Background of the Invention Installations exist in which articles, such as packaging containers, or the like, are deposited on a sprocket driven conveyor belt for transfer from one work station to another. Typically, the articles can be simply manually deposited on the conveyor and conducted thereby to the succeeding work station where the article is either manually removed from the convertor or, alternatively, is discharged into a collection bin or onto a cooperating intersecting conveyor. In those installations in which it is necessary to maintain the article in a stable position, as for example, if the conveyed article has loose or position-sensitive contents, it is necessary that the conveyor be operated only at a slow speed so as to prevent displacement of the articles placed thereon. This problem creates a distinct disadvantage in that work speed in the concerned installation is of necessity retarded, sometimes adversely affecting the production rate of an entire manufacturing facility.

It is to the amelioration of this problem, therefore, to which the present invention is directed.

Summarv of the Invention The present invention, according to one preferred aspect, provides a conveyor assembly comprising an endless chain structure including longitudinally spaced, articulating links, means for driving the chain structure along a continuous path of movement, the chain structure containing transversely opposed clamping members which are manually oppositely displaceable between a clamping position in which the

clamping members are effective to grippingly secure an article to the chain structure and a release position in which the clamping members release the secured article from the chain structure, and means forming an actuating mechanism associated with each clamping member operative by displacement of the chain structure from a selected course of movement and effective to move the associated clamping member to its clamping position or to its release position in response to the direction of displacement of the adjacent chain structure, and means for displacing the chain structure from the selected course of movement. In the described organization the opposed clamp members, which each comprise a pivot plate that mount a resilient pad in order to facilitate gripping of the retained article, are each pivotally connected to a pivot base on the conveyor. An actuating device in the form of an operator plate is pivotally connected between the pivot plate and an operator plate integral with the conveyor structure. The cooperative arrangement of the operator plate and the pivot plate is such that, when the links forming the conveyor are displaced from a level attitude, as for example, when the links traverse a sprocket at the respective ends of the conveyor, or an idler pulley, or the like, disposed intermediate the conveyor ends, the operator plates of a pair of cooperating clamping members are actuated to urge the respective pivot plates with respect to each other to either a gripping position or a release position, depending upon the direction of displacement of the belt from its selected attitude.

According to another aspect of the invention, a clamping member as hereinabove described can be made to operate in association with a fixed cooperating member, or anvil, wherein the clamping function is achieved by moving the single clamping member with respect to the fixed anvil.

It is, accordingly, an objective of the invention to provide an improved conveyor organization for retaining articles in a stable position during transport.

It is also an objective of the invention to provide an improved conveyor organization which is capable of automatically grasping and releasing articles to be retained thereon for transport without the need of external control devices.

It is a further objective of the invention to provide an improved conveyor organization which is characterized by a simplicity of design and effectiveness of operation to stabilize articles during transport on a conveyor.

For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objectives obtained by its use, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and description which relate to a preferred embodiment thereof.

Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevational view illustrating a link-type endless conveyor incorporating clamping members according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating one end portion of the conveyor illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the parts constituting a clamping member of the present invention; Fig. 4 is a partial top plan view of the conveyor illustrated in Fig 1; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the clamping member of the present invention taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Description of a Preferred Embodiment of the Invention With particular reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings, there is shown an endless chain conveyor 10 which incorporates clamping members 12 according to the present invention that are both movable with respect to each other. As best shown in Fig. 2, the conveyor 10 comprises an endless chain structure containing parallel rows of links 14 in the form of flat bodies, each having a tongue 16 and longitudinally aligned groove 18. The links 14 are interconnected by connecting pins 20 which extend laterally across the conveyor through holes 22 that extend transversely through the tongue 16 at one end of each link and through those portions of the link that straddle the groove 18 on the end of the link opposite the tongue. The pins 20 are retained in the structure by split ring washers 24 that may be provided on one end of a headed pin or at both ends of a non-headed pin.

The conveyor may be arranged via appropriate guide structure (not shown) to extend along a predetermined course between spaced sprockets 26 and 28, each being of polygonal peripheral configuration in which each side 30 has a boss-like projection 32 for reception in recesses 34 formed on the back side of the links 14 in order to drive the conveyor 10. In the described organization the conveyor 10 forms an elevator arranged to extend along an essentially S-shaped course whereby articles 29, as for example cylindrical cans, or the like, shown in phantom in Fig 2, are positioned, either manually or by cooperating conveying structure (not shown), for grasping by the clamping members 12, as hereinafter described. In the described organization the articles 29 are supplied to the conveyor 10 at point A adjacent the lower sprocket 20 and conducted to a discharge position at point B adjacent the upper sprocket 28 where the articles are released from the clamping members 12 into a receptacle or onto a cooperating conveyor, or the like, none of which is particularly germane to the present invention and, accordingly, are not shown in the drawings.

Fig. 3 of the drawings is an exploded view illustrating the component parts and construction of a typical clamping member 12 of the type disposed on the right side of the conveyor 10 shown in Fig. 2. It will be appreciated that the component parts and construction of the clamping member 12 disposed on the left side of the conveyor 10 of Fig. 2 are similar to, but of mirror-imaged relationship with the components of Fig. 3, whereby the clamping members 12 in each pair are oppositely acting, as hereinafter described, between a clamping position (shown rearwardmost in Fig. 2) and a release position (shown forwardmost in Fig 2).

Thus, each clamping member 12 comprises a pivot base link 38 and an operator base link 40 which, besides being particularly configured for accommodating a pivot plate 42 and an operator plate 44 respectively, also contain a tongue 16 and a groove 18 to permit the links to be interconnected by connecting pins 20 and thereby integrated into the endless chain construction of the conveyor 10. The pivot base link 38 is adapted to pivotally mount the upstanding pivot plate 42 to which is attached a clamping pad 46 formed of resilient material and having a rigid base plate 47 that is attached to the pivot plate 42, as by means of bonding or by mechanical connectors.

As shown, the pivot plate 42 contains a pair of depending projectors or knuckles 48

which are received in cooperating grooves 50 formed on the inward transverse side of the pivot base link 38. A horizontally extending pivot pin 52 connects the pivot plate 42 to the pivot base link 38 whereby the former is able to move from a generally upstanding condition representing the clamping position to an angularly displaced condition representing the release position.

Angular movement of the pivot plate 42 is effected by the operator 44 that is connected at its inboard end to a side edge of the pivot plate via a vertically extending connecting pin 54 which extends through aligned holes 55 formed in interfitted projections and grooves on the facing side edges of the pivot plate 42 and operator plate 44, respectively. As shown in Fig. 3, the end of the hole in the uppermost projection is constricted at 55' in order to prevent displacement of the pin 54.

The end of the operator plate 44 opposite that which mounts connecting pin 54 is provided with a depending projection 56 that is adapted to extend vertically across the outboard side edge 58 of the operator base link 40 which is appropriately recessed at 60 to receive the projection and accommodate pivotal movement thereof. A pivot pin 62 extends from the side edge 58 of the operator base link 40 and is received in a hole in projection 56, the constricted end of which is shown at 64.

The relationship between the pivot base link 38, the operator base link 40, the pivot plate 42 and the operator plate 44 are such that, when the pivot base link and the operator base link are disposed in coplanar, i.e. level, relation with respect to each other, the pivot plate, through the operation of the operator plate, is caused to assume a vertical attitude. On the other hand, when the operator base link 40 is angularly deflected from its coplanar disposition with respect to the pivot base link 38, as for example, when the conveyor traverses sprocket 26 or 28, the operator plate 44 is caused to pivot with respect to the operator base link whereupon the pivot plate 42 is angularly displaced with respect thereto. In order to provide clearance for accommodating relative movement between the pivot plate 42 and the pivot base link 38, it is desirable to provide the facing edges of the respective parts with cooperating inclined surfaces 65 and 66, as shown in Fig. 3.

As indicated previously, the cooperating clamping member 12 in a pair of oppositely movable clamping members has component parts which conform in shape

to those defining the above described clamping member, except that the pivot base link 38, the operator base link 40 and the pivot plate 42 are of opposite hand whereby the motion imparted upon the pivot plate 42 by the operator plate 44 is in opposition to the motion imposed upon the pivot plate 42 of the previously described clamping member so that the clamping members are caused to move either towards or away from each other thus to cooperate with each other to grasp and retain an article placed between them on the conveyor surface.

Alternatively, however, it should be understood that one of the clamping members may be simply fixed to an underlying conveyor link, thus serving as an anvil member for cooperative engagement by a transversely movable clamping member as previously described.

The operation of a conveyor apparatus utilizing clamping devices of the hereindescribed invention is as follows. With particular reference to the conveyor organization 10 illustrated in Fig. 1 in which it is assumed that articles, such as for example, cylindrically formed containers 29 shown by phantom lines in Fig. 2, are to be conducted from a lower position at location A adjacent the lower sprocket 26 to an elevated position at location B adjacent the upper sprocket 28, one or both of the sprockets, depending upon the load capacity of the system, are driven to cause the endless chain conveyor 10 to be conducted in the direction of the arrows along a course, here shown as being substantially S-shaped, within guide structure (not shown) by the driving engagement of the boss-like projections 32 from the periphery of the sprockets 26, 28 with the recesses 34 on the underside of the respective links 14. At position A, articles, which may be deposited manually or from a magazine arrangement, or the like, are placed on the surface of the conveyor 10 intermediate the transversely spaced rows of links that mount the opposed clamping members 12 of the respective pairs. Simultaneously with the deposition of the article 29 on the conveyor surface, the respective clamping members 12 in the illustrated arrangement are moved from the spread-apart, angularly displaced condition of their "release" position into an upright "clamping" position by the action of the operator plate 44 on the pivot plate 42 as, first, the pivot base link 38 and then the operator base link 40 traverse the sprocket 26. As shown in Fig. 2, as the clamping members 12 are

brought into their "clamping" position, the resilient pads 46 on the respective clamping members engage opposite sides of the article 29 to effectively retain the article on the conveyor.

In the described embodiment of the invention, the operator plate 44 is advantageously disposed at about a 60C displacement with respect to the longitudinal axis of the conveyor. While such an organization results in an approximately 30C divergence of the pivot plates 42 as the links traverse the sprockets, it produces only a slight divergence or convergence of the clamping members 12 as the links traverse the larger radius bends indicated as C and D along the conveyor course in Fig 1 whereby the relaxation of the retention grip of the pads 46 on the article 29 is not of sufficient extent to permit release of the article due to the resilience of the material forming the pads 46.

At position B, adjacent the upper sprocket 28, traversal of the sprocket 28 by the conveyor 10 creates an angular displacement of the pivot base link 38 with respect to the operator base link 40 which occurs in a reverse sequence from that which occurs as the conveyor transverses the lower sprocket 26. As a result, as the concerned links 38 and 40 are displaced from their level, coplanar disposition, the operator plates 44 act upon the respective pivot plates 42 of the paired clamping members 12 whereupon the clamping members are moved to their "release" position and the article 29 held between these members can be discharged by gravity into a receptacle or onto another conveyor, neither of which is shown in the drawing. As the conveyor 10 traverses further about the upper sprocket 28, the clamping members 12 are caused to resume their clamping position as they are moved along the underside of the conveyor to the lower sprocket 26 where the clamping members are, first, spread apart to their "release" position upon traversing the lower portion of the sprocket and, thereafter, moved to their "clamping" condition as hereinafter described.

Consequently, if desired, the clamping members 12 may in addition to, or alternatively thereof, operate to transport articles from an elevated location to a lower location.

Notwithstanding further that operation of the described apparatus involves clamping of an article 29 onto the conveyor 10 at position A adjacent sprocket 26 in

Fig. 2 and the transfer of such article to position B adjacent sprocket 28, the present invention contemplates the disposition of one or more sprockets, which may be in the form of undriven idler sprockets of sufficiently small radius to effect full pivotal movement of the respective clamping members 12 to their clamping or release positions, at any selected location or locations intermediate the drive sprockets whereupon articles can be grasped or discharged from the conveyor and, thereafter, other articles grasped prior to the respective pairs of clamping members reaching location B adjacent the upper sprocket 28.

It will thus be appreciated from the foregoing that the present invention provides an improved conveyor organization which is effective, yet economical to fabricate and to operate. The described apparatus is versatile in its application in that simply by adjustment of the clamping pad configuration articles of diverse shapes and sizes can be accommodated by the system. On the other hand, by the imposition of additional idler sprockets, or the like, the receipt and/or discharge of articles at various preselected locations between the drive sprockets can readily be achieved.

Accordingly, from the foregoing it should be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.