Improvements in or relating to apparatus for handling articles

902,730. Endless conveyers. BARRACLOUGH Ltd., R. W., and BARACLOUGH, R. W. Aug. 23, 1960 [Aug. 20, 1959], No. 28440/59. Class 78 (1). In apparatus for feeding articles 12 to a case-packing-machine the articles are transported in a plurality of guideways 17, 18, 19 by individual conveyer belts 17a, each guideway guiding the articles in a single file and delivering them to an aligned intermediate support 20, and individual transfer means for each intermediate support, each adapted to operate only when the associated intermediate support has received a predetermined number (four, as shown) of articles to transfer the articles thereon to a receiving conveyer. The receiving conveyer comprises intermittently driven endless chains 13, 14 arranged transversely to the guideways and carrying cross-bars 15 on each of which are mounted pushers 15a-16d corresponding in number to said predetermined number. The pushers project through slots formed by slides 11a-11e and are pivotable, being maintained erect on their conveying run by a ramp 16. Each support 20 consists of a pair of plates 20b, 20c having inturned upper edges 20d, 20e. Each support is mounted for movement parallel to itself by parallel links 23, 24 and is independently movable by a lever 25 having a roller 25a coacting with a corresponding one of three cams 26 driven in timed relationship with the receiving conveyer. Each roller 25a is normally prevented from following the contour of the associated cam by a solenoid-operated latch 27 which is withdrawn only when the corresponding one of three micro-switches 28 is operated by the foremost article on the associated support 20, i.e. when the support carries a full complement of articles. The arrangement is such that if a switch 28 is not operated until after the roller 25a has left the high part of the cam 26 the solenoid 27 is not operated and a batch is delivered from only two of the guideways, the articles from the third guideway awaiting the next cycle of cam 26. Delivery of the batch from the supports to the transverse conveyer is effected automatically when the supports have reached their lower position by endless chains 30 each passing between the plates 20b, 20c of the associated support 20, the chains carrying pushers 31 and being adapted to be driven for a distance sufficient for a pusher 31 to transfer the articles from the support 20 on to the receiving conveyer. For this purpose, each chain 30 is driven by a motor which is controlled by a switch 3