Palletizing or depalletizing unstable articles utilizing article group pick-up and transfer
First Claim
1. A device for at least one of palletizing and depalletizing containers having a neck portion, said device comprising:
- first and second areas different ones of which are at a palletizing-depalletizing station and a load-unload station with containers at said first area arranged in plural rows for conveyance to said second area; and
a conveyor movable between said first and second areas and having a plurality of pick-up units each of which is associated with a different one of said plural rows of containers at said first area with each of said pick-up units having a mechanically movable engaging assembly which engages with the neck portions of plural containers in said associated row of containers at said first area to enable said conveyor to pick up and remove plural rows of containers with plural containers in each said row at said first area and transfer said removed containers to said second area for deposit thereat.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Palletizing or depalletizing unstable articles is disclosed. A first conveyor, connected with a first carriage, has a plurality of pick-up units, each with mechanically movable elongated arms, to engage plural articles in different ones of associated rows of articles at a first area, located at either a load station or at a depalletizing station, enabling pick up and removal of articles by groups (normally layers) in plural rows with plural articles in each row, and transfer of the removed articles from the first area to a second area, located at either a palletizing station or at an unload station, for deposit of the articles thereat. An adjustor unit varies the spacing between the pick-up units, a second conveyor, connected with a second carriage, deposits and removes spacer sheets at the palletizing-depalletizing station that also has an orienting unit to assure orienting of articles at the palletizing-depalletizing station, and an additional conveyor unit transfers articles by groups to the load-unload station.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A device for at least one of palletizing and depalletizing containers having a neck portion, said device comprising:
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first and second areas different ones of which are at a palletizing-depalletizing station and a load-unload station with containers at said first area arranged in plural rows for conveyance to said second area; and
a conveyor movable between said first and second areas and having a plurality of pick-up units each of which is associated with a different one of said plural rows of containers at said first area with each of said pick-up units having a mechanically movable engaging assembly which engages with the neck portions of plural containers in said associated row of containers at said first area to enable said conveyor to pick up and remove plural rows of containers with plural containers in each said row at said first area and transfer said removed containers to said second area for deposit thereat. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A device for at least one of palletizing and depalletizing articles, said device comprising:
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first and second areas different ones of which are at a palletizing-depalletizing station and a load-unload station with articles at said first area arranged in plural rows for conveyance to said second area;
a conveyor movable between said first and second areas and having a plurality of pick-up units each of which is associated with a different one of said plural rows of articles at said first area with each of said pick-up units having a mechanically movable article engaging assembly engagable with plural articles in said associated row of articles at said first area to enable said conveyor to pick up and remove plural rows of articles with plural articles in each said row at said first area and transfer said removed articles to said second area for deposit thereat;
a carriage connected with said conveyor and causing said conveyor to be moved after said deposit of the articles at said palletizing-depalletizing station; and
an orienting unit for orienting articles deposited by said conveyor at said palletizing-depalletizing station when said second area is at said palletizing-depalletizing station, and wherein said orienting unit includes a frame having article engaging fences mounted thereon to cause the articles to be oriented upon movement of said fences toward the articles after said carriage has caused said conveyor to be moved following deposit of the articles at said palletizing-depalletizing station. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. A device for at least one of palletizing and depalletizing articles, said device comprising:
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first and second areas different ones of which are at a palletizing-depalletizing station and a load-unload station with articles at said first area arranged in plural rows for conveyance to said second area;
a conveyor movable between said first and second areas and having a plurality of pick-up units each of which is associated with a different one of said plural rows of articles at said first area with each of said pick-up units having a mechanically movable article engaging assembly engagable with plural articles in said associated row of articles at said first area to enable said conveyor to pick up and remove plural rows of articles with plural articles in each said row at said first area and transfer said removed articles to said second area for deposit thereat;
a movable carriage and a support structure for said movable carriage whereby said movable carriage is movable in at least opposite horizontal directions, and wherein said conveyor is connected with said movable carriage to enable movement of said conveyor upwardly in a vertical path to remove said articles from said first area, horizontally to a position over said second area, and downwardly in a vertical path to deposit said articles at said second area;
a spacer sheet area;
a second movable carriage mounted on said support structure whereby said second movable carriage is movable in at least opposite horizontal directions; and
a second conveyor connected with said second movable carriage to enable transfer of spacer sheets between said spacer sheet area and said palletizing-depalletizing station. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. A device for at least one of palletizing and depalletizing articles, said device comprising:
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first and second areas different ones of which are at a palletizing-depalletizing station and a load-unload station with articles at said first area arranged in plural rows for conveyance to said second area;
a conveyor movable between said first and second areas and having a plurality of pick-up units each of which is associated with a different one of said plural rows of articles at said first area with each of said pick-up units having a mechanically movable article engaging assembly engagable with plural articles in said associated row of articles at said first area to enable said conveyor to pick up and remove plural rows of articles with plural articles in each said row at said first area and transfer said removed articles to said second area for deposit thereat; and
a pick-up unit space adjustor connected with said plurality of pick-up units of said conveyor to uniformly adjust the spacing between said plurality of pick-up units as needed. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. A device for at least one of palletizing and depalletizing bottles having a neck portion, said device comprising:
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first and second areas different ones of which are at a palletizing-depalletizing station and a load-unload station with bottles at said first area arranged in longitudinally extending plural rows;
a conveyor movable between said first and second areas and having a plurality of pick-up units each of which is associated with a different one of said plural longitudinally extending rows of bottles at said first area with each of said pick-up units having first and second elongated engaging arms extending longitudinally along and at opposite sides of said neck portions of said bottles of said associated plural row of bottles;
a conveyor control assembly for controlling movement of said conveyor between said first and second areas; and
an arm control assembly for when causes said first and second engaging arms of each of said pick-up units to be urged toward one another to engage said neck portions of said bottles of said associated plural row of bottles to enable said conveyor to pick up and remove bottles at said first area by groups with each said group having plural rows of bottles with plural bottles in each said row when said conveyor is at said first area, and said arm control assembly also causing said first and second engaging arms of each of said pick-up units to be urged away from one another to release said bottles when said conveyor is at said second area. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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20. A device for at least one of palletizing and depalletizing unstable articles, said device comprising:
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first and second areas different ones of which are at a palletizing-depalletizing station and a load-unload station with articles at said first area arranged in plural rows for conveyance to said second area;
a conveyor having a plurality of pick-up units each of which is associated with a different one of said plural rows of articles at said first area with each of said pick-up units having at least one article engaging portion engagable with plural articles in said associated row of articles at said first area to enable said conveyor to engage and remove plural rows of articles with plural articles in each said row at said first area and transfer said articles to said second area; and
a pick-up unit space adjustor having a space determining unit connected with said plurality of pick-up units of said conveyor for varying the spacing between said plurality of pick-up units as needed to enable engagement of said at least one article engaging portion of each said pick-up unit with said plural articles in each said associated row of articles at said first area. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method for at least one of palletizing and depalletizing containers having a neck portion, said method comprising:
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providing first and second areas different ones of which are at a palletizing-depalletizing station and a load-unload station;
arranging containers with a neck portion at said first area in plural rows;
providing a conveyor movable between said first and second areas and having a plurality of pick-up units each of which is associated with a different one of said plural rows of containers at said first area with each of said pick-up units having relatively movable elongated arms;
moving said conveyor to said first area and causing said elongated arms of each of said pick-up units to engage the neck portions of plural containers in said associated row of containers at said first area;
moving said conveyor from said first area to cause removal of plural rows of containers with plural containers in each row from said first area; and
moving said conveyor to said second area and causing said elongated arms to be disengaged from the neck portions of said removed containers transferred by said conveyor from said first area to said second area to thereby deposit the transferred containers at said second area. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method for at least one of palletizing and depalletizing articles, said method comprising:
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providing first and second areas different ones of which are at a palletizing-depalletizing station and a load-unload station;
arranging articles at said first area in plural rows;
providing a conveyor movable between said first and second areas and having a plurality of pick-up units each of which is associated with a different one of said plural rows of articles at said first area with each of said pick-up units having relatively movable elongated arms;
moving said conveyor to said first area and causing said elongated arms of each of said pick-up units to engage plural articles in said associated row of articles at said first area;
moving said conveyor from said first area to cause removal of the articles from the first area in a predetermined article pattern having plural rows of articles with plural articles in each row;
moving said conveyor to said second area and adjusting the spacing between the articles during said moving of the articles to said second area;
depositing the articles at said second area in a predetermined article pattern different from said predetermined article pattern of the articles removed from said first area; and
causing said elongated arms to be disengaged from said removed articles transferred by said conveyor from said first area to said second area.
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33. A device for at least one of palletizing and depalletizing containers having a neck portion, said device comprising:
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first and second areas different ones of which are at a palletizing-depalletizing station and a load-unload station with containers at said first area arranged in plural rows for conveyance to said second area; and
a conveyor movable between said first and second areas and having a mechanically movable engaging assembly engagable with the neck portions of plural containers in said plural rows of containers at said first area to enable said conveyor to pick up and remove plural rows of containers with plural containers in each said row at said first area and transfer said removed containers to said second area for deposit thereat. - View Dependent Claims (34)
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Specification