Merging conveyor

1. A conveyor configured to advance articles m a longitudinal downstream direction, said conveyor comprising:

a. a first lane extending in said longitudinal downstream direction, said first lane comprising a first upper conveying surface moving at a first speed;

b. a second lane extending in said longitudinal downstream direction, said second lane being spaced apart laterally from said first lane, said second lane comprising a second upper conveying surface moving at a second speed;

c. a third lane extending in said longitudinal downstream direction and interposed between said first and second lanes, said third lane comprising a third upper conveying surface moving at a third speed;

d. a fourth lane extending in said longitudinal downstream direction and interposed between said second and third lanes, said fourth. lane comprising a fourth upper conveying surface moving at a fourth speed;

e. said first upper conveying surface configured to impart a force at at least a first angle relative to the longitudinal downstream direction toward said third lane to articles traveling on said first upper conveying surface;

f. said second upper conveying surface configured to impart a force at a second angle relative to the longitudinal downstream direction toward said fourth lane to articles traveling on said second upper conveying surface;

g. said third conveying surface configured to impart a force at a third angle relative to the longitudinal downstream direction toward said second lane to articles traveling on said third upper conveying surface; and

h. said fourth conveying surface configured to impart a force at a fourth angle relative to the longitudinal downstream direction toward said third lane to articles traveling on said fourth upper conveying surface, the fourth angle being greater than the second angle.

2. The conveyor of claim 1 , wherein

a. said first lane comprises a first plurality of rollers which define at least a portion of said first upper conveying surface;

b. said second lane comprises a second plurality of rollers which define at leas portion of said second upper conveying surface;

c. said third lane comprises a third plurality of rollers which define at least a portion of said third upper conveying surface; and

d. said fourth lane comprises a fourth plurality of rollers which define at least a portion of said fourth upper conveying surface.

3. The conveyor of claim 2 , wherein

a. said first plurality of rollers are skewed toward said third lane;

b. said second plurality of rollers are skewed toward said fourth lane;

c. said third plurality of rollers are skewed toward said second lane; and

d. said fourth plurality of rollers are skewed toward said third lane.

4. The conveyor of claim 3 , Wherein said first plurality of rollers includes at least one first roller interposed between a second roller and a third roller, said at least one first roller being skewed toward said third lane at a first skew angle, said second roller being skewed toward said third lane at a second skew angle, said third roller being skewered toward said third lane at a third skew angle, said first skew angle being greater than said second skew angle and said third skew angle.

5. The conveyor of claim 3 , wherein said rollers are wheels.

6. The conveyor of claim 3 , wherein said first plurality of rollers are disposed at a first skew angle and said third plurality of rollers are disposed at a third skew angle, said third skew angle being greater than said first skew angle.

7. The conveyor of claim 3 , wherein said third plurality of rollers are disposed at a third skew angle and said fourth plurality of rollers are disposed at a fourth skew angle, said third and fourth Skew angles being approximately equal.

8. The conveyor of claim 1 , wherein said third speed is greater than said first speed.

9. The conveyor of claim 1 , wherein said second speed is greater than said fourth speed.

10. The conveyor of claim 9 , wherein said fourth speed is greater than said third speed.

11. The conveyor of claim 10 , wherein said third speed is greater than said first speed.

12. A conveyor system configured to advance articles in a downstream direction, said conveyor system comprising:

a. a first conveyor having a first discharge end, said first conveyor configured to discharge a first batch comprising a plurality of side by side articles from said first discharge end;

b. a second conveyor having a second discharge end, said second conveyor configured to discharge a second batch comprising a plurality of side by side articles from said second discharge end;

c. a third conveyor third conveyor having an infeed end and a third discharge end and disposed to receive said first batch and said second batch and discharge said first and second batches from said third discharge end, said third conveyor comprising:

i. a first lane extending in said downstream direction, said first lane comprising a first upper conveying surface moving at a first speed;

ii. a second lane extending in said downstream direction, said second lane being spaced apart laterally from said first lane, said second lane comprising a second upper conveying surface moving at a second speed;

iii. a third lane extending in said downstream direction and interposed between said first and second lanes, said third lane comprising a third upper conveying surface moving at a third speed;

iv. a fourth lane extending in said downstream direction and interposed between said second and third second lanes, said fourth lane comprising a fourth upper conveying surface moving at a fourth speed;

v. said first upper conveying surface configured to impart a lateral force toward said third lane to articles traveling on said first upper conveying surface;

vi. said second upper conveying surface configured to impart a lateral force toward said fourth lane to articles traveling on said second upper conveying surface;

vii. said third conveying surface configured to impart a lateral force toward said second lane to articles traveling on said third upper conveying surface; and

viii. said fourth conveying surface configured to impart a lateral force toward said third lane to articles traveling on said fourth upper conveying surface; and

d. a fourth conveyor having a fourth discharge end, said fourth conveyor disposed to receive said first and second batches from said third conveyors and discharge said articles of said first and second batches from said discharge end, said fourth conveyor comprising a descrambler; said third and fourth conveyors being operable to singulate said articles from their initial side by side configuration by the time said articles are discharged from said fourth discharge end,

wherein said second speed is greater than said fourth speed.

13. The conveyor system of claim 12 , wherein

a. said first lane comprises a first plurality of rollers which define at least a portion of said first upper conveying surface;

b. said second lane comprises a second plurality of rollers which define at least a portion of said second upper conveying surface;

c. said third lane comprises a third plurality of rollers which define at least a portion of said third upper conveying surface; and

d. said fourth lane comprises a fourth plurality of rollers which define at least a portion of said fourth upper conveying surface.

14. The conveyor of claim 13 , wherein said first plurality of rollers are disposed at a first skew angle and said third plurality of rollers are disposed at a third skew angle, said third skew angle being greater than said first skew angle.

15. The conveyor system of claim 13 , wherein said third plurality of rollers are disposed at a third skew angle and said fourth plurality of rollers are disposed at a fourth skew angle, said third and fourth skew angles being approximately equal.

16. The conveyor system of claim 12 , wherein said third speed is greater than said first speed.

17. The conveyor system of claim 12 , wherein said fourth speed is greater than said third speed.

18. A method of conveying articles comprising:

presenting on a plurality of infeed conveyors disposed adjacent an infeed end of a first conveyor a succession of batches, each of the batches comprising a plurality of the articles disposed in a side-by-side relation proximal to each other;

selectively discharging respective ones of the batches on to the first conveyor at respective time intervals following a previously discharged batch;

singulating the articles of each discharged batch by the first conveyor, the respective timed intervals being sufficient to singulate the articles of each discharged batch and to merge each discharged batch with the previously discharged batch without overlap between singulated articles of each successive batch,

wherein selectively discharging respective ones of batches comprises selecting the respective time interval based on whether the previously discharged batch was discharged from the same infeed conveyor as the infeed conveyor of the batch to be discharged.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first conveyor comprises a plurality of conveyors.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein singulating the articles comprises advancing the articles in a downstream direction on the first conveyor by at least a first lane comprising a first plurality of rollers and a second lane comprising a respective second plurality of rollers, the first and second plurality of rollers being skewed in the downstream direction toward each other.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the first lane defines a first upper conveying surface moving at a first speed, the second lane defines a second upper conveying surface moving at a second speed, said first speed being greater than said second speed.

22. A method of conveying articles comprising:

presenting on a plurality of infeed conveyors disposed adjacent an infeed end of a first conveyor a succession of batches, each of the batches comprising a plurality of the articles disposed in a side-by-side relation proximal to each other;

selectively discharging respective ones of the batches on to the first conveyor at respective time intervals following a previously discharged batch;

singulating the articles of each discharged batch by the first conveyor, the respective timed intervals being sufficient to singulate the articles of each discharged batch and to merge each discharged batch with the previously discharged batch without overlap between singulated articles of each successive batch,

wherein selectively discharging respective ones of batches comprises selecting the respective time interval based on whether the previously discharged batch was discharged from the same infeed conveyor as the infeed conveyor of the batch to be discharged.