1,044,284. Endless conveyers; suction holding devices; shoots and hoppers. OSCAR MAYERKARTRIDG PAK S.A. April 14, 1964, No. 15332/64. Headings B8A, B8H and B8S. [Also in Division A2] Apparatus for handling sausages or other similarly-shaped articles comprises a conveyor 10, Fig. 1, having a plurality of pairs of endless belts 11 for advancing the sausages 5 in parallel paths, transversely aligned compartments 13 through which the sausages are directed to an endless cross conveyer 15 on which they extend laterally, the conveyer 15 conveying the sausages to a conveyer mechanism 16, Fig. 5, which moves the sausages to an accumulator 20 from which the sausages are fed to an endless grouping conveyer 24 leading to a transfer mechanism having a plurality of suction heads 26 connected to an endless chain conveyer which moves in a path having adjoining portions extending at right-angles to each other, the heads 26 being adapted to pick-up groups of the sausages from the conveyer 24 and deposit them in pockets 326 in a conveyer 28, Fig. 6 (not shown), leading to a wrapping machine. The conveyer mechanism 16 has a section 17 which is tiltable upwardly to permit any jamming of the sausages to be cleared. The entire mechanism 16 is tiltable downwardly away from the accumulator 20 for diverting the sausages from the latter. Associated with the mechanism 16 is a mechanism 18 for trimming the tips T which remain on the ends of the sausages when these are made. The conveyer 10 is supported on a frame 30 and the belts 11 are of rubber and have a circular cross-section. The return runs of the belts 11 are diverted by pulleys 45, Figs. 4 and 9 (not shown), past U-shaped channel members 43 in which run the sausage carrying runs of the belts. The sausages are diverted into the compartments 13 by adjustable blocks 57 and associated with each compartment is a pair of bars 51, 52, Fig. 10 (not shown), which are mounted on parallel spaced slide rods 53, 55, respectively, and control the movement of the sausages. The slide rods are connected to bell-crank levers 65, 66, Figs. 4, 7 and 8 (not shown), which carry cam rollers 71, 72, the latter being engaged in cam tracks 73, 74 provided in cam plates 75 which are mounted on a shaft 76 connected by gearing to the tail shaft 82 of the cross conveyer 15. The conveyer 15 comprises a pair of parallel chains 86 extending over sprockets 85, 87 and interconnected by L-shaped plates providing pockets 14, Fig. 4 (not shown), for receiving the sausages. The drive sprockets 87 are connected through a shaft 90 to a driven shaft 95, Figs. 11 and 13 (not shown). The conveyer 10 is driven from the shaft 95 which also drives the apparatus from which the sausages are received by the conveyer 10. A manually-operated pivoted plate 114, Fig. 1, is provided which is positionable to divert sausages from the conveyer 15 or is movable to sweep sausages from the latter. The sausages on the conveyer 15 are centred by oscillating, converging plates 121, 122, Figs. 13 and 14 (not shown), the plates being mounted on pivoted, spring-loaded, angled members 123, 124 which carry small rollers 130<SP>1</SP>, 131<SP>1</SP> for engagement with a toothed disc 132 driven from the shaft 95. The conveyer mechanism 16, Figs. 15, 16, 17 and 18 (not shown), is pivotally mounted on a shaft 145 and has a shaft 155 on which is pivotally mounted the section 17. The latter carries a pair of driven belts 162 which when they are disposed horizontally as shown in Fig. 5 co-operate with a pair of belts 140, Fig. 16 (not shown), supported in guides 147, to advance the sausages from the conveyer 15. Link members 165, 166, Fig. 15 (not shown), are pivotally interconnected and biased by tension springs 174 in past dead-centre manner so that pressure upon either of finger pads 175 or 176 provided on the link member 166 will move the section 17 between the full-line and broken-line positions thereof shown in Fig. 5. The mechanism 16 is also provided with driven, opposed belt assemblies 180, 181 between which the sausages are further advanced to the accumulator 20. The belts on the mechanism 16 are driven from the shaft 90. The sausage trimming mechanism 18, Figs. 19, 20, 21 and 22 (not shown), comprises a plate 200 mounted at each side of the mechanism 16, each plate 200 having a guide plate 202 secured thereto and along the surface of which the ends of successive sausages are forced by the belt assemblies 180, 181 until the tips T spring into a slot 204. The tips T are removed by cutter wheels 205 driven from the belt assemblies 180, 181. The accumulator 20, Fig. 5; and (Figs. 23, 24, 25 and 26, not shown), comprises a hopper 21 which receives the sausages from the conveyer mechanism 16, the latter when in the horizontal position being releasably locked to the hopper 21 by pins 226. The front plate of the hopper is preferably of transparent material for the operator to see the level of the sausages in the hopper, the latter being open at the top for access by the operator to prevent jamming of the sausages, the front plate has a hinged door 228 therein also for access. When the sausages leave the hopper 21 they pass between a hexagonal roller 236 and a roller assembly 237, the latter being formed by a cylindrical cage having a plurality of freely rotating small rollers mounted about its periphery. The sausages then enter a curved channel 230 provided between assemblies 232 and 233 of small rollers and leading to a discharge opening 231. The roller 236 and roller assembly 237 break up any bridging of the sausages as they leave the hopper 21. Mounted in the latter are oscillating plates 238 for preventing any jamming of the sausages, limiting the flow of sausages to the roller 236 and the roller assembly 237 and keeping the sausages properly orientated. All of the rollers and the plates 238 are driven from a motor (not shown), by a chain 245 and suitable gearing, the plates 238 being oscillated by a link bar 253 which is pivoted eccentrically to a rotating member. A manually-operable sliding gate 294 controls the discharge opening 231. The grouping conveyer 24, Fig. 5, and (Fig. 6, not shown), which receives the sausages from the accumulator 20 comprises laterally spaced chains 305 carrying upwardly opening, shallow pocket-forming members 23 which are arranged in groups separated by spacers 307, the upper run of the conveyer being supported on guide rails 308 and the conveyer being driven from the wrapping machine (not shown). The transfer mechanism. Figs. 3, 6, 27, 28 and 29 (not shown), for removing the sausages from the conveyer 24 comprises a horizontal frame 310 formed primarily by verticallyspaced plates 311, 312 which have grooves 313, 314 for receiving guide rollers 315, 316 on the suction heads 26. The latter are pivotally attached at 317 to an endless chain 318 extending round sprockets 320, 321, 322; the shaft 324 of the sprocket 321 is driven with the wrapping machine (not shown) from the driving mechanism of the conveyer 28 which leads to the wrapping machine. The guide rollers 315, 316 are mounted in opposed pairs at opposite ends of a bar 330 of each head 26, the bar 330 being supported vertically on rollers 333, 334. A bracket 335 is secured to the bar 330 and houses pinions 345, 346 which mesh with racks 343, 344 on posts 337, 338, the latter being attached to suction pick-up means 336. The pinion 345 is mounted on a shaft 347 on which is also mounted a bevel pinion 351, the latter being in mesh with a bevel pinion 352 to which is attached a crank-arm 355 carrying a roller 356 operatively engaged in a cam track 357. As the head 26 moves round the frame 310 the bevel pinions 352, 351 and the pinions 345, 346 are rotated to raise and lower the pick-up means 336 at the appropriate times for picking up the groups of sausages from the conveyer 24 and depositing them in the pockets 326 in the conveyer 28. The pick-up means 336 comprises a manifold 358 carrying rubber suction pads 362 the suction passages 363 of which connect with passages 364, 365 leading to a flexible hose 366 which extends from the head 26 to a box 367 rotatably mounted on the frame 310. The box 367 is driven from the shaft 325 of sprocket 322 and each hose 366 provides a port which is successively connected, as the box rotates, with a vacuum port 374, an atmospheric port 375 and a compressed-air port 376.