摘要 |
For use with an elongate conveyor belt designed to transport articles from one location to another, a novel pusher device mounted adjacent one long side of the belt. The pusher device utilizes an elongate, rotatably mounted arm having first and second ends, with the first end being pivotally affixed at a location relatively close to the belt, and arranged to rotate about the fixed pivot for less than 90.degree.. The arm normally resides in an inactive position extending along the long side of the belt, with the second end of the arm being arranged to move outwardly, on occasion, from the inactive position and across at least a portion of the belt when an article is to be deflected off of the belt. An article-engaging paddle is pivotally mounted on the second end of the arm, and a novel actuating device causes selected rotation of the arm about the fixed pivot, such that upon the actuating means being activated to cause the arm to undertake rotation about the fixed pivot, the paddle will move in an outward stroke to briefly contact the selected article and to cause such article to be deflected off of the belt. The actuating device thereafter causes the arm to undertake a rapid return stroke and to resume its inactive position.
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