Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G13/00—Roller-ways
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G1/00—Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines
  • B65G1/02—Storage devices
  • B65G1/04—Storage devices mechanical
  • B65G1/06—Storage devices mechanical with means for presenting articles for removal at predetermined position or level
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G1/00—Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines
  • B65G1/02—Storage devices
  • B65G1/04—Storage devices mechanical
  • B65G1/06—Storage devices mechanical with means for presenting articles for removal at predetermined position or level
  • B65G1/08—Storage devices mechanical with means for presenting articles for removal at predetermined position or level the articles being fed by gravity

Definitions

• a three pallet position push-in flow rack is disclosed.
• a pair of dollies are mounted for movement on inclined rails.
• One dollie is higher than the other and is designed to nest with respect to the other at the front end of the rack when the rack is unloaded.
• a load is placed first on the higher dollie.
• the first loaded dollie is pushed rearwardly.
• the first and second loaded dollies are pushed rearwardly.
• the rack contains three loaded pallets arranged end-to-end.
• a primary object of the present invention is to provide for a push-in flow rack, compact load transfer apparatus which is particularly suited for accepting loads one-by-one at the front of the rack for loading, of supporting the loads end-to-end in the rack, and of delivering the loads one-by-one to the front of the rack for unloading.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a push-in flow rack having a novel load transfer system which can be manufactured economically, installed readily, and used easily.
• a further object of the present invention is to provide for a push-in flow rack, unique load transfer apparatus which has a minimum of components and which is rugged and reliable in operation.
• Yet another object of the present invention is to provide improved load transfer apparatus which can be installed readily in existing push-in flow racks.
• the present invention provides a " storage rack in which a series of loads may be stored end-to-end and transferred by load transfer means to and from a loading and unloading location at the front of the rack.
• the rack comprises front and rear uprights mounting a pair of rails in horizontally spaced inclined relation.
• an elongated carriage having a length sufficient to support at least two loads is provided with a lower series of wheels engaging the rails for mounting the carriage to move back and forth thereon.
• a load support overlies a portion of the carriage and is mounted for movement relative thereto by an upper series of wheels on the carriage.
• Abutments are provided at least at the rear end of the carriage for releasably coupling the load support to the carriage so that when operatively engaged they move rearwardly in unison on the rails. Stops are provided at the front and rear ends of the rails for engaging the carriage to limit its movement in the rack. Detents are provided on the rails adjacent the front of the rack for releasably engaging the lower front 5 carriage wheels to assist in holding the carriage stationary during loading.
• the carriage When unloaded, the carriage rests against the stops at the front of the rack with the load support overlying the carriage and ready to receive a first j_Q load, such as a loaded pallet.
• a first j_Q load such as a loaded pallet.
• a second loaded pallet As a second loaded pallet is placed in the rack, it engages the load support edgewise and pushes it rearwardly until the load support engages the rear abutment on the carriage to couple the load support and carriage and to expose the
• the load transfer apparatus is modified to support and transfer
• FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the flow rack illustrated in FIG. 1 with portions broken away to illustrate certain details of construction of the load transfer apparatus used therein;
• FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;
• FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating certain details of construction;
• FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4 but illustrating the modified ' load transfer apparatus in the four load position rack of FIG. 5;
• FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but illustrating a five load position storage rack incorporating another modified load transfer apparatus;
• FIG. 1 illustrates a push-in flow rack 10 having load transfer apparatus 20 embodying the present invention.
• the 5 illustrated push-in flow rack comprises a series of pairs of uprights 11, 12, 13, 14 extending from front to rear and mounting .a pair of L-shaped rails 15, 16 (FIG. 3) in horizontally spaced inclined relation.
• the first load position is located adjacent to
• the push-in flow rack may store loads, either on pallets or slip sheets, at
• the present invention comprises compact load transfer, or transport, apparatus 20 which is capable of accepting multiple loads sequentially at the front of the rack for loading, of transferring them in the rack for storage, and of delivering them sequentially to the front of the rack for unloading.
• the load transfer apparatus 20 comprises an elongated carriage 21 adapted to reciprocate, or ride back and forth, on the rails 15, 16, and a load support 22 adapted to reciprocate, or ride back and forth, relative to the carriage 21.
• the carriage 21 has a length corresponding to two load, or pallet, positions
• the load support 22 has a length corresponding to only one load position.
• the load support 22 could support one pallet.
• the carriage 21 comprises a pair of elongated frame members' 24, 25 overlying the rails 15, 16, respectively and a series of transverse connecting members 26, 27, 28 extending in spaced relation between the front and the rear ends 21a and 2'1b, respectively of the carriage 21.
• the carriage 21 has a widthwise dimension sufficient to enable it to support a standard size pallet widthwise and to fit within the upstanding flanges of the L-shaped 5 rails 15, 16 with a clearance between the sides of the frame members 24, 25 and the rails 15, 16.
• first rotatable means are provided on the rails.
• a lower series of Q wheels are mounted in spaced relation to each frame member for rolling on the horizontal flanges of the rails, such as the lower series of wheels 30, 31, 32, 33 mounted to the frame member 24 for rolling on the horizontal flange 15b of the rail 15.
• the lower wheels 30-33 are sized and their axles located so that their lower peripheries project edges, such as the edge 31', outboard of the frame members for engaging the fillet 5 15' connecting the vertical and horizontal flanges 15a and 15b, respectively, of the rail 15. This aids in centering the carriage 21 on the rails 15 and 16 as the carriage moves back and forth in the rack.
• the wheels are provided at equally-spaced intervals, 0 such as 18 inch centers, along the length of each carriage frame member to distribute loads on the rails in a desirable manner. It should be apparent, however, that the number of wheels can vary, depending on load.
• front and rear stop means are provided adjacent the front 10a and rear 10b of the rack 10.
• the front stop means comprises a pair of plates 40, 4f either welded or bolted transversely across the front ends of the rails 0 15, 16, respectively
• the rear stop means comprise a like pair of plates 42, 43 similarly either welded or bolted across the rear ends of the rails 15, 16, respectively.
• the front stops 40, 41 cooperate with the carriage 21 to. limit forward movement of the
• the load support 22 overlies only a portion of the carriage 21 and is mounted for back and forth
• the load support 22 comprises a pair of elongated runners 35, 36 connected together widthwise by means of a series of stringers 37, 38, 39 providing a deck.
• each runner such as the runner 35, is provided by an L-shaped angle member having a depending vertical flange 35a and an outturned horizontal flange 35b.
• the vertical flange 35a extends along the outer side of the carriage frame member 24, and the horizontal flange 35b is adapted to overlie the upper edge of the upstanding flange 15a of the rail member 15.
• second rotatable means is provided .between the carriage 21 and the load support 22.
• an upper series of wheels are mounted on each of the carriage frame members ' at spaced locations along their lengths.
• the wheels 50-53 in the upper series are located sufficiently closely, i.e. on about 9 inch to 12 inch centers, as to enable at least a pair of wheels on -each side of the carriage, such as the wheels 52, 53, to engage the load support 22 as it moves relative to the carriage 21.
• the upper series of wheels such as the wheels
• the wheels 50, 51, 52 and 53 are sized and their axles located so that their peripheries project upwardly above the frame members 24 and 25 to engage the horizontal flanges of the load support runners and to space the deck stringers 37-39 from the carriage 21.
• the downturned flange 35a of the load support runner 35 engages between the insides of the wheels 50-53 in the upper series and the outer side of the frame member 24 to maintain the load support 22 laterally engaged with the carriage 21 as they move relative to one another.
• the wheels 50-53 preferably have edges which interact with the fillet 35' connecting the vertical and 5 horizontal flanges 35a and 35b of the load support runner 35 to aid in guiding the load support 22 as it moves back and forth.
• the wheels 50-53 in the upper series have inside surfaces located slightly closer to the frame member 24 0 than the insides of the lower wheels to ensure smooth movement of the load support 22 relative to the carriage 21 , particularly during loading of the second load onto the carriage 21 as will be discussed.
• the front abutment means includes a pair of abutment plates 55, 56 which project upwardly above the carriage frame members 24 and 25 into the path of movement of the load support runners 35, 36 respectively.
• the front abutment plates 55, 56 may be welded or bolted to the front ends of the carriage frame members 24, 25 respectively at the front end 21a of the carriage 21, and in like manner, a pair of rear abutment plates 57, 58 are mounted to the rear end 21b of the carriage 21. 0 It is the rear abutment plates 57, 58 which couple the carriage 21 and load support 22 for movement rearwardly in unison in the rack 10.
• the braking means includes detents provided by a pair of carriage bolts, 60, 61 such as the bolt 60 extending through the lower flange of the rail 16.
• the carriage bolts 60, 61 are located with their heads on top of the rail flanges.
• the detent bolts 60, 61 are located less than about two inches behind the lower front wheels of the carriage 21 when it is engaged with the f on rail stops 40 and 41.
• the bolts 60, 61 engage behind the front wheels in the lower series of carriage wheels to releasably retain the carriage 21 in its forwardly located position during placement of the first two loads in the rack.
• the detents are,, however, sufficiently small as to enable the carriage 21 to be pushed rearwardly therepast in the course of placing the third load in the rack.
• the load transfer apparatus of the present invention is compact. As best seen in FIG. 3, when engaged, the carriage 21 and load support 22 present a relatively low profile, having a combined thickness only slightly greater than the vertical extent of the rails. As a result, the present invention minimizes the space required for the load transfer apparatus and thereby maximizes the space between tiers to provide a spatially efficient storage system.
• the rack 10 is completely unloaded and ready to be loaded. In such a condition, the carriage 21 will be located on the rails 15 and 16 with its forward abutment plates 55 and 56 engaged with the front stop plates 40 and 41 on the rails.
• the load support 22 will be located on the carriage 21 with the front edges of its runners 35 and 36 engaged with the abutment plates 55 and 56 at the front of the carriage 21. Thus, the load support 22 will overlie the front half of the carriage 21, the rear half of which will be exposed.
• a forklift truck or crane operator places a first load on the load support 22, such as in the manner in which the load L-j is illustrated in the uppermost level in FIG. 1.
• the front portion of the carriage 21 is exposed so that the operator can lower the second load L2 on the front portion of the carriage 21, thereby causing two loads to be stored in the rack 10 such as in the manner the loads L-
• the rack 10 is unloaded at a controlled rate by reversing the aforementioned loading procedure. For instance, after the third load has been lifted from the rails 15, 16, the forklift or crane operator can control the speed with which the carriage 21 rolls down the rails 15, 16 by maintaining the third and second loads engaged edgewise as he backs away from the rack 10. In like manner, when the second load is lifted from its - I m ⁇
• a load transfer system 220 is provided for a storage rack having five tandem load positions.
• the storage rack 210 comprises a series of uprights to which are mounted a first pair of rails 215a and a second pair of rails 215b.
• the first pair of rails 215a are inclined and extend through three load positions in the rack 210.
• the second pair of rails 215b extend alongside the first pair of rails 215a at a slightly higher level and through five load positions in the rack 210.
• the rails in each pair are preferably L-shaped and are arranged symmetrically in an upwardly and outwardly offset relation to one another.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Warehouses Or Storage Devices (AREA)
• Special Conveying (AREA)
• Feeding, Discharge, Calcimining, Fusing, And Gas-Generation Devices (AREA)
• Manipulator (AREA)
• Specific Conveyance Elements (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=24828844

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (11)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (48)

Citations (9)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1985
  • 1985-02-22 US US06/704,286 patent/US4687404A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1986
  • 1986-01-23 CA CA000500174A patent/CA1249980A/en not_active Expired
  • 1986-01-29 ZA ZA86657A patent/ZA86657B/xx unknown
  • 1986-02-19 WO PCT/US1986/000316 patent/WO1986004881A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1986-02-19 JP JP61501249A patent/JPS62502040A/ja active Granted
  • 1986-02-19 AU AU55129/86A patent/AU574314B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1986-02-19 KR KR1019860700735A patent/KR950003593B1/ko not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1986-02-19 EP EP86901629A patent/EP0214228B1/en not_active Expired
  • 1986-02-19 BR BR8605478A patent/BR8605478A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1986-02-19 DE DE8686901629T patent/DE3664130D1/de not_active Expired
  • 1986-02-19 AT AT86901629T patent/ATE44271T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation

Patent Citations (9)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events