AU2005200502A1 - Pallet manufacturing system - Google Patents

Description

04/02/2005 15:20 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 05/36

AUSTRALIA

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD

PATENT

ORIGINAL

Applicant(s): LANZA MANAGEMENT PTY LTD Actual Inventor(s): Giuliano Lanza Address for Service: PATENT ATTORNEY SERVICES 26 Ellingworth Parade Box Hill Victoria 3128 Australia Title: PALLET MANUFACTURING

SYSTEM

Associated Provisional Applications: 2004900531 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 1 COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:20 +613-9B90-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 06/36 PALLET MANUFACTURING

SYSTEM

1This invention relates to systems, including apparatus and methods, for 0manufacturing pallets used for example in storing and transporting freight items and a wide variety of goods.

There are many different types and configurations of pallets but the types to owhich the present invention relates are manufactured from a number of bearers, usually three, extending in a longitudinal direction and spaced apart to leave gaps into which the forks of a forklift truck, for example, can extend to lift the pallet and its load, The pallets 0 ohave multiple slats, commonly boards composed of rough sawn timber, crossing the 0 bearers in a transverse direction and fixed to the bearers at their intersections. Slats arc provided across the tops of the bearers to provide a load supporting upper face, but it is also common to have a number of slats, usually less than the number providing the top load supporting surface, across the bottom of the pallet. Such pallets are widely known and -used in the transportindustry and logistics industry in general.

The following further references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art in Australia.

One proposed or known apparatus used in manufacture of pallets provides a work station where a worker lays a number of transverse slats to form the bottom of the pallet, assisted by a number of guides of a jig to locate the slats in their desired positions. Then the required number of bearers is laid on top of the slats extending in the longitudinal direction. Next the required slats to form the top of the pallet are then laid transverse onto the tops of the bearers. This pre-assembly of the pallet is then clampedto hold the slats and bearers in position. A travelling carriage having a number of downwardly directed and a number of upwardly directed nail guns traverses across the clamped pre- 2 COMS ID No: SSMI-01 106797 Received by IPAustralia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 84/02/2005 15:20 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 07/36 Sassembly while nailing the slats into the bearers. After withdrawal of the nail gun carriage, the pallet is removed from the jig and the process starts again. The setting up of this apparatus can be time consuming and the labour intensive operation in laying the O slats and bearers to form the pre-assembly could make the use of this apparatus expensive, although probably it is more efficient than purely manual placement of slats f and bearers and manual operation of a nail gun at each slat-bearer intersection.

o It is also known to provide a jig for bearers across which the slats are laid and o then an automatically operated nailing machine traverses the pre-assembly to fix the slats to the bearers. The pallet with slats affixed to one side must then be inverted, after which slats on the other side are laid in position and the nailing process repeated to complete the manufacture of the pallet The use of this machine is also of less than optimum efficiency.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pallet manufacturing system, including apparatus and method, in which most of the operations can be automated to achieve good manufacturing efficiencies.

It is a further and preferred object of the present invention to provide a pallet manufacturing system, including apparatus and method, in which operation of the system can be achieved without highly skilled or highly trained labour.

Further objects of preferred embodiments of the present invention include relatively safe operation of the pallet manufacturing system, capacity for high production throughput of the pallet manufacturing system accurate and reliable manufacture of pallets, and versatilityof the system in being able to manufacture different configurations of pallets.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a pallet manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a pallet having a number of bearers 3 COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:20 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEV SERV PAGE 08/36 0 extending in a longitudinal direction and spaced apart from each other and the pallet having multiple slats crossing the bearers in a transverse direction, the apparatus Sincluding: 0 a bearer assembly station where the bearers are located in their relative positions spaced apart from each other and corresponding to their relative positions in the pallet, a slat locating means for dispensing a number of slats from a supply of slats and 0 0 for positioning the slats in their positions transverse to the bearers located by the bearer assembly station to thereby form a pallet pre-assembly, C1 a fixing station where the transverse slats crossing the bearers are fixed to the bearers, and wherein the bearer assembly station is movable relative to the fixing station so as to relatively move to the fixing station the pallet pre-assembly comprising the bearers with the slats extending across the bearers.

In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus, the bearer assembly station includes a bearer assembly frame having bearer locaters of generally complementary conformation to the respective bearers and having bearer holding means for holding respective bearers when located in position. The bearer locaters may comprise elongated cavities into which respective bearers are inserted, e.g. manually or by being dropped from overhead positions by being automatically released from respective preliminary holding positions above the respective cavities. Initially when located in the cavities, the bearers may be only approximately in their desired final positions.

The bearer holding means preferably includes bearer clamping means operative to clamp the bearers in their desired final positions relative to the other bearers. For example, the clamping means may comprise selectively operable clamping heads which, when operated, push the bearers laterally and/or longitudinally against opposed stops 4 COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:20 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 09/36 which mare precisely locate the bearers in their final desired relative positions spaced apart by the required distance as determined by the final pallet configuration. The clamping heads, for example, may be pneumatically operated, e.g. under programmed o control.

The bearer assembly station preferably includes a carriage having a carriage frame which constitutes or comprises the bearer assembly fr-ame, die carriage being o movable along a carriage guide so as to provide the movement of the bearer assembly o station relative to the fixing station. The carriage fuame may be movable along guide Ci tracks provided by a framework of the apparatus. 'The movement of the carriage along the carriage guide may be by any suitable drive means such as pneumatic rams, or pneumatic or electric motors driving the cariage trough a chain drive, a rack and pinion drive, or any other suitable drive mechanism. The carriage guide may include carriage rails along which the carriage moves longitudinally and suitable bearings may be provided by the carriage and/or rails for smooth reliable and long lasting operation of the carriage.

In the preferred embodiment, the carriage frame is a substantially planar frame providing bearer receiving cavities or bays defining the bearer locaters, the cavities or bays preferably extending longitudinally relative to the long dimension of the bearers which is in the samne direction as the direction of travel of the carriage alonig the carriage gude.

In one possible construction of the apparatus, the slat locating means is movable relative to a frame of the apparatus so as to move across the bearer assembly station whilst dispensing and positioning slats to form the pallet pit-asembly.

However, in the preferred embodiment the slat locating means is fixed relative to a frame of the apparatus and the movable carriage constituting the bearer assembly COMS ID No: SOMI-Ol 106797 Received by EP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:28 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 18/36 0 station travels past the slat locating means which dispenses and positions slats to form the pallet pre-assembly as the carriage passes.

SThe slat locating means preferably includes a slat dispenser, the bearer assembly Sstation being movable longitudinally relative to the slat dispenser, the slat dispenser s being operative for sequentially dispensing slats into positions transverse to the bearers, e.g. in the preferred embodiment by dispensing slates sequentially as the bearer assembly Scarriage moves past the fixed slat dispenser. Preferably the slat locating means includes slat positioning means. The slat positioning means preferably includes a number of slat C1 locating stops which are movable with the bearer assembly station and against which the to slats are sequentially located as the bearers travel past the slat dispenser. The slat locating stops for example may include projections which engage with respective slats as movement of the bearer assembly station brings the projections carried thereby into contact with slats which are sequentially presented by the slat dispenser.

In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus, the slat dispenser includes a dispensing stack for holding a stack of slats one on top of the other and extending transverse to the direction of travel of the bearer assembly carriage and therefore transverse to the longitudinal direction of the bearers clamped in the carriage, the slat' dispensing stack being operative to sequentially feed individual slats from the stack as the bearer assembly station passes relatively thereby.

The slat dispensing stack may include a top dispenser which sequentially feeds slats from a location above the bearer assembly carriage, e.g. by gravity, onto the tops of the bearers as they relatively pass beneath the top dispenser stack. In the preferred embodiment, the slat locating stop projections extend upwardly from the bearer assembly carriage and in particular above the bearers and these stop projections are located so as to push slats one at a time off the bottom of the dispenser stack as they pass thereby.

6 COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2oe5 15:20 64/8/286 15:8 13-91390-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PG U PAGE 11/36 The apparatus may also include a slat dispensing stack operative to feed slats upwardly from below the bearer assembly carriage, e.g. by spring or pneumatic actioza, and onto the bottoms of the longitudinal bearers as the carriage passes above the bottom o slat dispenser. In the preferred embodiment, the slat locating stops for the bottom fed slats comprise downwardly extending shoulders (extending beyond the lower edges of the bearers), e.g. provided by the carriage frame, and, against which the slats fromn the o bottom dispenser sequentially engage as the carriage passes.

o In the preferred apparatus, both 'top and bottom sla dispensers are provided for Ni feeding respectively the top slats down onto the upper surface of the bearers and feeding to upwardly the bottom slats across t bottom edges of the bearers so that the pe-assembly of the pallet i's of die complete pallet. In this embodiment, the slats of the bottom dispensing stak -are preferably loaded onto, the bottom stack from 'the top dispensing stack to replenish the supply of bottom fed slats between successive pallet pre-assembly operations. For example, the apparatus may be operative to drop a number of slts from i s the bottom of the top dispensing stack into die bottom slat dispensing stak located vertically below. The number of slats dropped from the top stack to the bottom stack between each successive pallet pre-assembly operation may be equal to the number of slats to be fixed to the bottom of the pallet to be manufactured next, The dropping of the predetermined number of slats may be achieved by clamping the slat in the top dispensing stack above the bottom four slats (or other number to be dropped) whilc simultaneously opening the bottom of the top dispensing stack to allow the bottom four slats in the top stack to drop. This can be timed to occur when the bearer assembly carriage is moving back to or reaches its initial position whew 'the bearers are loaded.

The fixing station preferably includes slat fixing means operative at the intersections of 'the slats and bearers of the pallet pro-assembly to fix the slats and bearers 7 COMS ID No: SBMI-01 106797 Received by IP Australia: Time (I-tm) 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:20 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 12/36 Stogether at those locations. Preferably there are multiple slat fixing mechanisms provided at the fixing station to achieve high throughput for the apparatus. The number of fixing mechanisms may be equal to the number of bearers so that there is one fixing 0 mechanism provided for fixing slats to each respective bearer as relative movement of the bearer assembly station presents slats crossing that bearer to the respective fixing Smechanismo In the embodiment of the apparatus which includes both top and bottom slat o dispensing stacks, there may be provided a number of fixing mechanisms equal to double' 0 CI the number of bearers, a first set of fixing mechanisms being located above the bearer to assembly station for fixing top slats downwardly into the bearers, and a second set of fixing mechanisms being located below the bearer assembly station for fixing the bottom transverse slats upwardly to the bottom edges of the bearers. With this arrangement, the apparatus can be used in manufacturing a pallet in one operation without inversion of the pallet.

The fixing mechanisms may comprise, for example, nail guns, such as pneumatically operated nail guns, with the firing of the nail guns being controlled by electric trigger or firing signals.

The preferred apparatus includes a fixing control system which controls operation of the fixing station to control fixing of slats to the bearers, the fixing control system being responsive to the position of relative travel of the bearer assembly station to initiate fixing of the slats to the bearers when the slats reach the locations of the slat fixing means. The fixing control system may include position sensors responsive to changes in position of relative travel of the bearer assembly station to initiate operation of the fixing means at the appropriate points in the operating cycle. The position sensors may include switching means for providing electrical signals indicative of predetermined positions in 8 COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:20 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 13/36 Sthe relative travel of the bearer assembly station, the signals being used to control operation of the fixing means, the position sensors determining the positions of relative L travel of the bearer assembly station by being responsive to position indicators or o markers carried by the movable component, i.e. by the bearer assembly carriage in the preferred embodiment. For example, the position indicators or markers may be provided by a template which has position denominators and which travels with the bearer 0 o assembly carriage and whereby the position denominators pass the respective switching Smeans so that the switching means is responsive to the position denominators to generate 0 NC the electrical signals in response to reaching of precisely known positions in the travel of the carriage, whereby the apparatus is useable for different numbers and positions of slats by changing the template carried by the carriage to thereby initiate operation of the fixing mechanisms at different points in the travel of the carriage corresponding to fixing of differently positioned slats to the bearers. The template may include for example projecting fingers and the associated switching means may include micro switches having projecting probes past which the projections of the template pass to initiate opening and closing of the micro switches.

The present invention in a second aspect provides a method of manufacturing a pallet having a number of bearers extending in a longitudinal direction and spaced apart from each other and having multiple slats crossing the bearers in a transverse direction, the method including: locating a number of bearers at an assembly station so as to be located in their relative positions spaced apart from each other and corresponding to their relative positions in the pallet, OMSIDNo:BM 10797 Received by Austlia: Time 161 Date(Y-M-) 2-02 COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by iP Australia: Time (H:Im) 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/82/2005 15:28 +613-9898-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 14/36 O dispensing a number of slats from a supply of slats and positioning the slats in their positions traverse to the bearers located by the bearer assembly station to thereby Sform a pallet pre-assembly, Sfixing the transverse slats to the bearers where they cross the bearers, and moving the bearer assembly station relative to the fixing station so as to relatively move to the fixing station the pallet pre-assembly comprising the bearers with the slats 0 o extending across the bearers.

SIn the preferred method, the bearer assembly station includes a carriage having a CN carriage frame which constitutes or comprises the bearer assembly frame, the carriage being movable along a carriage guide for performing the step of moving the bearer assembly station relative to the fixing station. Preferably the supply of slats is fixed relative to a frame of the apparatus and the movable carriage constituting the bearer assembly station travels past the supply of slats which dispenses and positions slats to form the pallet pre-assembly as the carriage passes.

Also in the preferred method, the supply of slats includes top and bottom slat dispensers for feeding respectively the top slats down onto the upper surface of the bearers and feeding upwardly the bottom slats across the bottom edges of the bearers so that the pre-assembly of the pallet is of the complete pallet. The method may include the further step of loading the slats of the bottom dispensing stack onto the bottom dispensing stack from the top dispensing stack to replenish the supply of bottom fed slats between successive pallet pre-assembly operations.

In the preferred method, the step of fixing the slats to the bearers is automatically controlled by a fixing control system which is responsive to the position of relative travel of the bearer assembly station to initiate fixing of the slats to the bearers when the slats reach the locations of the slat fixing means.

COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 0402/2005 15:20 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 15/36 0 The preferred features of the method according to the second aspect of the second invention can be further understood by referring to the preceding description of the L= preferred features of the apparatus and by referring to the subsequent descriptions of a o possible embodiment of apparatus according to the invention, particularly by considering the functions and operations performed by the apparatus which become the steps of the Smethod according to the invention.

SPossible and preferred features of the present invention will now be described' o with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However it is to be understood cN that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be io construed as limiting on the scope of the invention. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of part of an apparatus according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a fixing station of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a bearer assembly carriage of apparatus according to the invention, Fig. 4 is a section along the line IV-IV of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of top and bottom slat dispensers of apparatus according to the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus is for manufacturing a pallet 10 having three longitudinal bearers 11, 12, 13.and multiple slats 15, 16 crossing the bearers transversely.

A bearer assembly station 20 comprises a bearer assembly frame 21 having bearer locaters 22 which are generally of complementary formation to the respective bearers.

1l COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:26 +613-91906-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 16/36 o The bearer locaters 22 are defined by elongated parallel beams 23, 24 which define elongated cavities into which the respective bearers It1, 12, 13 fit.

The bearer locating cavities 22 have bearer holding means 26, best seen in Figs. 3 o and 4, which comprise clamping means 27 shown as pneumatically operated clamping, heads 28 which push the respective bearer I11 against an opposed stop 29 to locate and o hold the bearer in its desired position.

o The frame 21 of the bearer assembly station 22 forms a frame of a carriage Which, in Fig. 1, is in its initial position for loading of the bearers 11, 12. 13. The ci carriage 30 is movable inLearly along a carriage guide 31 defined by longitudinal rails 32, 33. Bearing 34. locate and guide the carriage 30 on the ras. The carriage 30 i~s advanced from its initial position shown in Fig. I and witdrawn after the pallet manufacturing operation back to that position by drive motor 36 acting trough chain drive 37.

The frame 21 is generally planar and the bearer locating cavities or bays 22 initialy receive the bearers 11, 12, 13. Shown in Fig. I elevated above the carriage 30 is an optional cover 40 which provides three bearer feed slots 41 which register with the bearer receiving cavities 22 when the cover 40 is located in position over the carriage.

The feed slots 41 have selectively retractable pins 42 whichi support a bearer in each respective slot until the bearer is to be dropped into the respective cavities 22 in the canriage, The pins 42 can be retracted by pneumatically or electrically operated retractors 43 which withdraw the pins 42 allowing the respective bearers to fall into the required positions in the carriage3.) With this arrangement, a worker can place bearers in the feed slots 41 resting on the pins 42 while the machine is manufacturing a pallet.

When the manufacturing sequence is complete and the carriage has been retracted to its initial position shown in Fig. 1, the pins 42 can be retracted, e.g. automatically under 12 COMS ID No: SEMI-Cl 106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:20 04/B/285 1:28 +13-999a-1337 PATENT ATTORN.EY SERVPAE1/ PAGE 17/36 o program control, thereby dropping the bearers into position in the carriage to start the next pallet manufacturing sequence. Thus with this arrangement tere need be no delay while the bearers are loaded in the carriage.

o When= the bearers 11, 12, 13 are loaded in the cariage and clamped in their desired positions, the carriage starts to advance towards the slat locating means 50. The slat locating means 50 includes a number of interrelating and cooperating components for o dispensing a number of slats 15, 16 from a supply of slats and for positioning the slats in o their positions transverse to the beaers 11, 12, 13 located by the bearer assembly carriage to thereby form a pallet pro-assembly. The slat locating means 50 includes a top io slat dispenser 51 and a bottom slat dispenser 52, so that as the carriage 30 moves longitudinally past the dispenser 51, 52, they sequentially dispense slats 15, 16 into positions transverse to the bearers'1 1 12, 13.

The slat locating means 50 also includes positioning means 60, formed by slat locating stops which are movable with the bearer assembly carriage 30 and against which.

is the slats are sequentially located as the beares 11, 12, 13 move past the slat locating means 50. The slat locating stops comprise projections 61, 62 which engage wit respective slats 1S, 16 as movement of the carriage brings the projections 61, 62 into contact with sequentially presented slats. The slat dispensers 51, 52 include dispensing stacks which sequentially feed slats to the bearers which pass the stacks.

The top dispenser 51 comprises a bin or hopper 53 into which slats are loaded and the slats 15 are fed by gravity towards a bottom opening of the bin 53 so as to be dispensed onto the tops of the bearers 11, 12, 13. In the illustrated embodiment, seven stop projections 61 extend above the bearers 11, 12, 13 and push slats 15 sequentially off the bottom of the stack in bin 53. In the embodiment of Fig. 1, seven slats 15 will be pushed from the bottom of the stack and will be located at the desired spacing to form the 13 COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IPAustralia: Time (I-tm) 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:20 84/8/28 1:28 +513-9s139137 PATENT ATTORN'EY SERV PG 29 PAGE 16/36 otop face of the pallet. T'he number and spacing of the projections 61 can be varied' according to the configuration of the pallet to be manufactured.

As shown in Fig. 5, the top dispensing stack can have associated therewith top stack clamps 54 to clamp the top stack to prevent slat dropping in an uncontrolled or s undesirable manner from the bottom of the stack, e.g. when the carriage retracts to its o initial position shown in Fig. 1. However, these clamps 5.4 can allow a nunber of slats to.

o drop to a bottom stack as fuirther described below.

In En the preferred illustrated embodiment, there is also a bottom dispensing stack 52 0 cowntaining slats 16 which awe fed upwardly fromn below, e.g. by pneumatic lifing cylinders 5 6. These lifing means 5 6 feed the slats 16 to the bottom of the bearers I1, 12, In the preferred embodiment, the slat locating stops 62 comprise downwardly extending shoulders extending beyond the lower edges of the beamns 11, 12, 13).

The shoulders 62 are provided on the carriage frame 21. The slats 16 sequentially engage the shoulder 62 as the carriage advances past the bottom stack with each successive shoulder 62. engaging and pushing one slat 16 off the stack and locating it in position to form the bottomn face of the pallet. The illustrated embodiment is arranged to provide four transverse slats on the bottom of the pallet.

Thus, in the illustrated preferred embodiment both top and bottom slat dispensing stacks are provided, the slats 15, 16 being fed from both above and below the carriage 3 0 to simultaneously arrange the required number of slats transverse to the tops and bottoms of the bearers 11, 12, 13. Slats are fed from the top stack to the bottom stack to replenish the supply in the bottom stack between successive pallet pro-assembly operations. In particular, in the illustrated embodiment four slats are dropped from the bottom of the top stack into the bottom stack which is located vertically below the top stack. This 14 COMS ID No: SBMI-01 106797 Received by IP Australia: rime 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:20 04/0/205 1:20 +13-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PG S3 PAGE 19/36 dropping of the slats occurs when a pallet has been manufactured and the carriage 3 0 has been withdrawn past the top stack 51 to its initial position shown in Fig. 1. During this retraction of the arriage 30, the clamps. 54 of the top dispenser 51 hold all the slats, o except the bottom four, against dropping from the bottom of the top stack so tt only the N 5s required number of four slats is provided ina the bottom stack for the next successive pellet manufacturing operation. The clamping of the top stack can be continued until the o carriage 30 is being advanced again with new bearers 11, 12, 13 located therein. In o particular, when the leading edges of the bearers 12, 13 reach the top dispenser 5 1, ci the clamps 54 can be released to drop the entire top stack so that the bottom slat 15 of the top stack engages and rests on the leading top edges of the advancing bearers 11, 12, 13.

When the first projections 61 engage with the lowermost slat 15, they locate that slat at the leading edge of the pallet and push it off the bottom of the top stack as the carniage advances enabling the second lowermost slat in the stack to be engaged and pushed off the stack by the second projection 61, and so on.

Lateral location of the slats being fed from both the top and bottom stacks can be controlled by guides which include functionality to push the slats laterally if required to align them with the bearers. For example, guide 55 with an associated pneumatic ram, can be operated to push any laterally displaced slats on the top surface of the pallet pre-, assembly.

Likewise, bottom fed slats can be laterally located by bottom slat guide 57 which has an associated pneumatic ram 58 to push bottom fed slats 16 laterally against the'.

opposed fixed guide 59.

The bottomn slat dispenser 52 as shown in Fig. 5 can have an associated slat retrieval mechanism 60, operative to elevate slats in the bottom storage stack for manual recovery, e.g. in the case of a malfunction or power outage or apparatus shat down COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia: lime 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:20 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 20/36 o leaving an undesired number of bottom slats 16 in the bottom dispenser stack. The Sretrieval means 60 can include a pneumatic cylinder for lifting the slats in the lower stack to enable manual reovery or to enable adjustment of the rumber of slats in the bottom Sstack preparatory to a new pallet manufacturing run of the apparatus.

C, The illustrated embodiment of the appaatus also includes a fixing station Shaving slat fixing means 66 operative at the intersections of slats and bearers of the pallet Spre-assembly to fix the slats to the bearers 11, 12, 13. The illustratedapparatus includes O multiple fixing mechanisms illustrated as nail guns 67, 68. Three top nail guns 67 are provided so as to equal the number of bearers 11, 12, 13, a respective one of the nail guns to 67 being provided for each bearer. As shown in Fig. 2, there are two sets of fiing guns 67, 68, the first set 67 being located above the general plane of travel of the carriage and being operative to fix the top slats 15 at the upper surfaces of the bearers 11, 12, 13.

There is another set of fixing guns 68 (only one of which is shown) located below the travel of the carriage 30 and operative to fix the lower slats 16 to the bottom edges of the bearers 11, 12,13 as the carriage 30 passs the fixing station The preferred apparatus includes a fixing control system 80 which controls operation of the fixing station 65 to ensure reliable fixing of slats 15, 16 to the bearers 11, 12, 13. The fixing control system 80 is responsive to the position of relative travel of the carriage 30 to initiate fixing, when the slats 15, 16 are in position adjacent to the respective fixing means 67, 68. The control system 80 may be operative in response to predetermined positions of the advancing pallet pre-assembly. For example, the control system 80 may include position sensors 81, such as switching means in the form of micro-switches having associated probes 82 responsive to predetermined positions of advance of the carriage 30 being reached. Associated with the carriage 30 there are position indicators 85 illustrated in Fig. 1, for example, as upstanding projections 16 COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2035 15:23 +613-990-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 21/26 provided by a template which is fixed to the side of the carriage 30 so as to travel with the carriage and pass the micro-switch probes 82 so that the projectiofls 85 contact the probes 82 to close the associated switch and thereby provide an electrical signal o indicating the exact position reached by the carriage. These position signals can indicate Spredetermined positions of the carriage being reached whereby an operation of the fixing o nail guns can be responsive to precisely known positions of advance of the carriage being o reached corresponding, for example, to the crossings of the slats on the bearers precisely.' reaching positions adjacent to the niail guns. The template at the side of the carriage which provides the projections S5 can be removed and replaced by a differently configured template for differently configured pallets, e.g. pallets having a different.

nunber of slats along the upper surface.

As shown in Fig. 2, when the pallet 10 is passing through the fixing means 66, fixing nails are being applied to the slats 15 on the upper surface of the pallet and are simultaneously being applied upwardly to fix the slats 16 to the lower surface of the pallet. When the last of the slats 15 and 16 at the trailing ends of the bearers 11, 12, 13 have been fixed by the upper and lower nail guns 67, 68, the maniufactur of the pallet is complete. At this point, the clamping of the beares 11, 12, 13 by the clamping means 26 provided on the carriage. 30 can be released. The projections 61 can be retracted downwardly and the guide which provides the shoulder 62 can be retracted upwardly leaving the slats 15, 16 of the maniufactred pallet disengaged, whereupon the carriage can be retracted back to its initial position shown in Fig. 1, leaving the umufactured pallet partially projecting beyond the fixing station 65. When the next pallet manufacturing operation is being performed, the advancement of the carriage can push the fuly manufactured pallet further and totally beyond the fixing station 65 from whence it can be removed and stacked e.g. by an automatic Mtcking machine which: 17 COMS 10 No: SBMI1-01108797 Received by IP Australia: ime (I-tm) 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:28 +613-9B921-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 22/36 accepts pallets being sequentialy fed to it and which adds each sequentially fed pallet to a stack being formed.

It will be seen that the apparatus and method according to the present invention o used for manufacturing pallets can be effective and efficient in an operation, and can be s operated by relatively unskiled labour. The sequences of operations of clamps, and fixing means can all be contr-olled by a. suitably programmed controller which is o responding in part to inputs fr-om pallet position sensors, carriage position sensors and the' like. Sensors can be also provided associated with the stacks of slats, nails being Ci supplied to the nail guns as well as obstructions, interruptions or jamming of operation of the apparatus, thereby enabling servicing and/or repair to maintain productive operation of the apparatus.

It will be appreciated that various minor alterations and modifications can be made to the apparatus and method described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example only, the preferred embodiment has been described and illustrated with the bearers being clamped in a movable carriage which travels past a slat dispensing station followed by a slat fixing station. However, it is possible for the bearers to be located and held in position while a movable slat dispensing station, followed by a movable slat fixing station travels alone above and below the bearers depositing the slats and fixing the slats being substantially as previously described.

C-OMS ID No: SBMI-D1 106797 Received by IP Australia: Time (Itm) 18:41 Date 2005-02-04

Claims (23)

1. A pallet manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a'pallet having a number of bearers extending in a longitudinal direction and spaced apart from each other and the opallet having multiple slats crossing the bearers in a transverse direction, the apparatus S including: 0a bewr assembly station where the bearers are located in their relative positions 0 spaced apart from each other and coresponding to their relative positions in the pallet, oa slat locating means for dispensing a number of slats from a supply of slats and C",1 for positioning the slats in their positions transverse to the bearers located by the bearer to assembly station to thereby form a pallet pro-assembly, a fixing station where the transverse slats crossing the bearers are fixed to the bearers, and wherein the bearer assembly station is movable relative to the fixing station so as to relatively move to the fixing station the pallet pre-assembly comprising the bearers with the slats extending across the bearers.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim I wherein the bearer assembly station includes a bearer assembly frame having bearer loeaters of generally complementary conformation to the respective bearers and having bearer holding means for holding respective bearers when located in position.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the bearer locaters comprise elongated cavities into Which respective bearers are inserted.

4. Apparats as claimed in claim 3 wherein the bearers are inserted into respective cavities manually or by being dropped from overhead positions by being automatically released from respective preliminary holding positions above the respective cavities. 19 COMS ID No: SBMI-01 106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 I uq/u2/ ubs5 b2 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 24/36 Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the bearer holding means includes bearer clamping means operative to clamp the bearers in their desired final Spositions relative to the other bearers. O 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the clamping means comprises selectively operable clamping heads which, when operated, push the bearers laterally and/or Slongitudinally against opposed stops which more precisely locate the bearers in their final O desired relative positions spaced apart by the required distance as determined by the final Spallet configuration. Ci 7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the bearer assembly station includes a carriage having a carriage frame which constitutes or comprises the bearer assembly frame, the carriage being movable along a carriage guide so as to provide the movement of the bearer assembly station relative to the fixing station. 8, Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the carriage frame is movable along guide tracks provided by a framework of the apparatus.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or 8 wherein the carriage frame is a substantially planar frame providing bearer receiving cavities or bays defining the bearer locaters, the cavities or bays extending longitudinally relative to the long dimension of the bearers which is in the same direction as the direction of travel of the carriage along the carriage guide. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the slat locating means is movable relative to a frame of the apparatus so as to move across the bearer assembly station whilst dispensing and positioning slats to form the pallet pre-assembly.

11. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9 wherein the slat locating means is fixed relative to a frame of the apparatus and the movable carriage constituting the COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:26 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 25/36 o bearer assembly station travels past the slat locating means which dispenses and positions slats to form~ the pallet pre-assembly as the carriage passes.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 -wherin the slat locating means includes a star o dispenser, the bearer assembly station being movable longitudinally relative to the slat dispenser, the slat dispenser being operative for sequentially dispensing slats into positions transverse to the bearers. o13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the slat locating means includes slat o positioning means.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein the slat positioning means includes a to number of slat locating stops which are movable with the bearer assembly station and against which the slats are sequentially located as the bearers travel past the slat dispenser. Apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein the slat locating stops include projections which engage with respective slats as movement of the bearer assembly station brings the projections ctarricd thereby into contact with slats which are sequentially presented by the slat dispenser.

16. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 15 wherein the slat dispenser includes a dispensing stack for holding a stack of slats one on top of the other and extending transverse to the direction of travel of the bearer assembly carriage and therefore transverse tothe longitudinal direction of the bearers clamped in the carriage, the slat dispensing stack being operative to sequentially feed individual slats from the stack as the bearer assembly station passes relatively thereby.

17. Apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the slat dispensing stack includes a top dispenser which sequentially feeds slats from a location above the bearer assembly 21 COMS IDNo: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia:Mlme 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/B2/2005 15:20 +613-9898-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 26/3G O carriage, e.g. by gravity, onto the tops of the bearers as they relatively pass beneath the top dispenser stack.

18. Apparatus as claimed in claim 17 as dependent on claim 15 wherein the slat locating stop projections extend upwardly from the bearer assembly carriage and in particular above the bearers and these stop projections are located so as to push slats one Sat a time off the bottom of the dispenser stack as they pass thereby. 0 S19. Apparatus as claimed in claim 17 or 18 wherein the slat dispenser includes a or bottom slat dispenser including a slat dispensing stack operative to feed slats upwardly 0 C from below the bearer assembly carriage and onto the bottoms of the longitudinal bearers as the carriage passes above the bottom slat dispenser. Apparatus as claimed in claim 19 as dependent upon claim 14 or 15 wherein the slat locating stops for the bottom fed slats comprise downwardly extending shoulders (extending beyond the lower edges of the bearers) and against which the slats from the bottom dispenser sequentially engage as the carriage passes.

21. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein both top and bottom slat dispensers are provided for feeding respectively the top slats down onto the upper surface of the bearers and feeding upwardly the bottom slats across the bottom edges of the bearers so that the pre-assembly of the pallet is of the complete pallet.

22. Apparatus as claimed in claim 21 wherein the slats of the bottom dispensing stack are loaded onto, the bottom stack from the top dispensing stack to replenish the supply of bottom fed slats between successive pallet pre-assembly operations.

23. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein the apparatus is operative to drop a number of slats from the bottom of the top dispensing stack into the bottom slat dispensing stack located vertically below. 22 COMS 10 No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 4/02/20085 15:20 +613-9898-1337 PATENT ATTORNEV SERV PAGE 27/36 O 24. Apparatus as claimed in claim 23 wherein the number of slats dropped from the C top stack to the bottom stack between each successive pallet pre-assembly operation is equal to the number of slats to be fixed to the bottom of the pallet to be manufactured o next.

25. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the fixing station includes O slat fixing means operative at the intersections of the slats and bearers of the pallet pre- o assembly to fix the slats and bearers together at those locations. (c S26, Apparatus as claimed in claim 25 wherein there are multiple slat fixing mechanisms provided at the fixing station, the number of fixing mechanisms being equal" to the number of bearers so that there is one fixing mechanism provided for fixing slats to each respective bearer as relative movement of the bearer assembly station presents slats crossing that bearer to the respective fixing mechanism.

27. Apparatus as claimed in claim 25 as appended to any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein the slat fixing means includes a number of fixing mechanisms equal to double 1s the number of bearers, a first set of fixing mechanisms being located above the bearer assembly station for fixing top slats downwardly into the bearers, and a second set of fixing mechanisms being located below the bearer assembly station for fixing the bottom transverse slats upwardly to the bottom edges of the bearers.

28. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 25 to 27 and further including a fixing control system which controls operation of the fixing station to control fixing of slats to the bearers, the fixing control system being responsive to the position of relative travel of the bearer assembly station to initiate fixing of the slats to the bearers when the slats reach the locations of the slat fixing means.

29. Apparatus as claimed in claim 28 wherein the fixing control system includes position sensors responsive to changes in position of relative travel of the bearer 23 COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:20 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTOFNEY SERV PAGE 28/36 assembly station to initiate operation of the fixing means at the appropriate points in the operating cycle. Apparatus as claimed in claim 29.wherein the position sensors include switching means for providing electrical signals indicative of predetermined positions in the relative travel of the bearer assembly station, the signals being used to control operation of the fixing means, the position sensors determining the positions of relative travel of the bearer assembly station by being responsive to position indicators or markers carried by the movable component.

31. Apparatus as claimed in claim 30 wherein the position indicators or markers are provided by a template which has position denominators and which travels with the bearer assembly carriage and whereby the position denominators pass the respective switching means so that the switching means is responsive to the position denominators to generate the electrical signals in response to reaching of precisely known positions in the travel of the carriage, whereby the apparatus is useable for different numbers and positions of slats by changing the template carried by the carriage to thereby initiate operation of the fixing mechanisms at different points in the travel of the carriage corresponding to fixing of differently positioned slats to the bearers.

32. A method of manufacturing a pallet having a number of bearers extending in a longitudinal direction and spaced apart from each other and having multiple slats crossing the bearers in a transverse direction, the method including: locating a number of bearers at an assembly station so as to be located in their relative positions spaced apart from each other and corresponding to their relative positions in the pallet, 24 COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 O4f02/2005 15:20 +613-9830-13.37 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 29/36 S dispensing a number of slats from a supply of slats and positioning the slats in their positions traverse to the bearers located by the bearer assembly station to thereby form a pallet pre-assembly, o fixing the transvere slats to the bearers where they cross the bearers and s moving the bearer assembly station relative to the fixing station so as to relatively o move to the fixing station the pallet pro-assembly comprising the bearers with the slats o extending across the bearers. tn 33. A method as claimed in claim 32 wherein the bearer assembly station includes a 0 carriage having a carriage frame which constitutes or comprises the bearer assembly o frame, the carriage being movable along a carriage guide for performing the step of moving the bearer assembly station relative to the fixing station.

34- A method as claimed in claim 33 wherein the supply of slats is fixed relative to a frame of' the apparatus and the movable carriage constituting the bearer assembly station travels past the supply of slats which dispenses and positions slas to form the pallet pre- assembly as the carriage passes. A method as claimed in any one of claims 32 to 34 wherein the supply of slats includes top and bottom slat dispensers for feeding respectively the top stats down onto the upper surface of the bearers and feeding upwardly the bottom slats across the bottom edges of the bearers so that the pre-assembly of the pallet is of the complete pallet.

36. A method as claimed in claim 35 and including the furthe step of loading the slats of the bottom dispensing stack onto the bottom dispensing stack from the top dispensing stack to replenish the supply of bottom fed slats between successive pallet pme-assembly operations.

37. A method as claimed in any one of claims 32 to 36 wherein the step af fixing the slats to the bearers is automatically controlled by a fixing ontrol systema which is COMS ID No:SBMI-O110679;7 Received by IPAustralia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04 04/02/2005 15:20 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 30/36 o responsive to the position of relative travel of the bearer assembly station to initiate fixing of the slats to the bearers when the slats reach the locations of the slat fixing C) FT means. S38. A pallet manufacturing apparatus substantially as herein before described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. In ci 26 COMS ID No: SBMI-01106797 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:41 Date 2005-02-04