opposite angular directions. Such a conveyor system with a series of sequential roller actuation zones driven by separately actuated drive mechanisms is arranged diagonally to an infeed conveyor and a multi-lane outbound conveyor to realize a switch conveyor. | 07-09-2009 |
| 20090095599 | CONVEYOR BELT MODULE WITH RETAINED ROLLERS - A belt module with embedded rollers retained in cavities in the module by retention structure insertable into the module. The rollers and cavities are elongated in the direction of belt travel and closely separated by narrow dividers that form outward-facing surfaces that can serve as bearing surfaces for a belt made of the modules when the rollers are inactivated. When activated, the rollers, which rotate on axles parallel to the direction of belt travel, are supported directly on conveyor rolling surfaces. The dividers also carry the belt tension and stiffen the module. | 04-16-2009 |
| 20090090599 | Systems and Methods for Providing An Improved Timing Conveyor - A conveyor includes a conveyor belt, a plurality of rollers, and a flight. The rollers have lower surfaces configured to engage a roller-engagement surface, and upper surfaces that substantially form a plane, such that the rollers engage the roller-engagement surface and rotate to move an object supported by the rollers over the plane. The flight includes a cam configured to engage a cam surface below the conveyor belt to impart a moment on the flight, and a projection that responds to the moment by rotating from a retracted position to an extended position. | 04-09-2009 |
| 20090008218 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR ACCELERATING CONVEYED ARTICLES - A belt conveyor and a method for accelerating articles conveyed atop a moving conveyor belt. The conveyor belt includes rollers that are arranged to rotate on axes transverse to the direction of belt travel. The rollers have a large-diameter portion on which conveyed articles ride and one or more smaller-diameter portions that can be engaged by a bearing surface to rotate the rollers as the conveyor belt advances in the direction of belt travel. Articles atop the large-diameter portion are propelled in the conveying direction at a speed greater than twice the forward speed of the belt. | 01-08-2009 |
| 20080302634 | Conveyor Switch - A sorting switch for diverting articles from one or more infeed conveyors to two or more outfeed conveyors. A pre-alignment conveyor receives articles from one or more infeed conveyors and selectively diverts individual articles into two or more lateral regions for delivery to an alignment conveyor downstream. The alignment conveyor more precisely aligns the articles within each of the regions for delivery to outfeed conveyors at the downstream end of the alignment conveyor. The alignment and pre-alignment conveyors are realized as belt conveyors with rollers arranged to rotate universally or on axes in specific orientations. In some versions, a belt's rollers roll on bearing surfaces whenever the belt is advancing. In other versions, rollers are selective actuated by moving bearing surfaces. In yet other versions, rollers are not contacted by bearing surfaces at all. | 12-11-2008 |
| 20080289936 | ROLLER-BELT CONVEYOR FOR MOVING ARTICLES ACROSS THE CONVEYOR - A conveyor using a roller belt with rollers arranged to rotate on oblique axes to urge articles toward a side guide. The conveyor includes an oblique-roller belt supported on a carryway for running in a direction of belt travel. Rollers extend above an outer conveying surface of the belt without contact with the carryway. Each roller rotates on an axis oblique to the direction of belt travel and intersects the side guide downstream of the roller's position. A retractable stop is movable to and from a blocking position along the carryway. In the blocking position, the stop blocks the conveyed articles from advancing in the direction of belt travel. The rollers underlying the blocked articles rotate as the belt runs by contact with the articles. The rotating rollers provide a component of force to the blocked articles directed toward the side guide to push the articles against the side guide or other articles as they accumulate under low pressure upstream of the stop. The conveyor may be used to register articles single file against the side guide or to group the articles for palletizing. For palletizing applications, an infeed conveyor feeds articles onto the belt at the side opposite the side guide. | 11-27-2008 |
| 20080271978 | TRANSVERSE-ROLLER BELTS AND MODULES - A modular roller-top conveyor belt with a dense array of rollers freely rotatable toward the sides of the belt. The rollers are arranged in offset lines and columns in a checkerboard pattern on the top side of the belt. The rollers rotate on axes parallel to the direction of belt travel. The rollers extend in the direction of belt travel over the hinge axes formed between adjacent rows of belt modules. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20080271610 | Method and a Product for Heating or Cooling of Foodstuffs - The invention relates to a method and a product for heating or cooling including freezing of food items in a rotating closed pipe serpent. The technology includes a closed non-circular rotating pipe serpent for processing of food items, where the food items are transported in a preparation liquid through the pipe serpent during either heating or cooling. The invention secures a gentle but efficient mixture of the food items that prevents clogging, which secures a homogeneous thermal processing of the individual food items, which again secures a high quality of the final food items. Simultaneously the products used for processing are easy to clean, which results in low costs. The process can be run entirely automatic without the involvement of manual labour, which results in minimal demands for process resources and ensures a high standard of hygiene. Several independent rotating pipe serpent units can be combined so that the food items can run through numerous successive heating- or cooling processes in batches or in a continuous flow. The process is suited for processing of many different types of food items such as meat, shellfish or vegetables whether these are going to be steamed, blanched or boiled in liquids such as water or oil. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20080251359 | Conveyor Belt Having Rollers that Displace Objects - In one embodiment, a conveyor belt includes multiple roller sets, each roller set including a first roller and a second roller, the first and second rollers being placed in contact with each other such that driving of one of the rollers in a first angular direction causes rotation of the other roller in a second, opposite angular direction. | 10-16-2008 |
| 20080217138 | CONVEYOR SYSTEMS FOR DIVERTING OBJECTS - In one embodiment, a conveyor system includes a conveyor belt having a plurality of conveyor belt rollers configured to divert objects on the conveyor belt, and a drive mechanism that engages the conveyor belt rollers, the drive mechanism being configured to drive the conveyor belt rollers, the drive mechanism being adjustable such that the conveyor belt rollers can be selectively driven in a first angular direction and a second, opposite angular direction so that objects can be selectively diverted to either side of the conveyor belt at a desired diverting angle. One version of the drive mechanism has drive rollers mounted in cartridges and rack gears engaging pinion gears on the cartridges to adjust the orientation of the drive rollers relative to the belt rollers to drive them in selectively opposite angular directions. | 09-11-2008 |
| 20080202896 | STACKED ATTACHMENTS FOR MODULAR CONVEYOR BELTS - A detachable stacked attachment for a modular conveyor belt. An attachment, for example, a bucket, comprises a group of components arranged side by side in an aligned stack of parallel layers. Interior components are sandwiched between outermost and end components. The number and widths of the components in the stack define the width of the resulting stack attachment. In this way, an attachment of selected width may be attached to a conveyor belt. | 08-28-2008 |
