公开(公告)号：US12139359B1

公开(公告)日：2024-11-12

申请号：US18653023

申请日：2024-05-02

Applicant: HALLMARK CARDS, INCORPORATED

Inventor： Huston Perry Hund ,  Douglas V. Henderson ,  Glen Orrin Coats

IPC: B65H29/34 ,  B65H20/06 ,  B65H29/14

Abstract: A dump gate system having a pair of belts configured for rotation in opposite directions and spaced apart to define a gap between the belts. Fins extend outward from the belts. The fins may support an item in the gap when the belts are in a loading position. Each belt may have a tapered section extending from the top of the belt to a lower section of the belt. Each belt may taper toward the other belt in the tapered section to gradually reduce the width of a gap between the belts from the top of each belt to the lower section. The lower sections of the belts may be generally parallel to each other. A drive system may be configured to rotate the belts to move the fins from an initial loading position to a final loading position while items are fed into the gap for support by the fins.