In order to improve a coating plant for workpieces, in particular for vehicle bodies, comprising a coat application section, a coat drier section following the application section and comprising a drier booth arranged at a higher level in relation to the coat application section, a skid conveyor on the inlet side passing through the coat application section, the skid conveyor moving workpieces mounted on skid frames through the coat application section at a process feeding speed for the application of the coating, and a drier conveying device following the skid conveyor and conveying the skid frames with the coated workpieces mounted thereon through the coat drier section, such that this is simpler in its construction than the known coating plants it is suggested that the drier conveying device be a drier conveyor following the skid conveyor and moving the skid frames at the process feeding speed along a skid frame path through the coat drier section, that the drier conveyor extend beneath the skid frame path and that the drier conveyor take over the skid frames at the conveyor level of the skid conveyor and lift them via an inclined plane to the conveyor level of the drier booth and subsequently convey them therethrough.

An improved hook structure for use with crossbar grid merchandise display systems capable of snap-fit engagement with pairs of adjacent horizontal grid crossbars or wires at selected lateral positions; the hook structures being slidable along the crossbars and characterized by a narrow dimensioned hook section composed of a sandwich assembly of two identical parallel metal hook plates disposed on opposite sides of and integrated with an interposed base end of a wire display rod. The metal sandwich structure so formed, permits interlocking back-to-back application of a pair of hook structures when sharing the same pair of grid crossbars. The narrow dimensioning and sandwich structure of the hook section permits placement of the hook structures closely against or over an upright or vertical member of the grid system for more efficient use of the supporting grid area as well as the placement of two or more hook structures in contacting adjacency for purposes of supporting heavier objects on two or more extending merchandise display rods thereof.

An accumulator mechanism for stopping a carrier on an inverted power and free conveyor system when it approaches a stopped preceding carrier. A pivot arm on a leading trolley for each carrier has a retractable trolley dog which is normally driven by a chain dog projecting from a drive chain. The accumulator mechanism includes an actuator lever which is pivoted to mounting plates and carries a cam roller that acts in a cam slot formed in a pivot plate. When the actuating lever is pivoted due to contacting a preceding carrier, the cam roller acts within the contour of the slot to pivotally displace the pivot plate. The pivot plate then pulls a lift link upwardly to pull on the pivot arm and retract the trolley dog from the chain dog. The slot is arranged to effect lost motion of the cam roller in the slot to accommodate over travel.

The conveying apparatus comprises a conveying path, a return path, an endless circulating driver and pallet supporting and driving means. The conveying path includes a horizontal inlet path, a horizontal outlet path, and an inclined path connected to at least one of the inner ends of the inlet and outlet path. The circulating driver circulates between the conveying path and return path. The supporting and driving mechanism are mounted at intervals on the circulating driver. The pallet supporting and driving mechanism include a front pallet support for supporting a front portion of the pallet, a rear pallet support for supporting a rear portion of the pallet, and a driving engager for automatically engaging with the pallet near the front pallet support. The pallet includes a front supported part that can be supported by the front pallet support, a rear supported part that can be supported by the rear pallet support movable relative to the pallet in the predetermined direction, and an engaged part for automatically engaging with the driving engager. The pallet conveyed to the inlet path section can be transferred onto one of the supporting and driving mechanism, which conveys the pallet on it along the conveying path to the outlet path section.

A power and free conveying system includes a track assembly having a power track and a free track spaced vertically from the power track, a power trolley supported on the power track for movement therealong and a free trolley supported on the free track for movement therealong. The free trolley includes a moveable holdback dog engageable and disengageable with the power trolley. The free trolley includes a retractable dog having a first position engageable with the power trolley and a second position disengageable with the power trolley and engageable with the holdback dog to completely disengage the free trolley from the power trolley upon engaging another one of the free trolley. The track assembly includes a C-shaped first side support member having an upper transverse end connected to the power track and a lower transverse end connected to the free track and a C-shaped second side support member opposite and spaced from the first side support member having an upper transverse end connected to the power track and a lower transverse end connected to the free track.