Method and apparatus for loading and unloading a storage and transport rack

• US 4,621,969 A
• Filed: 06/07/1984
• Issued: 11/11/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Valpak OY
• Original Assignee: Valpak OY
• Inventors: Ollikainen, Jukka S., Koskivaara, Timo T., Berghall, Christer K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Valenza, Joseph E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bucci, David A.
• Application Number:
  US06/619,153
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: 414/331, 414/395, 414/396, 414/400, 414/786, 414/29, 414/46, 414/89, 198/422, 198/431, 53/246, 53/247, 53/539
• US Class Current: 414/331.07
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 65/00 Loading or unloading of vehicles B65G67/00

Abstract

A method and apparatus for loading and unloading a transport and storage rack, such as a cart-rack (9). Packages (2) of goods, arriving on a conveyor (3), are directed to the appropriate support plates (6) of an intermediate storage (4) equipped with a lifting and lowering device, the plates being situated at a distance from each other corresponding to the distance between the shelves in the cart-rack (9), in which case a number of goods packages corresponding to the number of shelves in the rack are transferred simultaneously into the rack by means of a separate pushing device (5), the several pushers (11) of this device carrying out the transfer. The rack (9) is unloaded by pushing by means of a pusher (5) all the goods packages (2) in it simultaneously into the intermediate storage (4) and from there one at the time onto the conveyor (3). At this time the conveying direction of the lifting device is opposite to the loading procedure. The intermediate storage (4) can be loaded with a complete formation of goods, and respectvely emptied, while the loaded, respectively unloaded, cart-rack (9) is being replaced.

Claims

1. A method of loading a shelf-less storage and transport rack at predetermined station with several layers of goods, comprising the steps of:

bringing in the goods in one layer on a conveyor, arranging next to said station an intermediate storage means having a plurality of horizontally movable plate-like members for supporting the layers respectively in said intermediate storage means, transferring said plate-like members and the goods thereon in vertical direction into a formation corresponding to the formation of goods in the rack, and pushing the plate-like members and the goods thereon from the intermediate storage means in one push into the shelf-less rack in staggered fashion so that the lowest layer is partially pushed into the rack first, and layers thereabove are pushed, staggered in succession, into a vertically aligned formation in the rack.

2. An apparatus for loading a storage and transport rack with several layers of goods, comprising:

a conveyor for bringing in the goods in one layer, a shelf-less storage and transport rack for the goods, and rack being movable and lockable at a predetermined station for the loading of the goods, intermediate storage means arranged next to said station, and having horizontally movable plate-like members for supporting the respective layers of goods in said intermediate storage means, vertical transfer devices for transferring said plate-like members and the goods thereon in vertical direction into a formation corresponding to the formation of goods in the rack, and a multiple-layer pushing device arranged next to said intermediate storage means for pushing the goods from the intermediate storate means into said shelf-less rack, said pushing device comprising separate, vertically spaced pushers for the respective layers of goods, and means for moving said pushers in staggered fashion so that each pusher is moved in succession ahead of the pusher above the same but to the same extent, to thereby move the goods into a vertically aligned formation in the shelf-less rack.