1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a system for transporting coat hangers.
2. The Prior Art
The prior art includes coat hanger transportation systems for hook coat hangers, comprising a screw conveyor driven rotatably about its longitudinal axis. Spirals of the screw conveyor interact with the hook arches of the coat hangers to be transported so that the coat hangers are moved in the direction of transport as the screw turns. A driving device for the screw conveyor is usually located at the rear end of the screw, outside the travel space of the coat hangers and the goods hanging thereon. The delivery of the coat hangers to the screw conveyor is usually accomplished with chutes that deliver the coat hangers to the transport rail in the rear region of the screw conveyor. In plan view, the chutes enclose a non-zero angle with the longitudinal axis of the screw, so that the coat hangers experience a change of direction when they are delivered onto the screw conveyor.
Such a coat hanger transportation system suffers from the drawback that the transfer from the chute onto the screw conveyor does not always function smoothly because of the required change of direction of the coat hangers and the goods hanging thereon. As a result, undesirable tailbacks and breakdowns occur.
It is an object of the invention to provide a system for transporting coat hangers with improved transfer reliability. It is a further object of the invention to provide a system for transporting coat hangers which is capable of conveying a large variety of hangers. Another object of the system of the invention is to make it possible to deliver the conveyed hangers in such a way that they are in line with the longitudinal axis of the screw conveyor as viewed from above.