Pallet dispenser
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for storing and selectively dispensing pallets upon demand of a pallet truck operator, the invention comprising:
- a vertically disposed housing capable of containing a stack of generally aligned, horizontally positioned pallets,said housing having opposing sidewalls with an opening therebetween for receiving said stack of pallets and for discharging said pallets,said sidewalls having outwardly angled extensions adjacent to the opening,said extensions being sufficiently non-deflectable to force misaligned pallets in a stack of pallets into general alignment,each of said sidewalls having an axle transversely fixed to the exterior thereof along the vertical length of the sidewall,each of said sidewalls having openings therein adjacent said axle,each of said sidewalls having a plurality of wheels disposed vertically in said openings of said sidewalls and being fixed upon said axle,each of said wheels extending a substantially equal diametric distance into the interior of said housing,each of said plurality of wheels having a resilient surface on the circumference thereof,said pluralities of wheels on said sidewalls being opposingly arranged,the resilient surfaces of opposing wheels being spaced apart a distance less than the width of a pallet,said resilient surfaces being deflectable by a pallet being forcibly passed between said wheels in said sidewalls when said wheels are rotated,each of said plurality of wheels comprising a pair of wheels and a third wheel spaced apart from said pair of wheels,a plurality of planar, generally square cams mounted upon each of said axles and fixed thereto in substantially identical orientation,each of said sidewalls having a pair of generally narrow cam receiving vertical openings therein,said narrow vertical openings being generally aligned with the planes of said cams,a pivoting bar member pivotally movable within each of said narrow vertical openings,said cams selectively engaging said pivoting bar members as said axles are rotated,said bar members being biased to return to substantially vertical alignment when not engaged by said cams,said pivoting bar members being urged inwardly into said housing upon the engagement of said cams with said bar members,said bar members engaging the sides of a pallet positioned above the wheels to center said pallet within said housing,a motor for incrementally driving said axles simultaneously in opposing rotations,said wheels rotating with said axles such that the resilient surfaces thereof rotate downwardly within said housing,a switch to selectively energize said motor,said switch means being accessible to the operator of a pallet truck without departure from said pallet truck.
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Abstract
Apparatus for storing and handling pallets is disclosed. A vertical housing capable of holding pallets in a vertical stack is equipped with openings to receive stacks of pallets and discharge pallets singly. Vertically arranged wheels are provided on opposing sidewalls of the housing which compress when pallets pass between them. The wheels are ganged to incrementally rotate on a selective basis, opposing wheels rotating in opposite directions. Incremental rotation of the wheels dispenses pallets from the bottom of the stack. Straightening bars which are driven toward the interior of the housing tend to keep the pallets in stack alignment. A ram discharges dispensed pallets from the housing.
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Citations
5 Claims
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1. Apparatus for storing and selectively dispensing pallets upon demand of a pallet truck operator, the invention comprising:
a vertically disposed housing capable of containing a stack of generally aligned, horizontally positioned pallets, said housing having opposing sidewalls with an opening therebetween for receiving said stack of pallets and for discharging said pallets, said sidewalls having outwardly angled extensions adjacent to the opening, said extensions being sufficiently non-deflectable to force misaligned pallets in a stack of pallets into general alignment, each of said sidewalls having an axle transversely fixed to the exterior thereof along the vertical length of the sidewall, each of said sidewalls having openings therein adjacent said axle, each of said sidewalls having a plurality of wheels disposed vertically in said openings of said sidewalls and being fixed upon said axle, each of said wheels extending a substantially equal diametric distance into the interior of said housing, each of said plurality of wheels having a resilient surface on the circumference thereof, said pluralities of wheels on said sidewalls being opposingly arranged, the resilient surfaces of opposing wheels being spaced apart a distance less than the width of a pallet, said resilient surfaces being deflectable by a pallet being forcibly passed between said wheels in said sidewalls when said wheels are rotated, each of said plurality of wheels comprising a pair of wheels and a third wheel spaced apart from said pair of wheels, a plurality of planar, generally square cams mounted upon each of said axles and fixed thereto in substantially identical orientation, each of said sidewalls having a pair of generally narrow cam receiving vertical openings therein, said narrow vertical openings being generally aligned with the planes of said cams, a pivoting bar member pivotally movable within each of said narrow vertical openings, said cams selectively engaging said pivoting bar members as said axles are rotated, said bar members being biased to return to substantially vertical alignment when not engaged by said cams, said pivoting bar members being urged inwardly into said housing upon the engagement of said cams with said bar members, said bar members engaging the sides of a pallet positioned above the wheels to center said pallet within said housing, a motor for incrementally driving said axles simultaneously in opposing rotations, said wheels rotating with said axles such that the resilient surfaces thereof rotate downwardly within said housing, a switch to selectively energize said motor, said switch means being accessible to the operator of a pallet truck without departure from said pallet truck. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. Apparatus for dispensing pallets, comprising:
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a housing capable of holding pallets in a vertical stack, said housing comprising a pair of substantially parallel, vertically arranged sidewalls, said substantially parallel sidewalls spaced apart a distance sufficient to pass a pallet between said sidewalls, said sidewalls having a plurality of wheels mounted therewithin, each of said wheels having a hub and an outer circumferential surface, said wheels having substantially equal diameters, said wheels mounted vertically to said sidewalls in opposing fashion such that said circumferential surfaces of said wheels protrude into said housing, said wheels mounted to said sidewall such that the distance between the protruding circumferential surfaces of said opposing wheels is less than the width of a pallet to be dispensed, said wheels being sufficiently resilient to resist deflection when the vertical stack of pallets rests upon the circumferential surfaces of said wheels, said wheels being selectively, incrementally, rotatable, said wheels are driven in ganged fashion, said wheels on one of said sidewalls rotate in opposing direction to the rotation of the wheels on the other of said sidewalls, said wheels being sufficiently radially deflectable to pass a pallet between opposing wheels when said wheels are driven, a motor to selectively drive said wheels, a switch to selectively engage said motor means to incrementally rotate said wheels, a plurality of bar members is pivotally attached to said sidewalls, said bar members are substantially vertically positioned, said bar members are attached to said sidewalls in opposing fashion, said bar members are pivotable such that the free ends of said bar members are introduceable into said housing, said bar members are selectively, cooperatively introduced into said housing, said bar members engage the sides of said pallets resting upon said wheels, said bar members engage said resting pallets when introduced into said housing thereby urging said resting pallets into generally centered position over said wheels, cam elements rotatingly cooperate with said wheels, a cam element is provided for each of said bar members, said cam elements selectively engage said bar members, the engagement of said cam elements with said bar members urges said bar members into said housing.
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4. Apparatus for dispensing pallets, comprising:
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a housing capable of holding pallets in a vertical stack, said housing comprising a pair of substantially parallel, vertically arranged sidewalls, said substantially parallel sidewalls spaced apart a distance sufficient to pass a pallet between said sidewalls, said sidewalls having a plurality of wheels mounted therewithin, each of said wheels having a hub and an outer circumferential surface, said wheels having substantially equal diameters, said wheels mounted vertically to said sidewalls in opposing fashion such that said circumferential surfaces of said wheels protrude into said housing, said wheels mounted to said sidewall such that the distance between the protruding circumferential surfaces of said opposing wheels is less than the width of a pallet to be dispensed, said wheels being sufficiently resilient to resist deflection when the vertical stack of pallets rests upon the circumferential surfaces of said wheels, said wheels being selectively, incrementally, rotatable, said wheels are driven in ganged fashion, said wheels on one of said sidewalls rotate in opposing direction to the rotation of the wheels on the other of said sidewalls, said wheels being sufficiently radially deflectable to pass a pallet between opposing wheels when said wheels are driven, a motor to selectively drive said wheels, a switch to selectively engage said motor means to incrementally rotate said wheels, openings in said housing are provided to receive and discharge said pallets, said receiving opening comprises the opening between said sidewalls, said sidewalls have outwardly angled extensions thereon adjacent to the pallet receiving opening, said wheels are incrementally rotatable in approximately 45 degree increments of rotation, each of said pluralities of wheels mounted to said sidewalls comprises a pair of wheels positioned apart a distance slightly less than the depth of a pallet and a third wheel positioned adjacent to one of the pair of wheels, said plurality of wheels on one of said sidewalls mirroring the plurality of wheels on the opposing sidewall, a plurality of bar members is pivotally attached to said sidewalls, said bar members are substantially vertically positioned, said bar members are attached to said sidewalls in opposing fashion, said bar members are pivotable such that the free ends of said bar members are introduceable into said housing, said bar members are selectively, cooperatively introduced into said housing, said bar members engage the sides of said pallets resting upon said wheels, said bar members engage said resting pallets when introduced into said housing thereby urging said resting pallets into generally centered position over said wheels, cam elements rotatingly cooperate with said wheels, a cam element is provided for each of said bar members, said cam elements selectively engage said bar members, the engagement of said cam elements with said bar members urges said bar members into said housing.
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5. Apparatus for storing pallets in a vertical stack and dispensing single pallets from the bottom of the stack, the invention comprising:
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an elongated vertical housing, said housing having a pair of sidewalls and a rear wall, said sidewalls substantially parallel and spaced apart a fixed distance, a pair of axles mounted to the exterior of said housing, one of said axles mounted to each of said parallel sidewalls, transversely, along the width of said sidewalls, one or more openings in each of said sidewalls, adjacent the axle mounted to said sidewall, a plurality of wheels fixed at the hubs thereof upon each of said axles, a portion of each of said wheels protruding through said openings in said sidewalls, said axles ganged together and cooperatively driven, said axles being driven in opposing directions, said wheels on one axle oppose the wheels on the other axle, said wheels having outer circumferences thereon, said outer circumferences engaging the lower edges of said stack of ppllets, said wheels having resilient surfaces which are deflectable in a radial direction when pallets pass between said wheels, said wheels being selectively, incrementally driven, a motor for selectively driving said axles, a switch for selectively engaging said motor means to incrementally rotate said wheels, control means to limit duration of operation of said motor when selectively engaged by said switch, each of said sidewalls has a plurality of bar members attached thereto, said bar members are fixed to said sidewalls in vertical arrangement, said bar members are fixed at the upper ends thereof to said sidewalls, each bar member has a free end opposite the end fixed to said sidewall, said bar members are arranged in opposing pairs, said bar members pivot about the upper ends thereof, said free ends of said bar members are selectively introduced into said housing, said pair of bar members operate cooperatively, said bar members engage the sides of said pallets within said stack of pallets when said bar members are introduced into said housing, said bar members are positioned adjacent said wheels, cam elements are fixed to said axles, said cam elements selectively engage said bar members, said cam elements introduce said bar members into said housing when said cam elements engage said bar members.
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Specification
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Current AssigneeMilan W. Freese
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Original AssigneeMilan W. Freese
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InventorsFreese, Milan W.
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Primary Examiner(s)Paperner, Leslie J.
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Assistant Examiner(s)Krizek, Janice
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Application NumberUS06/791,034Time in Patent Office397 DaysField of Search221/251, 221/259, 221/260, 414/101, 414/113, 414/126, 414/128, 414/129US Class Current414/797.7CPC Class CodesB65G 59/066 by means of rotary devices ...
