APPARATUS FOR STACKING EMPTY PALLETS

• US 3,782,562 A
• Filed: 07/28/1972
• Issued: 01/01/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harold S. Burt, Vasco O. Carvalho
• Original Assignee: Harold S. Burt, Vasco O. Carvalho
• Inventors: Burt, Harold S., Carvalho, Vasco O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spar, Robert J.
• Application Number:
  US05/275,913
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• Field of Search: 214/6P,6BA,6H,6D,6M,8.5R,8.5A,8.5C,8.5F
• US Class Current: 414/789.6
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 59/026 with a stepwise upward movement of the stack
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/108 including means for collecting emptied pallet or separator

Abstract

Two depalletizing stations, preferably sharing a common empty pallet stacking station and a common inlet conveyor to be rendered operable by the automatic sequential feeding of loaded pallets to the inlets thereof from the common inlet conveyor. Alternatively, one of the depalletizing stations can be shut down when desired. When the depalletizing stations are both operated, article position and/or apparatus condition sensing means and associated control means responsive thereto control the movement of palletized articles from the common inlet conveyor to the conveyors extending from the common inlet conveyor to the depalletizing stations so palletized articles are automatically fed to a depalletizing station free to receive a new loaded pallet. The depalletizing stations most advantageously discharge articles upon respective article-receiving conveyors each of which is capable of discharging articles at either one of the same two discharge points when operating separately. Empty pallets from the depalletizing stations are fed to different sides of a common pallet stacking station which can receive pallets only one at a time from the depalletizing stations.

Claims

1. In a depalletizing system comprising a first and a second pallet support means each for carrying a separate pallet carrying tiers of boxes or the like to be removed one tier at a time therefrom, first and second box-receiving conveyor means having inlet stations for respectively receiving said tiers of boxes supported on said first and second support means, support control means for respectively elevating said first and second pallet support means in steps to bring the different tiers of boxes sequentially to the elevation of said inlet stations of said first and second box-receiving conveyor means, first and second pusher means for respectively sequentially pushing the different tiers of boxes on said first and second pallet support means onto said first and second box-receiving conveyor means, first and second box pusher control means respectively responsive to the raising of a tier of boxes by said first and second support means to the elevation of said box-receiving conveyor means and to the clearance of other boxes from the portion of said box-receiving conveyor means adjacent to said pallet support means by operating said pusher means by pushing a new tier of boxes onto the associated box-receiving conveyor means, the improvement comprising a common pallet stacking means for stacking empty pallets from both of said support means, said common pallet stacking means having separate inlet stations at which Pallets may be delivered from said first and second pallet support means, said first and second support control means including respective means following the pushing of the last tier of boxes from the associated pallet support means for moving the same to the associated inlet stations of said common pallet stacking means, first and second pallet discharge means for moving empty pallets respectively from said first and second pallet support means onto said pallet stacking means, and means for preventing the movement of a pallet into said common pallet stacking means from one of said pallet support means while a pallet is being moved onto the common pallet stacking means from the other pallet support means.

2. In a depalletizing system comprising a first and a second pallet support means each for carrying a separate pallet carrying tiers of boxes or the like to be removed one tier at a time therefrom, first and second box-receiving conveyors having inlet stations for respectively receiving said tiers of boxes supported on said first and second support means, support control means for respectively elevating said first and second pallet support means in steps to bring the different tiers of boxes sequentially to the elevation of said inlet stations of said first and second box-receiving conveyor means, first and second pusher means for respectively sequentially pushing the different tiers of boxes on said first and second pallet support means onto said first and second box-receiving conveyor means, first and second box pusher control means respectively responsive to the raising of a tier of boxes by said first and second support means to the elevation of said box-receiving conveyor means and to the clearance of other boxes from the portion of said box-receiving conveyor means adjacent to said pallet support means by operating said pusher means by pushing a new tier of boxes onto the associated box-receiving conveyor means, the improvement comprising a common pallet stacking means for stacking empty pallets from both of said support means, said common pallet stacking means being below said inlet stations of said first and second box-receiving conveyor means and having separate inlet stations respectively to face said first and second pallet support means, the common pallet stacking means including vertically movable base means initially at an upper elevation adjacent said inlet stations where the empty pallets are to be fed thereto from said first and second pallet support means and as each pallet is fed to the common pallet stacking means lowers said movable base means small incremented amounts to permit another pallet to be fed from either of said pallet support means upon the top of the last pallet fed thereto, said first and second support control means including respective means following the pushing of the last tier of boxes from the associated pallet support means for moving the same to the associated inlet stations of said common pallet stacking means, and first and second pallet discharge means for moving empty pallet respectively from said first and second pallet support means onto said base means of said pallet stacking means.

3. The depalletizing system of claim 2 wherein there is provided means for preventing the movement of a pallet into said common pallet stacking means from one of said pallet support means while a pallet is being moved into the common pallet stacking means from the other pallet support means.

4. The depalletizing system of claim 2 wherein there is provided means responsive to the lowering of said base means to an elevation indicating the presence of a full stack of pallets for moving the base means to a pallet stack discharge location where pallets are removed therefrom and then returning the same to said point adjacent said inlet stations of said pallet stacking means, and means for temporarily moving shelf means a short distance below said inlet stations of said pallet stacking means while said base means is moved to and From said pallet stack discharge location to catch pallets fed thereto and for dropping the pallets upon said base means when moved into position adjacent said inlet stations.