Coil handling apparatus

Claim 1

A COIL HANDLING APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A LOADING TURNSTILE HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED OUTWARDLY EXTENDING ARMS THEREON, A CARRIAGE DISPOSED ON EACH OF SAID ARMS FOR RECEIVING A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY DISPOSED COILS THEREON, MEANS FOR PROGRESSIVELY INDEXING SAID ARMS FROM A LOADING POSITION TO A COIL DISCHARGING POSITION, A COIL LAY-DOWN DEVICE DISPOSED TO BE PIVOTALLY MOVED FROM A VERTICAL POSITION ADJACENT SAID COIL DISCHARGING POSITION OF SAID LOADING TURNSTILE TO A HORIZONTAL COIL DISCHARGING POSITION, MEANS CARRIED BY SAID LAY-DOWN DEVICE DISPOSED TO BE OPERATED TO GRIP THE EXTERNAL COIL CARRIED ON SAID CARRIAGE WHEN THE LAY-DOWN DEVICE IS IN SAID VERTICAL POSITION AND TO RELEASE SAID COIL WHEN THE LAY-DOWN DEVICE IS IN ITS HORIZONTAL COIL DISCHARGING POSITION, MEANS DISPOSED TO BE ACTUATED TO MOVE SAID CARRIAGE FORWARD AFTER A COIL IS REMOVED THEREFROM TO ADVANCE THE NEXT EXTERNAL COIL CARRIED THEREBY TO A POSITION TO BE GRIPPED BY SAID GRIPPING MEANS OF SAID LAY-DOWN DEVICE, A BANDING TABLE DISPOSED WITH A COIL RECEIVING SURFACE THEREON HAVING ONE END DISPOSED TO RECEIVE A COIL FROM SAID HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED LAY-DOWN DEVICE, A LIFT-OFF DEVICE DISPOSED TO RECEIVE A COIL AT THE OTHER END OF SAID TABLE, A BANDING MACHINE DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID TABLE AND INTERMEDIATE SAID HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED LAY-DOWN DEVICE AND SAID LIFT-OFF DEVICE FOR OPERATION TO BAND A COIL IN A POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIDISTANT FROM SAID LAY-DOWN DEVICE AND SAID LIFT-OFF DEVICE, SECOND INDEXING MEANS DISPOSED FOR OPERATION TO ENGAGE AND PROGRESSIVELY MOVE A COIL FROM SAID LAY-DOWN DEVICE TO SAID BANDING POSITION AND FROM THENCE TO SAID LIFT-OFF DEVICE IN TWO DISTINCT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL STEPS, MEANS FOR REMOVING SAID SECOND INDEXING MEANS FROM ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COIL AT EACH OF SAID BANDING POSITION AND SAID LIFT-OFF DEVICE, SAID SECOND INDEXING MEANS BEING EFFECTIVE TO SIMULTANEOUSLY MOVE A COIL FROM SAID BANDING POSITION TO SAID LIFT-OFF DEVICE AND A COIL FROM SAID LAY-DOWN DEVICE TO SAID BANDING POSITION, A DISCHARGE TURNSTILE HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED COIL RECEIVING BEDS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM AND DISPOSED TO BE PROGRESSIVELY INDEXED FROM A COIL RECEIVING POSITION BENEATH SAID LIFT-OFF DEVICE TO A COIL DISCHARGE POSITION, MEANS DISPOSED TO ACTUATE SAID LIFT-OFF DEVICE TO LOWER A COIL THEREON AND DEPOSIT THE COIL ON ONE OF SAID COIL RECEIVING BEDS IN SAID COIL RECEIVING POSITION, AND RELEASABLE MEANS DISPOSED TO BE OPERATED TO LOCK SAID DISCHARGE TURNSTILE TO MAINTAIN THE BEDS THEREOF IN SAID POSITIONS.