US3881609A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Tiltable tray sorting system with adjustable drive means
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1974-05-28
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Granted: 1975-05-06
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Expires: 1994-05-28
Abstract
Abstract A commodity sorting system has an induction loader unit, a code entry unit, a central control unit, a loading station, a closed loop chain, a closed loop track following the same path as the closed loop chain, and a plurality of carriages riding on the track and having coupling structure fixedly connecting the carriages to the closed loop chain. The carriages each has a tray mounted thereon that is capable of being tilted laterally in either direction at one of the plurality of discharge stations located on opposite sides of the track. Carriage tip-up units are mounted along side of the track at each discharge station and these tilt the trays on the carriages as the carriage approaches the destination discharge station for each commodity package. The tip-up units act in response to a signal sent from the central control unit that initially receives the destination discharge station code indicia of each commodity package that had been inserted into the code entry unit.
Inventors
- 👤 Peter H Ellis
- 👤 Allen F Eastham
- 👤 Cecil Bainbridge
- 👤 Wiley F Yip
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 07:30
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G47/00; B65G47/74; B65G47/94; B65G47/96; B65G47/962; B65G47/34; B65G47/46; B65G47/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
362 words
A commodity sorting system comprising: a closed loop chain means, a closed loop track following the same path as that of said closed loop chain means, a plurality of carriages riding on said closed loop track and having means connecting said carriages to said closed loop chain means whereby travel of said chain means about its loop causes said carriages to travel around said closed loop track, said carriages each having a tray mounted thereon and having means to allow said trays to be laterally tiltable in either direction, a first vertical drive shaft, means for driving said chain means about its loop comprising a sprocket gear horizontally oriented on said first vertical drive shaft, first skid means, bearing means, said first vertical drive shaft being rotatably supported in said bearing means that are in turn fixedly supported above said first skid means, a motor, gear drive means, second skid means slidably mounted on said first skid means, said motor being coupled to said gear drive means, means mounting said gear drive means on said second skid, a second vertical drive shaft extending upwardly from said gear drive means in axial alignment with said first vertical drive shaft and coupling means to secure the two vertical shafts together to transmit torque from said motor to said first vertical drive shaft, base means having sliding pads upon which said first skid means is mounted, said base means having means to adjust the tension in said closed loop chain means, at least one loading station and a plurality of discharge stations, carriage tip-up means positioned at each discharge station, code entry unit means into which destination discharge station code indicia from each commodity package is inserted just prior to its being loaded onto one of said carriage trays at said loading station, central control unit means for receiving the informatIon fed into the code entry unit means to establish a memory circuit to control the discharge of the commodity package at a destination discharge station by sending an electrical signal to said carriage tip-up means positioned at said discharge station causing it to be actuated as the carriage tray approaches the destination discharge station.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
362 words
A commodity sorting system comprising: a closed loop chain means, a closed loop track following the same path as that of said closed loop chain means, a plurality of carriages riding on said closed loop track and having means connecting said carriages to said closed loop chain means whereby travel of said chain means about its loop causes said carriages to travel around said closed loop track, said carriages each having a tray mounted thereon and having means to allow said trays to be laterally tiltable in either direction, a first vertical drive shaft, means for driving said chain means about its loop comprising a sprocket gear horizontally oriented on said first vertical drive shaft, first skid means, bearing means, said first vertical drive shaft being rotatably supported in said bearing means that are in turn fixedly supported above said first skid means, a motor, gear drive means, second skid means slidably mounted on said first skid means, said motor being coupled to said gear drive means, means mounting said gear drive means on said second skid, a second vertical drive shaft extending upwardly from said gear drive means in axial alignment with said first vertical drive shaft and coupling means to secure the two vertical shafts together to transmit torque from said motor to said first vertical drive shaft, base means having sliding pads upon which said first skid means is mounted, said base means having means to adjust the tension in said closed loop chain means, at least one loading station and a plurality of discharge stations, carriage tip-up means positioned at each discharge station, code entry unit means into which destination discharge station code indicia from each commodity package is inserted just prior to its being loaded onto one of said carriage trays at said loading station, central control unit means for receiving the informatIon fed into the code entry unit means to establish a memory circuit to control the discharge of the commodity package at a destination discharge station by sending an electrical signal to said carriage tip-up means positioned at said discharge station causing it to be actuated as the carriage tray approaches the destination discharge station.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
68 words
A commodity sorting system as recited in claim 1 wherein said means to adjust tension in said closed loop chain comprises a primary adjustment means and a secondary adjustment means, said primary means comprising a jack pad against which a jack may be positioned to act against said first skid means and clamp means for fixedly securing said first skid means in locked position on said base means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
60 words
A commodity sorting system as recited in claim 2 wherein said secondary adjustment means comprises threaded take up screws that have one of their ends attached to frame superstructure extending upwardly from the rear of said base with their other ends attached to a beam that fixedly supports the bearing means in which said first vertical drive shaft is journaled.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
A commodity sorting system as recited in claim 3 further comprising clamp means for fixedly securing said second skid means in locked position on said first skid means to insure proper alignment between said first and second vertical drive shafts.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
60 words
A commodity sorting system as recited in claim 1 wherein said carriage tip-up means comprises: an actuator assembly having a piston rod for reciprocating motion, a self-aligning bearing attached to the free end of said piston rod and a tip-up arm attached to said self-aligning bearing, the free end of the tip-up arm having a cam follower roller mounted therein.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
57 words
A commodity sorting system as recited in claim 5 wherein means are connected to said actuator assembly to power the tip-up arm to the tip position and to power the tip-up arm to the return position, said means comprising a four-way valve that is actuated in response to an electrical signal from said central control unit means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
202 words
A commodity sorting system as recited in claim 1 wherein said means to allow said trays to be laterally tiltable in either direction comprises a carriage body having fore and aft upstanding support members, a tray support member pivotally attached to said fore and aft upstanding support members, a carriage cam member pivotally attached to the underside of said tray support member allowing its forward portion to pivot upwardly about a horizontal axis that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the carriage, locking means attached to the underside of said cam member and said fore upstanding support member, said cam member having substantially identical cam surfaces along its lower lateral edges against which the cam follower roller of the carriage tip-up means rolls, each cam surface having a forward portion that functions to unlatch the tray from its horizontal locked position and a rear portion that functions to lateral tilt said tray, said forward portion having a substantially linear surface that is canted laterally along its longitudinal axis, said rear portion being non-linear and having a warped concave surface with the major warpage occurring at its forward edge with the warpage growing lesser along the length of the rearward position.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
A commodity sorting system as recited in claim 1 further comprising induction loader means for automatically placing commodity packages on said carriage trays at said loading station.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
A commodity sorting system as recited in claim 1 including discharge chutes located on opposite sides of said track at some of said discharge stations.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-05-05 | 1978-11-04 | 1979-05-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-05-05 | 1982-11-04 | 1983-05-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-05-05 | 1986-11-04 | 1987-05-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |