CA1190506B - Load transfer device - Google Patents

Load transfer device

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Publication number
CA1190506B
CA1190506B CA000458928A CA458928A CA1190506B CA 1190506 B CA1190506 B CA 1190506B CA 000458928 A CA000458928 A CA 000458928A CA 458928 A CA458928 A CA 458928A CA 1190506 B CA1190506 B CA 1190506B
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
load
floor
load platform
platform
pallet
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000458928A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Alan Payne
Robin G. Bunning
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA000458928A priority Critical patent/CA1190506B/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1190506B publication Critical patent/CA1190506B/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Abstract

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a free standing load transfer device for transferring bulk goods supported on a first pallet to a second pallet. The device comprises a unitary three sided load platform supported for rotation between an upright and an inverted position and adapted to receive the bulk goods on the first pallet. The platform comprises a floor, side member and rear wall all of reinforced rigid sheet material. A lid also of reinforced rigid sheet material is slidably supported in spaced relationship to the floor and is adapted on inversion of the load platform to support the base of a second pallet placed with its load accepting surface on top of said bulk goods.
Actuating means are connected between the load platform and lid to extend the lid away from the floor thus allowing the bulk goods and pallets to be loaded into the platform. A
stand having a rotatable shaft mounted thereon which is affixed to the rear wall is provided to support the load platform. Means for rotating the load platform between an upright and an inverted position are provided.

Description

50~

The present invention relates -to a load transfer device for transferring bulk goods packed in sacks, boxes or the li~e from one pallet to another.
It is known to stack sacks or boxes or the like containing bulk goods onto a pallet which may be engaged by the forks of a fork lift truck for movement from one place to another or for loading into a goods vehicle. A palletised load is commonly stacked into a goods vehicle and then conveyed by road to a distribution point from which the goods are distributed to customers. The customer may accept the load stacked on the manufacturer's or distributor's pallets, but the customer may fail to return the pallets to the distribution point. The customer may have pallets of his own which may become mixed up with the pallets belonging to the manufacturer or distributor.
Hitherto no machine of which the applicants are aware has been available which can transfer goods from one pallet to another and such transfer has been carried out by hand which is a time-consuming and expensive operation.
The problems associated with the use of timber pallets in the U.K. transport industry are the subject of a study commissioned by the Committee for Materials Handling, Department of Industry and published under the title "Materials Handling:
pallet usage and wastage" by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1977.
An object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive machine for transferring a palletised load from one pallet to another so that a distributor can rapidly offload bulk goods from his own pallets onto the customer's pallets.

- 1~ ,~( ~1 , S~

The present invention provides a free standing load transfer device for transferring bulk goods packed in sacks, boxes and the like supported on a first pallet to a second pallet, said device comprising in combination:
a load platform supported for rotation between an upright position and an inverted position and adap-ted to receive said bulk goods stacked onto said first pallet when the load plat-form is uprigh-t, and including a floor onto which said first pallet can be placed, and a side member for retaining bulk goods resting against it;
a lid slidably supported in spaced parallel relationship to said floor of said load platform for movement normal -to the plane of said floor, said lid being adapted on inversion of the load platform to support the base of a second pallet~placed in said load platform wi-th its load accepting surface resting on the top of said stack of goods;
actuating means connected between said load platform and said lid and adapted to extend said lid away from said floor to allow said first and second pallets to be loaded into said load platform and to retract said lid towards said floor to engage said base of said second pallet;
a stand arranged rotatably to suppor-t said load platform and including a ground-contacting base which extends underneath said load platform to provide stable support therefor and an : 25 upstanding support frame to which said load platform is rotat-ably secured; and means for rotating said load platform between an upright position and an inverted position, the direction of rotation being 5~3~

such that said side member supports said load during said inversionO
An embodiment of the invention is described below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front of a loadtransfer device; and Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the load transfer device shown in Figure 1.
A load platform generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 comprises a floor 11, a side wall 1~ and a rear wall 13 each made of sheet steel and welded together at their adjacent edcJes. The floor 11 is dimensioned to accept standard size pa].lets which in the U.K. are normally of sizes up to 5' by 4' and the floor is strengthened by means of longitudinal and transverse reinforcing ribs 1~ welded th~reto to impart rigidity and enable the floor to support a loaded pallet. The side wall 12 and rear wall 13 are also similarly reinforced. The rear wall reinforcing ribs terminate in cut-outs 15 deEining a slideway directed parallel to the rear wall at right angles to the floor and a sliding member 16 in the slideway engages the cut-outs and slidably supports a lid 17 projecting therefrom in spaced parallel relationship to the floor 11. The lid 17 is also reinforced with intersecting ribs welded thereto on its outer face so as to be capable of supporting a loaded pallet weighing typically up to 2 tons~ The sliding member 16 houses a pair of hydraulic rams 18 and 18a~ The hydraulic rams are mounted parallel to one another and each have one end fastened 5~

to the sliding member 16 adjacent the line where the lid joins the sliding member and their other end fastened to -the load platform 10 adjacent the line where the floor 11 joins the rear wall 13. ~xtenslon or retraction of the hydraulic rams 18 and 18a extends the lid 17 from the floor 11 or retracts the lid 17 towards the floor 1l.
The load platform is suppor-ted on a free standing base comprising channel section side members 20 and 21 and R.S.J.
cross members 22 and 23. The bottom flanges of the cross members are positioned above the bottom flanges of the side members so that the forks of a fork lift truck can engage the cross members for movlng the load transfer device from place to place. Ex-tending upwardly from the side members 20 and 21 are frame members 24 and 25 which converge at their -top end to support a bush (not shown). Gussets 26, 27 are welded between the ~rame members and the side members and a horizontal rein-forcing member 28 is welded between the frame members 24 and 25 at an intermediate point. ~ pivot shaft (not shown) is rigidly secured to the rear wall 13 of the load platform behind the sliding member 16 and extends through the bush at the top end of the frame members 24 and 25 and terminates in a pinion 29 rigidly secured thereto. ~ rack 30 directed parallel to the longitudinal direction of the frame member 24 is slidably supported in spaced guides 31 and 32 and is attached at its lower end to a pushrod 33 of a hydraulic ram 34 aligned with the rack. Extension or retraction of the pushrod is transmitted via the rack 30 and pinion 29 to rotate the load platform 10 and lid 17. Limit members (not shown) are provided to define ~ ~ 9~06 the upright and inverted positions of the load platform and to limit the travel of the load platform.
On the base is mounted a 3 h.p. electric motor 35 whose output shaft is connected to a Dowty 3020 hydraulic pump 36 for hydraulic fluid which pump is connected to a reservoir 37 for the hydraulic fluid. A first pair oE extension and retraction hydraulic lines extends from a first control valve 38 to the hydraulic ram 34. A second pair of ex-tension and retraction hydraulic lines extends from a second control valve 39 to the hydraulic rams 18, 18a.
In operation the motor 35 is switched on and -the first control valve 38 is operated to cause the ram 34 to effect rotation of the load platform 10 to the upright position. The second control valve 39 is then operated to cause the rams 18 and 18a to extend the lid 17 away from the floor 11 of the load platform. A load of bulk goods stacked on a manufacturer's or distributor's pallet may be brought on a fork lift truck or other suitable conveyor from a store or from a van or lorry as the case may be and loaded onto the load platform. A customer's pallet is then placed onto the top of the load of bulk goods with its load accepting surface directed downwardly. The second control valve 39 is then operated to lower the lid 17 until it engages the base of the customer's pallet r af-ter which the first control valve 38 is operated to cause the ram 34 to rotate the load platform 10 to the inverted position. The direction of rotation is such that the side wall 12 moves downwardly and supports the load against side thrust while tha load platform is moving to the inverted position. The second control valve 39 is then operated to extend or lower the lid 17 which now supports the stack of bulk goods. The manufacturer's or distributor's pallet is removed, the goods are unloaded from the load platform on the customer's own pallet and conveyed to his lorry after which the lid 17 is retracted towards the floor 11 and the load platform is returned to the upright position to receive the next pallet.
Vari.ous modifications can be made to the embodiment described herein without departing from the invention. Although hydraulic operation has been found to be the most convenient for the present purpose, the load platform and lid could be mechanically actuated, for example by means of nuts travelling on lead screws~ The sliding member could be positioned on the side wall rather than the rear wall. Instead of being free standing, the load platform with its associated actuating and control mechanism could be supported on a bracket fi.xed to a column or stanchion of a factory or warehouse or to a wall thereof.

Claims (4)

1. A free-standing, palletized load inverter for trans-ferring bulk goods, packed in a plurality of sacks, boxes and the like and supported on a first generally rectangular pallet, to a second similar pallet, said palletized load inverter comprising:
a unitary, three sided load platform of reinforced sheet metal rotatable as a unit between an upright attitude and an inverted attitude, said load platform when in its said upright attitude being capable of receiving and support-ing bulk goods stacked onto the first pallet, said load platform having a reinforced sheet metal floor constituting one side of said three-sided platform onto which the first pallet can be placed, a reinforced sheet metal side wall constituting a second side of said three-sided platform for retaining the stacked bulk goods resting against it, said sheet metal side wall being disposed substantially perpendi-cular to said floor and being located in abutment with one end edge of said floor, and a reinforced sheet metal rear wall constituting the third side of said platform and being disposed substantially perpendicular to said floor and side wall, said rear wall having edges which are in abutment with edges of said floor and side wall and having a length corres-ponding to that of said floor and a height corresponding to that of said side wall, and said sheet metal floor, side wall and rear wall being fixedly attached to one another at their abutting edges respectively in a unitary configuration which defines a three-sided load receiving region;
means defining a slideway on said rear wall directed parallel to the rear wall at right angles to said floor;
a sliding member in said slideway which slideably supports a reinforced sheet metal lid projecting therefrom in overlying relation to said three-sided load receiving region and in spaced parallel relationship to said sheet metal floor for rotation as a unit with said load platform and for movement along a line normal to the plane of said floor, on inversion of the load platform said lid being capable of supporting the second pallet which had previously been placed in said load platform, when said load platform was in its said upright attitude, with the load accepting surface of the second pallet resting on the top of the said bulk goods;
hydraulic ram actuating means external to the load platform and connected between said load platform and said lid for selectively extending said lid away from said floor while said load platform is in its upright attitude to allow the first and second pallets to be loaded into said load platform, and said actuating means also for selectively retracting said lid toward said floor to engage the base of the second pallet;
a stand having a rotatably shaft mounted thereon and affixed to said sheet metal rear wall for supporting the load platform rotatably above ground level, said stand including a ground-contacting base extending underneath the load platform to provide stable support therefor and an upstanding support frame for the load platform; and means in driving engagement with said rotatable shaft for selectively rotating said load platform between its said upright attitude and its said inverted attitude, the direction of rotation being such that said reinforced side wall supports said bulk goods during the rotation.
2. The load transfer device of claim 1, wherein said stand comprises:
first and second side members underlying the load plat-form to either side thereof;
cross members rigidly secured between the side members;
an upwardly convergent A-frame secured at its lower end to said first and second side members; and a bearing rigidly secured to the top end of said A-frame within which said shaft from said load platform is pivotally received.
3. The load transfer device of claim 2, wherein the lower edges of said cross members are positioned above the lower edges of said side members whereby the forks of a fork lift truck may be inserted beneath said cross members into lifting engagement therewith.
4. The load transfer device of claim 2, wherein a double-acting hydraulic ram is secured along one side of the A-frame with its direction of action approximately parallel to said side, a rack is secured to the pushrod of said ram, a pinion is secured to said shaft for rotation therewith and is in meshing engagement with said rack, whereby extension or retraction of said pushrod effects rotation of said load platform.
CA000458928A 1984-07-13 1984-07-13 Load transfer device Expired CA1190506B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000458928A CA1190506B (en) 1984-07-13 1984-07-13 Load transfer device

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000458928A CA1190506B (en) 1984-07-13 1984-07-13 Load transfer device

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1190506B true CA1190506B (en) 1985-07-16

Family

ID=4128319

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000458928A Expired CA1190506B (en) 1984-07-13 1984-07-13 Load transfer device

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1190506B (en)

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