Method for conveying tires

{
  "publication_number": "US7228954B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Method for conveying tires",
  "abstract": "A conveyor system and associated method for conveying tires received from a multiplicity of tire presses. The conveyor system shown comprises a main, or trench, conveyor flanked on opposite sides by opposing groups of tire presses. Discharge conveyors deliver tires from the tire presses to the main conveyor at multiple positions along the length of the main conveyor. The tires are delivered from both sides of the main conveyor, which conveys them downstream. An open-loop sequencer activates each discharge conveyor to deliver tires to the main conveyor according to a schedule including the sequence of activating each of the discharge conveyors so as to avoid collisions between tires on the main conveyor.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method for delivering tires onto a main conveyor that extends in a conveyance direction from an upstream end to a downstream end via a multiplicity of discharge conveyors from tire presses flanking the main conveyor on opposite sides, the method comprising: determining a schedule including an activation sequence defining the order of activating the discharge conveyors flanking the main conveyor on opposite sides to deliver tires to the main conveyor so as to avoid tire collisions on the main conveyor; activating the discharge conveyors according to the schedule to deliver tires from the tire presses over the discharge conveyors to the main conveyor.",
    "2. The method of claim 1 comprising: activating each discharge conveyor for the same duration.",
    "3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: including in the schedule an activation time associated with each discharge conveyor in the activation sequence to define a duration of activation for each discharge conveyor.",
    "4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: including in the schedule an activation delay associated with each discharge conveyor in the activation sequence to define a delay before activation of the next discharge conveyor to be activated according to the activation sequence.",
    "5. The method of claim 1 further comprising: repeating the activation sequence at a predetermined rate.",
    "6. The method of claim 1 wherein the tire presses and the associated discharge conveyors flank the main conveyor in two groups along opposite sides of the main conveyor and wherein the schedule includes an activation sequence that proceeds sequentially upstream through one group of the discharge conveyors on one side of the main conveyor and then sequentially downstream through the other group discharge conveyors on the other side of the main conveyor."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The invention relates to power-driven conveyor systems generally and, more particularly to apparatus and methods for conveying tires delivered from opposing rows of tire curing presses onto a central conveyor. One of the last steps in the manufacture of a tire is molding and curing. In this step, the external rubber surfaces on a “green tire” are shaped under pressure and cured at elevated temperature in a tire press. A typical tire plant has many tire presses operating simultaneously to mold a variety of tires. The tires exiting the presses are discharged onto short discharge conveyors, such as gravity-roller conveyors, which deliver the tires onto a long main conveyor at various positions along its length. Because there may be many tire presses and many discharge conveyors feeding tires to the main conveyor along its length, collisions between tires delivered to the main conveyor from different tire presses are common. Sometimes the collisions can cause the flexible tires to jam within the confines of the main conveyor, which may result in deformation of the tires. Releasing a jam requires manual intervention, which is time-consuming and may be too late to avoid permanent deformation of the tires. Closed-loop controls that sense the positions of the tires and control the speed of the main conveyor or the discharge of tires onto the main conveyor are sometimes used to prevent jams. But closed-loop controls are complex with a multitude of sensors.\n\nThus, there is a need for a simple jam-free conveyor system for conveying tires received from a multiplicity of tire presses.",
  "cpc": [
    "B29D 30/0016",
    "B29D 2030/0027",
    "B29D 30/06",
    "B65G 2201/0273",
    "B65G 47/68",
    "B65G 47/681"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B65G 47/00",
    "B65G 47/10",
    "B65G 47/30",
    "B65G 47/46"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "LAITRAM LLC"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "DEPASO JOSEPH M"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2005-06-23",
  "publication_date": "2007-06-12",
  "grant_date": "2007-06-12",
  "priority_date": "2005-06-23",
  "application_number": "US-16043605-A",
  "family_id": "37236984",
  "citations": [
    "JPH09194022A",
    "US1425556A",
    "US1531711A",
    "US2004191050A1",
    "US2004195073A1",
    "US2005103598A1",
    "US3895716A",
    "US4274533A",
    "US4527937A",
    "US4773810A",
    "US4778060A",
    "US5007521A",
    "US6148990A",
    "US6494312B2",
    "US6499980B1",
    "US6568522B1",
    "US6582212B1"
  ]
}