Article providing apparatus capable of being installed in a smaller site

• US 6,199,722 B1
• Filed: 07/06/1999
• Issued: 03/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanden Corporation (Qingdao Huatong State-Owned Capital Operation (Group) Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sanden Corporation (Qingdao Huatong State-Owned Capital Operation (Group) Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ohgi, Tetsuhide
• Primary Examiner(s): Bollinger, David H.
• Application Number:
  US09/347,257
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 221/79, 221/87, 221/123, 221/126, 221/129, 221/130, 221/131, 221/133
• US Class Current: 221/123
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0407 using stacker cranes constructional features of stacker cranes B66F9/06

Abstract

In an article providing apparatus, a storage rack (11) has at a front face thereof a loading portion for loading articles into the storage rack. A conveying robot (12) is movable right and left along a rear face of the storage rack. Responsive to a command produced in an operational unit (15), the conveying robot picks up, as a designated article, one of the articles rearwardly from the storage rack and conveys the designated article with movement thereof. A conveyor (13) is adjacent to a side face of the storage rack and receives the designated article from the conveying robot to convey the designated article forward. The operational unit is placed in front of the conveyor and receives the designated article from the conveyor.

Claims

1. An article providing apparatus including a storage rack for storing articles therein, an operational unit for designating, as a designated article, one of said articles, and conveyance means for conveying said designated article from said storage rack to said operational unit, said storage rack having a front face, a rear face opposite to said front face, and side faces extending between said front and said rear faces and opposite to each other, said conveyance means comprising:

a conveying robot movable right and left along the rear face of said storage rack for picking up said designated article rearwardly from said storage rack and conveying said designated article with movement thereof; and

a conveyor disposed in a side space beside said storage rack adjacent to one of the side faces of said storage rack for receiving said designated article from said conveying robot to convey said designated article forward through said side space beside said storage rack, said operational unit being placed in front of said conveyor to receive said designated article from said conveyor, the front face of said storage rack having a loading portion for loading said articles into said storage rack.

2. An article providing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a sample showcase for showing a sample, said sample showcase being placed to cover the front face of said storage rack and being displaceable to enable said articles be loaded into said storage rack through the front face of said storage rack.

3. An article providing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said operational unit is placed in a space which is in front of said conveyor and adjacent to a side of said sample showcase.

4. An article providing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said operational unit has a front to which a delivery port is formed for delivering said designated article therethrough.

5. An article providing apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-4, wherein said storage rack is divided into a plurality of parts.