AU2004201308A1 - Crate stack transport system and method - Google Patents

Description

P001 Section 29 Regulation 3.2(2)

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Application Number: Lodged: Invention Title: Crate stack transport system and method The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 1 CRATE STACK TRANSPORT SYSTEM AND METHOD FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the transportation of crate stacks where the individual crates are used for the carrying of packaged items, such as loaves of bread, packaged milk and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A number of types of packaged goods, such as bread produced in commercial bakeries, are transported in open crates. These crates may be formed of moulded plastic. Typically, such crates are designed to nest on one another so that they may be stacked forming a crate stack. For transport purposes, such a crate stack is generally manually formed on a "dolly", which is a type of flat-top trolley formed as a (steel) frame which accommodates at least one crate, with four multi-directional castor wheels attached to the underside of the frame. Typically, a "double" dolly is used which can accommodate two crate stacks side-by-side. The dolly does not have a handle such that an operator must move the loaded dolly by either pushing or pulling on the crate stacks.

Such a dolly provides for small to large scale manual transport of the crate stacks in distribution operations from the manufacturing plant of the packaged goods, a "breadroom" in the case of packaged bread, to a depot, if used, and then to a retail store where the goods are to be sold. Because of, for example, practical considerations of manoeuvrability and Occupational Health Safety (OH&S) issues, the crate stacks are generally formed to be 12 crates high, and as much as 15 crates high, for transport from plant to depot, and to be a maximum of 10 crates high for transport from depot to retail stores, however this can vary. Because of the forces required to be exerted during manual loading and unloading of individual crates, stacks larger than these create a potential risk of injury to operators required to lift the individual crates to heights above shoulder level, as is typically required when stacking or unstacking the higher crates into or out of position.

A further problem associated with this conventional transport system and method is that the required omni-directional movement of the dolly is inherently laterally unstable. As a consequence, the operator is required not only to apply sufficient force to move the loaded dolly, whose total mass can exceed 250 2 kilograms in the case of a fully loaded double dolly, but also to apply force to control the direction, the difficulty of which is enhanced by the poor visibility provided to the operator by the height of the crate stacks on the dolly, which is about 1650 mm for 10 crates, for example. These disadvantages of the conventional system and method of transporting crate stacks are especially burdensome when an operator is attempting to manoeuvre the loaded dolly through narrow aisles of a retail store during trading hours.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method whereby crate stacks can be moved conveniently and safely to their desired location without significant manual handling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a first aspect the present invention accordingly provides a system for the transport of at least one crate stack, including a support member for supporting the crate stack, and a trolley adapted to engage with the support member, where the trolley includes a lifting platform adapted to operate so as to lift the crate stack from the support member and subsequently support the crate stack for transport away from said support member.

Thus the present invention enables a significant advantage to be realized when compared with the prior art. Since the trolley can be moved into position to lift the crate stack clear of the support member there is no requirement to manually transfer the crates from the support member to the trolley thereby significantly reducing any risk of injury to the operator. As the lifting platform is integrated with the trolley there is also no requirement for any other lifting apparatus to be employed. As such, a system of transporting crate stacks which is laterally stable is provided.

Further, the trolley preferably includes a lifting lever as part of the lifting platform means acting as a handle which reduces the directional load of the trolley, thereby improving manoeuvrability over the conventional dolly. This load may be further reduced by the trolley being formed of, for example, aluminium which results in lower total mass of the loaded trolley as compared to the conventional dolly.

Preferably the support member has an opening in at least one end adapted to receive the trolley. Thus, the trolley can simply be wheeled into the opening whereby the lifting platform is conveniently positioned under the crate stack.

Preferably the support member includes recesses and through-openings adapted to receive forklift or pallet jack tines. This facilitates large scale transport of the support member, when a support member and associated crate stacks are loaded to and from a delivery vehicle by a forklift or pallet jack.

Preferably the lifting platform is manually operated such that the trolley does not require independent powering, such as by a hydraulic/pneumatic or electrically powered system, which reduces the cost and improves the ease of use of the trolley.

In a second aspect the present invention accordingly provides a method for transporting at least one crate stack, including the steps of: a) forming at least one crate stack of a predetermined height on a support member; b) manipulating a trolley to engage integrally with the support member; c) raising a lifting platform of the trolley to lift the crate stack from the support member; d) disengaging the trolley from the support member to remove the crate stack from the support member; and e) transporting the crate stack using the trolley.

In a third aspect the present invention accordingly provides a support member for at least one crate stack including: at least one opening for engaging said support member with a trolley; through openings for receiving the tines of a pallet jack or similar device to facilitate the transport of said support member; and recesses for receiving the tines of a forklift or similar device to facilitate the transport of said support member.

In a fourth aspect the present invention accordingly provides a method of loading a stack of crates onto a support member from a trolley, including the steps of: a) having a crate stack on a trolley; b) engaging said trolley with said support member to place said crate stack on said support member; lowering a lifting platform of said trolley to lower said crate stack onto said support member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An illustrative embodiment of the present invention will be discussed with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1A is a perspective view of a support member according to the present invention; Figure 1B is a perspective detailed view of a part of the support member illustrated in Figure 1A; Figures 2A to 2C are respectively a top, end and side view of the support member; Figures 3A to 3D are respectively a side, top, front and rear view of a trolley according to the present invention suitable for removal of a crate stack from the support member; Figures 4A and 4B are a side view of the trolley depicting a crate stack lifting operation thereof; and Figure 5 is an exploded side detailed view of a castor wheel portion of the trolley.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to Figure 1A, there is illustrated an exemplary support member 10 used for the support and transport of at least one crate stack for carrying packaged items according to the present invention. The support member includes a beam 20 which connects two substantially parallel flange sections to each other.

The beam 20 includes sidewalls 21 which connect sidewalls 31 of the flange sections 30 to each other (see Figure 2A). The sidewalls 31 are arranged so that they form a lip 32 above the top surface (with respect to Figure 1A) of the flanges 30 (see Figure 2B) and grooves 33 are formed at predetermined positions in each of the lips (see Figure 2C).

The width and length of the support member is determined by the size of the crate which is to be supported thereby. In this embodiment the crates are those typically used to transport bread. These are approximately 690 mm wide, by approximately 600 mm long, by approximately 150 mm deep.

The exemplary support member 10 illustrated in Figure 1A is designed to support two crate stacks of a predetermined height, such as 10 to 15 crates high, placed longitudinally adjacent each other in a direction parallel to the length direction of the flange sections 30. The crate stacks are supported by the flange sections 30 and partly by the beam 20. The grooves 33 are formed in the lips 32 in accordance with corresponding tabs included on the bottom surfaces of the crates, thereby providing secure positioning of a crate stack.

The sidewalls 31 of the flange sections 30 have recesses 40 formed therein which are dimensioned to receive pallet jack tines which allows the support member 10 to be easily transported, particularly when loaded with the crate stacks. The flange sections 30 are supported by the pallet jack tines when the pallet jack tines are placed within the recesses 40. The sidewalls 21 of the beam 20 have through-openings 50 formed therein (shown in more detail in Figures 1B and 2B), which are dimensioned to receive forklift tines which also allows the support member 10 to be easily transported, particularly for the loading and unloading of the support member 10 from a delivery vehicle or "back dock" of a retail store. The flange sections 30 are supported by the forklift tines when the forklift tines are placed within the through-openings 50. Of course, it will be readily appreciated that devices similar to pallet jacks and forklifts can be used for transporting the support member.

The support member, for example, can be formed from moulded plastic so that the above described components are integrally provided. However, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that the support member can be formed from other suitable materials.

In Figure 3A, there is illustrated a trolley 100 for transporting a crate stack.

The trolley 100 includes a base frame 110, a lifting platform 120 provided above the base frame 110, a lifting lever 130 connected to the base frame 110 and the lifting platform 120, front wheels 140 and rear, multi-directional, castor wheels 150. The base frame 110 is manufactured from about 3 mm thick (aluminium) angle bar (with a L section) arranged to form an annular rectangle (see Figure 3B) and further arranged so that the base 111 of the L section of the angle bar faces inwardly from the rectangle and the stem 112 of the L section of the angle bar is orientated upwards (see Figures 4A and 4B).

The front wheels 140 are attached to the underside of the base frame 110, with respect to the lifting platform 120, via support flanges 142, which are arranged to face permanently forward (see Figure 3C) to assist in the manoeuvrability of the trolley 100. As illustrated in Figure 5, the rear, multidirectional, castor wheels 150 are mounted to the underside of the base frame 110 by using brackets 151 which project from the stem 112 of the rear L section of the base frame 110 (see also Figure 3D).

The lifting platform 120 is similarly constructed from (aluminium) angle bar also arranged to form an annular rectangle (see Figure 3B) and further arranged so that the base 121 of the L section faces inwardly from the rectangle, with the stems 122 of the front and side L sections orientated downwards and the stem 123 of the rear L section orientated upwards (see also Figures 4A and 4B). The bases 121 of the front and side L sections of the lifting platform 120 are dimensioned so as to provide a platform for supporting a crate stack.

The stems 122 of the side L sections of the lifting platform 120 are formed with cut-out portions 124 at the front ends thereof and the front L section of the lifting platform 120 is offset forward relative to the front of the base frame 110, so that in the position illustrated in Figures 3A and 4A, the stems 122 of the side L sections of the lifting platform 120 are arranged both interior and adjacent to the stems 112 of the side L sections of the base frame 110..

The stem 123 of the rear L section of the lifting platform 120 forms an interference lip which prevents rearward movement of a crate stack when placed upon the lifting platform 120.

The lifting platform 120 is mounted to the corners of the rectangle of the base frame 110 by a mounting arrangement which allows the lifting platform 120 to move vertically whilst remaining substantially parallel to the base frame 110 by operation of the lifting lever 130 (see Figure 4B). This operation will be now described in detail.

The lifting lever 130 includes a shaft 131 and a handle 132. The shaft 131 is constructed from (aluminium) tubing of about 35 mm diameter and has a length of about 950 mm. The shaft 131 is mounted at its bottom end to the centre of the stem 112 of the rear L section of the base frame 110 by a hinge 133, allowing it to swing in an arc from a substantially vertical position to a downwards position in a vertical plane which approximately bisects the trolley 110. At about 200 mm up the shaft 131 from the hinge 133 an arm 134 is hingedly mounted to mounting flanges 135 at one of its ends. The other end of the arm 134 is hingedly connected to a mounting arrangement 123 positioned at the centre and to the rear of the interference lip provided by the stem 123 of the rear L section of the lifting platform 120. The arm 134 thus is restrained to move in approximately the same vertical plane as the shaft 131.

Turning now in detail to the mounting arrangement adopted between the lifting platform 120 and the base frame 110, there are four mounting points located approximately at the corners of the base frame 110 and lifting platform 120, two of which are illustrated in each of Figures 4A and 4B. At each mounting point, a bar 160 is attached at one end to the interior of the stem 122 of the side L section of the lifting platform 120 by an upper (first) pin 161 which allows the bar to pivot about an axis defined along the upper pin 161. The other end of the bar 160 is attached to the interior of the stem 112 of the side L section of the base frame 110 by a lower (second) pin 162 which allows the bar 160 to pivot about an axis defined along the lower pin 162.

Furthermore, the upper pins 161 are positioned and the cut-out portions 124 of the stems 122 of the side L sections of the lifting platform 120 are dimensioned so as to allow, in the position illustrated in Figure 4A, the bottom edges of the stems 122 to rest upon the lower pins 162. Thus, the lifting platform 120 is supported by the four lower pins 162 in the position illustrated in Figure 4A, which is a closed state of the lifting platform 120.

Figure 4B illustrates a raised state of the lifting platform 120 which is obtained by the following operation. When the position of the lifting lever 130 is changed from a substantially vertical position to the downwards position shown in Figure 4B, the arm 134 exerts a horizontal rearward and upward force to the lifting platform 120. The relative magnitudes of these force components depends upon the position of the lifting lever 130. These forces acts to both raise and move rearwards the lifting platform 120.

Considering one of the mounting points as described previously, as the lifting platform 120 is raised, the bars 160 pivot about the lower pins 162 becoming more substantially vertical, which provides support for the raised lifting platform 120. Since the bars 160 also rotate about the upper pins 161, the lifting platform 120 remains substantially parallel to the base frame 110.

It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that other means of raising the lifting platform 120 can fall within the scope of the invention. These could include foot operated rather than hand lever operated arrangements and/or pneumatic or hydraulic assistance to the lifting platform.

Furthermore, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that the materials contemplated herein for the construction of the trolley 100 may be substituted with other suitable materials. However, it is preferred to use materials, such as aluminium, which result in the typical total mass of a loaded trolley carrying a 10 crate high crate stack being about 100 kilograms, which is substantially much less than that of the conventional loaded dolly.

The combined operation of the trolley 100 and the support member according to the present invention is now described.

The trolley 100 is dimensioned so that, with the lifting platform 120 in the closed state, it can be engaged with the support member 10 by wheeling the trolley 100 into one of two openings 70 provided at each end of the support member 10 (see Figure 1A) so as to be substantially aligned with the underside of a crate stack supported by the support member 10. The interference lip provided by the stem 123 of the rear L section of the lifting platform 120 aids in the alignment of the trolley 100 with the crate stack.

Once the trolley 100 is so aligned, then the lifting lever 130 can be moved downwards from the substantially vertical position to cause the lifting platform 120 to rise vertically until it reaches its raised state, as previously described. As this operation is affected, the underside of the crate stack comes into contact with the base 121 of the front and side L sections of the lifting platform 120, and is caused to be lifted from the frame provided by the flange sections 40 and the beam 20 of the support member 10 and subsequently supported by the lifting platform 120.

The crate stack can then be easily removed from the support member by simply wheeling the trolley 100 out of the opening 70 by pulling on the handle 132 ensuring that the lifting lever 130 does not return to the substantially vertical position.

After removal of the trolley 100 from engagement with the support member the lifting lever 130 can be returned to the substantially vertical position and consequently the lifting platform 120 returned to the closed state. At this point, the crate stack has been removed from the support member 10 with no handling of individual crates. The crate stack can now be easily moved to the desired location using the trolley 100, including through the aisles of a retail store, where the lifting lever 130 acts as a handle of the trolley 100 allowing easy manoeuvring of the loaded trolley 100 for an operator, since this handle reduces the directional load of the trolley.

Of course, it will be readily appreciated that the reverse operation to that described above can be used to easily load crate stacks onto the support member using the trolley. Moreover, since the loading and unloading of crate stacks onto and from the support member is facilitated by the trolley according to the present invention, and since the trolley can be used to transport the crate stacks, the manual lifting required by an operator is reduced.

Although a preferred embodiment of the method, system and apparatus of the present invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing detailed description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth and defined by the following claims.

Claims (17)

1. A system for the transport of at least one stack of crates used for the carrying of packaged items, including: a support member for supporting said at least one crate stack; and a trolley adapted to engage with said support member, wherein said trolley includes a lifting platform adapted to operate so as to lift said crate stack from said support member and subsequently support said crate stack for transport away from said support member.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support member has at least one opening for engaging said support member with said trolley.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said support member includes through-openings for receiving the tines of a pallet jack or similar device to facilitate the transport of said support member.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said support member includes recesses for receiving the tines of a forklift or similar device to facilitate the transport of said support member.

A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said lifting platform is manually operated to raise and lower said crate stack.

6. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said trolley includes a lifting lever attached to said lifting platform adapted to operate so as to raise and lower said lifting platform, said lifting lever acting as a handle of the trolley.

7. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said at least one crate stack includes at least one crate adapted to carry bread.

8. A support member for a system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A support member for at least one crate stack including: at least one opening for engaging said support member with a trolley; through openings for receiving the tines of a pallet jack or similar device to facilitate the transport of said support member; and recesses for receiving the tines of a forklift or similar device to facilitate the transport of said support member.

A trolley for a system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

11. A method for transporting at least one stack of crates used for the carrying of packaged items, including the steps of: a) forming at least one crate stack of a predetermined height on a support member; b) manipulating a trolley to engage with said support member; c) raising a lifting platform of said trolley to lift said crate stack from said support member; d) disengaging said trolley from said support member to remove said crate stack from said support member; and e) transporting said crate stack using said trolley.

12. A method of loading a stack of crates onto a support member from a trolley, including the steps of: a) having a crate stack on a trolley; b) engaging said trolley with said support member to place said crate stack on said support member; c) lowering a lifting platform of said trolley to lower said crate stack onto said support member.

13. A system for the transport of at least one stack of crates used for the carrying of packaged items, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A support member for a system, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A trolley for a system, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. A method for transporting at least one stack of crates, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. A method for loading crates onto a support member from a trolley, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 28th day of March 2004 QUALITY BAKERS AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED WATERMARK PATENT TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS 290 BURWOOD ROAD HAWTHORN VICTORIA 3122 AUSTRALIA P21938AUP1 PNF/DCG