US2633224A - Apparatus for the delivery of articles to conveyers - Google Patents

Description

| LTH EBAULT APPARATUS FOR THE DELIVERY OF ARTICLES TO CONVEYERS Filed Aug. 2, 1946 March 31, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Xmb JW ATTORNEY.

| THEBAULT 2,633,224

APPARATUS FOR THE DELIVERY OF ARTICLES T0 CONVEYERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY.

A1 I I INVENTOR. Xauw 8W 9% Jfifiaaw March 31, 1953 FiledjAug. 2, 1946 Marc h 31, 1953 L. THEBAULT 2,633,224

APPARATUS FOR THE DELIVERY OF ARTICLES TO CONVEYERS Filed Aug. 2, 1946 4 Sh c Sh ee 5- eet 5 INVENTOR. {M 7m BY OQaZI/ d4. flmm/ ATTORNEY.

March 31, 1953 L. THEBAULT 2,633,224

APPARATUS FOR THE DELIVERY OF ARTICLES TO CONVEYERS Filed Aug. 2, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 a? Q I 5;:

l INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 31, 1953 U'NIT'ED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR THE DELIVERY OF ARTICLES TO CONVEYERS Louis Thbault, Sucy-en-Brie', France, .ass'ignor' to Societe: Anonyme des Manufactures des Glaces ct Produits Chimiquesde Saint-Gobain, Chauny et Cirey, Paris, France Application August. 2, 1946, Seri'a't'No. 6853;115 In. France December; 17, 1943 Section 1, Public Law 690,August 8, 1946 Patentexpircs December 1'1,1"963 1 invention relates to means. for delivering articles from positions in line to positions in ranks. The invention will. be described in its application. to a. chute that is primarily adapted tothe transference of bottlesv to a moving conveyoi's. However; it to be understood that this, preferred, embodiment of the invention is only illustrative and does not-constitute a limitation. The preferred embodiment of the invention which is described herein. relates to an apparatus for-transferring bottles from a bottle forming machine to alehr conveyor. A difficult problem arises? in: handling the-bottles as they aredischarged. by" automatic. bottle forming. machinery. ltlhaszirheretofore been proposed to: transfer the bottlesrto amoving conveyor in. an upright'positionaoiruon their sides. but the problem of standing; a bottle upon itsvend on. a. moving conveyor hassbsen difficult to. solve; and. bottles on their sidesttend to rolL.

Eorsome; purposes, or use, itis'desirable that bottlesshouldrbe arranged in ranks rather than in. a; single: line,v and. that it should be possible to vary-the: arrangement of bottles in the ranks, but "heretoforetno apparatus. has been completely successful in placing bottles upright in selected ranks'ruponx the surface of. a. moving conveyor.

' It is: anobject. of this invention to transfer 'bottlesisfrom .a. bottleforming machine to aconveyonby meanszwhichare capable of coordinat Iin'g -thetspeed: ofzthe; machine to the speed of the conveyor.

Another object of: the invention is to deliver :bottles: frompositionsin. line'to positions; in ranks uporrgac. moving conveyor.

Another: object ofv the: invention is-to construct an apparatus capable: of transferringa series of :bottl'es from positionsiinlinetorpositions in ranks :upon-..a moving:conveyor; and capable of making ranks which are. selectively provided withdiffer- -.ent-sliapes:and relations to other ranks.

Another object is to coordinate the. Speed of a bottlezmachinewith that of a bottle delivery apparatug by meansof a plurality of intermediate conveyorspperating. at different speeds.

Anotherxobject. of the: invention is to take bottles. from. a reclining: position and: to=erect themlupontlieasurface:ofa'zmoving conveyor.

\ .Anotlierzo'b'iect toideliver bottles A chuteto ithei-conveyor and: tocontrol the bottles in. their :passagezito the: chute and: while they are being -dcpos'ited1on. the: surface. of the .zconveyon.

. Another object: is; to: impart. to;a delivery chute bothzlongitudinal andftransverse. mctionrwith: re- .latiomtorsthe' surface of a movingxconv'eyorso that; unstable: articles. delivered. thereto maybe delivered an upright. manner: and in: precis .trelatinnitm other. similanarticles... i

Another. object is: to. impart. to. adelivery chute motion having. transverse and longitudinal components with respect tothemotion of. a. receiving conveyor by mean of. apparatus capable .of .adjustmentto provide upon the surface of theconveyor different space relationships between the articles. delivered.

Another object of theinvention .is to transfer articlesto a conveyor regardless of the difierence in. levelbetweenthe. starting. position and the delivering. position.

The above and further objects and novelff'eatures of the inventionwillmore. fully appear from the following description when the same is read in connection with the accompanying.- drawings.

.It ist lbe expressly understood, however, that .the

drawings areifor the .purpose of illustration only and are notintended. as a definition of the limits of the invention,.reference for thislatter purpose being had primarily to=the appended. claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views,

Fig. l. is. a planview of .an apparatus adapted to transfer bottlesfrom a forming machine'to a lehr conveyor, the control mechanism being diagrammatically shown;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through one (little clutchoperated gears for reciprocating the'chute;

Fig. 3 is a verticalv elevational' view of diagrammatic character of an. elevator for transferring bottles fromla forming. machine to a feedingcon- "veyor;v

I Fig. 4. is an enlarged View of the end of the chute. showing. the discharging-mechanism;

5 is an elevationalview .oflthe chute and its operating. mechanism;

- Figs. 6' .toill are exemplary of the ranks in different alignments and Figure 12 shows the. apparatus ofTFig... .l a momentlater.

Ref erring. now to the numerals of'the drawings, the numeral I'll refers toa bottle transfer device which takes. bottles from. the forming machine andtransfers themto an elevator of vertically arrangedchainconveyor type. The bottle transfer device has an. arm ill; mounted upona pivot 1.2,. at the ends of which are clutches 13: adapted to pick up bottles 4 and. drop them. in a chute k5,. by which they are delivered. to the: feeding basket l6 ofaibasket type chainvconveyor orelevator, which accommodateswdifferencesin level between-the: formingapparatus-and thelehr conveyor, .In Fig.3 a-tower-like-framework.zll-supports ar chainconveyor 2 whichpis appropriately .driven. by a rotatable shaft 22. .such. drives are wellunderstoodby engineers and need not be detailedzhere. The-chains of the-con- The details of veyor pass over pulleys 23. The chains carry, at spaced intervals, baskets 24 which are adapted to receive and to transport bottles. The feeding basket I6 is pivotally mounted at I! and is weighted at its outer edge, for instance as shown at l8, in order that it may return to position after it has discharged its load to the basket 24. Tripping lever 25 is operatively attached to the delivery basket |6 by appropriate sprocket gears and a chain 26. Tappets 21, in advance of baskets 24, engage the lever 25 and pivot the basket l6 into such position that its contents are discharged into the basket 24, the basket l6 being released by the tappets and returned to original position before engagement takes place between the two baskets.

The basket 24 with its contents are carried by the chains to the topof the tower 20 where it is tilted and discharges its burden into a chute 30 from whence it is deposited upon a conveyor 3|. The bottles are thus delivered from the forming machine to a conveyor in line, and it is possible, as has been hereinabove pointed out, to transport them on this conveyor to the place of packing or use where they can be removed by hand or otherwise and used for their intended purpose. However, such a primitive construction does not accomplish the primary objects of this invention or solve the problems of the prior art.

The bottle transfer device is of necessity geared to the speed of the bottle making machine and the chain is of necessity geared to the speed of the bottle delivery means In. However, that speed may not be a favorable rate for the discharge of the articles onto the final or lehr conveyor. Furthermore, the problem also exists of the proper spacing of the bottles for ready handling by the apparatus as a whole. These problems of coordination are overcome by the use of a plurality of aligned conveyors 3|, 32 of belt type. The conveyor 3| receives the bottles as they are discharged by the conveyor or elevator 2|. Its speed of necessity is sufiicient to prevent bottles from striking one another as they are discharged by the elevator." The belt conveyor 32, on the other hand, while being driven in the same direction as belt 3|, may be driven at a lesser or at a greater speed, depending upon the requirements of the delivery apparatus hereinafter described. By regulating the relative speeds of the two belts, the operation of two portions of the apparatus, whose speeds might otherwise be in irreconcilable conflict, is smoothly and perfectly conducted.

The sides of the conveyors 3|, 32 have guides "34 which prevent the bottles from being accidently thrown from the conveyors. Fixedly attached "to such guides as by means of rivets 35 are flexible guides 36, which are adapted to slide within sleeves 31 attached to the guides at the upper end of pivoted chute 50. A funnel or chute section 38 is suspended from the guide bars 36 by loops 39. The upper end of the chute 50 is arranged approximately over the pivot about which the chute swingsso that the conveyor is enabled to discharge its bottles to the chute section 38, which has a sufiicient inclination to carry the bottle downward, from whence they slide onto chute section 56. By this conception the appli- -cant is enabled to transfer bottles from a moving conveyor to an angularly moving chute without 'difiiculty and without damage to the bottles.

' It; is one object of this invention to transfer bottles in line to positions in ranks upon the surface of a moving conveyor. This is accom- "plished by a moving chute 58which is traversed with respect to the conveyor and is also provided with a longitudinal component of motion between two successive delivering positions equal to the sum of the difference of the ordinates of the two corresponding points of the transverse line to be described on the conveyor and of the forward movement of the conveyor during the same time. This chute is sometimes of considerable length and is sufiiciently inclined to employ gravity transfer of the bottles, and the bottles would attain too great speed unless something were done to control their passage through it. In the drawing the chute has been indicated by the numeral 50 and is provided with a bed or floor 5|, side guides 52, and pivoted shutters 53, 54, 55. Three shutters are shown, but the number could be greater or less or, in short chutes fed at a suffic'iently low rate, could be omitted. The shutter 53, for example, is pivotally mounted upon a shaft 56, the attachment being at one side of the shutter so that the pivoting of the shaft 56 will throw the shutter upward from its normal position as a part of the bed of the chute into position to act as a stop for the bottles. The shaft 56 carries an upwardly extending crank arm 51 which is connected by the rod 58 to a reciprocable disk 59. The disk 59 has a bearing 60 upon which the arm 58 is mounted and a bearing 64 upon which is mounted a rod 6|, the other end of which is attached to a downwardly extending crank arm 62 mounted on the end of shaft 63 which carries the shutter 55. When the disk is reciprocated the shutters 53 and 55 are thus operated together, both being raised simultaneously from the bed of the chute to stopping position and both being flattened simultaneously to permit the passage of bottles. To bearing 64 there is also attached a rod 65 that operates the upwardly extending crank arm 66 which is attached to shaft 61 mounted in the chute and carrying the shutter 54. Shutter 54 works in opposition to the shutters 53 and 55; when they are depressed, it is raised, and vice versa.

The disk 59 is reciprocated by means of a double ended piston 70 bearing between its ends a rack 1| engaged with a pinion 12 mounted on the shaft 13 that carries the disc 59. The reciprocation of the piston reciprocates the disk 59 pivotally and operates the shutters. The chute is provided witha pivoted discharging foot 15 and a steadying member 16. The scale of Fig. 1 is too small to show the detailed construction of the discharging foot perfectly. Reference is had to Fig. 4 for that purpose. This foot is an L- shaped member the portion 11 of which in its retracted position forms a continuation of the bed 5| of the chute. In that position the member 18 extends at right angles to the chute and acts to receive and stop the bottle released by the shutter 55. The foot is pivotally operated through arms 19, 19' and rod 6|. It is thus worked coincidentally with shutter 55, but because of the arrangement of the parts, in opposition thereto.

The arm 19 has a depending sleeve 88 into which is screw threaded a support 8|, on the end of which is pivotally attached pusher 82' having a head 83 which in retracted position is flush with the part 11 of foot 15. The pusher 82 is fixed upon and turns with a shaft 84, which projects outward and is operated by arm 6| through rod 19 and a lever 19'. In other words, the portion 1'! of the foot is rigidly attached to shaft 84 so as to turn with the shaft. The curved rod 19 is attached to the end of the rod 19' which is fixed on shaft84. -The sleeve is mounted on an intermediate part of rod '19 and supportspusher 82, 83*flexibly by means of a spring shown in Fig. 4, so that it can be drawn into the plane of part '11 when rod 61 is retracted. A flange 85 acts to prevent the head 83 from being drawn through'the bed of the chute. .A look nut 86 holds the support in adjusted position.

The rod 80, attached to a downwardly'extending crankarm 81 and to bearing 60, controls the operation of the steadying member 16 which may be conveniently made of wire and mounted adjustably to the size of different bottles. The horizontally extending arm of crank v8'! has a split end, or it may by other satisfactory meansbe made to carry wire rod'88 ad'justably as to height. A clamp 89 joins therod 88 to rod I6, which. is angular and carries. a steadying fork 90 atits end.

The conveyor 32, delivers a series of bottles such as. 1.8, 19 to the chute, in line, and at a rate coordinated tothe operation of the. shutters. The bottle. 19 shown in Fig. lslides down the chute until it, is stopped by the shutter 53. The shutter swings into the bed of the machine and the bottle 19 slides down and, against. shutter 54 which rose in the meantime. When that shutter, swings into'the bed of the machine the shutter 53 rises again and stops the. bottle 18. In the meantime the bottle 19 slides down against the shutter 55. When shutters 53-55 swing into the bed of the chute, the shutter 54 is raised and stops the bottle 18, while the. bottle 19 reaches the discharge board E8 of the foot 15. On the next operation of the shutters. the foot is tilted somewhat beyond the upright, the pusher 82 thrusts the bottle off the delivery board 18 and, onto the surface of the, movingv conveyor. Due. to their relatively small base, some bottles would fall over at the moment of transfer, but member 16 operates through the fork 90 to steady the bottle as it. is transferred to the conveyor, being moved out of the way of the bottle on the next. swing of the shutter gear. This operation is continued as long as the bottles are fed to the machine.

The placing of the bottleson the. conveyor in ranks isaccomplishedby moving the chute across the conveyor with pivotal reciprocating motion. In order that this be accomplished the chute, is

mounted, on a. standard 91 which is pivotally supported upon, a bearing 92 which is in turn supported upon a, platform 93 of adjustable height. The. standard'is reciprocated by a gear segment 96.. At thev upper end of. the standard a collar. 95 is adjustably mounted upon a screw thread 95 enabling the chute to be positioned at different levels. The collar 95 bears a. cross arm 9'! from which two arms 98 project upwardly at an angle on either sidefof'the chute. A frame 99 supports hangers 100, which are pivotally attached attheir lower ends to the. frame of the chute. This construction permits the chute to be moved longitudinally at the same'time that it, is moved across the conveyor by the pivotally I reciprocating standard 9.1

The longitudinal motion: is. imparted to the chute by a novel mechanism which includes an arm. i111. pivotally mounted at [02 on the platform 93. Mounted upon. the arm 10!. for instance. by means of bolts 193' is a. guide.v 10.4. This guide may be. of diverse shapes but inthe embodiment illustratedinv Fig. l, is curved. A guide 105 is mounted on the chute toward the. lower end thereof and has a, member 10.6 which projects intothe; slot 101. in thecuitved. guide 1M.v The end of the chute is thereby constrained to follow the guide. During the deiiveryof a" rank of bottles the arm 101 and the curved guide 104' are fixed in position. After the deliveryof'sai'd rankis completed, the arm 101 is caused to swing about its pivot 102- so as to bring'theguide 104' to a second position symmetrical with the first one in relation to the axis of the conveyor. A piston 'bottles as they are-placed upon the conveyor by the machine.

In Figs. 8 and 9 is'shown the'aligmnent roduced by a guide whose shape is as indicatedby" the two continuous lines of the F g. 9. Thisguide produces the alignment of bottles shown in-Fig. 8 and by the dotted line 220 of Fig. 9. Alignment inechelon as indicated by thedotted line 221 in Fig. 11 can beproduced by a straight guideof which the two positions are indicated incontinuous lines in Fig 1.1.

The guides need not. be of" single slot construetion but may be formed like a figure 8.. For instance, a guide may be-shaped like the lines 210, 211, 212,213 in Fig. 7.

The length and curvature 'of".the' guide maybe varied in accordance with thespeed and width of the conveyor.

If the delivery end ofthe chute were swung continuously across. the surface of the conveyor, there would be atendencytoupsetthe bottle as it was discharged. 'In bottles of narrow base this tendency has. sufficient importance to require attention; it has'been overcome by imparting .to the chute interrupted reciprocating motion. The motion ,of thechute ceases as each bottle is discharged to the surface of the conveyor, being immediately resumed as soon asthe discharge is completed.

The machine coordinates the operation of an apparatus for delivering bottles froma forming.

machine with those of a swinging chute having interrupted'lateral and longitudinal motion, with means to control the passage of an article through the chute, with means to discharge each article upon a moving conveyor and to steady it while-it is being discharged, and with apparatus capable of laying articles delivered by the chute in ranks of difierent order. These many and complex functions are accomplished by a novel control system that is preferably operated by compressed gas such as. compressed. air or steam. This apparatus is remarkably simple considering the complexity of the functions which are to be coordinated andis substantially stem-controlled,

Apipe line 114 delivers. compressed air'to the mid-portion of a cylinder 115 having. a. triple headed piston 116 and to an. electricalipulsator valve 111 which acts at regular intervalsto. deliver compressed air through-pipes 14.8,, 119' to the ends of cylinder 5 whereby tofreciprocate piston 116'. The reciprocation of; piston 116 delivers compressed air from the pipev 114' alternatelyto pipe lines 120,, 1.21. Openings 122,123 in cylinder 115 permit'the. alternate, discharge ofthe lines 120, +21; respectively. As shownin the drawingiFig. 1, the compressed air is being delivered to ipe line I2I while pipe line I20 is being discharged.

The pipe line I2I serves one end of the cylinder containing piston 10. The pipe line I20 serves the other end of said piston. The alternate charges of compressed air delivered by and to the pipe lines I20, I2I reciprocate the piston 10 and control the operation of the shutters, the delivery board, and the bottle stabilizer.

' A pipe line I24 connected to pipe line I feeds a pipe line I which is connected at its ends to the mid-portions of cylinders I26, I21 that contain pistons I28, I29, respectively, which in one extremity of the cylinder prevent the discharge of air from line I25, and in the other end of the cylinder permit it to be discharged through the reduced mid-portion oi. the piston to pipe lines I30, I3I. In the position shown in the drawing Fig. 12, pressure from line I20 is passing through pipes I24, I25 and piston I29 to line I30, while the end of piston I28 prevents the delivery of air to line I3I.

The pistons I28, I29 are forced by springs I32, I33 toward blocking position, which is illustrated in cylinder I 26 (Fig. 1). In that figure the chute is swinging counterclockwise and is just about to compress the spring I33 in cylinder I21, which is shown compressed in Fig. 12. The rack 94 carries arms I35, I34 that make alternate contact with piston rods I36, I31. The arms are carried by rack 34 in a. lower plane than the rack itself so that the arms do'not engage the gears I 65-466. When such contact is made, as shown in cylinder I21 Fig. 1, the force of the spring is overcome and the piston is moved to a position which permits the discharge of compressed air into the servient line. 'The lines I30, I3I are connected to the opposite ends of a cylinder I38.

In the position shown in the drawing Fig. 1,

compressed air is not being received by the cylinder I38 through the line I 0r I3I so that the triple headed piston I39 remains in its osition, both lines I30-I3I being blocked as neither spring I32-I33 is compressed. A pipe line I40 delivers compressed air to the mid-portion of the cylinder I38 and the reciprocation of the piston I39 delivers the air alternately through the reduced mid-portions of the piston to lines I4I, I42, which are in turn connected to the opposite ends of cylinder IIO that contains piston I09 which controls the reciprocation of the arm I0 I. In the position shown in Fig. l, the pipe I40 is delivering air to pipe I4I while the pipe I42 is discharging through opening I43. An opening I44 provides for the discharge of ipe I4I when compressed air is received in the cylinder I38 through line I30 as in Fig. 12. To discharge into the surrounding atmosphere the compressed air contained between cylinder I38 and the ends of piston I39, the pipe lines I25, I25 and I3I, I30 are connected to cylinders I26, I21, respectively, in axially spaced relation and the cylinders are provided with outlet orifices a and b, respectively. As may be seen on the figure, when the end of piston I28 covers the entrance of pipe line I25, it prevents the passage of the air from pipe line I25 to pipe line I3I, the latter then being in free communication with the surrounding atmosphere through the bottom of cylinder I26 and outlet a, thus enabling the discharge of the air coming from cylinder I38.

' The swing of the arm IOI from one piston valve to the other is rapid, so that no substantial period of time passes with the end of the arm IOI in mid-position. It may be considered that that arm is in continuous engagement with one Or the other of the valve rods that control the reciprocation of the chute.

Reciprocations of the chute are controlled by piston valves I50, I5I which are in turn operated by the arm IOI. The piston valves operate in cylinders I52, I53 which have openings I54, I55 and pipe lines I56, I51 in the side walls thereof. The pistons are triple headed, operating in one position in the cylinder to admit compressed air to the pipe line and in the other position to discharge the pipe line. The pistons are continually subjected to pressure from lines I58, I59 so that, except when under the control of arm IOI, they are thrust inward away from the lines I58, I59.

Openings I60, I6I in the end heads of the pistons permit the compressed air to pass to the pipe lines I56, I51 through the reduced portion of the piston, when the piston is positioned as shown in cylinder I52 (Fig. 1). When the arm IOI overcomes the force of the compressed air operating upon the piston, it is moved to a position which permits the discharge of the pipe lines I56 or I51 through the opening I54 or I55.

The rack 94 is in mesh with a plurality of gears I65, I66 supported in housings I61, I68 which also contain the clutch and drive mechanism for reciprocating the rack and the chute. Fig. 2 shows a vertical section through one of the said housings. The casing I68 contains bearings I1I, I12 in which is mounted a shaft I10, upon the lower end of which is fixedly mounted a worm wheel I13 in mesh with a driving worm I69. Each housing I61, I68 contains a worm wheel which is continuously in mesh with the worm I69. The shaft I10 is rotated by the rotation of the worm I69 and transmits its motion through a key I14 to a vertically slidable clutch member I15 mounted on the shaft. The shaft has a collar I16, which is preferably formed integrally therewith, upon which rides a gear I66 which is continuously in mesh with the rack 94 and is freely rotatable about the shaft I10. The upper end of the shaft I10 has a reduced spindle I11 which projects within a hole I18 within the rod I19 of piston I80. The lower end of shaft I19 has an annular flange I8I which bears, preferably through ball bearings, upon the upper surface of clutch element I15. The clutch element I15 is normally held by spring I83 out of engagement with the corresponding clutch element I82 formed on the gear I66. When the piston I is depressed by compressed air from pipe line I51, the flange I8I forces the clutch member I15 into engagement with clutch member I82 so that the gear I66 is rotated by the worm I69. Thus, when the arm IOI is in operating relation to the piston valve I5I, air is admitted through piston valve I50 to housing I61 forcing the clutch elements to engage and rotate the rack 94 through gear I65. At the same time, the corresponding clutch member in housing I68 is released and thrown out of operation by its spring so that theengaging gear I66 idles upon its shaft.

Returning now primarily to Fig. 1, intermittent motion is imparted to the worm I69 by a piston I which is reciprocated in a cylinder I9I by compressed air received through lines I92, I93, respectively, from cylinder H5. The timing of the action of piston I90 is coordinated through the pulsator with all the other motions produced in the apparatus. The piston I90 through the piston rod I94 reciprocates a pawl and ratchet 'veyor during the same time.

wheel .gear. which. is indicated generally by the numeral I96. A shaft I91 carries the ratchet wheel I98 and a bevelled gear I99, both of which are keyed thereto. A pawl 200 is carried by an farm'20I which is mounted for free pivotal movementf'upon the shaft I91. The arm 20! is connested-by link 202 and slotted lever 203 to the pistonrod I94. The length of the stroke can be varied by adjusting the position of the end of rod 202 within the slot of lever 203.

At the instant shown in Fig. 12, compressed (air is beingadmitted to cylinder 168, and cylinder I61 is discharging through line I56, so that gear I66 is being intermittently rotated counterclockwise and the chute is starting its interrupted motion clockwise across the conveyor. As 'soonas abutment I34 leaves rod I36 both valves I21 and I26 are closed by their springs. This position of the controlling valvesis maintained untilv abutment I35. opens piston valve I26 to .reverse theposition of arm I I, moving the chute backward, and arm I 0| operates valve I53 to release cylinder I68 and operate valve I52 and cylinder I61. The thread of screw I69 is diagrammatically shown; it will be threaded to give the proper direction to gears I65-I66 andsegmentM. It should be borne in mind that Figs. 1 and.12 illustrate changes as they occur in successive periods of time and do not represent the position of the valves at opposite ends of the arc traversed by the chute. The shutters, discharge foot and piston I90 work evenly and intermittently, being. timedby the pulsator to the speed of the bottles in the chute, and the valves I38, I52, I53, I21, I26, I61 and I68 work at the ends of the arc traversed by the chute to reverse its direction. The mechanism i9il I98-I69I65I66 is an intermittent motion land reversing gear. The shutters, foot, and their operating mechanism are a bottle advancing, control and discharge mechanism.

The advantages of the invention are exemplified by Figs. 6 to 11, wherein are shown examples of the bottle alignments that can be produced by this mechanism. Fig. 6 shows the bottle arrangement produced by a distributor swung along paths 2I0, 2I2 of Fig. '7. Motion can be deemed to start at the junction of lines 2| I and 2I2 proceeding along M2 to its end, backward along the edge of the conveyor on line 2I3, and thence forward on line 2H] and back on line 2H. The dotted line 2l4 shows the resultant path upon which the bottles in each rank are placed, being represented by dots numbered a d etc. Figures 8, 9, and 10, 11 are further examples of article arrangements producible by the employment of a guide of particular shape. The line'X-X is the centerline of the conveyor. Thearticles may be delivered in straight lines or in curved lines, perpendicular to the conveyor axis or diagonally, in aligned or offset files. The trajectory of the distributor has a longitudinal component between two successive delivering positions equal to the sum of the diirerence of the'ordinates of the two corresponding points of the transverse line to be described on the conveyonand of the forward movement of the con- The arrangement of the articles on the conveyor will depend upon thie'stroke of the pawl and ratchet, the shape of the'guide, and the timing of the pulsator. Breakable'articIes can be handled without damage by controlling the length. of the drop between shutters so that the? speed orthe sliding article dbedhdtexceed that which 'is sare.

Th combination is novel as a whole and individual novelty resides in many o'fits parts.

This application is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 595,046, filed May 21, 1945, and now abandoned.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention can'be made without departing'from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the specific embodiment thereof except as defined in the appended claims.

Whatis claimed is:

1. Bottle handling apparatus comprising a conveyor, chute means adapted to deliver articles to the conveyor, a pivoted standard supporting said delivery means for limited longitudinal displacement, article control means associated with said delivery means, meansto impart pivotal reciprocating motion to said deliv-'- ery means, apivoted'reciprocable lever mounted in proximity to said delivery means, a guide thereon, a cooperating guide carried by said delivery means, means to reciprocate said lever, and means to coordinate the reciprocations of said "lever and said delivery means.

2. IBottle'handling apparatus comprising a con veyor, chute means adapted to deliver articles to the conveyor, a pivoted standard, a pair of supports projecting from said standard, pivoted arms depending from said supports and mounting said delivery means for limitedlongitudinal displacement, article control means associated withsaid delivery means, means to impart pivotal reciprocating motion to said delivery means, a pivoted reciprocablelevermounted in proximity to said delivery means, a guidethereon, a cooperating guide carried'by said delivery means, means to reciprocate said lever, and means to coordinate the reciprocations of'said lever and said delivery means.

3. Bottle handling apparatus comprising a conveyor, chute means adapted to deliver articles to the conveyor, a pivoted support, pivotal means mounting said chute on said support for limited displacement with respect thereto, a pivoted article control means in said chute, a pivoted article delivery board at the end of said chute, an article stabilizer, means to coordinate the control, delivery and stabilizer means, a gear segment attached to said support, means to reciprocate said segment whereby to impart pivotal reciprocating motion to said chute, a pivoted reciprocable'lever mounted in proximity to said delivery means, a guide thereon, a cooperating guide carried by said chute, means to reciprocate said lever, and means to coordinate the reciprocations of said lever and said chute.

4. Bottle handling apparatus comprising a conveyor, a chute adapted to deliver articles to the conveyor, a pivoted standard, a pair of supports projecting from said standard beside the chute, pivoted arms depending from said supports and mounting said chute for limited longitudinal displacement, a pivoted shutter in said chute, a pivoted delivery board at the end of said chute, an article stabilizer pivoted to said chute in cooperation with said delivery board, a pivoted disc carried by said chute, means to reciprocatethe disc comprising a pressure operated piston, means 'operatively, connecting said disc to said shutter, stabilizer and board, a gear segment attached to said standard, oppositely rotatable gears meshed with said segment, a screw, clutch elementsfr'neshed therewith, means to. intermittently turn the screw comprising a pressure operated V 11 piston, and a pawl and ratchet gear, means to engage said clutches alternately with said gears :whereby to impart pivotal reciprocating motion to said chute comprising pressure operated pistons, a pivoted reciprocable lever, a guide thereon, a cooperating guide carried by said chute, means to reciprocate said lever comprising a pressure operated piston, a source of fluid under pressure, means to deliver said fiuid alternately to the ends of said pistons, and means to coordinate the reciprocations of said lever and said chute.

5. Bottle handling apparatus comprising a conveyor, a chute adapted to deliver articles to the conveyor, a pivoted'standard, means to mount said chute upon said standard for limited longitudinal displacement. article control means in said chute, article delivery means at the end of said chute, an article stabilizer constructed and arranged to cooperate with said delivery means, means to operate the delivery means and stabilizer to control the delivery of articles to the conveyor, means to impart pivotal reciprocating motion to said chute, a pivoted reciprocable lever, a guide thereon, a cooperating guide carried by said chute, means to reciprocate said lever, a

source of fluid under pressure, means to deliver said fluid to the operating means, and means to coordinate the reciprocations of said lever and said chute comprising valves operable by said lever between the source of pressure and said chute pivoting means, and valves operable by said chute between the source of pressure and the lever reciprocating means.

6. Bottle handling apparatus comprising a conveyor, a chute adapted to deliver articles to the conveyor, a pivoted standard, a pair of supports projecting from said standard beside the chute, pivoted arms depending from said supports and mounting said chute for limited longitudinal dis placement, pivoted shutters in said chute, a pivoted delivery board at the end of said chute, an article stabilizer'pivoted to said chute in cooperation with said delivery board, a pivoted disc carried by said chute, means to reciprocate the disc comprising a pressure operated piston, means operatively connecting said disc to said shutters. stabilizer, and board, a gear segment attached to said standard, oppositely rotatable gears meshed with said segment, a screw, clutch elements meshed therewith, means to intermittently turn the screw comprising a pressure operated piston and a pawl and ratchet gear, means to engage said clutches alternately with said gears whereby to impart pivotal reciprocating motion to said chute comprising pressure operated pistons, a pivoted reciprocable lever, a curved guide thereon, a cooperating guide carried by said chute, means to reciprocate said lever comprising a pressure operated piston, a source of fluid under pressure, means to deliver said fluid alternately to the ends of said piston, means to coordinate the reciprocations of said lever and said chute comprising valves operable by said lever between the source of pressure and said clutches, and valves operable by said chute between the source of pressure and the lever-operating piston.

'7. Bottle handling apparatus comprising a conveyor, a chute adapted to deliver articles to the conveyor, a pivoted standard, a pair of supports projecting from said standard beside the chute, pivoted arms depending from said supports and mounting said chute for limited longitudinal displacement, pivoted shutters in said chute, 'a pivoted delivery board at the end of said chute, an article stabilizer pivoted to said chute'in cooperation with said delivery board, a pivoted disc carried by said chute, means to reciprocate the disc comprising a pressure operated piston, means operatively connecting said dis-c to said shutters, stabilizer, and board, a gear segment attached to said standard, oppositely rotatable gears meshed with said segment, a screw, clutch elements meshed therewith, means to intermittently turn the screw comprising a pressure operated piston and a pawl and ratchet gear, means to engage said clutches alternately with said gears whereby to impart pivotal reciprocating motion to said chute comprising pressure operated pistons, a pivoted reciprocable lever, a curved guide thereon, a cooperating guide carried by said chute, means to reciprocate said lever comprising a pressure operated piston, a source of fluid under pressure, means to deliver said fluid alternately to the ends of the said pistons, means to coordinate the reciprocations of said lever and said chute comprising valves operable by said lever between the source of pressure and said clutches and valves operable by said chute between the source of pressure and the lever-operating piston, a conveyor coordinated with the speed of the shutters adapted to deliver articles to the chute, means between the chute and the coordinated conveyor to compensate for the motion of the chute, an article delivery means, and a conveyor coordinated to the speed of the delivery means adapted to transport the articles and deliver them to said coordinated conveyor.

8. Article handling apparatus comprising means to deliver articles to a chute, a chute constructed and arranged for movement lengthwise of a conveyor, a conveyor adapted to receive articles from the chute, means to mount the chute comprising a pivot, a gear segment attached thereto, a plurality of gears meshed with said segment, clutches operatively associated with said gears, means to alternately engage said clutches whereby to reverse said segment and reciprocate said chute, means to move the chute lengthwise of the conveyor, means to supply power to the several means, and means to coordinate the operation thereof.

9. Article handling apparatus comprising means to deliver articles to a chute, a chute constructed and arranged for movement lengthwise of a conveyor, a conveyor adapted to receive articles from the chute, pivotal means to mount the chute, a gear segment attached thereto, a plurality of gears meshed with said segment, clutches operatively associated with said gears, means to alternately engage said clutches whereby to reverse said segment and reciprocate said chute comprising a plurality of valves respectively attached to said clutches, means to operate the valves comprising means to move the chute lengthwise of the conveyor, means to supply power to the several means, and means to coordinate the operation thereof.

10. Article handling apparatus comprising means to deliver articles to a chute, a chute, a conveyor, means to move the chute across the conveyor, means to move the chute lengthwise of the conveyor comprising a pivoted arm mounted in proximity to said delivery means, in terconnected guides on the arm and the chute, power means to reciprocate the arm, valve means to control the reciprocation of said power means and said arm, and means on the chute constructed and arranged to operate said valves.

ll'pArti'cle handling apparatus comprising means to deliver articles to a chute, a chute, a

aeaaase conveyor, means to move the chute across the conveyor, means to move the chute along the conveyor, means to supply the several said means with power comprising fluid operated pistons, a source of fluid pressure, and a pulsator constructed and arranged to control said fluid to operate the said pistons.

12. Article handling means including a conveyor, an axially movable chute having its discharge end above the conveyor, said chute being pivotally mounted at a distance from its discharge end, a pivoted arm extending in a direction lengthwise of the conveyor, piston means connected to said arm for motion transverse to the axis of the arm, guide means carried crosswise by said arm engaged with guide means on said chute, means to pivot said chute across the conveyor with intermittent motion, means to dis-' charge articles to the conveyor from said chute during the intermissions in the crosswise motion thereof, and means to operate said piston means at the end of each trip across the conveyor.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the guide means on the arm is arcuate.

14.-The apparatus of claim 12 in which the guide means on the arm has crossed paths.

15. Article handling means including a conveyor, a chute extending over the conveyor, means to suspend the chute for pivotal motion across the conveyor and for motion lengthwise thereof, means to pivot the chute intermittently through arcs of similar size, and means to move the chute backward relative to the conveyor at the end of each trip across the conveyor and to move the chute forward relative to the conveyor during each movement in arc comprising a pivoted arm, a slotted guide engaging the chute and said arm, and means to replace said guide with a slotted guide of other shape.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 in which the chute is of gravity type and is provided with alternately operating, pivoted shutters in the floor thereof, and means to raise and lower said shutters alternately in synchronism.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 in which fluid pressure. means supplies pressure through pipe lines to valves controlling the admission of the fluid to pistons operatively connected to said pivoted arm and to said pivoted chute.

18. In the apparatus of claim 12 abutment means associated with said pivoted arm and said chute, and controlling valves provided for said am and chute of impact type operable by said abutment meansto supply pressure to pistons operatively connected thereto.

19. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the means for intermittently pivoting the chute comprises a pulsator in a fluid pressure line, a piston operated thereby, and a ratchet gear operable by said piston operatively connected to said pivoted chute.

20. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the chute is connected to a ratchet gear by a piston operated reverse gear, and in which the operation of said reverse gear is controlled by impact type valves at the end of each trip across the conveyor.

21. An apparatus for depositing articles on a moving conveyor comprising a chute having an inclined, longitudinal axis, a support for the chute comprising spaced pivoted arms forming, with the chute, sides of an articulated parallelogram, upon which the chute is pivotally mounted, the lower end of the chute being above and adjacent to the conveyor, and means to oscillate 14 said chute about said support across the conveyor.

22. In an apparatus for automatically delivering unstable articles to a traveling conveyor in transverse lines, a gravity type distributor feeding articles to said conveyor, the terminal part of said distributor comprising an L-shaped member supported on a horizontal axle, having a foot projecting up from the surface of the distributor, means to tilt said member to bring each article to a vertical position, pusher means operatively associated with said member to dislodge articles from said member and stabilizing means associated with said member to steady each article during the operation of the pusher.

23. In an apparatus for delivering articles to a conveyor, a distributor carrying articles toward the conveyor, an L-shaped member having a foot projecting into the path of articles traveling along the distributor, means to pivot the L- shaped member to bring the foot into discharge position above the conveyor, and pusher means operatively associated therewith to dislodge the article from the L-shaped member onto the conveyor when the foot is in discharge position.

24. Article handling apparatus comprising a conveyor, means to deliver elongated articles to a chute, a chute, a pivoted shutter adapted to form a part of the bed of the chute, means to oscillate the shutter, a delivery board pivoted to the chute, having a foot to arrest and support articles, means to oscillate the delivery board about its pivot in alternation with the shutter to erect the articles above the conveyor, and means to dislodge the articles from the foot in upright position.

25. Article handling apparatus comprising means to deliver articles to a chute, a gravity type chute, a conveyor, means to move the chute across the conveyor, suspension type parallel motion supporting means for said chute permitting axial motion of said chute relative to said delivery means and said conveyor, a pivoted arm beneath the discharge end of the chute, a guide carried by the arm, a cooperating guide carried by the chute, one of said guides including a rail and the other comprising a rail follower, and means to pivot the arm through a limited arc as the chute reaches the ends of its motion across the conveyor.

LOUIS THEBAULT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,043,548 Stender Nov. 5, 1912 1,226,633 Brauer May 22, 1917 1,319,190 Van Houten Oct. 21, 1919 1,413,741 La France Apr. 25, 1922 1,464,554 Amsler Aug. 14, 1923 1,667,714 Bocheller May 1, 1928 1,742,239 Dotson Jan. 7, '1930 1,810,512 Worst June 16, 1931 1,979,553 Hunter Nov. 6, 1934 1,998,163 Meyer Apr. 16, 1935 Y FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 439,977 Germany Jan. 24, 1927 443,295 Germany May 2, 1927'

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