932,846. Conveyer systems. JOHN DALGLISH & SONS Ltd. (Proctor & Schwartz Inc.). July 14, 1960, No. 24500/60. Class 78 (L). [Also in Group XIII] In apparatus for cooling, drying or otherwise treating articles, the articles are carried by a main intermittently driven moving conveyer presenting platforms or trays to receive the articles, the conveyer having an upwardly moving run along which the platforms or trays are adapted to register with the ends of a plurality of superposed supports, and a multiple pusher is adapted simultaneously to discharge during a lull in the intermittent movement of the conveyer an article or a tray carrying an article on to each of the supports, the articles or trays being adapted to move in contacting relationship along these supports so that at the same time an article or tray is discharged from the opposite end of each support. In one embodiment, Fig. 1, the main conveyer comprises a series of box-section platforms 17 secured between a pair of endless chains 14 passing around sprockets 15 in a treating chamber 10. A series of superposed supports 12 is arranged with a vertical spacing equal to the spacing between platforms 17, a further support 23 being arranged at double this spacing below the lowest support 12. A series of trays 18 is arranged to circulate from right to left along the supports 12 and from left to right along the support 23, transfer of these trays between the supports 12 and the support 23 being effected by the conveyer platforms 17. Each tray 18 is of a length to accommodate a plurality of articles 22, Fig. 3, and is fed with a batch comprising this number of articles by a pusher bar 48 operated by a cylinder 49 which is controlled in accordance with the arrival of the articles 22 on an in-feed belt 51. This control is effected by each article contacting a feeler 59 which operates a switch 56 arranged in parallel with a further switch 57, the latter being operated by a pin wheel 62 driven from a receiving belt 45, the pin 61 on the pin wheel operating a feeler 60 at predetermined intervals. The arrangement is such that as each article contacts the feeler 59, a relay 58 is energized which in turn energizes a motor 55 driving the belt 45. The belt 45 continues to run after the article has released feeler 59 since switch 57 is normally closed. Switch 57 is opened by a pin 61 on the pin wheel 62 after a suitable interval, causing belt 45 to stop. Two of the pins 61 are arranged at a larger spacing than the remainder so as to provide gaps between complete batches of articles 22 which allows the pusher bar 48 to clear oncoming articles during retraction of the latter. When a batch of articles 22 has been thus transferred to a tray 18, the pusher bar 48 is arranged to actuate a switch (not shown) during its retraction, this switch energizing a motor driving the chains 14 so as to move the conveyer a distance equal to the spacing between adjacent platforms 17. A further pusher bar 33 is actuated at the same time as the pusher bar 48 by a cylinder 31 to push a tray on the downwardly-moving run of the conveyer from a platform 17 on to the return support 23, this pushing all the trays along the support 23 so that the leading tray is deposited on a platform 17 of the ascending run of the conveyer to the right of the support 23. During movement of the main conveyer the articles carried by a tray thus delivered from the support 23 on to a platform 17 is discharged on to a delivery belt 44 by an abutment 40 carried between a pair of arms 41 actuated by a cylinder 43 to tip the tray, the tray being, however, retained on the platform 17 by a pair of arcuate abutments 34. These operations continue in sequence until the main conveyer has moved six steps, whereupon a multiple pusher comprising a frame 25 supporting arms 27 which carry pusher bars 28 is actuated by a pair of cylinders 26 to deliver a tray 18 carrying an article on to each of the supports 12, whereupon the articles on each support are moved in contacting relation so that the leading article on each support is delivered to a platform 17 on the downwardly moving run of the main conveyer at the left of the supports 12. The above operations are now repeated. Instead of the trays circulating first along a plurality of upper supports and then along a single lower support, as shown in Fig. 1, the trays may first travel along a lower support and then along a series of upper supports, Fig. 10 (not shown). In another embodiment, Fig. 11, the supports 12, 23 are replaced by rollerways 101, 113, respectively. Also, the articles 104 are arranged to be discharged at the left-hand side of the apparatus on to a belt 112 by a push-puller 110 which on its push stroke delivers a batch of articles from a platform on to the belt 112 and its pull stroke engages the empty tray by means of a pawl 111 to pull this from the conveyer platform on to the return rollerway 113, so that the trays are returned empty along this rollerway. In another embodiment, Fig. 12, the trays are replayed by wheeled carriers 124 running on a plurality of upper supports 123 and a lower support 126, each of which supports consists of a pair of angle irons on which the wheels 125 of the carriers 124 run. The platforms also comprise pairs of opposed angle irons 122 which are carried by respective opposed pairs of endless chains. In operation, a batch of articles is loaded from an in-feed belt 27 on to a carrier 124 by a pusher 130 at each lull in the movement of the conveyers which are driven in synchronism. Immediately afterwards, a second pusher 131 pushes the loaded carrier 124 on to the support 126 pushing along all the carriers on this support so that the leading carrier is deposited on a pair of rising angle irons to the left of this support. Simultaneously, a further pusher 129 pushes an article from a descending pair of angle irons to the right of the supports 123 on to a delivery belt 128. These operations continue at each lull in the movement of the conveyers until after eleven movements of the conveyers a pusher 131 simultaneously transfers eleven of the carriers 124 on to the left-hand ends of these supports 123 pushing along all the carriers on each of the supports so that the leading carriers are deposited on the descending pairs of angle irons to the right of the supports. The above operations are then repeated. In a further embodiment, Fig. 15, the trays 140 are of corrugated, flat construction so that the articles can be discharged by a pusher 146 so as to fall down an inclined plate 144 on to a delivery belt 147. Incoming batches of articles are fed to the same trays by another pusher 148, the plate 144 being raised to horizontal position for this purpose by a cylinder 145. The apparatus otherwise operates as described with reference to Fig. 1. In the modification shown in Fig. 16, the articles are not carried on trays but simply slide on the supports 162 between ascending and descending runs of the main conveyer. The platforms 160 of the main conveyer are of triangular section so as to present horizontal article carrying surfaces on the ascending run and inclined article carrying surfaces of the descending run these co-operating with inclined portions 163 of the supports 162 such that when multiple pusher 164 is operated in the manner described with reference to Fig. 1, the leading batch of articles on each support 162 travels down the inclined portion 163 on to the inclined surface of the platform 160 in register therewith and is retained on the platform by a plate 163a. The plate 163a is discontinued at a point such that the batch of articles delivered on the lowermost support 162 passes direct to a delivery conveyer 165. The articles from the remaining supports 162 are delivered to the conveyer 165 during subsequent intermittent movements of the main conveyer. In a further embodiment, Fig. 17, separate in-feed and outfeed main conveyers 171, 172 are provided each comprising an endless series of platforms. An in-feed pusher 174 pushes a batch of articles on to a platform of the conveyer 171 at each lull of the latter. A multiple pusher 173 pushes five batches of articles simultaneously from five platforms of the conveyer 171 after each fifth successive movement of the latter to deposit a batch of articles on each of the supports 170 causing the batches of articles to move in contacting relationship whereby the leading batch of articles on each support 170 is delivered on to a platform of the conveyer 172. An out-feed pusher 177 delivers a batch of articles from a platform of the conveyer 172 at each lull in the movement of the latter. Fig. 18 shows an alternative arrangement for feeding batches of articles to the main conveyer to replace the arrangement shown in Fig. 3. This comprises an in-feed belt 180, a belt 181 arranged at the side of the belt 180 and partially overlapping the latter, this belt being driven at a slightly higher speed, a belt 186 driven at a slightly lower speed than the belt 181, and a belt 187 which is driven step-by-step by a motor 202, Fig. 19. A pusher bar 185 is actuated by a pair of cylinders 184 in timed relationship with the movement of belt 180 to deliver successive batches to the belt 181. Owing to the higher speed of the latter belt these batches are spaced from one another as they pass to the belt 186. As each article passes to the belt 187 it contacts a feeler 206, Fig. 19, which closes a switch 205 to energize the motor 202. To determine when a complete batch of articles is assembled on the belt 187 two switches 211, 212 are provided, the arrangement being such that when switch 212 is closed by a leading article a relay 215 is energized having hold contacts 215a. Contacts 215b of the latter energize a relay 216 only if switch 211 is closed, this energization being prevented if the operating arm of switch 211 is engaged by an article. Upon energization of relay 216 a solenoid valve 213 is