US PATENT SUBCLASS 198 / 373
CONVEYOR FOR CHANGING ATTITUDE OF ITEM RELATIVE TO CONVEYED DIRECTION

Current as of: June, 1999
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198 /   HD   CONVEYORS: POWER-DRIVEN

373CONVEYOR FOR CHANGING ATTITUDE OF ITEM RELATIVE TO CONVEYED DIRECTION {12}
374  DF  .~> By optionally facing successive items according to a predetermined recurring cycle
375  DF  .~> By actuating item-holder relative to holder-carrying conveyor {2}
379  DF  .~> By gripping item and turning item about fixed axis
380  DF  .~> With pressurized fluid causing change in attitude
381  DF  .~> With magnetism causing change in attitude
382  DF  .~> By conveying randomly faced items and turning items to uniform facing {5}
401  DF  .~> With control means for attitude-changer responsive to sensing of item
402  DF  .~> For inverting successive items {1}
406  DF  .~> For changing both the elevation and the posture of successive items {3}
410  DF  .~> By plural distinct occurrences of turning each successive item
411  DF  .~> By conveyor and means driven for turning successive conveyed items {2}
416  DF  .~> By member adjacent conveyor for contacting successive conveyed items {1}

DEFINITION

Classification: 198/373

(under the class definition) Apparatus wherein a conveyor section or a conveyor system moves an article along a predetermined path, and wherein said article is turned to have its posture*, or its heading, or its leaning* intentionally or significantly varied with relation to said path. (*These terms are discussed in (2) Note below.)

(1) Note. In this and indented subclasses the disclosed intent of the claimed apparatus is important. Therefore, although the structure of two devices may be similar, a patent disclosing such structure will be placed into this portion of the schedule only if its claimed disclosure is clearly for accomplishing one of the functions set forth in the definition by asterisk (*) and further discussed in (2) Note that follows. The similar structure that is disclosed

in terms of its structure and not disclosing such a function will be found elsewhere in accordance with its claimed function or its claimed structure that is provided for in other subclasses of this schedule.

(2) Note. For the purpose of helping to visualize the terms to be discussed herein, assume a three-dimensional-line figure consisting of three axes (i.e., an "X-axis", a "Y-axis" and a "Z-axis") that intersect at a mutual point, each axis being perpendicular to the plane in which both of the other two axes lie. Assume further that said mutual point lies within the article to be conveyed and that a) the conveyor moves the article in the direction of the "X-axis", b) the conveyor has a major article-support surface that extends transversely (i.e., athwart) of said direction along the "Z-axis", and c) the remaining axis that extends perpendicularly of the plane formed by both of the previously-mentioned axes is the "Y-axis". With these assumptions in mind, variation in "posture" will refer only to a turning of an article about a "Z-axis", variation in "heading" will refer only to a turning of an article about a "Y-axis", and variation in "leaning" will refer only to a turning of an article about an "X-axis". It is understood that any or all of these turnings may occur sequentially or simultaneously, and if there is a major dimension of the article being conveyed, such major dimension may coincide with any or none of the axis mentioned.

(3) Note. This note is in amplification of preceding notes regarding intent of disclosure and attitude of article relative to its conveyed direction. The predetermined path of an article may be straight, or arcuate, or crooked, but whatever the path, if the conveyed article is at a first point on the path with a particular dimension in a particular relationship to the path (e.g., its length is parallel to the path), and is thereafter at a second point with the same dimension in a different relationship to the path (e.g., its length is perpendicular to the path), its attitude relative to the path has been changed. For proper placement of a patent into this, or an indented subclass, the claim thereof must recite the change in attitude of the article in significant terms; that is, the recitation must be clear, and the change must be intentional. A patent that discloses a change in attitude that is incidental to the movement of an article on a conveyor system (e.g., an article on a nonrectilinear system could change its attitude relative to a particular compass direction, but not necessarily change relative to conveyed direction) will not be placed herein, but will be placed on the basis of the claimed function or structure of the conveyor.