Storage vehicle with bin dumper

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein hydraulic means are provided to tilt said tine supporting means through a limited arcuate range from a normally vertical position.

Claim 4

Container handling apparatus which comprises a mobile vehicle having a vertically movable fork lift unit thereon provided with transversely spaced longitudinally extending fork lift tines and means for raising and lowering said tines, the improvement comprising a container dumping mechanism on said fork lift unit, a pair of transversely spaced container supporting bars on said unit normally disposed in a horizontal plane and pivotally connected to the free ends of said tines, a pair of normally vertically extending members connected to the other ends of said bars and transversely spaced apart a greater distance than said container supporting bars and said tines, said vertical members including inwardly directed arms having upright container abutting surfaces adjacent the junction of said vertical arms with said horizontal container supporting bars, generally U-shaped container clamping means connected to said members for pivotal movement about a transverse axis disposed above the upper surface of a container supported on said container supporting bars, means for pivoting said clamping means from a position spaced from the container to a position firmly engaging the wall of the container over which articles are dumped, and means for pivoting said dumping mechanism from said normal position to a dumping position while said clamping means firmly clamps the container against said upright container abutting surfaces, further, said vertically extending members are spaced apart a sufficient distance at a position above said container abutting surfaces for allowing dumped containers carried by said dumping mechanism to pass there-through, means defining a container storage tunnel in said mobile vehicle, and carriage means on said vehicle mountEd for movement between a retracted position within said tunnel and an extended position in the downward path of movement of empty containers after they have been dumped for intercepting said empty containers and for transferring said empty containers directly into said storage tunnel, and means for moving said carriage between said retracted and said extended positions.

Claim 5

Container handling apparatus which comprises a mobile vehicle having a vertically movable fork lift unit thereon provided with transversely spaced longitudinally extending fork lift tines and means for raising and lowering said tines, the improvement comprising a container dumping mechanism on said fork lift unit, a pair of transversely spaced container supporting bars on said unit normally disposed in a horizontal plane and pivotally connected to the free ends of said tines, a pair of normally vertically extending members connected to the other ends of said bars and transversely spaced apart a greater distance than said container supporting bars and said tines, said vertical members including inwardly directed arms having upright container abutting surfaces adjacent the junction of said vertical arms with said horizontal container supporting bars, generally U-shaped container clamping means connected to said members for pivotal movement about a transverse axis disposed above the upper surface of a container supported on said container supporting bars, means for pivoting said clamping means from a position spaced from the container to a position firmly engaging the wall of the container over which articles are dumped, and means for pivoting said dumping mechanism from said normal position to a dumping position while said clamping means firmly clamps the container against said upright container abutting surfaces, further, said vertically extending members are spaced apart a sufficient distance at a position above said container abutting surfaces for allowing dumped containers carried by said dumping mechanism to pass there-through, means defining a container storage tunnel in said mobile vehicle, and carriage means on said vehicle mountEd for movement between a retracted position within said tunnel and an extended position in the downward path of movement of empty containers after they have been dumped for intercepting said empty containers and for transferring said empty containers directly into said storage tunnel, and means for moving said carriage between said retracted and said extended positions.

Claim 6

A container handling apparatus comprising a mobile self powered steerable vehicle, a container storage tunnel in said vehicle, container discharge means at one end of said tunnel for movement between a container supporting position and a container discharging position, a loading carriage on the other end of said tunnel movable in a generally horizontal plane between a position extending outwardly from said tunnel and a position retracted within said tunnel, means for reciprocating said loading carriage whereby a container can be moved from the forks into the storage tunnel, a fork lift unit mounted on said vehicle adjacent said other end of said tunnel, a pair of fork lift tines on said unit projecting longitudinally outward of said tunnel and spaced a greater distance apart than the width of said loading carriage, means for raising and lowering said tines past the plane of said carriage for lifting a container upwardly to a dumping position past said carriage when said carriage is in its retracted position and for lowering an emptied container onto said carriage when said carriage is in its extended position, a dumping mechanism on said fork lift unit having an upright portion and a generally horizontal container supporting portion with said horizontal portion pivotally connected to the free ends of said tines, means for pivoting said dumping mechanism in excess of 90*, a container clamp pivotally mounted on said dumping mechanism and having a clamping arm pivoted from an inactive position spaced from the container to an active position engaging the wall of the container over which the articles are dumped, and means for moving said clamping arm between its active and inactive positions.

Claim 7

A container handling apparatus comprising a mobile self powered steerable vehicle, a container storage tunnel in said vehicle, container discharge means at one end of said tunnel for movement between a container supporting position and a container discharging position, a loading carriage on the other end of said tunnel movable in a generally horizontal plane between a position extending outwardly from said tunnel and a position retracted within said tunnel, means for reciprocating said loading carriage whereby a container can be moved from the forks into the storage tunnel, a fork lift unit mounted on said vehicle adjacent said other end of said tunnel, a pair of fork lift tines on said unit projecting longitudinally outward of said tunnel and spaced a greater distance apart than the width of said loading carriage, means for raising and lowering said tines past the plane of said carriage for lifting a container upwardly to a dumping position past said carriage when said carriage is in its retracted position and for lowering an emptied container onto said carriage when said carriage is in its extended position, a dumping mechanism on said fork lift unit having an upright portion and a generally horizontal container supporting portion with said horizontal portion pivotally connected to the free ends of said tines, means for pivoting said dumping mechanism in excess of 90*, a container clamp pivotally mounted on said dumping mechanism and having a clamping arm pivoted from an inactive position spaced from the container to an active position engaging the wall of the container over which the articles are dumped, and means for moving said clamping arm between its active and inactive positions.