Multiple tray carriers for early bag storage system

• US 5,575,375 A
• Filed: 05/09/1995
• Issued: 11/19/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jervis B Webb Company (Daifuku Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jervis B Webb Company (Daifuku Company Limited)
• Inventors: Anderson, Donald L., Sandusky, Donald, Taylor, Ronald K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bidwell, James R.
• Application Number:
  US08/437,879
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 198/348, 198/349, 198/347.1, 198/358, 198/349.5, 198/370.02, 198/370.04, 198/370.07, 198/678.1, 198/680, 198/683, 198/685
• US Class Current: 198/358
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/368 Arrangements or installations for routing, distributing or loading baggage
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/133 the circuit being confined in a horizontal plane
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/50 according to destination signals stored in separate systems
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/5109 first In - First Out systems: FIFO

Abstract

A system for the storage of early baggage includes a storage conveyor with multiple tray carriers for receiving early bags from the baggage handling system, for example, of an airport and for discharging early bags onto the baggage handling system. The storage conveyor is arranged in a serpentine fashion for efficient use of horizontal space and includes evenly spaced entry and discharge stations. The system can deliver bags to the baggage handling system in a selected period of time to account for changes in flight departure times or changes in a passenger'"'"'s travel plans.

Claims

1. An apparatus for storing early bags arriving at an airport and for discharging such stored early bags to a make-up operation for a desired departure flight, comprising:

an endless storage conveyor having a plurality of baggage carriers, each of said baggage carriers being equipped with a plurality of trays, each said tray being adapted to receive one of said early bags, said trays being arranged in end-to-end endless fashion and supported for continuous recirculating movement on a path of travel defined by a conveyor track;

induction conveyor means for loading each of said early bags onto a separate one of said baggage carriers;

identification means for identifying each of said early bags and the said baggage carrier onto which it is loaded; and

discharge means adjacent to a portion of said conveyor track for selectively removing early bags from baggage carriers passing said discharge means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said conveyor track is serpentine.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said conveyor track comprises a plurality of vertically spaced tracks.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said conveyor track comprises a plurality of horizontally arranged tracks.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of discharge stations evenly spaced along said conveyor track.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said induction means receives said early bags from a baggage handling system, and said discharge means returns said bags to said baggage handling system.

7. A method for storing early bags arriving at an airport and discharging the stored early bags to a make-up operation for a desired departure flight, comprising the steps of:

providing a storage area for said early bags;

providing in the storage area a continuously driven conveyor equipped with a conveyor track;

providing the conveyor with a plurality of baggage carriers arranged in an end-to-end endless fashion, wherein each carrier is equipped with a plurality of trays, each tray being adapted to receive an early bag, and wherein each carrier is supported for recirculating movement on a path of travel defined by the conveyor track;

identifying and recording each early bag arriving at the airport and its departure flight;

loading each of the identified early bags onto a tray on a baggage carrier, and recording the identity of that tray;

providing discharge means, adjacent to a portion of the path of travel of said baggage carriers, for removing early bags from the carriers;

determining the opening time of the make-up operation for each departure flight; and

selectively removing from the baggage carriers passing by the discharge means early bags for each departure flight, in response to the opening time of the make-up operation of the flight.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

providing an induction conveyor adjacent to at least one portion of the path of travel of the baggage carriers for loading the early bags onto the carriers.

9. A method for storing early bags arriving at an airport and discharging such stored early bags to a make-up operation for a desired departure flight, comprising the steps of:

providing a storage area for said early bags;

installing in said storage area a conveyor system having arranged thereon a plurality of baggage carriers, each carrier comprising a plurality of trays, each of said trays being adapted to receive an early bag, and each carrier supported for recirculating movement on a path of travel defined by a conveyor track;

identifying each early bag and its departure flight, and recording this information;

providing identifying means for identifying each of said baggage carriers;

providing induction conveyor means adjacent to at least one portion of said path of travel of said baggage carriers for loading each of said identified early bags onto one of said baggage carriers;

recording the identity of the carrier onto which each bag is placed;

providing discharge station means adjacent to another portion of said path of travel of said baggage carriers for removing early bags from the baggage carriers;

determining the opening time of said make-up operation for each departure flight; and

selectively removing from said baggage carriers passing by said discharge station means early bags for each departure flight in response to the opening of the make-up operation thereof.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the identifying means also identifies the tray on which a bag is placed.

11. A method according to claim 9 wherein said discharge station means comprises at least two discharge stations substantially equally spaced apart along said conveyor track.

12. A method according to claim 9 wherein said induction conveyor means comprises a plurality of said induction conveyor means spaced apart along said conveyor track.

13. An apparatus for storing early bags, comprising:

a conveyor track;

a plurality of baggage carriers supported from said conveyor track, each of said carriers having a plurality of trays adapted to receive one of said early bags, and each of said carriers equipped on the bottom with a vertically protruding guide plate; and

at least one guide rail segment, substantially parallel to said conveyor track, adapted to receive said guide plate.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

an induction conveyor for loading each of said early bags onto a separate one of said baggage carriers.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

identifying means for identifying each of said early bags and the said baggage carrier onto which it is loaded.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

discharge means, adjacent to a portion of said conveyor track, for selectively discharging early bags from said baggage carriers as they pass said discharge means.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said conveyor track is an inverted conveyor.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said trays are mounted on said carriers in such a way that they will tilt within a limited range.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising locking means for locking said trays in a particular orientation.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said locking means unlocks said trays while said carriers are in a loading or unloading zone, and locks said trays in a predetermined orientation otherwise.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said locking means locks said trays in a first orientation while said carriers are in a loading or unloading zone, and locks said trays in a second orientation otherwise.