GRAB APPARATUS FOR HANDLING BINS OR CASES

• US 20110037283A1
• Filed: 06/15/2010
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Original Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Inventors: Baier, Alexander, Kirschner, Peter, WEGENER, Kai
• Granted Patent: US 8,376,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 294/81.61
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/36 by grippers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/90 Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 1/28 Duplicate, e.g. pivoted, members engaging the loads from two sides

Abstract

An apparatus for grabbing and lifting a case having side walls each formed with a hole has a plurality of grabs each having a plurality of pivotal lift arms each having a lower end provided with a horizontally projecting finger engageable into one of the holes. The fingers of each grab are vertically offset from one another.

Claims

1. In an apparatus for grabbing and lifting a case having side walls each formed with a hole, the improvement comprising:

a plurality of grabs each having a plurality of pivotal lift arms each having a lower end provided with a horizontally projecting finger engageable into one of the holes, the fingers of each grab being vertically offset from one another.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the arms are generally vertical and all the fingers of each grab project horizontally in the same direction from the respective arms.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein each grab has a support in which upper ends of the arms are independently pivotal.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein the arms of each grab are pivotal about a common axis.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 4 wherein one of the arms has a cutout and another of the arms has a lower end accommodated in the cutout, wherein one of the one and other arms is bent so that its lower end is offset from its upper end.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 5 wherein the lower ends of the one and of the other arm are movable on pivoting of the respective arms in a common plane.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein the arms of each grab are of different lengths between the respective common pivot axis and the respective lower ends.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein each grab includes respective springs biasing the arms into a position with the fingers vertically one above the other.

9. The apparatus defined in claim 8 wherein each grab is provided with respective means for adjusting the force of the springs.

10. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein each grab is provided with a horizontal shaft on which the support is fixed and that defines the respective common axis.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 10, further comprising

a drive for pivoting the shaft and the supports for pressing the fingers against one of the sides of the case with at least one of the fingers engaging into the respective hole.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein the fingers of the two grabs are directed toward or away from each other.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein the fingers of the two grabs are aligned or offset from one another.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein each grab has three such arms with respective fingers.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein each grab has a brace arm engageable with an inside face of a respective side of the case.

16. An apparatus for grabbing and lifting a case having side walls each formed with a hole, the apparatus comprising two horizontally spaced grabs each having

a support;

a plurality of lift arms pivotal on the support and each having a lower end provided with a horizontally projecting finger engageable into one of the holes, the fingers of each grab being vertically offset from one another;

springs braced between the support and the arms and biasing the lower ends into outer positions one above the other; and

drive means for pivoting the supports and swinging the fingers against respective sides of the case such that at least one of the fingers engages in the respective hole and at least one of the fingers is deflected back out of the outer position.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 16 wherein each grab has one lift arm with a finger directly above the finger of another of the lift arms of the respective grab, the finger of the other lift arm being cut out to accommodate the finger of the one lift arm.