GB2579768A

GB2579768A - Indication apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2579768A
Application number: GB1817366.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nicholas Heath Adrian
Original assignee: Tungate Forms And Labels Ltd
Current assignee: Tungate Forms And Labels Ltd
Priority date: 2018-10-25
Filing date: 2018-10-25
Publication date: 2020-07-08
Also published as: GB201817366D0

Abstract

A hollow member 10 is provided in the form of a hollow cone 12 upstanding from an annular base 14. The hollow cone 12 includes an opening 20 at its apex with a short downwardly extending recess 22 and an internal thread 24. A tube 26 can be located through the opening 20 into the interior of the cone 12. Items can be located in the tube 26 such as an LED illumination means 30. A label 32 may be provided on the tube and can include a unique barcode 34. The label 32 may include an RFID chip. The cone can be located on a palletised load. Circumferential lines of weakness 36 may be provided on the cone 12 to provide a visual indication if an item or other pallet has been stacked thereon. The RFID chip may be used to identify palletised loads and their location. A number of hollow members 10 may be stacked upon each other during storage and projections 18 may be provided to facilitate removal of single members 10 from the stack.

Description

Indication Apparatus This invention concerns an indication apparatus, an identification system and a load management system.

Palletised loads are widely used within the shipping industry. A particular problem with such loads is damage occuring and particularly if items or other pallets are stacked on top of a pallet, thereby damaging the goods on the pallet, or even the pallet itself.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a hollow member locatable on a palletised load to provide a visual indication that items or other pallets should not be stacked thereon, the hollow member including a receiving formation to selectively receive an identifier or illumination device.

The receiving formation may be configured to locate a receptacle which can selectively hold an identifier and/or an illumination device.

The receiving formation may be in the form of an upwardly open recess which can locate a receptacle. The receiving formation may be configured such that a receptacle located therein is suspended within the interior of the hollow member. The receiving formation may be provided on an upper part of the hollow member.

The hollow member may comprise a base with an upstanding hollow body, which body may be at least generally conical. The receiving formation may be provided at the apex of the conical hollow body.

Openings may be provided in the hollow member to facilitate mounting thereof to a palletised load. The openings may be provided at a lower part of the hollow body, and one or more pairs of diametrically opposite openings may be provided.

The hollow member may include formations to provide a visual indication of damage having been caused thereto. The formations may be in the form of areas of weakness, and may include one or more circumferential lines of weakness.

The hollow member may be brightly coloured. The hollow member may be translucent.

The hollow member may be made of plastics material and may be made fo rinstance of ABS. Alternatively, the hollow member may be made of card or pressed paper.

The hollow member may be made of recycled and/or biodegradable material.

The hollow member may be stackable with other such hollow members. One or more formations may be provided to facilitate separation of stacked hollow members. Formations may be provided to space apart the 20 bases on stacked hollow members.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an identification system, the system including one or more indication apparatus according to any of the preceding ten paragraphs, and one or more receptacles selectively locatable in the or a one of the hollow members.

The receptacle or receptacles may be in the form of a tube which may have a lip or other formation engeable with the entrance of a receiving formation in the hollow member.

This sytem may include one or more RF or RFID tags locatable in the or each receptacle.

The system may include one or more GPS tags locatable in the receptacles.

The system may include one or more illumination means locatable in the receptacles. The illumination means may include a light detector, so as to only be operable in low light conditions. The illumination means may be in the form of LEDs.

One or more sound producing means may be locatable in the receptacles.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a load management system, the system including an identification system according to any of the preceding six paragraphs, and a detector to detect identifiers in the identification system.

The detector may be part of an RFID system.

The system may include one or more drones to locate particular loads.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional side view of an indication apparatus according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side view of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrammatic side views of respective parts of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the apparatus of Fig. 1 in use; Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of a plurality of apparatus as shown in Fig. 1 stacked together; and Fig. 8 is a schemmatic view of a load management system using the apparatus of Fig. 1.

The drawings show indication apparatus including a hollow member 10 in the form of a hollow cone 12 upstanding from an annular base 14. Four equispaced openings 16 are provided around the lower edge of the cone 12 for a purpose hereinafter to be described. In this instance the hollow member is made of a recycled and biodegradable plastics material. A wide range of other materials could though be used including different plastics, card or pressed paper.

As shown in Fig. 7 the hollow members 10 can be stacked on each other. Projections 18 in the form of four equispaced upstanding short fingers extending upwardly from the base 14 for a short distance, are provided to separate the bases 14 on stacked hollow members 10 to facilitate removal of individual hollow members 10 from the stack.

An opening 20 is provided at the apex of the cone 12 with a short downwardly extending recess 22 and an internal helical thread 24. Receptacles in the form of tubes 26 can be located extending through the opening 20 into the interior of the cone 12, with an external thread 28 at the top of the tube engaging with the thread 24 on the cone 12. As can be seen in Fig. 1, the tubes 26 are mounted suspended within the interior of the cone 12. Items can be located in the tubes 26 such as illumination means in the form of an LED light 30 as shown in Fig. 4 which may include a photocell or other light sensor arranged such that the light 30 is only illuminated in low light conditions. A label 32 may be provided on the tube 26, and could for instance include a unique barcode 34. The label 32 may include an RF chip.

Areas of weakness are provided on the cone 12 to provide a visual indication if an item or other pallet has been stacked thereon. Two circumferential lines of weakness 36 are provided one spaced a short distance above the base 14, and a further space significantly thereabove.

These will cause the cone 12 to crumple if a load is applied thereto.

Fig. 6 shows such a hollow member 10 mounted on a palletised load 38, with conventional straps 40 passing through the openings 16 in the hollow member to retain the member 10 in position. The member 10 is brightly 15 coloured and may include a warning or other message 42 thereon.

Fig. 8 shows a system with a warehouse 44 with a plurality of palletised loads 38 each with a hollow member 10. The hollow member 10 may include a light 30, and will include a unique RF or RFID chip as part of the label 32.

An RFID system operates in the warehouse and has a transceiver 46 to identify the palletised loads and their location. In one arrangement the lights 30 in respective hollow members 10 could be caused to illuminate to indicate for instance to a forklift driver which loads 38 should be moved. A drone 48 is also shown operating in the warehouse 44 to identify particular loads 38.

The suspension of the receptacle i.e. the tubes 26, and hence any identifiers such as an RF or RFID chip located therein, within the cone 12, means that in general terms the signal from for instance an RF chip will not be blocked or reduced by the palletised load 38. Previous systems using RF chips have been prone to failure due to RF or RFID chips not being detected by the transceiver due to the location of the RF or RFID chip on the side of a pallet, in which instance pallets stacked next to or near the RF or RFID tag block the transceiver.

There is thus provided an indication apparatus, identification system, 5 and also a load management system, which provide a number of advantages. The indication apparatus can be inexpensively manufactured but provides a clear visual indication that stacking on a palletised load should not take place. As described the apparatus can also be used to provide a detachable unique identification for particular loads, and enable particular loads to be visible. 10 Providing for instance an RF chip suspended within the hollow member means that the chip is most likely to be visible to detectors. The indication apparatus being stackable can readily be stored out of use when not required. As noted above, stacked hollow members can readily be separated from one another. The illumination means and/or RF chips can readily be changed or replaced as required.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, the indication apparatus may be made of a different material and may take a different form and may be a different shape.

Different items can be located within the indication apparatus. For example, a GPS tag could be located within the indication apparatus to indicate the precise location of a load, and allow it to be formed for instance by a forklift truck, or othewise.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A hollow member locatable on a palletised load to provide a visual indication that items or other pallets should not be stacked thereon, the hollow member including a receiving formation to selectively receive an identifier or illumination device.
2. A hollow member as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the receiving formation is configured to locate a receptacle which can selectively hold an identifier and/or an illumination device.
3. A hollow member as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the receiving formation is in the form of an upwardly open recess which can locate a receptacle. T 15
4. A hollow member as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the receiving formation is configured such that a receptacle located therein is suspended within the interior of the hollow member.
5. A hollow member as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the receiving formation is provided on an upper part of the hollow member.
6. A hollow member as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the hollow member comprises a base with an upstanding hollow body
7. A hollow member as claimed in claim 6, wherein which body is at least generally conical.
8. A hollow member as claimed in claim 7, wherein the receiving formation is provided at the apex of the conical hollow body.
9. A hollow member as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein openings are provided in the hollow member to facilitate mounting thereof to a palletised load.
10. A hollow member as claimed in claim 9, wherein the openings are provided at a lower part of the hollow body, and one or more pairs of diametrically opposite openings are provided.
11. A hollow member as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the hollow member includes formations to provide a visual indication of damage having been caused thereto.
12. A hollow member as claimed in claim 11, wherein the formations are in the form of areas of weakness, and include one or more circumferential lines of r 15 weakness.
13. A hollow member as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the hollow member is brightly coloured and/or translucent. C\I
14. A hollow member as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the hollow member is made of plastics material and is made of ABS; or wherein the hollow member is made of card or pressed paper.
15. A hollow member as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the hollow member is made of recycled and/or biodegradable material.
16. A hollow member as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the hollow member is stackable with other such hollow members, wherein one or more formations are provided to facilitate separation of stacked hollow members, and wherein formations are provided to space apart the bases on stacked hollow members.
17. An identification system, the system including one or more indication apparatus according to any preceding claim, and one or more receptacles selectively locatable in the or a one of the hollow members.
18. An identification system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the receptacle or receptacles are in the form of a tube which have a lip or other formation engageable with the entrance of a receiving formation in the hollow member.
19. An identification system as claimed in any of claims 17 to 18, wherein the system includes one or more RF or RFID tags locatable in the or each receptacle.
20. An identification system as claimed in any of claims 17 to 19, wherein the system includes one or more GPS tags locatable in the receptacles. T 15
21. An identification system as claimed in any of claims 17 to 20, wherein the system includes one or more illumination means locatable in the receptacles, wherein the illumination means include a light detector, so as to C\I only be operable in low light conditions, wherein the illumination means are in the form of LEDs.
22. An identification system as claimed in any of claims 17 to 21, wherein one or more sound producing means are locatable in the receptacles.
23. A load management system, the system including an identification system according to any of claims 17 to 22, and a detector to detect identifiers in the identification system.
24. A load management system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the detector is part of an RFID system.
25. A load management system as claimed in any of claims 23 to 24, wherein the system includes one or more drones to locate particular loads. C)