Apparatus for loading mail bags into a highway vehicle

Claim 2

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, without requiring that pallets remain with the bags after they are loaded into the vehicle, said apparatus comprising: a wheeled frame, said frame carrying an upright support intermediate the ends thereof, a conveyor frame extending longitudinally of said wheeled frame and having one end of same connected to said support for swinging movement about a horizontal axis extending transversely of said frame, and the other end of same extending toward the load receiving position of the vehicle, extendible and contractable power means for supporting said conveyor frame other end on said wheeled frame and for raising and lowering same to swing said conveyor frame about said axis, roll up type baffle means connected between said conveyor frame other end and said wheeled frame and including means for automatically extending and retracting said baffle means as said conveyor frame is raised and lowered by said power means, said conveyor frame including a conveyor belt extending longitudinally thereof and presenting an upwardly facing load transporting surface, means for driving said conveyor surface forwardly of said wheeled frame for flinging mail bags carried by same into the vehicle at an elevation set by said extendible and contractable means, and means for supplying mail bags to said surface, said surface defining a path of movement for the mail bags that extends longitudinally of said conveyor frame and having a dimension transversely thereof that approximates the transverse dimension of the vehicle load receiving area.

Claim 3

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 adapted to be mounted on the loading dock adjacent the load receiving position of the vehicle and providing conveyor means extending longitudinally thereof that has a width transversely thereof substantially spanning the transverse dimension of the vehicle area when said assembly is received therein, said conveyor assembly extending longitudinally of said apparatus for alignment 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 means presenting an upwardly facing load transporting surface defining a path of movement for the mail bags that extends longitudinally of said conveyor assembly, with said conveyor assembly including a mail bag positioning conveyor section having its forward end extending toward the load receiving position of the vehicle and being mounted for vertical swinging movement, means for selectively raising and lowering said conveyor section forward end, a baffle member vertically movable with said section forward end behind which mail bags discharging from said section forward end are discharged, means for propelling mail bags from said section end forwardly of said baffle member, said conveyor assembly further comprising a wheeled frame on which said conveyor section is supported, said baffle member having a dimension transversely of The vehicle comparable to that of said conveyor means, said baffle member comprising a flexible sheet having one end of same secured to said forward end of said conveyor section, and means for extensibly and retractably securing the other end of said sheet to the forward end of said wheeled frame including means for maintaining said sheet tensioned between said conveyor section and said frame as said conveyor section forward end is raised and lowered relative to said wheeled frame, said means for extensibly and retractably securing said other end of said sheet comprising: a wind up roller journaled on said wheeled frame, said other end of said sheet being secured to said roller, and means for biasing said roller to wind up said sheet thereon.

Claim 4

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 adapted to be mounted on the loading dock adjacent the load receiving position of the vehicle and providing conveyor means extending longitudinally thereof that has a width transversely thereof substantially spanning the transverse dimension of the vehicle area when said assembly is received therein, said conveyor assembly extending longitudinally of said apparatus for alignment 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 means presenting an upwardly facing load transporting surface defining a path of movement for the mail bags that extends longitudinally of said conveyor assembly, with said conveyor assembly including a mail bag positioning conveyor section having its forward end extending toward the load receiving position of the vehicle and being mounted for vertical swinging movement, means for selectively raising and lowering said conveyor section forward end, a baffle member vertically movable with said section forward end behind which mail bags discharging from said section forward end are discharged, means for propelling mail bags from said section end forwardly of said baffle member, said conveyor assembly further comprising a wheeled frame on which said conveyor section is supported, said baffle member having a dimension transversely of The vehicle comparable to that of said conveyor means, said baffle member comprising a flexible sheet having one end of same secured to said forward end of said conveyor section, and means for extensibly and retractably securing the other end of said sheet to the forward end of said wheeled frame including means for maintaining said sheet tensioned between said conveyor section and said frame as said conveyor section forward end is raised and lowered relative to said wheeled frame, said means for extensibly and retractably securing said other end of said sheet comprising: a wind up roller journaled on said wheeled frame, said other end of said sheet being secured to said roller, and means for biasing said roller to wind up said sheet thereon.

Claim 5

The apparatus set forth in claim 2 wherein: said conveyor means includes a second conveyor section forming the rearward end of said load transporting surface at an elevation for convenient manual lifting of the bags onto the conveyor surface, said second section being supported on said wheeled frame and having the rearward end of said second section overhanging the rearward end of said wheeled frame, said conveyor first and second sections each having a conveyor belt operably trained thereon to form said surface, and means for driving the respective conveyor belts in a forward direction and comprising said propelling means.

Claim 6

The apparatus set forth in claim 3 wherein: said driving means for said first section conveyor belt drives same at a speed on the order of 550 feet per minute, and said driving means for said second section conveyor drives same at a speed on the order of 200 feet per minutes.

Claim 7

The apparatus set forth in claim 3 wherein: said first conveyor section rearward end is supported on said wheeled frame at an elevation adjacent the mid height of the vehicle load receiving area, said second conveyor section being upwardly inclined in a forward direction to dispose its forward end adjacent the rearward end of said first conveyor section.

Claim 8

The apparatus set forth in claim 5 including: a hand truck for dumping a stack of mail bags on said belt of said second conveyor section, said hand truck comprising: a wheeled frame, and a sideless hand truck body mounted on said wheeled frame for tilting movement about an axis extending normally of the sideless edge of said truck body, and means for releasably holding said truck body in upright position.

Claim 9

The apparatus set forth in claim 2 wherein: said conveyor means includes a second conveyor section forming the rearward end of said load transporting surface at an elevation for convenient manual lifting of the bags onto the conveyor surface, said second section having its forward end supported on said wheeled frame and its rearward end wheeled for self support, said first conveyor section extending substantially the full length of said wheeled frame, said conveyor sections being aligned in smooth load transferring end to end arrangement.

Claim 10

The apparatus set forth in claim 7 wherein: said second conveyor section is proportioned lengthwise thereof to extend between said first section and the loading dock when said wheeled frame is positioned to propell mail bags from said first conveyor section against the forward well of the vehicle load receiving area.

Claim 11

The apparatus set forth in claim 8 wherein: said second conveyor section comprises a plurality of telescoping conveyor units.

Claim 12

The apparatus set forth in claim 3 including: a mail bag feeding conveyor at the rearward end of said load transporting surface, said feeding conveyor being proportioned transversely thereof to accommodate bags loaded thereon in single file form and oriented to extend longitudinally of said feeding conveyor, said feeding conveyor forward end being carried by the rearward end of said wheeled frame, means for selectively positioNing said feeding conveyor forward end at selected positions transversely of said second conveyor section for selectively supplying mail bags to the respective portions of said second conveyor section represented by said positions, with the rearward end of said feeder conveyor being wheeled for self support at an elevation for convenient manual lifting of the bags onto said feeder conveyor rearward end.

Claim 13

The apparatus set forth in claim 10 wherein: the portion of said load transporting surface that is defined by said second conveyor section is marked to identify said positions of said feeding conveyor.