Container handler for conveyor system

• US 4,977,999 A
• Filed: 06/19/1989
• Issued: 12/18/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Smock Material Handling Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Smock Material Handling Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Smock, William L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rolla, Joseph J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bidwell, James R.
• Application Number:
  US07/369,048
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 193/55 SS, 198/535, 198/536, 198/463.3, 198/586, 198/592, 198/861.2, 198/861.3, 198/861.5
• US Class Current: 198/463.3
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/08 the articles being fed by gravity braking arrangements for roller-ways B65G13/075; separating or stopping elements B65G47/88
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 13/12 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 35/00 Mechanical conveyors not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A container handler for use with an over-and-under conveyor having upper and lower gravity-type roller conveyor sections disposed vertically one above the other. The container handler is disposed directly adjacent the discharged end of the upper conveyor and has a support platform alignable with the upper conveyor so that a container can be discharged from the upper conveyor onto the support platform for engagment with a stop. The front end of support platform, namely the end with the container stop, can be vertically lowered by an operator to facilitate access to the container. The front end can be vertically raised and lowered by a first lifting device and, when the operator is completed with his operations, the first lifting device lowers the front end of the support platform to a lowermost position. A second lifting device is then activated to lower the rear end of the support platform downwardly until it aligns with the adjacent inlet end of the lower conveyor to permit discharge of the container thereto. After discharge of the container, both lifting devices are activated to raise the support platform into its fully raised position in alignment with the upper conveyor.

Claims

1. A container handler for incorporation into an over-and-under conveyor system, said handler comprising:

frame means including a pair of sidewardly-spaced upright frames;

a container support platform having means defining thereon a generally upwardly facing support surface for supporting a container, said support platform being positioned generally sidewardly between said side frames and having front and rear ends, said support platform having container stop means provided adjacent the front end thereof and projecting upwardly above the support surface;

vertically slidable guide means for permitting the front end of said support platform to be vertically moved between upper and lower front end positions;

first lifting means coupled with said support platform in the vicinity of the front end thereof for vertically raising and lowering the front end of said support platform between said upper and lower positions and for permitting the front end of said support platform to be disposed at any location between said upper and lower positions;

second lifting means connected with said support platform in the vicinity of the rear end thereof for permitting the rear end to be vertically raised and lowered between upper and lower rear end positions;

said support platform sloping downwardly at a small angle as it projects from the rear end to the front end when the ends are both in said upper positions, said support platform sloping downwardly at a small angle from the front end to the rear end when the ends are both in said lower positions, said support platform including a pair of generally parallel side rails having a plurality of freely-rotatable conveyor rolls extending there between between in generally parallel relationship to one another, said conveyor rolls having uppermost surfaces which define said support surface, said container stop being fixed to said side rails so as to project upwardly above the upper surface of the conveyor rolls adjacent the front end of the support platform; and

the slidable guide means including an upright guide rod fixedly associated with each said upright frame adjacent the front end of the support platform, a slide vertically supported on each said guide rod for slidable movement between upper and lower stops which define the respective upper and lower front end positions, and hinge means coupled between each side rail and a respective said slide for defining a generally horizontal hinge axis which extends generally parallel with the axes of said conveyor rolls.

2. A handler according to claim 1, wherein said frame means includes upper and lower stops for limiting and defining the rear end upper and lower positions of the support platform, and the permissible vertical displacement of the rear end of said support platform being greater than the permissible vertical displacement of the front end of said support platform.

3. A handler according to claim 2, wherein said first lifting means includes a pneumatically inflatable bag vertically cooperating between said frame means and said support platform adjacent the front end thereof.

4. A handler according to claim 3, wherein said second lifting means comprises a pair of lifting levers disposed adjacent opposite sides of the handler and having lower ends thereof pivotally coupled to said frame means and upper ends thereof provided with rollers which rollingly engage bottom surfaces of the side rails adjacent the rear ends thereof, and pneumatic lifting means coupled between said frame means and said lifting levers for controlling vertical swinging movement of said levers.

5. A conveyor system for supplying a container to and away from a working station, comprising:

an upper gravity-type roller conveyor extending at a slight downward incline from an input end to a discharge end, said upper conveyor being adapted to have containers positioned thereon at the input end so that said containers are supplied to the discharge end, said upper conveyor having retractable stop means associated therewith for holding back the leading container;

a lower gravity-type roller conveyor positioned substantially directly under and spaced downwardly from said upper conveyor, said lower conveyor having an input end for receiving a container with said lower conveyor extending slightly downwardly as it projects away from the input end toward a discharge end, the input end of said lower conveyor being disposed substantially directly vertically under but spaced downwardly a predetermined vertical distance below the discharge end of said upper conveyor so that the container can pass under the discharge end of the upper conveyor so as to be inputted to the input end of said lower conveyor;

a multi-position container handler means disposed adjacent the discharge and input ends of the respective upper and lower conveyors for receiving thereon a container from the upper conveyor and thereafter discharging the container onto the lower conveyor, said handling means including;

(a) a frame;

(b) a container support platform vertically movably supported on the frame and having a rear end positionable adjacent the upper and lower conveyors and a front end disposed adjacent a working station;

(c) means for selectively pivoting said support platform about first and second pivot points thereon which are respectively located adjacent said front and rear ends of said support platform and which permit said support platform to pivot about either one of said pivot points while said one of said pivot points remains substantially stationary, said last-mentioned means including first and second lifting means coacting between said frame and said support platform for effecting vertical movement of said platform between upper and lower positions, said platform when in said upper position being disposed with the rear end thereof disposed directly aligned and adjacent the discharge end of said upper conveyor so that said platform slopes slightly downwardly as it projects toward said forward end whereby the platform is generally aligned with said upper conveyor, said platform when in said lower position having the rear end disposed adjacent and substantially aligned with the input end of said lower conveyor so that the platform is slightly downwardly inclined as it projects from the front end to the rear end and is substantially aligned with said lower conveyor;

(d) said support platform including a plurality of horizontally elongate support rollers disposed in generally parallel and sidewardly spaced relationship, said support rollers extending sidewardly and being disposed in the region extending from the rear end to the front end so as to define a support surface for the container, said platform having a container stop projecting upwardly above the support rollers adjacent said front end;

(e) said first lifting means being disposed for direct cooperation with said platform adjacent the front end thereof for defining said first pivot point, for permitting vertical displacement of said front end between upper and lower front end positions while said second pivot point remains substantially stationary, and for permitting the front end of said platform to be disposed at any intermediate position between said upper and lower front end positions; and

(f) said second lifting means coacting with said platform adjacent the rear end thereof for defining said second pivot point and for permitting raising and lowering of said rear end between upper and lower positions while said first pivot point remains substantially stationary, wherein said rear end is respectively adjacent and aligned with the adjacent end of the upper and lower conveyors.

6. A container handler for incorporation into an over-and-under conveyor system, said handler comprising:

frame means including a pair of stationarily fixed, sidewardly-spaced upright frames;

a container support platform having means defining thereon a generally upwardly facing support surface for supporting a container, said support platform being positioned generally sidewardly between said side frames and having front and rear ends;

container stop means fixedly and nonmovably secured to said support platform adjacent the front end thereof and projecting upwardly above the support surface for preventing movement of containers beyond said front end;

vertically slidable guide means for permitting the front end of said support platform to be vertically moved between upper and lower front end positions;

first lifting means coupled with said support platform in the vicinity of the front end thereof for vertically raising and lowering the front end of said support platform, and said container stop means fixed thereto, between said upper and lower positions, and for permitting the front end of said support platform and said container stop means to be disposed at any location between said upper and lower positions; and

second lifting means connected with said support platform in the vicinity of the rear end thereof for permitting the rear end to be vertically raised and lowered between upper and lower rear end positions.

7. A handler according to claim 6 wherein said first and second lifting means are each actuatable independently of one another to effect movement of the respective end of the support platform between the respective upper and lower end positions.

8. A handler according to claim 6, wherein said frame means includes upper and lower stops for limiting and defining the rear end upper and lower positions of the support platform, and the permissible vertical displacement of the rear end of said support platform being greater than the permissible vertical displacement of the front end of said support platform.

9. A handler according to claim 6, wherein said first lifting means includes a pneumatically inflatable bag vertically cooperating between said frame means and said support platform adjacent the front end thereof.

10. A handler according to claim 6, wherein said second lifting means comprises a pair of lifting levers disposed adjacent opposite sides of the handler and having lower ends thereof pivotally coupled to said frame means and upper ends thereof provided with rollers which rollingly engage bottom surfaces of the side rails adjacent the rear ends thereof, and pneumatic lifting means coupled between said frame means and said lifting levers for controlling vertical swinging movement of said levers.