US3913744A — Lumber sorter apparatus

Claim 1

Independent Claim 165 words

A lumber sorter comprising a lumber-carrying conveyor operable to carry lumber along a path adjacent a plurality of sorting stations, means for ejecting lumber from said conveyor at selected sorting stations, and lumber-receiving bins underlying said conveyor at said stations into which lumber may fall when ejected from the conveyor, a bin including a pair of spaced-apart, facing, inclined bin walls inclined in the same direction from the vertical, and a substantially horizontal bin floor extending between said bin walls, an unloading conveyor underlying a bin having an upper surface adapted to receive and carry lumber away from the bin, and means mounting said bin floor for movement between a raised position adjacent the upper ends of the bin walls for receiving lumber when the bin is empty and a lowered position below the level of said surface of the unloading conveyor, with the bin floor maintained substantially horizontal throughout lowering, whereby lumber supported on the bin floor may be deposited on the unloading conveyor.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 165 words

A lumber sorter comprising a lumber-carrying conveyor operable to carry lumber along a path adjacent a plurality of sorting stations, means for ejecting lumber from said conveyor at selected sorting stations, and lumber-receiving bins underlying said conveyor at said stations into which lumber may fall when ejected from the conveyor, a bin including a pair of spaced-apart, facing, inclined bin walls inclined in the same direction from the vertical, and a substantially horizontal bin floor extending between said bin walls, an unloading conveyor underlying a bin having an upper surface adapted to receive and carry lumber away from the bin, and means mounting said bin floor for movement between a raised position adjacent the upper ends of the bin walls for receiving lumber when the bin is empty and a lowered position below the level of said surface of the unloading conveyor, with the bin floor maintained substantially horizontal throughout lowering, whereby lumber supported on the bin floor may be deposited on the unloading conveyor.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 27 words

The sorter of claim 1, wherein said means mounting said bin floor comprises a carriage mounted for movement on, and in a line paralleling a bin wall.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 45 words

The sorter of claim 1, wherein a bin wall is inclined at such an angle from the vertical that the same presents an upwardly facing surface upon which an accumulation of lumber dropped into the bin may rest and be at least partially supported thereby.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 87 words

The sorter of claim 1, wherein said unloading conveyor comprises a conveyor element extending under said walls and having an upper surface adapted to receive and carry lumber away from the bin, said bin floor comprises at least a pair of elongated floor members having upper surfaces occupying a common substantially horizontal plane, and said means mounting the bin floor accommodates lowering of said floor members to positions spaced laterally of said conveyor element and with their upper surfaces below the upper surface of the conveyor element.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 168 words

The sorter of claim 1, wherein a bin wall is inclined at such an angle from the vertical that the same presents an upwardly facing surface upon which an accumulation of lumber dropped into the bin may rest and be at least partially supported thereby and said unloading conveyor includes an elongated conveyor element having an upper support surface spaced a distance below and extending under a plurality of adjacent bin walls in the sorter adapted to receive lumber from a bin and transport the same away from said bin along a path under others of said bin walls, and which further comprises extension means associated with a bin wall shiftable between a first position out of the path of lumber carried by said conveyor element and a second position in which it defines an extension of its associated wall extending between the lower end of said wall and the bin floor when the bin floor is lowered to a position below the level of the unloading conveyor.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 53 words

The sorter of claim 5, which further comprises means for shifting said extension means from its first to its second position as the bin floor is moved to a position below the level of the unloading conveyor and means for returning said member to its first position when the bin floor is raised.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 67 words

The sorter of claim 6, wherein said eXtension means comprises an elongated arm pivotally connected intermediate its ends to said bin wall with an end portion of the arm, when in its first position, projecting substantially horizontally outwardly beneath the bin floor, and said means for returning the member from its second to its first position comprises yieldable biasing means urging said members to said first position.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 114 words

In lumber handling apparatus, a bin in which boards may be deposited and accumulated comprising a pair of spaced-apart, facing, inclined bin walls inclined in the same direction from the vertical, a substantially horizontal bin floor extending between said bin walls, an unloading conveyor underlying the bin operable to receive and carry lumber away from the bin, and means mounting said bin floor for vertical movement between a raised position adjacent the tops of said walls when the bin is empty and a lowered position below the level of said unloading conveyor with the bin floor maintained substantially horizontal throughout lowering, whereby lumber on the bin floor may be deposited on the unloading conveyor.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 114 words

In lumber handling apparatus, a bin in which boards may be deposited and accumulated comprising a pair of spaced-apart, facing, inclined bin walls inclined in the same direction from the vertical, a substantially horizontal bin floor extending between said bin walls, an unloading conveyor underlying the bin operable to receive and carry lumber away from the bin, and means mounting said bin floor for vertical movement between a raised position adjacent the tops of said walls when the bin is empty and a lowered position below the level of said unloading conveyor with the bin floor maintained substantially horizontal throughout lowering, whereby lumber on the bin floor may be deposited on the unloading conveyor.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 74 words

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said unloading conveyor comprises an elongated conveyor element extending under said bin walls, said bin floor comprises at least a pair of elongated floor members having upper surfaces occupying a common substantially horizontal plane, and said means mounting the bin floor accommodates lowering of said floor members to positions spaced laterally of said conveyor element and with their upper surfaces below the upper surface of the conveyor element.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 151 words

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a bin wall is inclined at such an angle from the vertical that the same presents an upwardly facing surface upon which an accumulation of lumber deposited in the bin may rest and be at least partially supported thereby and said unloading conveyor is spaced a distance below the lower end of said one wall operable to receive lumber from the bin and carry it away therefrom, and which further comprises extension means mounted adjacent the lower end of said bin wall shiftable between a first position removed from the space between the lower end of said bin wall and the unloading conveyor and a second position defining an extension of said bin wall closing off the space between the lower end of said wall and the bin floor when the bin floor is lowered to a position below the level of the unloading conveyor.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 39 words

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said extension means comprises an elongated member having an upper support surface which when in its said second position is inclined at substantially the same angle from the vertical as said bin wall.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 29 words

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said means mounting said bin floor comprises operator means operable to lower said bin floor in increments between its raised and lowered positions.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1978-10-20	1979-04-21	1979-10-21	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1982-10-20	1983-04-21	1983-10-21	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1986-10-20	1987-04-21	1987-10-21	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Lumber sorter apparatus

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