Apparatus for loading bagged mail from a loading dock into a highway vehicle

Claim 1

In bulk mail handling apparatus for loading elongated mail bags from a loading dock into the load receiving area of an end loading transport vehicle backed into load receiving position adjacent the dock to dispose its end opening to receive the bags, said apparatus comprising: a conveyor assembly mounted on the loading dock adjacent the load receiving position of the vehicle, said conveyor assembly being positioned to be aligned with the vehicle and its end opening in the load receiving position of the vehicle and mounted for movement into and out of the vehicle, said conveyor assembly including conveyor means presenting an upwardly facing load transporting surface at an elevation for convenient manual lifting of the bags onto the conveyor surface and defining a path of movement for the mail bags that extends longitudinally of said conveyor, said surface being proportioned transversely of the conveyor to accommodate the bags loaded thereon in single file form and oriented to extend longitudinally of the conveyor assembly, with said conveyor assembly including a conveyor section having its forward end extending toward the load receiving position of the vehicle end and mounted for upward swinging movement about an axis adjacent its rearward end and adjacent the level of said surface, said conveyor section being mounted for swinging movement about an axis extending normally of the plane thereof and located adjacent the first mentioned axis, means for selectively swinging said conveyor section about the second mentioned axis to swing said forward end thereof laterally of the vehicle in the load receiving area, means for swinging said conveyor section forward end about the first mentioned axis to adjust same to dispose said forward end thereof discharge device at a selected position of elevation in the vehicle load receiving area, said conveyor assembly further comprising a frame on which said conveyor section is mounted, said frame extending longitudinally of said conveyor apparatus and including wheel means at its rearward end and a support leg hinged thereto adjacent its forward end and mounted for swinging movement about an axis extending transversely of said conveyor apparatus, said support leg having wheeled engagement with the loading dock and vehicle area for supporting the frame forward end thereon and being movable relative to said conveyor frame between slight and sharp angles relative thereto toward and away from said wheel means to vary the elevation of said frame forward end, power means for selectively moving said support leg relative to said frame to dispose same at a desired angular position relative to said frame, said support leg and said power means comprising the second mentioned swinging means, pivotal joint means for connecting said conveyor section rearward end to said conveyor frame, said conveyor frame including means for shiftably supporting said conveyor section adjacent the forward end of said frame, said shiftable support means comprising: a slide bar carried by said frame and extending transversely of said apparatus frame, and spaced apart slider bars extending longitudinally of and carried by said conveyor section, with said conveyor section slider bars resting on said frame slide bar for supporting said conveyor section on said forward end of said frame, and a tie bar carried by said section and located adjacent and paralleling said section slider bars and underlying said frame slide bar for maintaining said section from upward movement relative to said frame.