Apparatus for loading cans on a pallet

Claim 2

Apparatus for loading cylindrical containers on a pallet comprising a frame, said frame including frame portions defining a pallet loading bin having a bin mouth, a vertically reciprocal lift in said loading bin, means for raising and lowering said lift, a conveyor supported on said frame, the forward end of said conveyor terminating adjacent one end of said loading bin, means for moving said conveyor, a pair of spaced side rails extending along said conveyor and said loading bin, means for adjustably mounting said side rails on said frame along the margins of said conveyor and along the sides of said loading bin, said means affording selective lateral adjustment of said side rails to vary the spacing between said side rails, for the formation of patterns of different size containers, a retractable apron, means for selectively moving said retractable apron from a first position enclosing said mouth of said bin and adjacent to said conveyor and a second position exposing said mouth, a horizontally reciprocal gate, means for forming a pattern of cylindrical containers, said means for forming a pattern of cylindrical containers being carried by said horizontal gate, and means for selectively moving said horizontal gate over said retractable apron between a first position over the forward end of said conveyor to initiate the formation of a pattern of containers rearwardly of the gate and on said conveyor, and a second position adjacent the forward end of said loading bin, said gate confining the forward rank of patterned containers as said gate is moved to said second position and a quantity of patterned containers are moved over said retractable apron under pressure of said conveyor; and means for separating a measured quantity of patterned containers on said retractable apron from the patterned containers remaining on said conveyor and retaining the patterned containers on said conveyor against movement as said apron is retracted to depoSit the measured pattern of containers on a pallet in said loading bin.

Claim 3

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for separating a measured quantity of patterned containers on said retractable apron from the patterned containers remaining on the conveyor includes a dead plate supported on said frame and located adjacent the forward end of said conveyor, a vertically reciprocal clamp located above said dead plate and means for selectively moving said clamp between positions of clamping engagement and nonclamping engagement with containers located on said dead plate.

Claim 4

Apparatus for loading cylindrical containers on a pallet comprising a frame, said frame including frame portions defining a pallet loading bin having a bin mouth, a vertically reciprocal lift in said loading bin, means for raising and lowering said lift, a conveyor supported on said frame, the forward end of said conveyor terminating adjacent one end of said loading bin, means for moving said conveyor, a pair of spaced side rails, out-turned slides on each of said side rails, longitudinally extending slots in each of said slides, out-turned brackets on said frame to support said slides, hand screws extending through said slots and threadably received in said brackets, alignment pins and index holes in said slides and said brackets and indexing indicia on said slides and said brackets to facilitate alignment of said side rails at a plurality of predetermined positions, a retractable apron, means for selectively moving said retractable apron from a first position enclosing said mouth of said bin and adjacent to said conveyor and a second position exposing said mouth, a horizontally reciprocal gate, means for forming a pattern of cylindrical containers, said means for forming a pattern of cylindrical containers being carried by said horizontal gate, and means for selectively moving said horizontal gate over said retractable apron between a first position over the forward end of said conveyor, and a second position adjacent the forward end of said loading bin.

Claim 5

Apparatus for loading cylindrical containers on a pallet comprising a frame, said frame including frame portions defining a pallet loading bin having a bin mouth, a vertically reciprocal lift in said loading bin, means for raising and lowering said lift, a conveyor supported on said frame, the forward end of said conveyor terminating adjacent one end of said loading bin, means for moving said conveyor, a pair of spaced side rails, out-turned slides on each of said side rails, longitudinally extending slots in each of said slides, out-turned brackets on said frame to support said slides, hand screws extending through said slots and threadably received in said brackets, alignment pins and index holes in said slides and said brackets and indexing indicia on said slides and said brackets to facilitate alignment of said side rails at a plurality of predetermined positions, a retractable apron, means for selectively moving said retractable apron from a first position enclosing said mouth of said bin and adjacent to said conveyor and a second position exposing said mouth, a horizontally reciprocal gate, means for forming a pattern of cylindrical containers, said means for forming a pattern of cylindrical containers being carried by said horizontal gate, and means for selectively moving said horizontal gate over said retractable apron between a first position over the forward end of said conveyor, and a second position adjacent the forward end of said loading bin.

Claim 6

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said retractable apron comprises a plurality of spaced tubes, a pair of spaced endless chains, the ends of said tubes being rotatably connected to said chains.

Claim 7

Apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein said means for selectively moving said retractable apron comprises a first cross shaft, a pair of drive sprockets carried by said first cross shaft, said first cross shaft being located forwardly of said loading bin and spaced upwardly from the mouth of said loading bin, second and third cross shafts, a pair of sprockets located on each of said second and third cross shafts and in engagement with each of said chains, a fourth cross shaft located adjacent the forward end of said conveyor and the other side of said loading bin, a pair of sprockets carried by said fourth cross shaft, said sprockets being in engagement with said chains, and a reversible hydraulic motor connected to said first cross shaft, whereby energization of said hydraulic motor causes said retractable apron to be withdrawn vertically upwardly.

Claim 8

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for forming a pattern of cans carried by said horizontal gate comprises a pattern forming element having a series of spaced semicylindrical dies interconnected by a web, said web being detachably secured to said horizontal gate.

Claim 9

Apparatus for loading cylindrical containers on a pallet comprising a frame, said frame including frame portions defining a pallet loading bin having a bin mouth, a vertically reciprocal lift in said loading bin, means for raising and lowering said lift, a conveyor supported on said frame, the forward end of said conveyor terminating adjacent one end of said loading bin, means for moving said conveyor, a pair of spaced side rails, means for adjustably mounting said side rails on said frame along the margins of said conveyor and along the sides of said loading bin, said adjustable mountinG means affording selective lateral adjustment of said side rails to vary the spacing between said side rails, a retractable apron, means for selectively moving said retractable apron from a first position enclosing said mouth of said bin and adjacent to said conveyor and a second position exposing said mouth, a horizontally reciprocal gate, means for forming a pattern of cylindrical containers, carried by said horizontal gate, and means for selectively moving said horizontal gate over said retractable apron between a first position over the forward end of said conveyor, and a second position adjacent the forward end of said loading bin, said last named means including a pair of endless chains located on opposite sides of said bin mouth, a pair of brackets extending from said gate, said brackets being connected to said chains, each of said brackets including trolley wheels, and said frame including a track on each side of said bin mouth for guiding said trolley wheels and reversible means to drive said chains to move said horizontal gate to said first and second positions.

Claim 10

Apparatus for loading cylindrical containers on a pallet comprising a frame, said frame including frame portions defining a pallet loading bin having a bin mouth, a vertically reciprocal lift in said loading bin, means for raising and lowering said lift, a conveyor supported on said frame, the forward end of said conveyor terminating adjacent one end of said loading bin, means for moving said conveyor, a pair of spaced side rails, means for adjustably mounting said side rails on said frame along the margins of said conveyor and along the sides of said loading bin, said adjustable mountinG means affording selective lateral adjustment of said side rails to vary the spacing between said side rails, a retractable apron, means for selectively moving said retractable apron from a first position enclosing said mouth of said bin and adjacent to said conveyor and a second position exposing said mouth, a horizontally reciprocal gate, means for forming a pattern of cylindrical containers, carried by said horizontal gate, and means for selectively moving said horizontal gate over said retractable apron between a first position over the forward end of said conveyor, and a second position adjacent the forward end of said loading bin, said last named means including a pair of endless chains located on opposite sides of said bin mouth, a pair of brackets extending from said gate, said brackets being connected to said chains, each of said brackets including trolley wheels, and said frame including a track on each side of said bin mouth for guiding said trolley wheels and reversible means to drive said chains to move said horizontal gate to said first and second positions.

Claim 11

Apparatus in accordance with claim 7 including a forward stop engageable with said horizontal gate, said forward stop being actuatable to afford first and second forward stop positions, said first position determining the forward extent of the measured layer of containers carried by said retractable apron, said second position affording movement of said pattern forming element from engagement with containers on said apron to release the pressure on the containers to facilitate deposition of the containers on a pallet under said retractable apron.

Claim 12

Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said means for selectively moving said clamp between positions of clamping engagement and nonclamping engagement with containers comprises a cross frame which spans the width of said conveyor, said cross frame being connected to said frame, a cross head, means connecting said cross head to said frame to afford vertical height adjustment of said cross head, a clamping bar, a plurality of toggle linkages, each of said toggle linkages including first and second links, said first links being pivotally connected to said cross head and said second links being pivotally connected at the other end of said clamping bar, a push rod connected to the pivotal connections between said first and second links of said toggle linkages, a hydraulic cylinder having a piston rod and a link connecting said piston rod to said push rod, and means for biasing said clamping bar to a position of nonclamping engagement with containers carried by said conveyor.

Claim 13

Apparatus for loading cylindrical containers in patterned layers on a pallet and for removing containers from a pallet, said apparatus comprising a frame, a conveyor belt supported on said frame, said conveyor belt having an upper surface having a sufficiently low coefficient of friction to afford slipping and shifting of containers carried by said belt under pressure of said conveyor belt when forward movement of cans on said conveyor belt is arrested, a retractable platform located at the forward end of said conveyor, a pair of spaced side rails extending along the margins of said conveyor and said retractable platform, means for adjustably mounting said side rails on said frame, said means affording selective lateral adjustment of said side rails to vary the spacing therebetween, means cooperating with said side rails and said conveyor for initiating the formation of a predetermined pattern of containers on said conveyor, means for selectively moving said means for initiating a pattern between a first position over said forward end of said conveyor and a second position remote from said conveyor for measuring a predetermined quantity of containers on said retractable platform as patterned containers are moved onto said platform under pressure of said conveyor and means located adjacent the forward end of said conveyor and movable into engagement with containers carried on said conveyor to arrest forward movement of containers on said conveyor and separate the containers on said conveyor from the measured pattern of containers on said retractable platform, a vertically reciprocal lift adjacent the forward end of said conveyor for supporting pallets, and means for selectively moving said retractable platform between a first position adjacent the forward end of said conveyor and over a pallet carried by said lift to receive patterned containers carried by said conveyor and to a second position remote from said conveyor to expose a pallet carried by said lift and progressively deposit patterned containers from said platform on to said pallet in the predetermined pattern.

Claim 14

Apparatus for loading cylindrical containers in patterned layers on a pallet and for removing containers from a pallet, said apparatus comprising a frame, a conveyor belt supported on said frame, said conveyor belt having an upper surface having a sufficiently low coefficient of friction to afford slipping and shifting of containers carried by said belt under pressure of said conveyor belt when forward movement of cans on said conveyor belt is arrested, a retractable platform located at the forward end of said conveyor, a pair of spaced side rails extending along the margins of said conveyor and said retractable platform, means for adjustably mounting said side rails on said frame, said means affording selective lateral adjustment of said side rails to vary the spacing therebetween, means cooperating with said side rails and said conveyor for initiating the formation of a predetermined pattern of containers on said conveyor, means for selectively moving said means for initiating a pattern between a first position over said forward end of said conveyor and a second position remote from said conveyor for measuring a predetermined quantity of containers on said retractable platform as patterned containers are moved onto said platform under pressure of said conveyor and means located adjacent the forward end of said conveyor and movable into engagement with containers carried on said conveyor to arrest forward movement of containers on said conveyor and separate the containers on said conveyor from the measured pattern of containers on said retractable platform, a vertically reciprocal lift adjacent the forward end of said conveyor for supporting pallets, and means for selectively moving said retractable platform between a first position adjacent the forward end of said conveyor and over a pallet carried by said lift to receive patterned containers carried by said conveyor and to a second position remote from said conveyor to expose a pallet carried by said lift and progressively deposit patterned containers from said platform on to said pallet in the predetermined pattern.

Claim 15

Apparatus for depositing containers in patterned layers on a pallet comprising a frame, a conveyor carried by said frame, a retractable platform supported on said frame, means for selectively moving said platform between a first position adjacent the forward end of said conveyor for receiving patterned containers carried by said conveyor, and a second position remote from the forward end of said conveyor, a pair of spaced side rails, means for mounting said side rails on said frame along the margins of said conveyor belt at a predetermined spacing, a horizontally reciprocal gate selectively movable over said retractable platform between a first position over the forward end of said conveyor and a second position remote from the forward end of said conveyor, pattern forming means carried by said horizontal gate, said pattern forming means cooperating with said side rails to provide a pattern forming zone for confining and arresting forward movement of containers carried by said conveyor adjacent the forward end thereof to cause lateral shifting and adjustments of containers into a predetermined pattern, under pressure by said conveyor, a clamp located adjacent the forward end of said conveyor, means for selectively moving said clamp between positions of clamping and nonclamping engagement with containers carried by said conveyor, said clamp cooperating with said horizontally reciprocal gate to measure a predetermined quantity of patterned containers carried by said conveyor and arrest movement and separate patterned containers from the measured quantity and retain a quantity of patterned containers adjacent the forward end of said conveyor to guide movement of containers into said predetermined pattern, said pattern forming means and said horizontal gate being movable to the remote position over the platform at a speed such that the forward rank of patterned containers is in continual engagement with said pattern forming means to maintain the integrity of said pattern, said horizontal gate and said pattern forming means also arresting forward movement of a measured pattern of containers in its remote position as said retractable apron is withdrawn from beneath said measured layer of said containers to deposit the measured layer of patterned containers upon a pallet located under said retractable platform.

Claim 16

Apparatus for depositing containers in patterned layers on a pallet comprising a frame, a conveyor carried by said frame, a retractable platform supported on said frame, means for selectively moving said platform between a first position adjacent the forward end of said conveyor for receiving patterned containers carried by said conveyor, and a second position remote from the forward end of said conveyor, a pair of spaced side rails, means for mounting said side rails on said frame along the margins of said conveyor belt at a predetermined spacing, a horizontally reciprocal gate selectively movable over said retractable platform between a first position over the forward end of said conveyor and a second position remote from the forward end of said conveyor, pattern forming means carried by said horizontal gate, said pattern forming means cooperating with said side rails to provide a pattern forming zone for confining and arresting forward movement of containers carried by said conveyor adjacent the forward end thereof to cause lateral shifting and adjustments of containers into a predetermined pattern, under pressure by said conveyor, a clamp located adjacent the forward end of said conveyor, means for selectively moving said clamp between positions of clamping and nonclamping engagement with containers carried by said conveyor, said clamp cooperating with said horizontally reciprocal gate to measure a predetermined quantity of patterned containers carried by said conveyor and arrest movement and separate patterned containers from the measured quantity and retain a quantity of patterned containers adjacent the forward end of said conveyor to guide movement of containers into said predetermined pattern, said pattern forming means and said horizontal gate being movable to the remote position over the platform at a speed such that the forward rank of patterned containers is in continual engagement with said pattern forming means to maintain the integrity of said pattern, said horizontal gate and said pattern forming means also arresting forward movement of a measured pattern of containers in its remote position as said retractable apron is withdrawn from beneath said measured layer of said containers to deposit the measured layer of patterned containers upon a pallet located under said retractable platform.

Claim 17

Apparatus for loading containers on a pallet comprising a frame, said frame including frame portions defining a pallet loading bin having a bin mouth, a vertically reciprocal lift in said loading bin, means for raising and lowering said lift, a retractable apron, means for selectively moving said retractable apron from a first position enclosing said mouth of said bin and a second position exposing said mouth to afford deposition of containers from said retractable apron onto pallets carried by said vertically reciprocal lift upon retraction of said apron beneath containers carried by said apron, a conveyor, having an upper run extending to adjacent said loading bin, means engageable with the tops of containers to arrest forward movement of containers carried by said conveyor, a horizontally reciprocal gate carrying pattern forming means, means for moving said gate between a first position over said conveyor to initiate the formation of a pattern of containers, as containers aRe moved against said pattern forming means by said conveyor and a second position remote from said first position and over said retractable apron to measure a quantity of patterned containers and a third position forwardly of said second position to release pressure on the forward rank of containers on said apron when pressure of the conveyor on the measured pattern of containers is interrupted by actuation of said means engageable with the tops of containers to arrest forward movement of containers and prior to retraction of said retractable apron from beneath said measured quantity of containers on said apron.

Claim 18

Apparatus for loading containers on a pallet comprising a frame, said frame including frame portions defining a pallet loading bin having a bin mouth, a vertically reciprocal lift in said loading bin, means for raising and lowering said lift, a retractable apron, means for selectively moving said retractable apron from a first position enclosing said mouth of said bin and a second position exposing said mouth to afford deposition of containers from said retractable apron onto pallets carried by said vertically reciprocal lift upon retraction of said apron beneath containers carried by said apron, a conveyor, having an upper run extending to adjacent said loading bin, means engageable with the tops of containers to arrest forward movement of containers carried by said conveyor, a horizontally reciprocal gate carrying pattern forming means, means for moving said gate between a first position over said conveyor to initiate the formation of a pattern of containers, as containers aRe moved against said pattern forming means by said conveyor and a second position remote from said first position and over said retractable apron to measure a quantity of patterned containers and a third position forwardly of said second position to release pressure on the forward rank of containers on said apron when pressure of the conveyor on the measured pattern of containers is interrupted by actuation of said means engageable with the tops of containers to arrest forward movement of containers and prior to retraction of said retractable apron from beneath said measured quantity of containers on said apron.