GB2086345A - Sling system - Google Patents

Abstract

A cargo sling system for use with automatic palletising machinery comprises a dispenser portion 20 having an upper surface 22 capable of receiving cargo to be unitised, e.g. boxes or 50 kg sacks, and having recesses 24 capable of receiving a cargo sling 10 having each of its loops 14 infolded 18 and releasably secured such that the bulk of each loop may be received in the recess portion 24 of the dispenser during cargo loading and be pulled clear of the dispenser once the loading operation is completed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sling system This invention relates to a cargo sling system and to a method of dispensing slings.

Cargo slings provide a simple, effective and inexpensive way of transporting bagged or boxed cargos in convenient units for example, cargo slings may be used to form units of from anything between twelve and thirty bags, usually 50 kg bags, of cargo, for example cement or fertilizer.

Cargo slings are often preferred to the more usual pallets since they may be made cheap enough to be disposable, thereby eliminating the need for the return and maintenance of pallets. Furthermore, since pallets take up cargo space, for example within the hold of a ship, a given cargo space cannot take the maximum theoretical amount of cargo if the cargo is palletised. The use of slings enables the maximum use to be made of available cargo space, thus lowering transporting costs per ton of cargo transported.

However, many organisations concerned with the transport or shipping of loads of bagged or boxed cargo have, in order to save labour, installed automatic palletising machinery to speed up the handling operation, especially where 50 kg sacks or bags are the preferred method of cargo packaging. The use of slings in such automatic palletising machinery has hitherto been impractical owing to the high probability of part of the cargo sling becomming entrapped within the machinery and either breaking itself or causing a breakdown of the machinery.

The invention seeks to provide a system whereby the advantages of cargo slings can be retained with the use of automatic palletising machinery.

According to the present invention there is provided a cargo sling system which comprises a dispenser portion having an upper surface capable of receiving cargo to be unitised and having recesses capable of receiving a cargo sling, the sling having each of its loops infolded and releasably secured such that the bulk of each loop may be received in the recess portion of the dispenser during cargo loading and pulled clear of the dispenser once the loading operation is completed.

The dispenser of the system of the invention may in general size and shape resemble a pallet and may therefore be used in place of a conventional pallet in automatic palletising machinery. Once the cargo has been loaded and the sling loops pulled free, the dispenser may be removed from the cargo which is now retained in the sling and recycled through the automatic palletising machinery with a new sling in place.

The slings may be made from any type of webbing normally used for cargo slings, such as any nylon or polyester webbing or woven fabric, slit film polyethylene, or the like.

The loops which are infolded may be secured by an suitable means, for example by bonding the folds to one another with adhesive, or securing them mechanically with a peg or clip. In any event the method of securing should be sufficiently strong as to resist normal handling but weak enough to release the folds when the loop is firmly tugged.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a cargo sling which may be used in the system of the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the sling of Figure 1 with each of the loops infolded and secured; Figure 3 is a detailed partial perspective view. of one of the loops illustrating the method of folding; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a dispenser with a sling in place; and Figure 5 is a plan view of the dispenser and sling of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings, a typical cargo sling 10 is illustrated in Figure 1. In this case it is made from a webbing comprising two sheets of synthetic plastics material welded together at intervals across the width thereof with synthetic filamentary material trapped between successive welds running the length of the webbing to provide strength. Such webbing is capable of carrying substantial loads and yet is inexpensive enough to be considered disposable. As can be seen from Figure 1 , the sling 10 comprises a base area 12 and four corner loops 14 with the webbing welded to itself at the cross-over points 16. As can be seen from Figures 2 and 3, the loops 14 are reduced in size by infolding successive folds 1 8 of the loops over the crossover points 1 6 and securing them in place with adhesive or a suitable clip.

As can be seen from Figures 4 and 5, a dispenser 20 is generally pallet-shaped in size and construction and comprises an upper surface 22 having recessed portions 24. The sling 10 with its loops 14 shortened and infolded as illustrated in Figure 2 fits into the recess portions 24 of the dispenser 20 in such a manner that the loops 1 4, now reduced in size, fit neatly round the corners 26 of the dispenser 20.

The dispenser/sling system may be substituted for a conventional pallet in automatic palletising machinery and cargo will be loaded onto the dispenser 20 automatically by such machinery without the sling 10 fouling or becoming fouled in the machinery. When the load has been completed on the dispenser 20, each of the infolded loops 14 may be tugged so as to break the weak bond holding the folds 1 8 to one another thereby releasing the full lengths of the loops 14 (as illustrated in Figure 1). The loops 14 may then be taken up over the cargo and fastened at the top in the conventional manner. The slung cargo is removed from the dispenser 20 which can be fitted with a further infolded sling 10 and recycled through the automatic machinery.

Thus, the system of the invention provides a simple and effective way of enabling cargo to be unitised within cargo slings using available automatic palletising machinery.

Claims (7)

1. A cargo sling system which comprises a dispenser portion having an upper surface capable of receiving cargo to be unitised and having recesses capable of receiving a cargo sling, the sling having each of its loops infolded and releasably secured such that the bulk of each loop may be received in the recessed portion of the dispenser during cargo loading and pulled clear of the dispenser once the loading operation is completed.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 which the dispenser resembles a pallet in general size and shape.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2 in which the dispenser may be reused with successive slings.

4. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the slings are made from nylon or polyester webbing or woven fabric, slit film polyethylene, or webbing comprising two sheets of synthetic plastics material welded together at intervals across the width thereof with synthetic filamentary material trapped between successive welds running the length of the webbing.

5. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 in which the infolded loops are secured by bonding the folds to one another with adhesive or securing them mechanically with a peg or clip in such a manner that the folded loops resist normal handling but are released when the loop is firmly tugged.

6. A method of unitising cargo utilising automatic palletising machinery which comprises inserting a cargo sling system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 in the machinery in place of a pallet, loading the cargo thereon, pulling the infolded loops free of the dispenser, and securing them about the cargo.

7. A cargo string system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.