US3857501A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for loading containers with cargo
Assignee: Fordertechnische Forschungs GmbH
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Filing: 1973-09-21
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Granted: 1974-12-31
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Expires: 1993-09-21
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus for loading containers with cargo or for the compound stacking and setting down such cargo compounds on a loading platform of a transport vehicle or in a storage area in a warehouse a.s.o. The method comprises the steps of arranging the cargo in a predetermined manner by arranging the cargo in cargo units of a unit length corresponding substantially to the width of an available cargo space or cargo area, transferring such cargo units onto a hoisting track, hoisting the cargo units thereon up to the clevation of a conveying carriage, assembling a plurality of such cargo units on the conveying carriage in thereby forming a cargo compound of a length, width and height corresponding f.e. substantially to the internal cargo space dimensions of a container whereby the cargo units are moved through a contour sensing gate frame having gate wings which gate monitors the width and alignment of the cargo units being transferred onto the conveying carriage, driving the conveying carriage with the cargo compound assembled thereon into a cargo receiving area such as the internal cargo space of a container, moving the gate frame into a position adjacent the cargo receiving area, closing the gate wings on the gate frame and withdrawing the conveying carriage from the cargo receiving area whereby the gate wings serve as abutments and allow, during the reverse movement of the conveying carriage, to push the cargo compound of the conveying carriage so that the cargo will be put down on the cargo receiving area. The apparatus consists essentially of a base, a track, a conveying carriage, a gate frame, control and drive means and a mounting support for a container. Optionally a hoisting roller train and a feeding conveyor may be provided.
Inventors
- 👤 H Lassig
- 👤 A Grosshauser
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 05:55
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G67/00; B65G67/02; B65G67/04; B65G67/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
412 words
An apparatus for loading containers With cargo, preferably cargo on pallets, and for putting down such cargo on loading platforms of transport vehicles and in storage areas in warehouses, storage yards and the like, said apparatus comprising a base with a track for supporting and guiding a movable conveying carriage adapted to receive a plurality of cargocarrying pallets arranged in a predetermined manner and occupying a total area substantially corresponding to the freight space area of a container to be loaded; a vertically adjustable support disposed at the track end facing said container and adapted to mount a container which is to be loaded and to raise or lower said container so that the upper surface of the floor of said container is substantially coplanar with the pallet receiving upper surface of said conveying carriage to achieve a step-free transition from said conveying carriage to said container floor; and a gate-like clearance indicator frame in the region of said conveying carriage, said frame movable in the longitudinal direction of said track, having a width corresponding substantially to the width of the internal freight space of a container to be loaded and being adapted to align said loadcarrying pallets on said conveying carriage, said frame further including gate wings adapted to be moved towards and away from the feed path of said loaded pallets, control means for controlling the movements of said conveying carriage and of said clearance frame as well as the pivotal movements of daid gate wings in such a manner that when a pair of pallets having a combined overall length corresponding substantially to the width of said container internal freight space passes through said clearance frame, when said frame is disposed at the feeding end of said conveying carriage, with said gate wings being in an open position, the advancing movement of said pallets on said conveying carriage will be stopped if the combined overall length of daid pallets exceeds the width of said container internal freight space and that after said pallets having been arranged on said conveying carriage, said clearance indicator frame will be moved to a position in front of the loading opening of said container, said conveying carriage with said pallets thereon will be moved into said container interior, said clearance frame gate wings will be closed, and after retracting said conveying carriage from said container interior said clearance frame will be moved back into its initial position and said gate wings will be opened.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
412 words
An apparatus for loading containers With cargo, preferably cargo on pallets, and for putting down such cargo on loading platforms of transport vehicles and in storage areas in warehouses, storage yards and the like, said apparatus comprising a base with a track for supporting and guiding a movable conveying carriage adapted to receive a plurality of cargocarrying pallets arranged in a predetermined manner and occupying a total area substantially corresponding to the freight space area of a container to be loaded; a vertically adjustable support disposed at the track end facing said container and adapted to mount a container which is to be loaded and to raise or lower said container so that the upper surface of the floor of said container is substantially coplanar with the pallet receiving upper surface of said conveying carriage to achieve a step-free transition from said conveying carriage to said container floor; and a gate-like clearance indicator frame in the region of said conveying carriage, said frame movable in the longitudinal direction of said track, having a width corresponding substantially to the width of the internal freight space of a container to be loaded and being adapted to align said loadcarrying pallets on said conveying carriage, said frame further including gate wings adapted to be moved towards and away from the feed path of said loaded pallets, control means for controlling the movements of said conveying carriage and of said clearance frame as well as the pivotal movements of daid gate wings in such a manner that when a pair of pallets having a combined overall length corresponding substantially to the width of said container internal freight space passes through said clearance frame, when said frame is disposed at the feeding end of said conveying carriage, with said gate wings being in an open position, the advancing movement of said pallets on said conveying carriage will be stopped if the combined overall length of daid pallets exceeds the width of said container internal freight space and that after said pallets having been arranged on said conveying carriage, said clearance indicator frame will be moved to a position in front of the loading opening of said container, said conveying carriage with said pallets thereon will be moved into said container interior, said clearance frame gate wings will be closed, and after retracting said conveying carriage from said container interior said clearance frame will be moved back into its initial position and said gate wings will be opened.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
64 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein a roller train is arranged upstream of said conveying carriage and said track, said roller train mounted on a vertically adjustable support adapted to be lifted up to the elevation of said conveying carriage and including a plurality of rollers wherein the axes of said rollers extend transversely of the feed direction of said conveying carriage.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
152 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein a roller train is arranged upstream of said conveying carriage and said track, said roller train mounted on a vertically adjustable support adapted to be lifted up to the elevation of said conveying carriage and including a plurality of rollers wherein the axes of said rollers extend transversely of the feed direction of said conveying carriage; a feeding conveyor for feeding loaded pallets to said roller train arranged transversely of said conveying carriage and having the form of a chain conveyor or the like, a pusher mechanism in the transfer area in which said pallets are transferred from said feeding conveyor to said roller train, said pusher mechanism including drive means and operative generally in the feed direction of said conveying carriage, and an adjustable limit stop adapted to be adjusted in a position correlated to the width of said container internal freight space.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
126 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said conveying carriage consists of a roller carriage adapted to roll on said track, said track forming a substantially plane rolling surfAce, said roller carriage being of a somewhat smaller width than the internal width of said load receiving container and including a substantially rectangular frame having longitudinal beams defining the lateral frame sides, said longitudinal beams provided with bores for receiving a plurality of roller bearing axes extending transversely of the feed direction of said roller carriage, each roller bearing axis mounting a plurality of rollers, said bores in said longitudinal beams being mutually offset so that the rollers on adjacent axes project beyond said frame alternately at the top and at the bottom of said frame.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
61 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein the rollers on said transverse roller axes form, in the longitudinal direction of said frame, longitudinal rows of rollers, and alternate longitudinal rows of rollers are mutually offset such that the roller axes in every other longitudinal row of rollers extend between pairs of rollers of every other adjacent longitudinal row of rollers,
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said roller axes support a plurality of mutually spaced intermediate longitudinal web plates extending in a direction parallel to said longitudinal beams of said rectangular frame and that between every adjacent pair of web plates each roller axis mounts one roller.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said rectangular roller carriage frame is covered, at its upper surface, with an apertured metal sheet having a plurality of slot-shaped apertures arranged respectively in the regions in which portions of said rollers project beyond the upper surface plane defined by said rectangular frame.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
124 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said track for said roller carriage comprises a pair of mutually spaced steel sheets mounted on said base, said pair of steel sheets defining a longitudinal gap, the outer longitudinal edges of said steel sheets bent upwardly and forming lateral guide means for said roller carriage, a drag chain belt arranged in said gap between said pair of steel sheets constituting said track for said roller carriage, said chain belt connected to a downwardly extending projection of said roller carriage at the carriage end remote from said end facing said container, said chain belt guided and opposite ends of said track by guide sprocket wheels, one of said sprocket wheels being connected to a driving motor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
58 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said support for mounting containers comprises a substantially rectangular base frame provided with a carrier element in each of its four corner regions, said carrier elements operatively connected to hoisting cylinders for an elevation adjustment of said support and adapted to be introduced into respective corner fittings on a container.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
66 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said clearance indicator frame includes a pair of gate wings disposed laterally of said track and said roller carriage, said gate wings mounted on carriages movable along lateral guide tracks on said base and adapted to be rotated towards and away from said pallet conveying track, said gate wings rotatable about vertical axes by means of power actuators.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein drive means are provided for moving said carriages mounting said gate wings along said lateral guide tracks on said base.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
75 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein control devices such as limit switches or of the like are arranged in the fields of traverse of said gate wings, said control devices adapted to deactivate said apparatus when said gate wings are urged outwardly by cargo having an excess width from an initial gate wing position in which the gate wing clearance corresponds to the inner freight space width of a container to be loaded.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
77 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 12 wherein during the advancing movement of said roller carriage carrying a plurality of pallets along said track towards said container said gate wing carriages are adapted to foLlow said roller carriage whereby said gate wings are in a substantially closed position, and to be arrested at the end of said track for said roller carriage for allowing to withdraw said roller carriage from a position substantially fully inside a container.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
50 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said power actuators for rotating said gate wings towards and away from said pallet conveying track consist of pneumatic cylinders that may be partially pressurized in the substantially closed position of said gate wings when advancing said roller carriage into a container.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein said pneumatic cylinders may be fully pressurized in the substantially closed position of said gate wings when withdrawing said roller carriage from a container.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said base with said hoisting roller train, said track and said roller carriage form a movable assembly.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
29 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said base with said hoisting roller train, said track and said roller carriage are mounted on the chassis of a vehicle.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3727370A
Cited
US3727777A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-12-30 | 1978-07-01 | 1978-12-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-12-30 | 1982-07-01 | 1982-12-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-12-30 | 1986-07-01 | 1986-12-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |