US1484615A - Rotatable conveying truck - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 26 1924?.

V. E. ADLAND ROTATABLE CONVEYING TRUCK Filed May 12 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,lmxLEg E Vic Ta 5. 40.4 17M.

Feb. 26 1924. 1,484,615

- v. E. ADLAND ROTATABLE CONVEYING TRUCK Filed May 12. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V c 519,1? 5. Kazan/0.

Patented Feb. 26, 1924.

STATS VICTOR E. ADLAND, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

aora'rnrnnoonvnyino TRUCK.

Application filed May 12,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VICTOR E. ADLAND, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Rotatable Conveying Truck; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in trucks and has especial reference to a form of rotatable truck adapted particularly for use in laundries or the like where separate assembled batches of clothes or other material are to be transferred a number of times from one treating apparatus to another.

' An object of this invention is the provision of a truck adapted to transfer batches or lots of clothes without any liability of getting the batches mixed with each other and to always keep them in the same consecutiv order or relation to each other.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a transfer means for batches of clothes or the like wherein an identification means originally attached to each batch of clothes is carried along with each batch in the conveyor.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a rotary conveyor truck which is adapted to have at all times one free compartment available so that when transferring lots of material from one part of a laundry apparatus to another, in the course of a cycle of operations, provision is made for the transfer of the first set of a succeeding series into the conveyor without necessitating the prior removal of the last set of the preceding series of clothes.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a conveyor for clothes or the like provided with means to permit of the ready insertion of the clothes into a bag or other receptacle after the operations on same have been completed and prior to the insertion into, the conveyor of the first of a batch of new clothes.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a conveyor truck for clothes or the like" which is provided with a receiving shelf made of such material and so designed that said shelf will not interfere 1921. Serial No. 468,852.

with the ready removal of clothes from the truck and their insertion into the same.

Still another important object of the invention is the provision of a revolving circular truck having a series of compartments therein, the compartments being adapted to be closed with a set of sliding doors, one less in number than the number of com partments so that one compartment is always open, and automatic means to stop and hold the open compartment in proper position.

Otherand further important objects of the invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the accompanying drawings and the following specification.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved rotating conveying truck and shows it in position alongside a drying apparatus such as is commonly used in a laundry in connection with this process.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the rotating conveyor truck. 51

Figure 1 is a front end view of the same.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view on the line 66 of Figure 3 showing the means for holding an open'receiving bag on the shelf of the conveyor.

Figure 7 is an enlarged section taken on the line 7-7 of Figure 2.

Figure 8 is a sectional view of the automatic stop means for the rotary container.

As shown on the drawings:

The reference numeral 10 indicates the rotatable receiving compartment of the truck, the same being mounted upon an axle 12 positioned in a frame 14, this frame being provided with rollers 16 so as to permit of its ready shifting from one apparatus to another located at a distance therefrom. One member of the frame 1 1 extends forwardly beyond the main portion of the apparatus and mounted thereon is a triangular shelf 18 composed of sheet metal or some other rigid material, this being supported in position on the frame 14 by bolts or rivets. The shelf 18 is adapted to support a receiving bag 24 in which the clean dried clothes are placed after the last step in the process has been completed. Two downwardly ex tending projections or lugs 20 are provided on the frame immediately above the shelf 18 and are adapted to engage the mouth of the bag 2% so that the same may be easily maintained by the operator in open position and with the use of only one hand, leaving the other hand free to pack the clothes in the bag. Rubber tips 22 are provided on the projections 20.

The rotating container 10 is divided into compartments by radial partitions 28 which are riveted to the sides of the container. In the form of the invention shown the number of these partitions is seven, thereby making seven compartments, but it isevident that this number may be varied if desired. A slidable cover 30 is provided for each of the compartments but one, one being left open as best shown in Figure 2. These covers 30 are made in the form of segments of a circle and fit in grooves in the inner edges of the periphery of the container, these grooves being formed by an outer angle plate 32 and an inner annular ring 3st as best shown in Figure 7. The covers 30 are adapted to so fit in these grooves as to have a slight frictional contact therewith and thereby be held in position. The forward edge of each cover 80 is provided with a turned up bead 36extending across the same and which is adapted to act as a handle in its manipulation.

The automatic stop or brake member 38 is adapted to act upon the rotating member 10 by having a pin drop into holes 40, one for each compartment and drilled into the circular edge, adjacent the partitions 28. A spring 42 is provided to normally impel the pin into a hole 40 whenever one comes into alignment therewith during the rotation of the tank 10. A handle or knob H is provided adapted for the release of the pin whenever it is desired to gain access to the next compartment.

A flap 46 of rubber or similar flexible material is attached to the upper lateral edge of the shelf or tray 18 by any suitable means and is adapted to contact with any adjoining apparatus, as the drier 11, so as to pre vent loss of small articles which would ordinarily occur on account of their dropping into the space between.

On the outer side of the circular container 10 is provided a series of clips 60, one on each compartment, adapted to retain in position tags 62 which identify the contents of each compartment. A series of similar clips 64 are fixed upon the drier or other apparatus 11, one over each compartment 13, and these are also adapted to hold in position similar identification cards or tags.

The operation is as follows: a

In the particular system of laundry work for which this rotatable truck was particularly designed, the work i brought into the laundry in a bag and is sent therethrough in one batch, the batch retaining its identity throughout its passage through the laundry and the particular articles making up the batch never being separated during the process of washing, drying or ironing, except in so far as may be necessary to separate such materials as silks and woolens from colored or flat work as is generally known. This system involves the handling of bundles. individually, with the costly methods of identification eliminated. The bundle is properly classified and washed, the fiat work ironed;

and the wearing apparel, handkerchiefs, and

bath towels dried in such a manner that'the housewife merely folds all of the soft pieces (which is the greater portion of the dried clothes) thereby rendering them ready for use without ironing, leaving only a few pieces to be starched and ironed. Each customers particular batch of laundry goes through thewashing process without being mixed in any manner with any other customers laundry. 7

The production of this service is divided into six departments or operations, each separate and distinct in itself, and appearing in their relative order or routine, as the bundle proceeds from the time it reaches the plant until its completion, namely:

1. Classifying for washing.

2. Washing and extracting.

3. Assembling.

4L. Separating.

5. Flat work ironing and wrapping.

6. Wearing apparel drying and bagging.

In the illustration of the invention shown in Figure 1 the rotary conveying truck 10 is shown as disposed adjacent to an extracting or drying apparatus 11 and the series of steps necessary in the process of removing the dried clothes from the drier and at the same time inserting an additional batch of wet clothes therein is shown in operation. Here, the first compartment 13 has been opened and the dried clothes removed therefrom and have been placed into the compartment 66 which has just been turned down to a lower level than the shelf 18 after having been closed with a cover 30. This leaves the compartment 68 open and the wet clothes therein are transferred directly to the open compartment 13 of the drier. and the tag 62 is taken off and placed beneath the clip 64: over the compartment 13 so as to properly identify the work therein. The next compartment in the drier is then opened and the conveyer turned to bring the compartment 7 0 into position when it is opened, the cover member 30 thereupon being slid down to close the compartment 68- The wet clothes having been removed from the compartment 7 0 and inserted into compartment next adjacent the end one 13, the operation is then continued as described until the entire transfer of all the batches of laundry has been accomplished.

It is evident that this rotatable conveying truck or a similar truck may also be used to convey the dirty clothes to the washing machine and then the same set of clothes from the washing machine to the extractor or drier and from thence to the ironing machine, acting at all times in a double capacity, carrying at least six of its compartments always filled, and the seventh compartment available for purposes of inaugurating a change. After the clothes have been completely washed and dried, and if they 7 are not to be ironed, they are finally taken out of the rotatable conveyor 10 and packed into the bag 24 for which purpose the bag is laid on the shelf 22 and is held in an open position by catching the edges of its mouth under the two downwardly projecting lugs 20 when one hand of the operator will suffice to hold the bag open for the ready insertion of clothes into the bag with the other hand. 7

In using the truck in conjunction with a drier, the process is as follows: After each dry bundle is removed from the truck pocket into a bag the operator places in the same truck pocket a new wet bundle, attaching to the outside of the container by the respective clip the proper identification tag so that after this operation has been completed for six bundles the revolvable truck is again" loaded with six wet bundles ready to be transferred to and placed into the drying tumbler as the next dry bundles are removed therefrom.

This revolving conveying truck constitutes a great convenience, as by its use the driers or washing machines may be unloaded and reloaded in the least possible time, thereby increasing production. This truck also affords a working level for the operator, eliminating the stooping and lifting of a vast tonnage.

In the unloading and loading process of a dryer or washing machine with this device only one bundle can be exposed at a time, eliminating entirely any danger of mixing.

It will of course be understood that this truck is equally suited for a large variety of uses, such as for instance gathering in' dividual orders in stores.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details varied in the construction and operation without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted thereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A conveyor truck including a rotatable container provided with a series of compartments, all but one of said compartments being provided with covers peripherally slidable to expose one compartment at a time.

2. A conveyor truck including a rotatable container provided with a series of compartments, all but one of said compartments being provided with a cover at a given time, said covers being slidably mounted in peripheral grooves in the container to successively expose one compartment at a time.

8. In a movable truck, a rotatable containing means mounted thereon, said containing means being provided with a plurality of compartments, a series of peripheral slidable doors for the compartments, and an automatic stop for controlling the rotation of the containing means.

4.. In a rotatable conveying truck for laundry articles or the like, the combination of a shelf for convenient loading and unloading of the truck, said shelf being provided with a flexible retaining guard means adapted to contact with another laundry apparatus to prevent loss of articles by dropping into the space therebetween.

5. In a rotatable conveying truck for laundry articles or the like, the combination of a shelf for convenient loading and unloading of the truck, said'shelf being of a triangular form and having provided thereon means adapted for the convenient positioning of the mouth of a laundry bag for the reception of articles.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VICTOR E. ADLAND.

Witnesses:

Josnrn: T. KIEPURA, RAYMOND M. Swnrrznn.

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