US785400A - Loading or unloading apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTBD MAR. 21, 1905.

J. D. BUCHANAN. LOADING OR UNLOADING APPARATUP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29,1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET .Witnesses PATBNTED MAR. 21, 1905. J. D. BUCHANAN.

LOADING 0R UNLOADING APPARATUS APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1904.

4 SHEETS-\SHEBT 3.

Witnesses b9 i I? Htiomegs nnw Patented March 21, 1905.

ijniran States PATE T @rrrcn.

JOHN DJBUCHANAN, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

LOADENG QR UNLOADBNG APPARATUS.

SPEfiIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,400, dated March 21, 1905. Application filed July 29, 1904. Serial No. 218,719.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LJOIIN D. BUCHANAN, a citizen of the'United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Loading andUnloading Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus of that general class employed for the loading and unloadi'ngpf vessels, and particularly to devices employed for transferring freight to and from river-steamers.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a conveyor which may be carried by the vessel and readily adjusted to position for delivering goods to a wharf or landing or the reception of goods therefrom, the conveyor being located at any suitable point on the boat, preferably at the bow or stern, so that it may be swung for the landing of goods at either the port or starboard side.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this class in which the conveyer is collapsible or folding, so thata conveyer of considerable length may be readily carried by comparatively small vessels, thereby to avoid projection of the device to an 0bjectionablc extent or height while the boat is traveling.

A still further object of the invention is to providea device with a gang-plank for the use of passengers, so that the passengers or boathands may walk ashore or aboard without intcrfering with the use of the convcyer.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a self-contained conveying device carrying its -own motor mechanism and so arranged as to permit of convenient adjustment vat any angle in accordance with the position of the boat and tlniz state of the tide.

lVith these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists'of the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described,

illustrate] in the accompanying drawings, and

particularly'pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure l is an elevation of a conveyor constructed in accordance with the invention, showing the same in position for use. Fig. 2 is front elevation of the derrick employed to support the conveyer. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the conveyer on a somewhat onlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the conveyor, illustrating principally the mechanism for cfi'ecting its adjustment to port and starboard. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional elevation, on an enlarged scale, on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. (3 is a detail plan view of that end of the convcyer attached to the boat, showing principally the motor mechanism. Fig, 7

a detail planview illustrating the meeting ends of the sections of the conveyer. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the shore end of the conveyer illustrating the mechanism for adjusting the tension of the conveyingmechanism. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the tension-adjusting device.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

in the majority of river-boats at the present time loading and unloading is {accomplished by trucks, and in many cases this is found impossible or extremely diliicult when the tide is low or during wet weather. In carrying out the present invention each boat is provided with a conveying device preforahly located at a midship point and so arranged that it may be shifted to either port orstarboard, in accordance with the location of the wharf or landing where goods areto be delivered or received. The mechanismis so arranged that it may be conveniently handled by steam, a suitable derrick being employed for the purpose of elevating the conveyor to an angle suitable for the purpose and other mechanism being provided for shifting the shore end of the device either to porter starboard, as required by circumstances. The frame of the conveyor is formed of a number of sections, two of such sections 1 and 2 being indicated in the present instance, and these ed ro ers mm at H1 in 6rd 1 thereby fts sears mansve sfi shav n.0- ix'eight or 0th posited 0n the as a positive m ion of is and miim" vide I:

(ling-J ye:- surm semion,

pm ui'ta conve 9 run;

the A06 .11 innes" mrx-yi embe and Ema and art of ute comtru cmws v 61 COIN the. coma m, 1

hand i ty r: 12PM pinions t6, earriedhya transversely-disposed shaft e7, that is vprovided at its opposite ends. with rectangular or non-circular portions to The adjacent ends of the conveyer-sections 1 and 2 are provided with side plates s8, con- 7 nected by the hinge member 3. previously refer-red to, and in one set of plates are bearings for the reception-of a. transversely-disposed shaft 49, carrying a gear 50, that inter meshes with gears 51 and 52, carried by the shafts 23 and 35; respectively; and serving to transmit movement from the shaft 23 to said shaft when the parts are arranged in o p- 'erative position. 'When the outer section 2 of the conveyer is lowered to the dotted-line position illustrated in Fig 3 or is folded back,

i 2 5 into parallel relation ,with the section 1 of the c'onv eyen' the gears are thrown out of mesh,

150- that movement will not .he'tra'nsmitted from the section 1 to the section 2 of the conveyer, andthis is accomplished whereit' is not go necessaryto employ the section 1 of thecon veyer for the-transfer of goods to a platform located within ashort distance of the side of.

' the boat.

In order-todacilitate the transfer of freight,

3 5 the lower portion of the conveyer, or that por- '-tlOn which contains the motor mechanism, is provided with a plurality of flier-rollers 3, on which the deck hands will deposit the freigh t and push the same forward until caught 40 by the conveyor, and at the shore end is ar-.

provided ranged a similarplatform 54., also with idler-rollers 55, on which the ireight may he received ordeposited for transfer to the boat. The'tilfiilg 0f the packages while be? ing transferred i'rom section 1 to section 20f the conveyor is preventedpby the employment of one ormore, sets oit' idlers 55, carried hy the sideplates' i8,- which form the connections hetwee'n the conveyer-seetions;

5 hle to readily load'and unload-freight of anykind or character at minimum expense of time and labor, and the device furthermore may he used as a gang plank for the convenience v of the passengers and members of the crew.

"When taken aboard, the sections vof the'con veyer may be folded, so that they will not pro- With a'device of this character it is'possi v ironsject to an objectionable entent heyend the bowl or stern, and the weight will he transferred to a point near the center of gravity ofthe vessel By provid ng the conveyer with an- 'independent motor mechanism it may he read-.

ily swung clear of any cargo located on the forecastle or stern of the boat and quickly adusted to convenient position for use.

- Havingthus described the invention, what is claimed is.-.

1. In a device of the class described afranie formed of piv'otally-connected sections, a con- 4 veyer carried by eachsection, and gearing connections between the conveyer-scctiona said gear ng connections being automatically disconnected when the sections of the frame 7 are folded, i 1 2. in n device of the 'classdescribed, a foldable flame-formed of a plurality of sections, a

gearing earriedby the sections; the gearing being antomatieallydisconncctedwhenthe sections are'folded.

Thecomhination ina conveye'r, of a; frame formed ofchannehiron having curved or semicircular end portions, shafts extending between the channel-irons, flanged rollers carried by the shafts and entering the channeh ing the several shafts.

- The combination with a derriclnof a-ho'om connected to the derrick, a pivotally-rienntes sectional'conveyer, a conveyer carried hy'the frame, and independent connections between the: sections of the conveyer andthe boom.- 5. The combination withaderr'ickmf a boom and an end-less lcad-.coi. 1ve;yerconnect 'conveyer' xn e'chanisrn for each section, and

supported thereby; a sectional conveyer- Hame -independent conveyers carried by the sections'thereof, and independent tacl'cle con-v nections hetweenthe sections iend the boom thei-ebyto permit-independent adjustment of the positions of said section's.

61 in a device of the class specified, a frame. having npper andjlower sets of bars-or rails} an endless; con'veyer carried by the frame and having rails resting on. said here, gang-planks arranged nit opposite sides of tl'ieJlr-ame, and, diagona snpports extending from said frame and carrying said gang-planks.

in itestimony'thati claim the for )ing as the presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

JQH. 'Joonnri, Jan, J. WALKER.

roq

my own}; have hereto 'rn y signatnrc'in JQHN .nsnot EANANQ

Images