US3871288A — Automatic bar handling system

Claim 1

Independent Claim 488 words

A process for handling long hollow or solid bars (2) comprising supporting a bundle of said bars on spaced slings (15) of a bundle unscrambler (A), causing said slings (15) to move over longitudinally-aligned sling supports (17) located near the end of a storage ramp inclined downwardly from said sling supports while supporting the ends (16) of the slings remote from said storage ramp at an elevation greater than that of said sling supports to provide festoons extending under the bundle to support the same, repeatedly raising the bars and slings by moving the slings up over said sling supports (17) to cause some of the bars (2) to move laterally over the sling supports to said ramp and to form a row of parallel bars on said ramp, repeatedly feeding the bars from the ramp to a conveying means (18,19) generally parallel to the bars in said row, repeatedly causing each bar on said conveying means to move to a metalworking machine (B) which acts on the bar, continually discharging bars from said machine to a downwardly inclined discharge ramp (4), supporting the bars (b) discharged from said ramp on spaced slings (20) of a bundle banding apparatus (D), causing said lastnamed slings to move over longitudinally aligned sling supports (44) located near the end of said discharge ramp (4) while supporting the ends (43) of the slings remote from said discharge ramp to provide festoons extending under the bars (b) to support the same, transferring a small number of bars (b) from said discharge ramp (4) to said last-named slings (20) while the slings are in elevated positions, gradually lowering the slings (20) while transferring more bars (b) to the slings to form a bundle supported on the slings, providing a strapping machine (6) with a strapping head (61) and a strap guide (70) extending around the bundle, said strap guide having an open portion to permit lateral feed of the bars (b) from said discharge ramp (4) to said bundle and having guide means (76,77, 78a,78b) to direct a strapping tape (54) from said head (61) around the bundle and back to said head, whereby said head (61) can tighten the tape (54) around the bundle (100) and thereafter sever the tape to complete one cycle, counting the number of bars discharged from the ramp (4) to the slings (20), stopping the movement of bars from the ramp (4) to the bundle when a predetermined number of bars have been accumulated in the bundle, causing operation of the strapping machine while such movement is stopped and while the bars are forced together on the slings to form a strapped bundle (100) while bars continue to be fed to said discharge ramp, removing the strapped bundle (100) from said slings, raising the slings (20) and thereafter restarting the feed of bars (b) from said discharge ramp (4) to said last-named slings (20) to repeat the cycle.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 488 words

A process for handling long hollow or solid bars (2) comprising supporting a bundle of said bars on spaced slings (15) of a bundle unscrambler (A), causing said slings (15) to move over longitudinally-aligned sling supports (17) located near the end of a storage ramp inclined downwardly from said sling supports while supporting the ends (16) of the slings remote from said storage ramp at an elevation greater than that of said sling supports to provide festoons extending under the bundle to support the same, repeatedly raising the bars and slings by moving the slings up over said sling supports (17) to cause some of the bars (2) to move laterally over the sling supports to said ramp and to form a row of parallel bars on said ramp, repeatedly feeding the bars from the ramp to a conveying means (18,19) generally parallel to the bars in said row, repeatedly causing each bar on said conveying means to move to a metalworking machine (B) which acts on the bar, continually discharging bars from said machine to a downwardly inclined discharge ramp (4), supporting the bars (b) discharged from said ramp on spaced slings (20) of a bundle banding apparatus (D), causing said lastnamed slings to move over longitudinally aligned sling supports (44) located near the end of said discharge ramp (4) while supporting the ends (43) of the slings remote from said discharge ramp to provide festoons extending under the bars (b) to support the same, transferring a small number of bars (b) from said discharge ramp (4) to said last-named slings (20) while the slings are in elevated positions, gradually lowering the slings (20) while transferring more bars (b) to the slings to form a bundle supported on the slings, providing a strapping machine (6) with a strapping head (61) and a strap guide (70) extending around the bundle, said strap guide having an open portion to permit lateral feed of the bars (b) from said discharge ramp (4) to said bundle and having guide means (76,77, 78a,78b) to direct a strapping tape (54) from said head (61) around the bundle and back to said head, whereby said head (61) can tighten the tape (54) around the bundle (100) and thereafter sever the tape to complete one cycle, counting the number of bars discharged from the ramp (4) to the slings (20), stopping the movement of bars from the ramp (4) to the bundle when a predetermined number of bars have been accumulated in the bundle, causing operation of the strapping machine while such movement is stopped and while the bars are forced together on the slings to form a strapped bundle (100) while bars continue to be fed to said discharge ramp, removing the strapped bundle (100) from said slings, raising the slings (20) and thereafter restarting the feed of bars (b) from said discharge ramp (4) to said last-named slings (20) to repeat the cycle.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 63 words

A process according to claim 1 wherein, during each cycle, a series of parallel bars (b) are held in a row on said discharge ramp (4) and the bars are fed one at a time from said row to said bundle at a predetermined rate greater than the average rate of feed of bars from said machine (B) to said discharge ramp (4).

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 56 words

A process according to claim 1 wherein, during each cycle, a predetermined number of bars (b) are fed from said discharge ramp (4) to said last-named slings (20) while said slings are gradually lowered a predetermined distance, and, thereafter, the movement of bars (b) from the discharge ramp (4) is discontinued until the cycle is completed.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 93 words

A process accordinG to claim 3 wherein, during each cycle, a series of parallel bars (b) are held in a row on said discharge ramp (4), the bars are slowly fed from said row to said bundle, said last-named slings (20) are lowered in accordance with the number of bars in the bundle, and, when a predetermined number of bars are in the bundle on the slings, the feeding of bars from said row is stopped without stopping the feeding of bars to said ramp while the strapping machine (D) is in operation.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 76 words

A process according to claim 1 wherein a movable tape guide (66) is provided to guide the strapping tape (54) across said open portion of said tape guide (70) and is moved from a retracted position out of the path of movement of the bars (b) on said discharge ramp to a closed operating position in said path after a predetermined number of bars (b) have been fed to the slings (20) to complete the bundle.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 52 words

A process according to claim 5 wherein the slings (20) are lowered as the movable tape guide (66) is moved to its operating position and the bars (b) are forced together into a compact bundle before a high tension is applied to the strapping tape to complete the shaping of the bundle.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 33 words

A process according to claim 6 wherein the bars (b) are compacted by reducing the width of the festoon formed by said slings (20), whereby the strapped bundles are of substantially uniform size.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 464 words

In a process according to claim 1 wherein a first reversible motor means (45) are provided for rotating said sling supports (44) to raise and lower the festoons formed by said slings (20), a second reversible motor means (58) are provided for moving a tape guide member (66) between a retracted position out of the path of movement of bars (b) on the discharge ramp to a closed operating position wherein said member guides the tape (54) across said open portion of the tape guide (70), an escapement mechanism (C) is provided for feeding the bars (b) at a slow rate from said discharge ramp (4) to the slings (20), a third motor means (94) are provided for operating said escapement mechanism, counter means (31) are provided for counting the number of bars (b) delivered from the discharge ramp (4), and a power roller conveyor (5) is provided below the slings (20) to receive the strapped bundle (100), and wherein, during each cycle, the first motor means (45) moves the slings to an upper position to receive the first bars (b) discharged from the ramp during that cycle, the second motor means (58) holds the movable tape guide member (66) in its retracted position during feed of the bars, the third motor means (94) is energized to cause operation of said escapement mechanism, the first motor means (45) is energized to cause lowering of the slings in accordance with the number of bars indicated by said counter, the third motor means (94) is deenergized to stop feeding of the bars (b) to the slings (20) when the counter (31) indicates that a predetermined number of bars (b) are on the slings, the second motor means is then operated in accordance with such indication by the counter to move the movable tape guide member (66) to its closed operating position, the first motor means (45) is operated to compact the bundle of bars and to lower it to a position adjacent the rollers (42) of said conveyor (5), the first motor means (45) is stopped and the strapping machine (6) is energized to feed the tape (54) through the tape guide (70), form a loop around the bundle, tension the loop and sever it from the remaining strapping tape in said machine (6), the first motor means is then energized to lower the slings (20) between the rollers (42) of the power conveyor and transfer the strapped bundle (100) to said conveyor, the conveyor (5) is operated to remove the strapped bundle, the first motor means (45) is energized to raise the slings rapidly to their upper position, the second motor means (58) is energized to retract the tape guide member (66), and the third motor mEans (94) is again energized to start another cycle.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 474 words

In an apparatus for handling long hollow or solid bars comprising a rigid frame (7) having portions spaced apart to receive a bundle of bars (2), a storage ramp, spaced flexible slings (15) for supporting the bundle, means (14) on said frame for supporting the ends (16) of the slings at spaced elevated positions at one side remote from said storage ramp, sling supports (17) mounted on the opposite side near the end of said storage ramp for supporting the slings to provide festoons extending under the bundle to support the same, means for moving each sling upwardly from its festoon over its associated sling support to shorten and raise said festoon and to feed bars laterally from said sling supports to said storage ramp, means holding the bars on the ramp in parallel positions in a row, a metalworking machine (B) for acting on each bar, a conveying means (18,19) generally parallel to the bars in said machine, means for feeding the bars from the ramp to said conveying means, a downwardly inclined discharge ramp (4), and means for continually discharging bars (b) from said machine to said last-named ramp, the improvement which comprises a bundle banding apparatus (D) comprising a rigid frame (63) having portions spaced apart to receive a bundle of said bars and to permit vertical movement thereof, spaced flexible slings (20) for supporting such bundle, means (34,44) on opposite sides of said frame for supporting the slings while forming festoons for supporting said bundle, said last-named slings being located adjacent the end of said discharge ramp (4) to receive and support the bars (b) from said ramp, means (45) for slowly lowering said last-named slings as more bars are transferred thereto and for stopping movement of the slings when the desired number of bars are in the bundle, a strapping machine (6) with a strapping head (61) and a strap guide (70) extending around the bundle, said strap guide (70) having an open portion to permit lateral feed of the bars (b) from said discharge ramp (4) to the bundle and having guide means (76,77,78a,78b) to direct a strapping tape (54) form said head (61) around the bundle and back to said head, whereby said head can tighten the tape (54) around the bundle and thereafter cut the tape to complete one cycle, means (36) for stopping the movement of bars from the ramp to the bundle when a full bundle has been accumulated, means for initiating operation of said strapping machine while such movement is stopped to form a strapped bundle, conveyor means (5) for removing the strapped bundle (100) from said slings, and means (45) for causing raising of said last-named slings after the strapped bundle has been removed and for restarting the feed of bars from said discharge ramp to said slings to repeat the cycle.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 474 words

In an apparatus for handling long hollow or solid bars comprising a rigid frame (7) having portions spaced apart to receive a bundle of bars (2), a storage ramp, spaced flexible slings (15) for supporting the bundle, means (14) on said frame for supporting the ends (16) of the slings at spaced elevated positions at one side remote from said storage ramp, sling supports (17) mounted on the opposite side near the end of said storage ramp for supporting the slings to provide festoons extending under the bundle to support the same, means for moving each sling upwardly from its festoon over its associated sling support to shorten and raise said festoon and to feed bars laterally from said sling supports to said storage ramp, means holding the bars on the ramp in parallel positions in a row, a metalworking machine (B) for acting on each bar, a conveying means (18,19) generally parallel to the bars in said machine, means for feeding the bars from the ramp to said conveying means, a downwardly inclined discharge ramp (4), and means for continually discharging bars (b) from said machine to said last-named ramp, the improvement which comprises a bundle banding apparatus (D) comprising a rigid frame (63) having portions spaced apart to receive a bundle of said bars and to permit vertical movement thereof, spaced flexible slings (20) for supporting such bundle, means (34,44) on opposite sides of said frame for supporting the slings while forming festoons for supporting said bundle, said last-named slings being located adjacent the end of said discharge ramp (4) to receive and support the bars (b) from said ramp, means (45) for slowly lowering said last-named slings as more bars are transferred thereto and for stopping movement of the slings when the desired number of bars are in the bundle, a strapping machine (6) with a strapping head (61) and a strap guide (70) extending around the bundle, said strap guide (70) having an open portion to permit lateral feed of the bars (b) from said discharge ramp (4) to the bundle and having guide means (76,77,78a,78b) to direct a strapping tape (54) form said head (61) around the bundle and back to said head, whereby said head can tighten the tape (54) around the bundle and thereafter cut the tape to complete one cycle, means (36) for stopping the movement of bars from the ramp to the bundle when a full bundle has been accumulated, means for initiating operation of said strapping machine while such movement is stopped to form a strapped bundle, conveyor means (5) for removing the strapped bundle (100) from said slings, and means (45) for causing raising of said last-named slings after the strapped bundle has been removed and for restarting the feed of bars from said discharge ramp to said slings to repeat the cycle.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 61 words

Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein means (36) are provided to hold the bars in a row on said discharge ramp, and escapement means (C) are provided to feed the bars one at a time from said row to said bundle at a predetermined rate greater than the average rate of feed of bars from said machine to said discharge ramp.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 40 words

Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein means (31) are provided for counting the number of bars fed to said slings during each cycle and stopping operation of said escapement means when the desired number of bars are in the bundle.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 37 words

Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein a roller conveyor (5) is located below said slings (20) to receive the strapped bundle (100) and said slings move downwardly between the rollers of said conveyor to release the bundle.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 28 words

Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the counting means (31) causes lowering of the slings during each cycle in accordance with the number of bars in the bundle.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 49 words

Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said strap guide (70) has a movable section (66) at said open portion mounted to move from a normal closed position in the path of movement of the bars on said ramp to an open retracted position out of said path of movement.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 24 words

Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein motor means (58) are provided to move said movable section (66) between said open and said closed position.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 62 words

Apparatus according to claim 15 wherein means are provided for causing operation of said motor means in a direction to effect closing of the strap guide a short time before operation of said strapping machine and for causing operation of said motor means in a direction to effect opening of the strap guide after a strap has been placed around the bundle.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 42 words

Apparatus according to claim 16 wherein said movable section is mounted to swing about a horizontal axis from the open to the closed position and a reciprocating fluid operated motor is operable connected to said movable section to effect such swinging movement.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 107 words

Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said downwardly inclined discharge ramp has a stop member (36) which engages the lowermost bar of said row of bars on said ramp to hold the bars against rolling, an adjustable escapement means is provided having a portion (111) engageable with the lowermost bar for lifting said bar over said stop member, said portion having a surface (112) inclined in a direction to push the bar down the ramp, and means are provided for moving said escapement means upwardly between said lowermost bar and the next adjacent bar of the row to effect feeding of said lowermost bar over the stop.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 30 words

Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said improvement comprises means (120) for deflecting each sling above the bundle before operation of the strapping machine to assist in shaping the bundle.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 20 words

Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein rollers (121) are provided for engaging each sling to assist in shaping the bundle.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 58 words

Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein rollers (121) are provided at opposite sides of the apparatus (D) for engaging the slings (20) to assist in shaping the bundle, each roller being supported for movement toward and away from the sling from a retracted to an advanced position, and motor means (130) are provided for moving the rollers (121).

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 25 words

A process according to claim 1 wherein shaping means (120) are moved against the slings (20) to assist the strapping machine in shaping the bundle.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 31 words

A process according to claim 1 wherein the upper portion of the bundle is deformed to provide the bundle with a substantially round cross section before the strapping tape is applied.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 83 words

A process according to claim 1 wherein the slings are gradually lowered while feeding at least 25 long bars to the bundle, thereafter rollers are moved against each of the slings at opposite sides of the bundle to cause the bundle to assume a generally round cross section, and the strapping machine is operated while said rollers apply pressure to the slings, said rollers applying more pressure to the bundle than said strapping machine during application of the strapping tape to the bundle.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1978-03-17	1978-09-16	1979-03-18	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1982-03-17	1982-09-16	1983-03-18	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1986-03-17	1986-09-16	1987-03-18	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Automatic bar handling system

Abstract

Inventors

Bibliographic Details

Claims Analysis

References Cited (Backward Citations)

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Assigned Categories & Tags

Assign Category Tag