US3620383A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Brick-handling apparatus
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1970-01-27
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Granted: 1971-11-16
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Expires: 1990-01-27
Abstract
Abstract Brick handling and stacking apparatus including a carriage mounted for movement on a gantry between a pickup station and a release station, a pickup head, mounted for vertical movement on a carriage, in the form of a plurality of platen members carried by support brackets slidably mounted on a horizontal support for movement to predetermined positions thereon, piston and cylinder units for moving the platen members along the support, and a plurality of stop members disposed at spaced positions adjacent the horizontal support.
Inventors
- 👤 David John Ingram
- 👤 Geoffrey James Eagles
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 22:46
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G57/00; B65G57/02; B65G57/16; B65G57/20; B65G57/22; B65G57/26; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S414/00; Y10S414/10; Y10S414/11
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
193 words
A brick-handling apparatus comprising: a carriage mounted on a gantry for movement between a pickup station and a release station, and a pickup head mounted for up and down movement on the carriage the pickup head comprising a plurality of aligned platen members capable of picking up a selectively predetermined number of bricks disposed in longitudinal alignment at the pickup station and of releasing them at the release station, wherein the platen members are carried by support brackets which are slidably mounted on a horizontal support to permit the platen members to be moved from their pickup positions on the support to spaced positions along the support, driving means including piston and cylinder units each associated with a group of at least one support bracket and coupled thereto through a rope and pulley system for producing said movement of the platen members along the support following the engagement of the bricks by the platen members, and stop means incorporating a plurality of axially fixed stop members disposed at spaced positions adjacent the support for arresting the platen members in positions corresponding to the spaces required between the bricks released at said release station.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
193 words
A brick-handling apparatus comprising: a carriage mounted on a gantry for movement between a pickup station and a release station, and a pickup head mounted for up and down movement on the carriage the pickup head comprising a plurality of aligned platen members capable of picking up a selectively predetermined number of bricks disposed in longitudinal alignment at the pickup station and of releasing them at the release station, wherein the platen members are carried by support brackets which are slidably mounted on a horizontal support to permit the platen members to be moved from their pickup positions on the support to spaced positions along the support, driving means including piston and cylinder units each associated with a group of at least one support bracket and coupled thereto through a rope and pulley system for producing said movement of the platen members along the support following the engagement of the bricks by the platen members, and stop means incorporating a plurality of axially fixed stop members disposed at spaced positions adjacent the support for arresting the platen members in positions corresponding to the spaces required between the bricks released at said release station.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
58 words
A brick-handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said driving means includes at least two piston and cylinder units operable to produce a separation of the respective support brackets, and wherein said stop means is in the form of a bar extending parallel tO the support and having the stop member disposed at fixed stop positions along it.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
68 words
A brick-handling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the stop bar has a plurality of lines of stop members having different sets of spacings disposed around its axis and the stop bar is rotatably mounted to permit an appropriate line of stop members to be brought into an operative position for arresting the platen members in positions corresponding to the spacing of the stop members in that line.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
72 words
A brick-handling apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said driving means includes a drive member common to two or more support brackets and a differentially acting pulley system providing a continuous drive to the respective support brackets and permitting each to be stopped in turn by its respective stop member while allowing the movement of the remaining bracket or brackets to continue until all have been arrested in their required spaced positions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
A brick-handling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the drive member comprises a double-acting hydraulic or pneumatic piston and cylinder unit arranged to act on the said differentially acting pulley system.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
99 words
A brick-handling apparatus according to claim 1, in which the platen members carry vacuum pickup pads adapted for engaging and picking up a selected number of bricks from a line of bricks at the pickup station and for setting the bricks down in a line at the release station, wherein the platen members are pivoted to the separable support brackets so that they are capable of movement through 90* between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane to permit the bricks carried thereby to be selectively set down at the release station either on their edges or their faces.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
109 words
A brick-handling apparatus according to claim 1, including at the pickup station a main support carrying a line of support members, means for feeding bricks in abutting end-to-end relationship longitudinally onto the support from one end of the line of members, stop means for arresting the movement of the bricks when the leading brick reaches the furthest support member, each support member being positioned for a supporting a respective brick, separating means for producing a uniform separation of the support members when the bricks are supported thereby so as to space apart the bricks to positions corresponding to the pickup positions of the aligned platen members on their support.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
156 words
A brick-handling apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the separating means includes a first drive member designed to move said furthest support member in the direction of feed of the bricks so as to produce an initial separation of the support members, and for stopping said movement when the brick supported by said furthest support member occupies a position corresponding to the pickup position of the respective platen member, so as to hold the support member in this position, a second drive member designed to move the support member at the opposite end of the line in the opposite direction to produce a further separation of the support members, and for arresting said movement when the brick supported by said opposite end support member occupies a position corresponding to the pickup position of the respective platen member, and means coupling the support members which permits them to be separated but maintains a uniform spacing between them.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
57 words
A brick-handling apparatus according to claim 8, including switch means positioned so as to be engaged and actuated by the brick carried by said opposite end support member when the brick reaches a position corresponding to the pickup position of the respective platen member, the actuation of which switch terminates the operation of said second drive member.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
A brick-handling apparatus according to claim 9, wherein adjacent pairs of supports are connected by equally tensioned spring couplings.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3262594A
Cited
US3270897A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-11-15 | 1975-05-17 | 1975-11-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-11-15 | 1979-05-17 | 1979-11-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-11-15 | 1983-05-17 | 1983-11-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |