GB2147872A

GB2147872A - Apparatus for handling barrels

Info

Publication number: GB2147872A
Application number: GB08424464A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Frederick John Johnson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-10-13
Filing date: 1984-09-27
Publication date: 1985-05-22
Also published as: NL8402992A; BE900805A; GB8327360D0; DE3437742A1; GB8424464D0; GB2147872B

Abstract

Apparatus for handling barrels or the like, particularly beer barrels, comprises two flexible belts 8,9 spaced apart and secured to a fixed anchorage 5. In use the belts 8,9 are looped around a barrel B to be moved from one level to another. Means such as a capstan 2 connected to the other ends of the belts 8,9 draw in, or pay out, the belts 8,9 while they are looped around the barrel. The capstan 2 may be embodied in a demountable unit 1,2 mountable in support sockets adjacent the trap door opening of a beer cellar C or on a brewers' lorry. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for handling barrels This invention relates to apparatus for handling barrels and circular containers generally, particularly beer kegs and casks.

The handling of beer kegs and casks (hereinafter referred to generally as "barrels"), especially when they are full, is an arduous job and is the principal cause of damage to the metal beer barrels now in general use. One of the more difficult tasks is the retrieval of full and partly full barrels from a beer cellar, these mainly consisting of the so-called "ullage" which is spilt or otherwise unsaleable beer for return to the brewery. It is also a difficult task to lower full barrels into a beer cellar, and to lift (or lower) them on to (or from) the platform of a brewers' lorry.

The main object of the invention is to provide apparatus which, in particular, is usable to overcome the present handling problems involved in retrieving barrels from and/or lowering barrels into a beer cellar. A further object is to provide such apparatus usable to lift barrels on to, and/or to lower them from, the platform of a brewers' lorry.

According to a broad aspect of the invention apparatus for handling barrels or the like comprises at least one flexible band or belt (hereinafter referred to generically by the term "belt") at one end secured to or adapted for securing to a fixed anchorage and in use looped around a barrel to be moved from one level to another, and means connected or connectable to the other end of the belt to draw in, and/or pay out, the belt while it is looped around a barrel.

Said means for drawing in or paying out the belt preferably comprise a capstan or winch, which may be power-driven but which is in general more conveniently manually operated. The capstan may have a cable connectable to said other end of the belt, or the belt may be adapted for winding directly on to the capstan drum. When the apparatus is to be used to lower barrels between one level and another, the capstan may embody a frictional or other brake mechanism which can be engaged to control paying-out of the belt so that a barrel is lowered at an acceptable rate. Although the use of a plain belt with a capstan is preferred, a "toothed" belt may be used engageable with a driving sprocket or drum of said means for drawing in and/or paying out the belt.

A single belt may be used with a width at least comparable to the axial length of the barrels to be handled, in which case said other end of the belt is conveniently attached to a capstan cable.

Thus, according to one more limited aspect of the invention, apparatus for handling barrels and the like may comprise a flexible belt of a width at least comparable to the axial length of the barrels, said belt being adapted at one end for securing at a fixed anchorage, and a capstan or winch with a cable attachable to the other end of the belt. In use the belt is looped around a barrel to be raised with said one end of the belt secured at the anchorage and the capstan cable attached to said other end, the capstan being operated to draw in the belt towards and/or past the anchorage point so that the barrel is rolled within the belt towards the anchorage point.

The anchorage point may be on the platform of a brewers' lorry and the capstan may be a demountable unit mountable on the platform, for example having a support pillar which fits into a mounting socket on the platform. In one preferred embodiment a demountable unit comprises a frame which is large enough for a barrel to pass through it and which has side members providing support pillars the lower ends of which can be dropped into correspondingly spaced mounting sockets; a bottom member of the frame provides the belt anchorage and the capstan is mounted on a top frame member.

Alternatively, the anchorage may be achieved by laying said one end of the belt on the ground and positioning the lorry with a wheel thereof resting on the belt. For use in this manner said one end of the belt is desirably appropriately reinforced. When the belt is anchored in this manner it may be passed over the top of the lorry platform, and this enables the barrel to be lifted in the belt up on to the lorry. When the belt is used to lift the barrel on to the lorry it may be supported, adjacent the lorry, on the usual ramp-like so-called "skids" which are at present normally used to roll a barrel off and on to a lorry.

A plurality of alternative capstan mounting sockets may be provided on the lorry, for example at each side and at the rear end thereof, so that an appropriate mounting position can be selected for a particular lifting or lowering operation. When the belt passes over the lorry platform the capstan may have a cranked support pillar so that the capstan is positioned over the centre of the belt while mounted at the side thereof.

When the cellar trap door is not suitable for close lorry access, a ground socket (or sockets) may be provided in which the demountable capstan carried on the lorry may be mounted so that the invention can still be employed to lift barrels out of the cellar.

Whilst a single wide belt may be used it is preferable that two relatively narrow spaced belts should be employed, with the same operating and anchorage considerations applying. In this case said other ends of the two belts may be directly wound on to a wide capstan drum or, as is preferred, individually wound on to two narrow capstan drums mounted on a common spindle. Such an arrangement, with belts which may for example be of about 5.0 cm in width, has a number of advantages.The first cost of the belts is less and their replacement when worn is cheaper, particularly as in many instances only one belt will need be replaced at a time; the spacing of the belts assists in lateral location of a barrel being raised or lowered as the belly of the barrel rests between them; and the belts are lighter and less bulky, assisting stowage on the platform of a lorry and making it much easier for one man to set up and operate the apparatus, while allowing a lighter capstan mechanism to be used.

Thus, according to a further aspect of the invention, apparatus for handling barrels and the like comprises two flexible belts each at one end secured to or adapted for securing to a fixed anchorage, said belts being spaced apart with a spacing such that they span a width somewhat less than the axial length of a barrel, and a capstan or winch with a drum or drums on to which the other ends of the belts can be wound, the capstan being operable to wind on the belts when raising a barrel.

A method of lifting or lowering a barrel or like circular container according to yet another aspect of the invention involves looping around the barrel at least one belt with one end of the belt being anchored, attaching a capstan cable to the other end of the belt or winding that end on to a capstan drum, and operating the capstan either to wind in said other end of the belt and thus raise the barrel with a rolling movement of the barrel within the loop of the belt, or to pay out the belt and thus lower the barrel in a reverse manner.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, one preferred embodiment of the invention as used in the retrieval of a full barrel from a beer cellar and to lift it on to a brewers' lorry. In the drawings: Figure 1 illustrates the embodiment in front elevation; Figure 2 is a corresponding side elevation; Figsures 3 to 7 are detail views; Figure 8 diagrammatically illustrates the retrieval of a full barrel from a cellar using the illustrated embodiment; and Figure 9 similarly illustrates the retrieval of a full barrel from a cellar directly on to a brewers' lorry.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the apparatus embodiment illustrated is a demountable unit comprising a rectangular open frame 1, fabricated from square-section steel tube, on which a hand-operated capstan 2 is mounted. Side members 3 and 4 of the frame 1 provide mounting pillars the lower ends 3a and 4a of which can be dropped into correspondingly spaced sockets to mount the unit where required. As will be described, such sockets may be provided on a brewers' lorry or adjacent the trap door opening of a beer cellar. The frame opening is large enough for the largest barrels to be handled to pass through it, typically sized large and small barrels being indicated in broken lines in Fig. 1 as B' and B".

A bottom frame member 5 is set a short distance forwardly of the main plane of the frame 1, being attached to the upright members 3,4 through short cantilever support stubs 6 and 7, in use these stubs suitably serving to limit engagement of the pillar ends 3a,4a in the mounting sockets with the frame member overhanging the edge of the supporting surface on which the stubs 6,7 rest. The member 5 serves as an anchorage for two spaced belts 8 and 9 (see Fig. 8) of the apparatus, these belts being omitted from Figs. 1 and 2. As shown in Fig. 8 the ends of the belts 8,9 are looped around the member 5 and secured to the main belt runs at 10 and 11, by means such as rivets, thus providing end anchorage loops. The belts are typically of about 5.0 cm in width.

A top frame member 12 interconnects the upper ends of the side members 3,4 and the capstan 2 is an assembly mounted on and integrated with the top member 12. It comprises a spindle 13 which extends through and is rotatably supported by two drum housings 14 and 15 and a gear housing 16.

The drum housings 14,15 are symmetrically disposed with respect to the centre of the frame 1, and the gear housing 16 is disposed directly above the side frame member 3. Capstan drums 17 and 18 are fixed on the spindle 13 within the respective housings 14 and 15, and the front and rear sides of the housings 14,15 are open to allow passage of the belts 8 and 9 which, in use, are attached respectively to the drums 17,18 as shown in Fig. 8.

The positioning of the drum housings 14,15 on the top member 12 determines the operative spacing of the belts 8,9.

A handle unit 19 attached to the outer side of the gear housing 16 engages the projecting squaresection end of an input shaft 20 rotatably mounted in the housing 16 and embodies a winding handle 21 for manual operation of the capstan 2. The shaft 20 is parallel to the spindle 13, being offset below and inwardly thereof, and a gear pinion 22 fixed on the shaft 20 meshes with a larger pinion 23 mounted on the spindle 13 to provide an appropriate operating gear ratio. The sides of the housing 16 are closed by closure plates to form a guard for the gear pair 22,23.

Figure 3 is a detail view of the spindle 13 which has two pairs of tapped radial bores 24,24' and 25,25' for fixing of the capstan drums 17,18 which are identical and shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5.

At the driving end the spindle 13 has a keyway 26 which receives a key rotatably coupling the gear pinion 23 to the spindle, this pinion being axially located by the side walls of the housing 16. As can be seen from Figs. 4 and 5 each drum 17 or 18 is formed from a hollow cylindrical blank, off which a minor segment 27 is sliced in a machining operation resulting in lost metal corresponding to a chordal slice of thickness 'd' which is equal to the effective attached thickness of the corresponding belt 8 or 9. The major segment of the drum 17(18) has a through bore 29 which fits the spindle 13, and opposite to the segment 27 has two countersunk radial bores 30 and 30'. These bores receive setscrews which engage the spindle bores 24,24' or 25,25' to secure the respective drum 17(18) to the spindle 13. The segments 27 and 28 respectively have aligned bores 31,31' and 32,32' which receive fixing screws passing through the belt 8 or 9 so as to secure both the segment 27 and to attach the belt end.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate the simple form of construction employed for the housings 14, 15 and 16.

The drum housing 14(15) is illustrated, the gear housing 16 being of similar construction but greater overall width. A sheet steel blank 33 is formed as shown in Fig. 6, this being symmetrical about a lateral centre line and pierced with a group of four fixing holes such as 34 at one end, and a similar group such as 35 at the other end, and with two spindle holes 36,37 of reduced diameter.

Square central end sections 38 and 39, in which the holes 34 and 35 are respectively pierced, are sheared centrally and bent outwardly about bend lines 40 and 41 to provide pairs of attachment tabs such as 42 and 43 (Fig. 7) which, in the assembled position, fit closely against either the front or the rear side face of the top frame member 12.

The fixing holes 34,35 pierced in the tabs 42,43 enable the housing 14(15) to be attached to the member 12 by riveting, for example. The pierced holes 36,37 are opened out in a pressing operation which upsets the surrounding metal to provide outwardly extending journals 44 and 45 in which the spindle 13 is rotatably supported. The blank is bent up along bend lines 46 to provide the final 'U' shape of the housing as illustrated in Fig. 7 before positioning on and fixing to the frame member 12.

Referring to the diagrammatic showing of Fig. 8, a beer cellar C has the usual trap door opening at which spaced ramp members or skids 47 are positioned leading down to the cellar floor. The frame 1 of the apparatus described is inserted into specially provided mounting sockets adjacent the trap door opening, and the belts 8,9 unwound from the capstan 2 until the belt loops extend down to the cellar floor. The barrel B which is to be retrieved is rolled to the bottom of the skids 47, and the belt loops passed symmetrically around the barrel B.

Cranking of the winding handle 21 winds in the belts 8,9 thus lifting the barrel B up the skids 47 out of the cellar. In Fig. 8 the barrel B is shown raised to an intermediate position, and when it reached the bottom frame member 5 it rolls over the latter, through the frame 1, on to ground level.

By a repeat operation it can be lifted up on to a brewers' lorry, the frame 1 now being mounted in sockets at the edge of the lorry platform.

Figure 9 illustrates how, using belts 8,9 of adequate length the barrel B can be retrieved from the cellar C and lifted on to the lorry L in one operation. Cranking of the handle 21 initially raises the barrel B out of the cellar along the ramp members 47, then it is rolled a short distance along the ground to the bottom of the usual skid 48 up which it is raised to the level of the overhanging bottom member 5, then over that member and through the frame 1 on to the lorry platform 49. As will be appreciated this single lifting operation can only be employed when there is reasonably close lorry access to the trap door opening. Otherwise a two-stage lifing procedure is necessary.

As can clearly be seen from Fig. 8, whilst being lifted the barrel B is firmly supported between the two belt loops, with reliable location of the 'belly' of the barrel between the belts 8,9. It will be appreciated that the apparatus can be handed for operation from one side or the other, according to whether the gear housing 16 is mounted above the side member 3 or the side member 4. In the drawings the apparatus of Fig. 8 is differently handed from that shown in the other figures.

Claims

1. Apparatus for handling barrels or the like comprising at least one flexible belt which is at one end secured to or adapted for securing to a fixed anchorage and is in use looped around a barrel to be moved from one level to another, and means connected to or connectable to the other end of the belt to draw in, and/or pay out, the belt while it is looped around a barrel.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for drawing in or paying out the belt comprises a capstan or winch.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said capstan is manually operable through gearing.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said capstan has a cable connectable to said other end of the belt.

5. Apparatus according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the belt is adapted for winding directly on to the capstan drum.

6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the capstan embodies a frictional or other brake mechanism which can be engaged to control paying-out of the belt when lowering a barrel.

7. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a single belt is employed with a width at least comparable to the axial length of the barrels to be handled.

8. Apparatus for handling barrels and the like comprising a flexible belt of a width at least comparable to the axial length of the barrels, said belt being adapted at one end for securing at a fixed anchorage, and a capstan or winch with a cable attachable to the other end of the belt.

9. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said fixed anchorage is on the platform of a brewers' lorry and the capstan is a demountable unit mountable on the lorry platform.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the capstan has a support pillar which fits into a mounting socket on the platform.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of alternative capstan mounting sockets are provided on the lorry, for example at each side and at the rear thereof, so that an appropriate mounting position can be selected for a particular lifting or lowering operation.

12. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said capstan is a demountable unit comprising a frame which is large enough for a barrel to pass through it and which has side members providing support pillars the lower ends of which can be dropped into correspondingly spaced mounting sockets.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a bottom member of the frame provides the belt anchorage, the capstan is mounted on a top frame member and said other end of the belt is secured to the capstan drum.

14. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12 used in combination with a lorry, such as a brewers' lorry, wherein belt anchorage is achieved by laying said one end of the belt on the ground and positioning the lorry with a wheel thereof resting on the belt, said one end of the belt being appropriately reinforced.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the anchored belt is passed over the top of the lorry platform to enable the barrel to be lifted in the belt on to the lorry.

16. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims when used to lift a barrel on to the platform of a lorry, wherein the barrel is supported, adjacent the lorry, on ramp-like so-called "skids".

17. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the capstan has a cranked support pillar so that the capstan is positioned over the centre of the belt while mounted at the side thereof.

18. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein two narrow spaced belts are employed.

19. Apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said other ends of the two belts are individually wound on to two narrow capstan drums mounted on a common spindle.

20. Apparatus according to claim 18 or claim 19, wherein the two belts are each of about 5.0 cm in width.

21. Apparatus for handling barrels and the like comprising two flexible belts each at one end secured to or adapted for securing to a fixed anchorage, said belts being spaced apart with a spacing such that they span a width somewhat less than the axial length of a barrel, and a capstan or winch with a drum or drums on to which the other ends of the belts can be wound, the capstan being operable to wind on the belts when raising a barrel.

22. A method of lifting or lowering a barrel or like circular container which involves looping around the barrel at least one belt with one end of the belt being anchored, attaching a capstan cable to the other end of the belt or winding that end on to a capstan drum, and operating the capstan either to wind in said other end of the belt and thus raise the barrel with a rolling movement of the barrel within the loop of the belt, or to pay out the belt and thus lower the barrel in a reverse manner.

23. Apparatus for handling barrels and the like, substantially as hereinbefore particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

24. A method of lifting beer barrels from a beer cellar and/or on to the platform of a brewers' lorry, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 8 or Fig. 9 of the accompanying drawings.