Patent US3737034A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3737034A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Lumber unstacking apparatus
Assignee: Broyhill Furniture Industries Inc
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Filing: 1971-10-06
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Granted: 1973-06-05
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Expires: 1991-10-06
Abstract
Abstract A stack of lumber, including a plurality of alternating layers of boards extending in parallel relationship to each other within the layer and spacer sticks extending in spaced parallel relationship to each other and substantially perpendicular to said boards, is sequentially lifted into engagement with a plurality of elongate vacuum conveyors positioned above the uppermost layer of said stack. The vacuum conveyors, which are arranged between and generally parallel to the sticks, operatively grip the uppermost layer of boards as the remainder of the stack is lowered and transport the uppermost stick layer and board layer in a direction transverse to the boards to a discharge station, during which time a pair of nip rolls automatically separate the sticks from the boards which are sequentially dropped from the ends of the vacuum conveyors. Broken spacer sticks are also automatically separated from unbroken or unusable spacer sticks. The conveyor are flexibly suspended above the stack to insure engagement of each vacuum conveyor with the uppermost layer of boards at points throughout their length.
Inventors
- 👤 J Icard
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 17:22
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G57/00; B07; B07B; B07B15/00; B65G59/00; B65G59/02; B65G59/04; B65G59/045; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S209/00; Y10S209/905; Y10S414/00; Y10S414/10; Y10S414/108
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
225 words
Apparatus for de-hacking a stack of lumber or the like, such stack including a plurality of board layers, each layer including a plurality of boards which extend in generally parallel relationship to each other said apparatus comprising: a. vacuum conveying means for engaging the boards of each successively uppermost layer of said stack, for gripping said boards and transporting the same transversely of their length to a discharge station whereat the boards are sequentially discharged from said conveying means; b. lift means for producing relative movement between said vacuum conveying means and said stack in a generally vertical direction to bring said vacuum conveying means and each successively uppermost layer of said stack into engagement with each other; c. said vacuum conveying means including a plurality of elongate vacuum conveyors extending transversely of the length-direction of the boards within said stack and in laterally spaced and generally parallel relationship to one another for engaging each of said boards at a plurality of points, each of said vacuum conveyors being of sufficient length to engage each board in the uppermost layer; and d. means mounting said vacuum conveyors for limited vertical Movement relative to one another responsive to engagement between said vacuum conveying means and each successively uppermost layer of said stack to insure engagement between each of said conveyors and the boards of said layer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
225 words
Apparatus for de-hacking a stack of lumber or the like, such stack including a plurality of board layers, each layer including a plurality of boards which extend in generally parallel relationship to each other said apparatus comprising: a. vacuum conveying means for engaging the boards of each successively uppermost layer of said stack, for gripping said boards and transporting the same transversely of their length to a discharge station whereat the boards are sequentially discharged from said conveying means; b. lift means for producing relative movement between said vacuum conveying means and said stack in a generally vertical direction to bring said vacuum conveying means and each successively uppermost layer of said stack into engagement with each other; c. said vacuum conveying means including a plurality of elongate vacuum conveyors extending transversely of the length-direction of the boards within said stack and in laterally spaced and generally parallel relationship to one another for engaging each of said boards at a plurality of points, each of said vacuum conveyors being of sufficient length to engage each board in the uppermost layer; and d. means mounting said vacuum conveyors for limited vertical Movement relative to one another responsive to engagement between said vacuum conveying means and each successively uppermost layer of said stack to insure engagement between each of said conveyors and the boards of said layer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said conveyor mounting means includes a main frame, and flexible means suspending said conveyors from said frame, and wherein said lift means includes a vertically movable platform positioned beneath said conveyors for supporting said stack and for moving the same generally vertically upwardly into engagement with said conveyors.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
Apparatus as in claim 2, wherein said flexible means mount said conveyors for limited lateral and vertical movement relative to each other and to said main frame.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
116 words
Apparatus as in claim 2, wherein each of said conveyors includes an elongate frame having a vacuum chamber therewithin, roller means mounted for rotation by said frame adjacent the opposite ends thereof, an air-permeable endless apron entrained about said roller means and having a lower flight extending longitudinally of said frame in adjacent operative relationship to said vacuum chamber therewithin, drive means connected to said roller means for, when actuated, moving said lower flight of said endless apron toward an end of said elongate frame adjacent said board discharge station, and further including conveyor-drive control means for actuating and deactuating all of said drive means for said conveyors substantially simultaneously and in unison with one another.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
87 words
Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said stack further includes intervening layers of spacer sticks between adjacent ones of said layers of boards, each of said layers of spacer sticks being supported upon an underlying one of said layers of boards and the spacer sticks within each of said layers thereof extending in spaced and generally parallel relationship to each other and substantially perpendicularly to said boards, and wherein said apparatus further includes means for separating said spacer sticks from said boards during dehacking of said stack.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
44 words
Apparatus as in claim 5, wherein said separating means further separates unbroken ones from broken ones of said sticks, and includes first and second stick-conveying means adjacent said board discharge station for respectively receiving and transporting unbroken ones and broken ones of said sticks.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
174 words
Apparatus for dehacking a stack of lumber or the like, said stack including layers of boards supporting alternating layers of spacer sticks, the boards within each of said board layers extending in generally parallel relationship to each other and at substantially right angles to the sticks of the one of said stick-layers supported thereon, and the sticks within each of said stick-layers extending in generally parallel spaced relationship to each other at substantially right angles to the boards of the one of said board-layers supporting the same, said apparatus comprising: a. first means for separating, as a unit and from the remainder of stack stack, each sequentially-uppermost one of said board-layers and the one of said stick-layers supported thereon and for transporting said separated layers toward a discharge station, spaced laterally from said stack, whereat the boards of said board-layers are discharged from said first separating means; b. and second means, operable during said transportation of said layers toward said discharge station, for separating sticks of said stick-layer from the boards of said board-layer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
174 words
Apparatus for dehacking a stack of lumber or the like, said stack including layers of boards supporting alternating layers of spacer sticks, the boards within each of said board layers extending in generally parallel relationship to each other and at substantially right angles to the sticks of the one of said stick-layers supported thereon, and the sticks within each of said stick-layers extending in generally parallel spaced relationship to each other at substantially right angles to the boards of the one of said board-layers supporting the same, said apparatus comprising: a. first means for separating, as a unit and from the remainder of stack stack, each sequentially-uppermost one of said board-layers and the one of said stick-layers supported thereon and for transporting said separated layers toward a discharge station, spaced laterally from said stack, whereat the boards of said board-layers are discharged from said first separating means; b. and second means, operable during said transportation of said layers toward said discharge station, for separating sticks of said stick-layer from the boards of said board-layer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
Apparatus as in claim 7, wherein said second means includes feed-roll means having a stick-receiving nip aligned with and adapted to receive sticks of said stick-layer during said transporting thereof by said first means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
53 words
Apparatus as in claim 8, wherein said feed-roll means is laterally spaced from said board discharge station a distance such as to receive only unbroken ones of said sticks within said nip thereof, whereby said second means is further adapted to separate unbroken ones from broken ones of said sticks of said stick-layer.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
Apparatus as in claim 9, wherein said second means further includes broken-stick collecting means located intermediate said board discharge station and said feed-roll means for receiving broken ones of said sticks of said stick-layer.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
94 words
Apparatus as in claim 7, wherein said first means includes a plurality of elongate vacuum conveyors extending generally horizontally in spaced and substantially parallel relationship to each other and in substantially transverse relation to the length dimension of the boards in said stack, said vacuum conveyors being adapted to grippingly engage each sequentially-uppermost one of said board-layers of said stacks and being so oriented relative to said stack as to extend during said engagement in horizontally spaced and substantially parallel relationship to the sticks of the one of said stick-layers supported upon said board-layer.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus as in claim 11, wherein said first means further includes lift means for moving said stack generally vertically to bring each successively-uppermost board-layer thereof into engagement with said conveyors.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
36 words
Apparatus as in claim 12, including a main frame, and flexible means suspending said conveyors from said main frame for limited vertical movement relative to one another under the impetus of said engagement with said stack.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
36 words
Apparatus as in claim 7, wherein said first means includes a plurality of elongate vacuum conveyors, and means mounting said conveyors in laterally spaced and substantially parallel relationship for limited independent movement relative to each other.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
63 words
Apparatus as in claim 14, wherein said first means further includes lift means for producing relative movement between said vacuum conveyors and said stack to bring said vacuum conveyors and each successively-uppermost board-layer of said stack into engagement with each other, and control means for said lift means including a plurality of switch elements responsive to said limited independent movement of said conveyors.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
134 words
A method of dehacking a stack of lumber or the like, said stack including layers of boards supporting alternating layers of spacer sticks, the boards within each of said board-layers extending in generally parallel relationship to each other and at substantially right angles to the sticks of the one of said stick-layers supported thereon, and the sticks within each of said stick-layers extending in generally spaced relationship to each other at substantially right angles to the boards of the one of said board-layers supporting the same, comprising the steps of: a. separating, as a unit and from the remainder of said stack, each sequentially-uppermost one of said board-layers and the one of said stick-layers supported thereon; b. and transporting said separated layers toward a board-discharge station and discharging the boards of said board-layer thereat.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
134 words
A method of dehacking a stack of lumber or the like, said stack including layers of boards supporting alternating layers of spacer sticks, the boards within each of said board-layers extending in generally parallel relationship to each other and at substantially right angles to the sticks of the one of said stick-layers supported thereon, and the sticks within each of said stick-layers extending in generally spaced relationship to each other at substantially right angles to the boards of the one of said board-layers supporting the same, comprising the steps of: a. separating, as a unit and from the remainder of said stack, each sequentially-uppermost one of said board-layers and the one of said stick-layers supported thereon; b. and transporting said separated layers toward a board-discharge station and discharging the boards of said board-layer thereat.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method as in claim 16, wherein the boards of said board-layer are discharged one at a time and in sequence at said discharge station.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method as in claim 16, wherein the step of separating said layers from the remainder of said stack includes the step of gripping upper surface areas of the boards of each sequentially-uppermost one of said board-layers.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method as in claim 18, wherein the gripping of said boards is along upper surface areas thereof intermediate sticks of said stick-layer supported upon said board-layer.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
106 words
A method as in claim 16, wherein the step of separating said layers from the remainder of said stack includes the steps of positioning the stack beneath a plurality of gripping means suspended thereabove for limited vertical movement, to and from a normal elevation, relative to one another, moving the stack upwardly to and beyond said normal elevation of said gripping means to cause gripping engagement between each of said gripping means and the boards of the sequentially-uppeRmost one of said board-layers, and thereafter lowering the remainder of said stack downwardly beneath said elevation and beneath the one of said board-layers gripped by said gripping means.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
57 words
A method as in claim 20, wherein said gripping means comprises a plurality of elongate vacuum conveyors extending generally horizontally in spaced and substantially parallel relationship to each other, and wherein the stack is positioned beneath said vacuum conveyors with the sticks of said stick-layers extending in horizontally spaced and generally parallel relationship to said vacuum conveyors.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method as in claim 16, and further including the step of separating the sticks of said stick-layer from the boards of said board-layer during the transporting of said layers toward said board-discharge station.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method as in claim 22, including separating unbroken ones of said sticks from broken ones of said sticks during the separating of the sticks of said stick-layer from the boards of said board-layer.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-06-04 | 1976-12-04 | 1977-06-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-06-04 | 1980-12-04 | 1981-06-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-06-04 | 1984-12-04 | 1985-06-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |