Apparatus for storing rod-shaped material

Claim 1

An apparatus for storing and supplying rod-shaped material to a cutting machine comprising a shelving unit including a plurality of carrier arms arranged one above another to form shelving compartments for holding rod-shaped material; each shelving compartment extending horizontally in a length dimension of said shelving unit; a crane bridge moveable with respect to said shelving unit for removing rod-shaped material from and placing rod-shaped material into said shelving compartments, wherein the improvement comprises first and second rollways each forming a substantially horizontal support for carrying rod-shaped material thereon; said first and second rollways extending horizontally parallel to said length dimension and being vertically spaced from one another; and vertically displaceable means carrying said first and second rollways; said vertically displaceable means having a first position in which said first rollway assumes a cutting machine loading position for delivering rod-shaped material length-wise to and receiving unused rod-shaped material length-wise from a cutting machine; in said first position of said carrying means said second rollway assumes a first supplying position situated above said cutting machine loading position for cooperating with said crane bridge whereby rod-shaped material is deposited on said second rollway or is taken therefrom by said crane bridge; said vertically displaceable means having, underneath said first position, a second position in which said second rollway assumes said cutting machine loading position and said first rollway assumes a second supplying position situated underneath said cutting machine loading position for cooperating with said crane bridge whereby rod-shaped material is deposited on said first rollway or is taken therefrom by said crane bridge.

Claim 2

An apparatus for storing and supplying rod-shaped material to a cutting machine comprising a shelving unit including a plurality of carrier arms arranged one above another to form shelving compartments for holding rod-shaped material; each shelving compartment extending horizontally in a length dimension of said shelving unit; a crane bridge moveable with respect to said shelving unit for removing rod-shaped material from and placing rod-shaped material into said shelving compartments, wherein the improvement comprises first and second rollways each forming a substantially horizontal support for carrying rod-shaped material thereon; said first and second rollways extending horizontally parallel to said length dimension and being vertically spaced from one another; and vertically displaceable means carrying said first and second rollways; said vertically displaceable means having a first position in which said first rollway assumes a cutting machine loading position for delivering rod-shaped material length-wise to and receiving unused rod-shaped material length-wise from a cutting machine; in said first position of said carrying means said second rollway assumes a first supplying position situated above said cutting machine loading position for cooperating with said crane bridge whereby rod-shaped material is deposited on said second rollway or is taken therefrom by said crane bridge; said vertically displaceable means having, underneath said first position, a second position in which said second rollway assumes said cutting machine loading position and said first rollway assumes a second supplying position situated underneath said cutting machine loading position for cooperating with said crane bridge whereby rod-shaped material is deposited on said first rollway or is taken therefrom by said crane bridge.