Patent US3765037A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3765037A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for transferring objects
Assignee: Diamondhead Corp
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Filing: 1972-04-05
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Granted: 1973-10-16
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Expires: 1992-04-05
Abstract
Abstract An improved belt drive and control mechanism for an object transfer apparatus of the type in which different phases of transfer operation are effected by selective linear travel in transfer apron forming flight portions of an endless belt. The flight length of a loop formation in the apron forming endless belt is varied concurrently with alternate energization of primary and secondary belt brakes to achieve the desired flight travel in the transfer apron. Also an automatic belt tracking arrangement is included in the mechanism.
Inventors
- 👤 A Dunkin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 22:48
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61G; A61G7/00; A61G7/10; A61G7/1013; A61G7/1017; A61G7/1025; A61G7/1032; A61G7/104; A61G7/1046; A61G7/1049; A61G7/1057; A61G2200/00; A61G2200/30; A61G2200/32
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 41
Claim 1
Independent Claim
327 words
In an object transfer apparatus of the type having a chassis to establish a load carrying deck structure with inner and outer edges and at least one extensible apron assembly adjustable between a retracted condition overlying the deck structure and an extended condition located at least in part beyond the outer edge of the deck structure over a surface to or from which an object is to be transferred, the apron assembly being comprised of a supporting separator translatable between retracted and extended positions corresponding respectively to the retracted and extended conditions of the assembly and an apron established by flight portions of an endless belt, said flight portioNs extending from the inner edge of the deck structure and being trained about the top, leading outer edge and bottom surfaces of said separator, the apron assembly being operative so that the flight portion trained on the top surface of the separator may be either held stationary relative to the deck structure during translating movement of the separator relative to the object to be transferred or moved with the separator to effect lateral transfer of an object overlying the separator, movement of the separator being accompanied by a variation in the length of the flight portions of said endless belt establishing said apron, the improvement comprising: means to establish in said endless belt a flight path defining a loop formation of variable flight length out of contact with said deck structure; means for varying the flight length of said loop formation in inverse proportion to variation in length of the apron establishing flight portions of said endless belt; primary brake means operable to hold the apron flight portion trained on the top surface of the separator stationary relative to the deck structure during translating movement of the separator; and secondary brake means operable alternately with said primary brake means to insure movement of the apron with the separator to effect lateral transfer of an object overlying the separator.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
327 words
In an object transfer apparatus of the type having a chassis to establish a load carrying deck structure with inner and outer edges and at least one extensible apron assembly adjustable between a retracted condition overlying the deck structure and an extended condition located at least in part beyond the outer edge of the deck structure over a surface to or from which an object is to be transferred, the apron assembly being comprised of a supporting separator translatable between retracted and extended positions corresponding respectively to the retracted and extended conditions of the assembly and an apron established by flight portions of an endless belt, said flight portioNs extending from the inner edge of the deck structure and being trained about the top, leading outer edge and bottom surfaces of said separator, the apron assembly being operative so that the flight portion trained on the top surface of the separator may be either held stationary relative to the deck structure during translating movement of the separator relative to the object to be transferred or moved with the separator to effect lateral transfer of an object overlying the separator, movement of the separator being accompanied by a variation in the length of the flight portions of said endless belt establishing said apron, the improvement comprising: means to establish in said endless belt a flight path defining a loop formation of variable flight length out of contact with said deck structure; means for varying the flight length of said loop formation in inverse proportion to variation in length of the apron establishing flight portions of said endless belt; primary brake means operable to hold the apron flight portion trained on the top surface of the separator stationary relative to the deck structure during translating movement of the separator; and secondary brake means operable alternately with said primary brake means to insure movement of the apron with the separator to effect lateral transfer of an object overlying the separator.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus recited in claim 1 wherein said means to establish said loop formation comprises generally parallel belt guiding elements defining at least two linear flight portions of variable length.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus recited in claim 2 wherein one of said belt guiding elements is angularly adjustable to non-parallel orientation with the others of said guiding elements to enable tracking steerage of said endless belt.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The apparatus recited in claim 2 wherein said belt guiding elements comprise at least one rotatable guide roller supported for translating movement with respect to the others of said guiding elements.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
73 words
The apparatus recited in claim 4 wherein energization of said primary brake means and attendant deenergization of said secondary brake means causes rotational travel of said belt about said rotatable guide roller during translating movement thereof to vary the flight length of said loop and wherein a reversal of said brake means operation causes linear travel of said two flight portions in the same direction as said movable guide roller without rotation thereof.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus recited in claim 2 wherein said belt guiding elements comprise a pair of radially spaced carriage mounted translatable rollers and a relatively stationary roller, said loop formation being established by two pairs of linear flight portions, each of said two pairs merging respectively about one of said pair of translatable rollers.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
82 words
The apparatus recited in claim 6 wherein said secondary brake means comprises a fixed brake shoe and wherein said relatively stationary roller is adjustably mounted for radial movement relative to said shoe thereby to establish said relatively stationary roller as a brake roller, said endless belt in said loop formation being trained between said brake roller and said shoe whereby radial movement of said roller against said shoe arrests movement of that portion of the endless belt in contact with said shoe.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
The apparatus recited in claim 7 wherein said brake roller is angularly adjustable with respect to the axis thereof and with respect to the axes of the others of said guiding elements to enable tracking steerage of said endless belt.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus recited in claim 1 comprising automatic steering means to retain said endless belt in a given track parallel to the direction of flight travel therein.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus recited in claim 9 comprising a single cam shaft for controlling actuation of said primary brake means, said secondary brake means and said steering means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
75 words
The apparatus recited in claim 2 wherein one of said belt guiding elements is a brake roller and wherein said sEcondary brake means comprises means supporting a fixed brake shoe in stationary relation to said deck structure and actuating means for moving said brake roller between a neutral deenergized position spaced from said fixed shoe and an energized braking position to hold a portion of said belt in said loop formation against said fixed shoe.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
50 words
The apparatus recited in claim 11 wherein said brake roller actuating means includes steering means to position said brake roller in a canted or non-parallel orientation with respect to the others of said belt guiding elements to cause shifting of said belt transversely to the direction of flight travel therein.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus recited in claim 12 comprising control means for operating said steering means only when said brake roller is not in said energized braking position.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
75 words
In an apparatus of the type recited in claim 1 wherein said deck structure is supported between a pair of end plates each in turn supporting an endless drive chain having upper and lower runs, the upper run being connected to said separator and coextensive with the translation path thereof, the improvement comprising further: means operably connecting the lower run of said drive chain to said means for varying the length of said loop formation.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
161 words
The apparatus recited in claim 14 wherein said means to establish said loop formation comprises a plurality of belt guiding elements including a pair of radially spaced translatable rollers and a relatively stationary roller, said loop formation being established by two pairs of linear flight portions in said belt, each of said two pairs merging respectively about one of said pair of translatable rollers, carriage members supported for translating movement on said end plates, said pair of translatable rollers being supported at their ends by said carriage members, said means operably connecting the lower run of said drive chains to said means for varying the length of said loop formation, said connecting means including speed reduction means by which said carriages are moved by said lower run of said drive chains at one-half the linear speed of travel in said lower run and in a direction opposite to the direction of linear travel in said upper run of said drive chains.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
51 words
The apparatus recited in claim 15 wherein said connecting means comprises a rotatable pinion sprocket on said carrier member, one side of said sprocket being in driving engagement with the lower run of said drive chain and a stationary rack means in driving engagement with the other side of said sprocket.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
82 words
In an apparatus of the type recited in claim 1 wherein said deck structures is supported between a pair of end plates, the improvement comprising further: said means to establish said loop formation being located between said end plates under said deck and including guide means extending between said end plates and spaced from the inner edge of said deck structure whereby said endless belt forming said apron is trained around the inner edge of said deck structure to said loop formation.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
49 words
The apparatus recited in claim 17 wherein said guide means extending between said end plates comprises a beam having rear and bottom surfaces to establish a return flight in said belt between said loop formation and the flight portion of said apron trained over the top of said separator.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
131 words
The apparatus recited in claim 18 wherein said loop formation establishing means comprises a pair of radially spaced translatable rollers, carriage means for supporting said translatable rollers, said carriage means being movably supported by said end plates, and a relatively stationary roller adjustably supported by said end plates, said loop formation being established by linear flight portions extending respectively from said guide means to one of said translatable rollers about said relatively stationary roller to the other of said translatable rollers and back to the bottom surface of said beam, said secondary brake means including a fixeD brake shoe mounted on the front of said beam, and adjustable means for supporting said relatively stationary roller from said end plates for movement as a brake roller against said secondary brake fixed shoe.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
71 words
The apparatus recited in claim 19 wherein said adjustable brake roller supporting means includes independent roller end supporting elements mounted on each of said end plates and including brake roller actuating means for moving said elements to position said brake roller selectively to a braking position in parallel contacting relation to said secondary brake fixed shoe or to a neutral position in parallel spaced relation to said secondary brake fixed shoe.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
81 words
The apparatus recited in claim 20 wherein said brake roller actuating means is additionally operative for moving said elements independently to position said brake roller in either one of two belt steering positions in which said braking roller is disposed in a canted relation with respect to said translatable guide rollers out of contact with said secondary brake fixed shoe whereby said brake roller is operative to shift said belt in a direction normal to the direction of belt flight travel.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
61 words
The apparatus recited in claim 21 wherein said brake roller actuating means comprises a rotatable cam shaft, a pair of cams fixed for rotation with said shaft and positioned axially thereon to be spaced in correspondence with the spacing of said brake roller supporting elements from each other said supporting elements having followers to engage the periphery of said cams respectively.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
140 words
The apparatus recited in claim 22 wherein the peripheral configuration of each of said cams is identical and defines at each of four mutually perpendicular radii, a first maximum throw point, a second intermediate throw point, a third minimum throw point and a fourth maximum throw point, said cams being reversed on said shaft so that the first and third throw points on the respective cams are aligned whereas the second and fourth throw points on the respective cams are displaced by 180*, said braking position being established by said followers being located on said first points of both cams, said neutral position by location of said followers being located on said third throw points of both cams, and said steering positions being established by location of said followers on the second and fourth throw points of said cams respectively.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
15 words
The apparatus recited in claim 23 comprising drive means for rotatably indexing said cam shaft.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
84 words
The apparatus recited in claim 24 comprising automatic control means for said drive means, said control means being responsive to any one of four object transfer phases of operation to control operation of said drive means to index said shaft and position a particular one of said throw points on each cam in operative relation to said brake roller supporting element followers corresponding to the flight travel in said belt loop formation required for a selected one of said object transfer phases of operation.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
64 words
The apparatus recited in claim 25 wherein said control means comprises means for sensing the position of said belt in relation to a central tracking position and means responsive to said sensing means to effect operation of said cam shaft drive means to position said brake roller in one of said two steering positions until said belt returns to a said central tracking position.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus recited in claim 26 wherein said control means is disabled from response to said sensing means when said brake roller is in said braking position.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus recited in claim 18 wherein said primary brake means comprises a fixed friction surface on the bottom of said beam and a retractable brake shoe on the opposite side of said belt from said fixed friction surface.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus recited in claim 28 wherein said retractable brake shoe extends substantially the length of said beams and including actuating arm members near opposite ends thereof.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus recited in claim 29 wherein said retractable brake shoe is arcuate longitudinally to insure uniform braking pressure over its length under braking force application to said arm members.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
48 words
The apparatus recited in claim 28 wherein said secondary brake means comprises a fixed show mounted on said beam and wherein said loop formation establishing means includes a belt guiding brake roller moable to hold a portion of said loop formation in braking engagement with said fixed shoe.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
17 words
The apparatus recited in claim 31 comprises common means to actuate said primary and secondary brake means.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus recited in claim 32 wherein said common brake actuating means comprises a rotatable shaft supporting separate axially spaced cams to energize and deenergize said brake means respectively.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
16 words
The apparatus recited in claim 33 comprising automatic drive means for rotatably indexing said cam shaft.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
42 words
The apparatus recited in claim 18 including adjustable means to mount said beam on said end plates whereby the rear surface thereof may be disposed in slight non-parallel relation to other belt guiding surfaces to compensate for geometric variances in said belt.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus recited in claim 21 comprising means supported between said carriage members to constrain said translatable rollers in an arcuate configuration to assist the belt shifting operation of said brake roller.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
104 words
In an apparatus of the type defined by claim 1 wherein the recited apron assembly is an upper apron assembly in which the separator thereof overlies and is connected for translating movement with a like separator in a lower apron assembly having a lower belt-like apron trained through upper and lower flights about the top, bottom and edge surfaces thereof, the lower flight of said lower apron being fixed against movement with respect to said deck structure, the improvement comprising further: means providing in said deck structure a continuous upwardly facing surface, said lower apron being supported in direct contact with said deck surface.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
189 words
In an object transfer apparatus having a transfer apron translatable between retracted and extended positions, the apron being formed by variable length flight portions of an endless belt trained in part about a translatable support member, the combination comprising: a plurality of generally parallel guide rollers establishing a loop formation in said belt separator from said apron and having a series of linear flights double in number to the flights in said transfer apron, carriage means supporting at least two of said guide roller for movement with respect to at least one other of said guide rollers, endless drive means having a pair of spaced linear runs, means connecting said translatable member to one of said runs, and means connecting said carriage to the other of said runs, said last mentioned means including speed reduction means by which said carriage member is moved by said endless drive means in a direction to reduce the flight length of said loop formation during corresponding increases in the length of said apron flights and vice versa, said carriage member being moved at a velocity one-half the linear velocity of said support member.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
189 words
In an object transfer apparatus having a transfer apron translatable between retracted and extended positions, the apron being formed by variable length flight portions of an endless belt trained in part about a translatable support member, the combination comprising: a plurality of generally parallel guide rollers establishing a loop formation in said belt separator from said apron and having a series of linear flights double in number to the flights in said transfer apron, carriage means supporting at least two of said guide roller for movement with respect to at least one other of said guide rollers, endless drive means having a pair of spaced linear runs, means connecting said translatable member to one of said runs, and means connecting said carriage to the other of said runs, said last mentioned means including speed reduction means by which said carriage member is moved by said endless drive means in a direction to reduce the flight length of said loop formation during corresponding increases in the length of said apron flights and vice versa, said carriage member being moved at a velocity one-half the linear velocity of said support member.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
49 words
The apparatus recited in claim 38, wherein said speed reduction means comprises a rotatable pinion or said carriage, said other run of said drive means being in driving engagement with one side of said pinion, and stationary rack means in driving engagement with the opposite side of said pinion.
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) | 1976-10-15 | 1977-04-16 | 1977-10-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-10-15 | 1981-04-16 | 1981-10-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-10-15 | 1985-04-16 | 1985-10-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |