Conveyor press

Claim 2

A conveyor assembly comprising: a housing, said housing having a front and rear and sides, rollers rotatably supported by said sides positioned adjacent the said front and the said rear, the said rollers extending transversely through said housing, the said rollers haVing sprockets thereon, the said sprockets contacting edge portions of an endless conveyor belt extending between said rollers and around said rollers, drive means for at least one of said rollers, an infeed roller, said infeed roller positioned transversely across the said housing at the front thereof forward of the front-most portion of the said conveyor, means responsive to rotation of the front conveyor roller for rotating the said infeed roller, the said infeed roller free to move arcuately upwardly and downwardly with relation to the said housing in response to its own weight and in response to contact with a surface of a product being discharged from the said conveyor, and means for limiting said movement.

Claim 3

An infeed conveyor press comprising: a housing, said housing having a front and a back and longitudinal sides, a pair of endless conveyors in said housing, one of said conveyors positioned below the other of said conveyors, at least one of said conveyors converging towards the other of said conveyors from the back to the front of the said housing, the said conveyors having opposed product contacting surfaces, the said conveyors adapted to compress an article received therebetween, an infeed roller, said infeed roller hingeably attached to said housing, said infeed roller positioned adjacent a terminus end of the said other conveyor, said infeed roller rotatable, said infeed roller free to move arcuately upwardly and downwardly with relation to the said housing, and said infeed roller positioned to contact a product leaving the terminus end of the said other conveyor.

Claim 4

An infeed conveyor press comprising: a housing, said housing having a front and a back and longitudinal sides, a pair of endless conveyors in said housing, one of said conveyors positioned below the other of said conveyors, at least one of said conveyors converging towards the other of said conveyors from the back to the front of the said housing, the said conveyors having opposed product contacting surfaces, the said conveyors adapted to compress an article received therebetween, an infeed roller, said infeed roller hingeably attached to said housing, said infeed roller positioned adjacent a terminus end of the said other conveyor, said infeed roller rotatable, said infeed roller free to move arcuately upwardly and downwardly with relation to the said housing, and said infeed roller positioned to contact a product leaving the terminus end of the said other conveyor.

Claim 5

The device of claim 2 wherein the conveyors extend between the sides of the housing and the surfaces thereof are driven from the back to the front.

Claim 6

A conveyor press assembly comprising a housing having side walls, a pair of endless conveyors, said conveyors extending between said side walls, front and back supporting rollers for each of said conveyors, one of said conveyors being shorter from front to back than the other of said conveyors, said one conveyor positioned above said other conveyor, the said conveyors having opposed product contacting surfaces, said conveyors being driven for movement of said surfaces from the back roller to the front roller, at least one of said conveyors inclined toward the other from the back to the front, said product contacting surfaces of the said other conveyor extending beyond the back roller of the said one conveyor, guide plates extending inwardly from the side walls, said guide plates positioned above the lower conveyor, said guide plates having longitudinal walls positioned above the lower conveyor, the walls converging from back to front of the said lower conveyor, and the guide plates terminating in the area between the said conveyors intermediate the ends of the other of said conveyors whereby product received on the other of said conveyors will be guided to a central position of said other of said conveyors by the guide plates and then be subjected to a pressing pressure between the two product contacting surfaces in an area of the assembly beyond the end of the guide plates.

Claim 7

A conveyor press assembly comprising a housing having side walls, a pair of endless conveyors, said conveyors extending between said side walls, front and back supporting rollers for each of said conveyors, one of said conveyors being shorter from front to back than the other of said conveyors, said one conveyor positioned above said other conveyor, the said conveyors having opposed product contacting surfaces, said conveyors being driven for movement of said surfaces from the back roller to the front roller, at least one of said conveyors inclined toward the other from the back to the front, said product contacting surfaces of the said other conveyor extending beyond the back roller of the said one conveyor, guide plates extending inwardly from the side walls, said guide plates positioned above the lower conveyor, said guide plates having longitudinal walls positioned above the lower conveyor, the walls converging from back to front of the said lower conveyor, and the guide plates terminating in the area between the said conveyors intermediate the ends of the other of said conveyors whereby product received on the other of said conveyors will be guided to a central position of said other of said conveyors by the guide plates and then be subjected to a pressing pressure between the two product contacting surfaces in an area of the assembly beyond the end of the guide plates.

Claim 8

The assembly of claim 3 wherein the said side walls are of stepped configuration having a lesser height in the area of the extension of the said other conveyor beyond the back roller of the said one conveyor.

Claim 9

The assembly of claim 4 including means to prevent at least one of said conveyors from bowing away from the other of said conveyors in the area between the said rollers under the influence of a product received between the said product contacting surfaces when the product has a dimension normally greater than the dimension between the opposed product contacting surfaces.

Claim 10

The assembly of claim 6 wherein both of said conveyors have said means associated therewith for preventing bowing.

Claim 11

The assembly of claim 7 wherein said means for preventing bowing comprises rigid pressure plates attached to said side walls, said plates underlying the said product carrying surfaces and extending from adjacent the back roller to adjacent the front roller of each conveyor, a surface of said plates adapted to contact an underside surface of the said product contacting surface of each conveyor to restrict movement of each of said conveyors in a direction away from the other of said conveyors.

Claim 12

An infeed conveyor assembly having a housing with a conveyor positioned therein for movement of a product lengthwise of the said housing, the said housing having an inlet end and an outlet end, the said conveyor having a product contacting surface, means for driving the said conveyor whereby a product placed on the product contacting surface at the inlet will be moved to the outlet, an infeed roller assembly, said infeed roller assembly positioned at the outlet end of the said housing beyond the said conveyor, the said infeed roller assembly comprising a rotating member positioned widthwise of the said housing beyond the outlet end of the said housing, means for rotating said member, the said member free to move arcuately upwardly and downwardly with respect to the said housing, means for limiting said motion, the said member having a weight sufficient to urge it to move arcuately downwardly with respect to the housing, and the said member positioned to contact a portion of a product conveyed by the conveyor at the outlet end of the said housing, the said member acting upon the said product at least after the said product has a portion thereof beyond the said conveyor.

Claim 13

An infeed conveyor assembly having a housing with a conveyor positioned therein for movement of a product lengthwise of the said housing, the said housing having an inlet end and an outlet end, the said conveyor having a product contacting surface, means for driving the said conveyor whereby a product placed on the product contacting surface at the inlet will be moved to the outlet, an infeed roller assembly, said infeed roller assembly positioned at the outlet end of the said housing beyond the said conveyor, the said infeed roller assembly comprising a rotating member positioned widthwise of the said housing beyond the outlet end of the said housing, means for rotating said member, the said member free to move arcuately upwardly and downwardly with respect to the said housing, means for limiting said motion, the said member having a weight sufficient to urge it to move arcuately downwardly with respect to the housing, and the said member positioned to contact a portion of a product conveyed by the conveyor at the outlet end of the said housing, the said member acting upon the said product at least after the said product has a portion thereof beyond the said conveyor.

Claim 14

A conveyor press assembly comprising a housing, said housing supporting two endless conveyors, one of said conveyors positioned above the other of said conveyors, the said conveyors inclinded with respect to one another, the said conveyors having a terminus, an infeed roller positioned above and to the end of the lower conveyor, the roller rotatably attached to the housing and being free to move arcuately vertically, the roller being positioned to contact produce leaving the conveyors at the terminus thereof, and means rotating the roller.

Claim 15

A conveyor press assembly comprising a housing, said housing supporting two endless conveyors, one of said conveyors positioned above the other of said conveyors, the said conveyors inclinded with respect to one another, the said conveyors having a terminus, an infeed roller positioned above and to the end of the lower conveyor, the roller rotatably attached to the housing and being free to move arcuately vertically, the roller being positioned to contact produce leaving the conveyors at the terminus thereof, and means rotating the roller.