FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970) & THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (See section 10, rule 13) 1. Title of the invention: CONVEYOR ASSEMBLY

BACKGROUND
[0001] Conveyor assemblies are widely used to convey a plurality of
articles, such as a gemstone holder from a feed area to a discharge area. A conveyor assembly may include a conveyor belt, driven by a set of pulleys to convey the articles from a loading area to a discharge area. Further, depending upon the size and type of the article, the conveyor belt may be designed. Generally, the pulleys of the conveyor belt may be driven by a drive system, such as an electric motor. The conveyor belt is a continuous moving strip or surface that is used for transporting objects or material from one place to another constantly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0002] The features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will be
better understood with regard to the following descriptions and accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Use of the same reference number in different figures indicates similar or identical features and components.
[0003] Fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a conveyor assembly 100, in
accordance with an example of the present subject matter;
[0004] Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the conveyor assembly 100,
in accordance with an example of the present subject matter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0005] The conveyor assemblies, as mentioned before, may be designed
based on type and quantum of the articles to be conveyed. Generally, during operation of the conventional conveyor assembly, the articles are loaded either manually or with the help of a loading machine. Thereafter, the conveyor belt

may transmit the articles from a loading area to the discharge area where the articles are unloaded either manually or with the help of an unloading machine. In some cases, the articles get unloaded from the conveyor belt by simply falling off the end of the conveyor belt. Conventionally, the conveyor belt is designed to load and unload the articles simultaneously. There may be cases where the articles are needed to be discharged sequentially.
[0006] One of the ways of doing so is to sequentially place the article
manually. However, such a task is labor intensive and time-consuming. Moreover, manually placing the article also limits the throughput of the conveyor assembly, for example, at the loading area. Another way to achieve sequential discharge od articles is to restrict the path of the conveyor belt proximate to the discharge end of the conveyor belt by narrowing the area of discharge the conveyor belt in such a way that one article is discharged at a time. However, such restrictions may cause the moving articles to stop suddenly thereby causing a blockage in the path and accumulation of articles on the conveyor belt , which can lead to having to stop the conveyor assembly and, manually or otherwise, clear the conveyor belt. Accordingly, not only is the the load on the conveyor belt increased, the downtime due to blockage may adversely affect productivity and throughput of the conveyor assembly. Therefore, the conventional conveyor assembly may be ineffective and inefficient in conveying the articles sequentially.
[0007] To this end, examples of a conveyor assembly for conveying articles,
such as gemstone holders, are described. The conveyor assembly of the present subject matter is designed in manner that it allows for a continuous, undisrupted, and efficient feed of the articles without any interruption or damage to the articles.
[0008] According to the present subject matter, the conveyor assembly may
include a conveyor system to convey the articles, a discharge assembly

coupled to the conveyor system to sequentially discharge the articles, and an actuating assembly that is operably coupled to at least the discharge assembly to facilitate in the sequential discharge of the articles. In another example, the actuating assembly can be additionally coupled to the conveyor system to regulate the conveyor system. For instance, the conveyor system and the discharge assembly may have separate actuating assemblies. In another case, however, the conveyor assembly can have a single actuating assembly and the conveyor system and the discharge assembly may share the actuating assembly.
[0009] In one example, the conveyor assembly may include a conveyor belt
that transports the article towards a discharge region. In proximity of the discharge region, the discharge assembly may be provided on the conveyor belt. In an example, the discharge assembly can include a pair of path guides installed on either side of the conveyor belt about a direction of discharge to form a passage at the discharge end that allows discharge of one article at a time, i.e, sequential discharge of articles. In an example, the pair of path guides may include a fixed path guide and a movable path guide movable relative to the fixed path guide. In other words, the fixed path remains stationary with respect to the conveyor belt whereas the movable guide can reciprocate, for example, along a length of the conveyor belt, i.e., along a direction of movement of the conveyor belt. As a result of the relative movement between the path guides, the area of the passage, and therefore, of a discharge opening formed between distal ends of the path guides can vary. In one example, the fixed path guide and the movable path guide may have guide surfaces that are shaped in such a way that the articles moving simultaneously on the conveyor belt may slide along with guide surface and to converge towards the discharge opening.

[0010] Further, according to the present subject matter, the actuation
assembly may include an actuating mechanism that may be coupled to the movable path guide to impart the reciprocating motion to the movable path guide. In one example, the actuating mechanism may reciprocate the movable fixed path guide to change the area of the discharge opening so as to discharge of the article sequentially. Moreover, the reciprocating motion of the movable path guide may also serve to shake the articles such that the articles do not accumulate at the opening or choke off the opening. In an example, the shape of the passage formed between the path guides combined with the conveyor system of the present subject matter ensures sequential discharge of the article because the opening discharges one article at a time. Moreover, the guide surfaces of the fixed path and, the path guide converges the articles on the conveyor in such a way that the articles do not gather and collide while converging thereby preventing any damage to the article. Further, with the aforementioned configuration, proper sequencing of the components is achieved, and the process management of the system is significantly improved. Moreover, since the discharge is achieved without inputs from human resource or their intervention, the throughput of the conveyor system is not affected and a continuous human less system is made possible.
[0011] These and other advantages of the present subject matter would be
described in greater detail in conjunction with the following figures. While aspects of movable assembly can be implemented in any number of different configurations, the embodiments are described in the context of the following device(s) and method(s).
[0012] Fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a conveyor assembly 100, in
accordance with an example of the present subject matter. The conveyor assembly 100 enables different articles, such as gemstone holders, to be transported from one end to the other end. The conveyor assembly 100 may

include a conveyor system 102, a discharge assembly 104 and an actuating assembly 106. The conveyor system 102 is coupled to the discharge assembly 104 to sequentially discharge the different articles. Further, the actuating assembly 106 is configured to facilitate the sequential discharge of the articles. The actuating assembly 106 is configured to be coupled with at least one of the conveyor system 102 or the discharge assembly 104. The discharge assembly 104 allows multiple articles to be discharged sequentially. The discharge assembly 104 may include a set of path guide which enables the articles at the discharge end to drop sequentially one after another. Further, the profile of the path guides is such that the articles tend to converge at the discharge end. In one example, the actuating assembly 106 may make one of the path guides to reciprocate along the direction of the conveyor. In another words, the actuating assembly 106 may impart a reciprocating motion to one of the During the operation, the combination of the motion imparted by the actuating assembly 106 and the profile of the path guides, provide a reciprocating motion which helps in forming a queue and discharging the articles sequentially.
[0013] Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the conveyor assembly 100,
in accordance with an example of the present subject matter. The conveyor assembly 100 may include the conveyor system 102, the discharge assembly 104 and the actuating assembly 106. In the illustrated example, the conveyor system 102 may include a frame 204 and a conveyor belt 202 mounted on the frame 204. The conveyor belt 202 may include a loading end 216 and a discharge end 218 defining a travel path therebetween denoted by X, such that the conveyor belt 202 of the coveyor system 102 may convey or carry the articles from the loading end 216 to the discharge end 218 along the travel path X. In one example, the conveyor belt 202 may be supported by a pair of rollers, namely a first roller (not shown) and a second roller 228. The first roller and the second roller 228 are, in turn, mounted on shafts (not shown). In one example,

the second roller 228 can be an idle roller and the first roller can be a driver roller. In the illustrated, the conveyor belt 202 may be made of flexible materials such as vulcanized rubber,polymeric materials, metallic chain links and so on.
[0014] According to an example, the conveyor system 102 may include a
drive system 210 mounted inside the frame 204 coupled to the first roller. The drive system 210, in one instance, can be a belt drive system that includes a drive shaft 230, a drive pulley 206 mounted on the drive shaft 230, a driven pulley 208 coupled to the first roller, and a belt drive 214 running around the drive pulley 206 and the driven pulley 208. In operation, the drive shaft 230 may be driven by a power source, such as an electric motor to provide power to the rotate the first roller via the drive system 210. For instance, the power source drives the drive pulley 206 which further rotates the drive pulley 206. Further, the belt drive 214 transmits the power from the drive pulley 206 to the driven pulley 208 to drive the first roller.
[0015] Further, the conveyor system 102 may be used for conveying various
kinds of articles. In one example, an article conveyed by the conveyor system 102 can range from a gemstone holder to a manufacturing material such as nuts or bolts, construction material such as bricks, or consumer goods such as fruits or bottle caps and so on.
[0016] According to an example of the present subject matter, the conveyor
assembly 100 may include a discharge assembly 104. In one example, the discharge assembly 104 may be installed on the frame 204 proximate to the discharge end 218 of the conveyor belt 202. Although the current example illustrates the positioning of the discharge assembly 104 proximate to the discharge end 218, it may be understood that the discharge assembly 104 can be installed at any length of the conveyor belt 202. The discharge assembly 104 may include a pair of path guides, namely a fixed path guide 222 and a movable path guide 224, which define a passage that allows sequesntial

movement of the plurality of articles. The fixed path guide 222 and the movable path guide 224 are both mounted on the frame 204 opposite to each other and adjacent to either side of the conveyor belt 202. In one example, the fixed path guide 222 is fixedly mounted on the frame 204 and the movable path guide 224 may be movably mounted on the frame 204. In one example, the movable path guide 222 may be mounted on a moving rail that may allow the movable path guide 224 to move along a length of the conveyor belt 202, or in another example, may move along the width of the conveyor belt 202. For instance, the movable path guide 224 can reciprocate along the length of the conveyor belt 202. As a result, a relative reciprocatory motion is achieved between the fixed path guide 222 and the movable path guide 224. The relative reciprocatory motion between the fixed path guide 222 and the movable path guide 224 is along a direction in which the articles are delivered. The relative motion between the path guides allows the articles to be sequentially moved and discharge in a discharge tray 220 one at a time.
[0017] Further, the fxed path guide 222 and the movable path guide 224
may be mounted on the frame 204 such that the fixed path guide 222 and the movable path guide 224 extends into the travel path X thereby reducing a width of the travel path available for the discharge of the articles. In one example, the fixed path guide 222 and the movable path guide 224 protrude in the travel path X in such a way that the fixed path guide 222 and the movable path guide 224 forms a constriction in the form of an opening 232. The opening 232, in operation, may restrict the travel path X, such that one article is allowed to pass through the opening at a time. As may be understood, an area of the opening 232 may vary owing to the movement of the movable path guide 224. In one example, the area of the opening 232 may be substantially equal to the width of the articles.

[0018] In one example, both the fixed path guide 222 and the movable path
guide 224 may include guide surfaces 226 facing into the travel path X. The guide surface 226 may be shaped to the cause the article traveling of the travel path X to converge towards discharge end 218. In one example, the guide surface 226 of the fixed path guide 222 and the movable path guide 224 may have a convergent sawtooth profile.
[0019] According to an example, the conveyor assembly 100 further may
include the actuating assembly 106 operably coupled to the discharge assembly 104. In one example, the actuating assembly 106 that may be configured to impart reciprocating motion to the movable path guide 224 of the discharge assembly 104. For instance, the actuating assembly 106 may be coupled to the second roller 228 to rotate therewith and maybe convert the rotatory motion of the second roller 228 into the reciprocating motion for the movable path guide 224. In another instance, the actuation assembly 106 may include an independent source of power to drive and impart reciprocating motion to the movable path guide 224. As examples, but not limited to, the actuating assembly 106 may be a cam-follower mechanism, a crankshaft mechanism, a bi-directional electric motor, a solenoid valve or so on. In one example, the actuating assembly 106 may be operably coupled with the conveyor system 102. In said example, the actuating assembly 106 may be configured to actuare the drive system 210. The conveyor system 102 and the discharge assembly 104, in one example, may be actuated by separate actuating assemblies 106. In said example, the conveyor assembly 100 may have at least two actuating assembly. In another example, single actuating assembly 106 may actuate both of the conveyor system 102 and the discharge assembly 104.
[0020] According to an example, the actuation assembly 106, may include
a rotating cam, a follower, and an actuator 336. In the illustrated example, the

cam may be rotatably coupled to the second roller 228 and may have a triangular profile. Further, the follower abuts the triangular profile and may move along a triangular trajectory. The follower may be further coupled to the actuator which may move as the follower moves. In one example, the triangular profile of the cam may force the follower to describe a reciprocating motion. Further, the actuator 336 may also describe the same motion owing to be coupled to the follower. In the illustrated example, the actuator may be detachably coupled to a pair of arms 334, such that the actuator may push one arm when the actuator moves in a direction A1 and the actuator may push another arm when the actuator moves in a direction A2, thereby imparting reciprocating motion to the movable path guide 224.
[0021] Operation of the conveyor assembly 100 is now explained. Initially,
the power source is started to power the first roller thereby causing the conveyor belt to move about the first roller and the second roller 228. Thereafter, the articles are loaded on the conveyor belt 202 and the articles start traveling on the travel path X. Further, the actuating assembly 106 is actuated to impart the reciprocating motion to the movable path guide 224 continuously. The continuous reciprocation of the movable path guide 224 allows for continuously varying the area of the opening 232. Simultaneously, the guide surfaces of the fixed path guide 222 and the movable path guide 224 deflects the articles as they travel along the travel path X so as to converge the articles towards the opening 232. Further, the reciprocating movable path guide 224 reciprocate to move in the direction A1 to widen the opening 232 just enough to allow one article to pass through the opening 232. Thereafter, the movable path guide 224 may move in the direction A2 to shorten the opening 232. In addition, the movable path guide 224 may also move any article that may tend to choke the opening 232. The article passing through the opening 232 is received by the discharge tray 220.

[0022] As may be understood, the relative motion formed by the movement
of the articles and the reciprocating motion of the movable path guide 224, allows the articles to form a queue and discharge the articles sequentially one after another at the discharge end 218 due to the varying area of opening 232 for discharge. Moreover, varying area of opening 232 for discharge prevents the creation of bottleneck at the discharge end 218. In addition, the curvature of the convergent profile of the guide surface 226 prevents the articles from colliding each other. Further, the reciprocation of the movable path guide 224 is limited to an extent such that the variation of the area of the opening 232 limits the discharge of the articles to only one at a time.
[0023] The aforementioned features of the conveyor assembly 100, the
articles may be fed to the processing machines without the articles to gather and collide with each other. Moreover, with the aforementioned configuration of the present subject matter, the discharge of the articles from the conveyor is possible without human intervention. Further, with the aforementioned configuration, proper sequencing of the articles is achieved, and the process management of the system is significantly improved. Moreover, the present subject matter allows for the elimination of human dependency and a continuous human less system is made possible.
[0024] In one example, the conveyor assembly 100 may include a
controller. The controller is operably coupled to the actuating assembly 106 and controls the actuating mechanism of the actuating assembly 106.
[0025] The present subject matter also envisages a method and a non-
transitory computer readable medium for operating the conveyor assembly 100 of the present subject matter. The non-transitory computer readable medium can be, for example, an internal memory device or an external memory device. The non-transitory computer readable medium may also be communicatively coupled to data sources over a network. The data sources can include, for

example, database and computing devices. In one example, the non-transitory computer readable medium includes a set of computer readable instructions, such as the modules of the controller of the conveyor assembly 100. The set of computer readable instructions, referred to as instructions hereinafter, can be accessed by a processing resource and subsequently executed to perform acts for operating the conveyor assembly 100. Further, in an example, the method can be performed by programmed computing devices, for example, based on instructions retrieved from non-transitory computer readable media. The computer readable media can include machine-executable or computer-executable instructions to perform all or portions of the described method. The computer readable media may be, for example, digital memories, magnetic storage media, such as a magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or optically readable data storage media.
[0026] Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as
alternate embodiments of the subject matter, will become apparent to the persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the subject matter. It is therefore contemplated that such modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present subject matter as defined.

I/We Claim:
1. A conveyor assembly (100) for conveying articles, the conveyor
assembly (100) comprising:
a conveyor system (102) having,
a loading end (216) to receive a plurality of articles; and
a discharge end (218) to deliver the plurality of articles;
wherein the conveyor system (102) is to carry a plurality of articles from the loading end (216) to the discharge end (218); and
a discharge assembly (104) disposed at a discharge end of the conveyor system (102), wherein the discharge assembly (104) comprises a plurality of path guides (222, 224) adapted to exhibit vibrational motion with respect to each other, wherein the plurality of path guides (222, 224) define therebetween a passage configurable to allow sequential movement of the plurality of articles therethrough.
2. The conveyor assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of path guides (222, 224) is to exhibit a relative reciprocatory motion along a direction of direction of delivery of the plurality of articles.
3. The conveyor assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of path guides (222, 224) define a passage having a width substantially equal to a width of the plurality of article to be delivered.
4. The conveyor assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising an actuating assembly (106) operably coupled at least to the discharge assembly

(106) to provide the relative motion between the plurality of path guides (222, 224).
5. The conveyor assembly (100) as claimed in claim 3, comprising a controller operably coupled to the actuating assembly (106) to control actuating mechanism in providing the relative motion between the plurality of path guides (222, 224).
6. The conveyor assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of path guides (222, 224) comprise a fixed path guide (222) and a movable path guide (224) relatively movable with respect to the fixed path guide (222) in a reciprocatory motion.
7. The conveyor assembly (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the movable path guide (224) is to exhibit reciproactory motion along a direction of movement of the conveyor system (102).
8. The conveyor assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the passage defined between the plurality of path guides (222, 224) is inclined with respect to a direction of movement of the conveyor system (102).
9. The conveyor assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conveyor system (102) is a coveyor belt (202).