Title: Bottle conveyor

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Claims: What is claimed is:

1. An air conveyor for articles such as containers and the like having a generally symetrical continuous exterior wall surface with a predetermined dimension between laterally opposed wall portions of said articles comprising:

a deck plate with a plurality of openings therein for issuing air jets to move articles along the conveyor, means for supplying pressurized air through the deck plate openings, said openings extending in a row along the conveyor surface, a pair of imperforate upstanding wall members extending longitudinally of the conveyor in confronting relation to each other and being located on opposite sides of the row of openings, said side wall members being spaced apart a distance greater than the predetermined lateral dimension of said articles, each of said side wall members having first guide surfaces being disposed along the upper inner marginal edge thereof to define cooperating guide surfaces spaced apart a distance less than the predetermined lateral dimension of said articles thereby to guide said articles by engaging spaced longitudinally extending portions of each article wall surface, whereby said articles cooperate with the first guide surfaces to trap and conserve conveying air between the articles and the deck surface, and a second pair of spaced guide members extending longitudinally of the conveying surface for supporting the articles above the deck plate surface, said second guide surfaces being generally parallel to each other and being spaced apart a distance less than the predetermined lateral dimension of said articles.

2. An air conveyor as defined in claim 1 in which the deck plate includes at least three longitudinally extending, laterally spaced rows of openings, and in which the second guide surfaces are located between adjacent rows of openings.

3. An air conveyor as defined in claim 1 in which each of said first and second guide surfaces comprises vertically spaced members affixed to said sidewalls.

4. An air conveyor as defined in claim 1 in which said openings are propulsion slots disposed in a row along said conveyor and which further includes a plurality of rows of lift holes disposed longitudinally of the deck plate in spaced relation to said openings.

5. An air conveyor as defined in claim 1 in which said guide surfaces are fabricated from a highly abrasion resistant material.

6. An air conveyor as defined in claim 1 in which said guide surfaces are fabricated from a low friction material.

7. An air conveyor as defined in claim 1 in which said guide surfaces are fabricated from high density polyethylene.

8. An air conveyor as defined in claim 1 in which said guide surfaces are fabricated from a substantially rectangular member affixed in vertically spaced pairs to said side walls.

9. An air conveyor as defined in claim 8 in which each of said members is chamfered to define a guide surface.

10. An air conveyor as defined in claim 1 in which each of said side walls comprises an imperforate L-shaped plate affixed along the surface of the deck plate.

Other info:

Inventors: Hurd, Stanley E. (Sunnyvale, CA, US)

Application Number: 491025
Filing Date: 1974-07-23
Publication_date: 1976-04-27
Assignee: The Motch & Merryweather Machinery Company (Hayward, CA)
Primary Class(es): 406/88
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

3105720	Oct, 1963	Barker	302/2.
3180688	Apr, 1965	Futer	302/29.
3181916	May, 1965	Epstein	302/29.
3210124	Oct, 1965	Niemi et al.	302/2.
3350140	Oct, 1967	Strydom	302/31.
3647266	Mar, 1972	Hurd et al.	302/31.
3684327	Aug, 1972	Hurd	302/29.
3788457	Jan, 1974	Valentino	198/204.
3844405	Oct, 1974	Shuford	198/204.

Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Blunk, Evon C.
Assistant Examiner: Nase, Jeffrey V.
Attorney: Walsh; Patrick J.