Transporter/sorter and transport box

Abstract

A transporter/sorter and a transport box therefore are disclosed. The transporter/sorter 1 comprises a guide rail 50 having straight portions and curved portions and forming an endless loop path, a plurality of transport wagons 30 undergoing excursion along the endless loop path in an inter-coupled state, and transport boxes 20 supported on the transport wagons 30, respectively, in a state of being found on the outer side of the guide rail 50.

1 - 6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . A transport box for receiving transport articles fed from a feeding port of an accommodating chamber, wherein the transport-direction width of a feeding space in the accommodating chamber increases toward the feeding port. 
     
     
         8 . A transport box according to  claim 7 , wherein the transport box has two or more accommodating chambers, and feeding ports for adjacent accommodating chambers are provided at the opposite sides. 
     
     
         9 . A transport box for receiving transport articles fed from a feeding port of an accommodating chamber, comprising:
 a feeding accommodating part provided in an upper part of the accommodating chamber and having a feeding space with a large transport-direction width;   two or more discharging accommodating parts disposed in a lower part of the accommodating chamber and partitioned from one another in the transport direction; and   a guide means for selectively causing the transport articles fed to the feeding accommodating part to fall into predetermined one(s) of the discharging accommodating parts.   
     
     
         10 . A transport box for receiving transport articles fed from a feeding port in an accommodating chamber, comprising:
 a first accommodating chamber disposed in an upper part of the transport box and having a feeding accommodating part formed with a feeding space having a large transport-direction width and a discharging accommodating part disposed in an upper part of the feeding accommodating part and having a transport-direction width smaller than the transport-direction width of the feeding space, the transport articles being accommodated in or passing through the discharging accommodating part; and   a second accommodating chamber disposed side-by-side with the discharging accommodating part in the first accommodating chamber and having a feeding space larger than the transport-direction width.   
     
     
         11 . A transport box for receiving transport articles fed from feeding ports in accommodating chambers, comprising:
 one or more partitioning members each partitioning adjacent ones of the accommodating chambers and revolved to increase the transport-direction width of the feeding spaces in the accommodating chambers; and   revolving means for selectively causing the partitioning members to revolve.   
     
     
         12 . The transport box according to  claim 7 , wherein the transport-direction width of the feeding spaces in the accommodating chambers is different depending on the transport articles. 
     
     
         13 . The transport box according to  claim 7 , wherein each of the accommodating chambers has a discharging means for discharging the fed transport articles. 
     
     
         14 - 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . The transport box according to  claim 8 , wherein the transport-direction width of the feeding spaces in the accommodating chambers is different depending on the transport articles. 
     
     
         30 . The transport box according to  claim 9 , wherein the transport-direction width of the feeding spaces in the accommodating chambers is different depending on the transport articles. 
     
     
         31 . The transport box according to  claim 10 , wherein the transport-direction width of the feeding spaces in the accommodating chambers is different depending on the transport articles. 
     
     
         32 . The transport box according to  claim 11 , wherein the transport-direction width of the feeding spaces in the accommodating chambers is different depending on the transport articles. 
     
     
         33 . The transport box according to  claim 7 , wherein each of the accommodating chambers has a discharging means for discharging the fed transport articles. 
     
     
         34 . The transport box according to  claim 8 , wherein each of the accommodating chambers has a discharging means for discharging the fed transport articles. 
     
     
         35 . The transport box according to  claim 9 , wherein each of the accommodating chambers has a discharging means for discharging the fed transport articles. 
     
     
         36 . The transport box according to  claim 10 , wherein each of the accommodating chambers has a discharging means for discharging the fed transport articles. 
     
     
         37 . The transport box according to  claim 7 , wherein each of the accommodating chambers has a discharging means for discharging the fed transport articles.