Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This is a division of my Co-pending Canadian Patent Application No.
262,800 filed October 6th 1976.
This invention relates to an article handling system, and more
particularly to a system for shi-Eting and orienting containers within the
confines of a truck or tractor-drawn trailer body.
This invention is concerned with truck-mounted mechanized article
handling systems which may be easily fitted to existing truck bodies, in-
cluding tractor-drawn trailer bodies. The mechanized system is particularly
adapted for use with standardized containers although it is to be understood
that the invention is not limited speciEically thereto. The system of this
invention is designed to facilitate the general loading and unloading of the
containers, but more importantly a primary purpose of the system is to permit
access to a particular container regardless of its position on the truck re-
lative to the rear opening without having to remove other containers from the
truck.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A number of systems are known in the prior art for facilitating the
general loading and unloading of the contents of a truck. GenerallyJ these
systems take the form of roller conveyorsJ pushing and pulling power elements
or the like, and do not permit access to a container at the forward end of the
truck without removing other containers. It is known to use an endless power
conveyor on a truck body which is designed to deliver a particular container
to the rear of the truck. However, such systems are impractical from a cost
standpoint in that entirely too much free space must be allowed for the con-
tainers on the conveyor to make the turns around the sharp corners of the
truck body. Further, the mechanism of the conveyor itself has generally been
of a rather bulky construction further reducing the space that is available
for the hauling of cargo. The system of this invention permits the carrier
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to maximize the usage of the space within the truck body.
This invention is an improvement over the article handling systems
` disclosed in applicant's United States Patent No. 3,802,588, dated April 9,
1974, entitled ARTICLE HANDLING SYSTEM, and United States Patent No. 3,777,916,
dated December 11, 1973, also entitled ARTICLE HANDLING SYSTEM.
The basic concept under which the system disclosed in those patents
operates involves the sectioning of the truck body into a plurality of con-
tiguous, generally square areas aligned in two longitudinal rows. Each of
the squares receives a container with the exception of one which is left
blank. By subjecting the two rows of containers to a plurality of sequenced
rectilinear movements using the blank space, a particular container may be
brought to a particular location on the floor of the truck body without hav-
ing to remove any of the containers from the truck~ thereby saving many man
; hours in unloading the truck. Wear and tear on the truck body is minimized
in that, since a container is delivered to the rear opening mechanically, a
fork lift need not enter the truck for the removal of a container located at
the front.
This invention is designed on the basic concept disclosed in those
earlier patents but constitutes an improvement over the apparatus disclosed
in those patents for moving the loads in a rectangular endless path.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides an article handling system comprising:
(a) a generally rectangular mobile load containing unit having a
load supporting floor;
(b) a generally rectangular stationary load containing unit having
a load supporting floor;
(c) first and second conveyor means on said mobile and stationary
units, respectively, for moving a plurality of loads of generally rectangular
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configurations in horizontal cross-section arranged in two closely adjacent
longitudinal rows in each of said units and substantially covering the entire
floor area of said units with the exception of at least one void area
approximately the size of the area covered by one load in a rectangular path
within the confines of each of said units, each of said first and second con-
veyor means comprising:
ti) means for supporting the loads for movement on said floors in
: four directions -- namely, back and forth longitudinally of said units and
back and forth transversely of said units;
(ii) first drive means for shifting the loads in said rows in two
of said four directions;
(iii) second drive means for shifting said loads in the other two
of said directions, said movements being possible through utilization of said
: void area;
. (iv) each of said drive means comprising a reversible power source,
a flexible elongated element attached to said reversible power source for
movement in reversible directions, a pair of load engaging drive detents
attached to said flexible elongated element, underlying the loads, and driv-
ingly engaged there~ith for moving the loads upon activation of said power
source; and
` (v) means for selectively activating said first and second drive
; means to intermittently move the loads; and
(d) selectively usable connecting conveyor means for operably con-
necting said first and second conveyor means, whereby loads may be moved from
one unit to the other in a single enlarged rectangular path spanning both
units.
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The apparatus disclosed herein constitutes an improvement over those
mechanisms disclosed in applicant's prior patents in that it is, for the most
part, simpler in construction, has fewer parts, and is more readily installed
in truck bodies. Further, the apparatus is more versatile in that by re-
directing and rearranging drive cables on the floor of the vehicle, the system
can be changed to operate either with a double-blank space or a single-blank
space and the direction of movement can be changed.
In one embodiment there is a plurality of load-receiving trays which
are movably supported on casters which in turn are secured to the vehicle
floor. The trays are arranged in the two longitudinal rows on the vehicle
and the void area is either a single blank space the size of one of the trays
-` or a double-blank space, one for each row depending upon the movement to which
the system is geared as will be explained more fully below. In any event, a
particular tray can be moved through a longitudinal row to an end of the
vehicle uhereupon it is shifted transversely to the other longitudinal row to
be moved through that row to the other end of the vehicle whereupon it can be
either removed or shifted transversely back to the other row to repeat the
cycle. Cable driven detents or trolleys are mounted on trackways in the
vehicle floor and engage the trays to move them longitudinally and transverse-
~ 20 ly of the vehicle. The trolleys or detents are reciprocated in their track-
-` ways by means of cables which in turn are driven in a preferred embodiment,
by hydraulically actuated, double-acting cylinders. In one of the preferred
embodiments, a single double-acting cylinder effects both transverse movements
at either end of the vehicle and a single double-acting cylinder effects the
longitudinal movements through each longitudinal row. In other words, only
two power sources are needed to effect movement of the loads through the rec-
tangular path. A number of variations of this basic arrangement are disclosed
utllizing the single blank space concept and the faster, double blank space
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
; Figure 1 is a generally schematic plan view of a preferred embodi-
ment of the article handling system whereby loads may be moved in a rectangular
path in a counterclockwise direction;
Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of the system of Figure 1, more clear-
ly illustrating the changeover between the transverse drive means and the
longitudinal drive means;
Figure 3 is a view taken on line 3 - 3 of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a plan view of the drive detent which engages and moves
the load-supporting trays;
; Figure 5 is a side view in elevation of the detent of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a front view in elevation of the drive detent of Figure
- 4;
Figure 7 is a schematic illustration of an article handling system
similar to that of Figure 1 except that the cables are so arranged that the
load is moved in a clockwise direction utilizing the single blank space;
Figure 8 is a further alternative embodiment of the article handling
~ system showing the cables arranged in a different manner for effecting clock-
: 20 wise rotation of the loads utilizing a single blank space;
Figure 9 is a schematic illustration of an arrangement of fluid
actuated cylinders wherein the tray engaging drive detents are connected di-
rectly to the piston rods of the cylinders and wherein loads may be moved in
the counterclockwise direction utilizing either a single blank space or a
double blank space;
Figure 10 is a schematic illustration of an arrangement of the
article handling system which effects clockwise rotation utilizing either a
single blank space or a double blank space;
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Figure 11 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment o`f the
article handling system wherein the cables are arranged to effect clockwise
movement of the loads utilizing a double blank space;
Figure 12 is a plan view of the arrangement of Figure 1 emphasizing
the load supporting rollers and braking strips affixed to the vehicle floor;
Figure 13 is a partial fragmentary diagrammatical view of the right
lower corner section of each of the embodiments shown heretofore, emphasizing
the offset between the longitudinal rows to prevent snagging during transverse
movements;
Figure 14 is a diagrammatical side view in elevation of the article
handling system of this invention; and
Figure 15 is a plan view of the embodiment of Figure 14.
The concept upon which this invention is based can best be under-
stood with reference to Figure 1 wherein 10 generally indicates an enclosed
truck body, in this case, a tractor-drawn trailer. The trailer includes a
floor 12 on which are positioned a longitudinal drive unit 14 and a transverse
drive unit 16 each of which will be described in greater detail hereinafter.
As can be best seen in Figure 1, the trailer is sectioned into squares aligned
in two longitudinal rows, A and B. The squares in the two rows are numbered
Al through A7 and Bl through B7, respectively.
Each of the squares is occupied by a roller supported tray 22 with
the exception of one square which in Figure 1 is square A7. Accordingly, the
transverse drive means 16 is first actuated to shift the tray in B7 to A7.
Longitudinal drive means 14 is then actuated to move the tray in spaces Bl
through B6 to spaces B2 through B7, following which the transverse drive
dry means 16 is again actuated to move the tray in Al to Bl. The longitudinal
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drive means 14 is again actuated to move the trays in A2 through A~ Al
through A6, whereupon space A7 is again vacant and one cycle is completed.
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A cycle comprises four successive movements where a single blank space is used.
Other embodiments are disclosed wherein each of the squares is oc-
cupied by a roller supported tray 22 with the exception of ~wo squares, for
example, squares Bl and A7, which are left vacant. These vacant areas permit
the trays to be shifted in simultaneous transverse or simultaneous longitudi-
nal movements as will hereinafter be more fully described. This effectively
halves the time required to move a load through a complete rectangular path.
One complete circuit is defined as repeating the cycle until the
original arrangement is regained. Thus, it can be seen that by performing a
certain number of operational sequences a particular container, for example,
one occupying the position in station Al at the front end of the trailer can
be delivered to the position B7 at the rear end of the trailer where it can
be conveniently removed by a fork lift truck or the like without having to
remove any of the other containers from the trailer. It is also to be ob-
served that this system permits the utilization of a maximum amount of space
within the truck body. This is contrary to endless conveyor systems of the
prior art wherein a large amount of wasted space had to be allowed at each
end of the trailer to permit the containers to make the turns.
The transverse drive means generally indicated by the numeral 16 in
~igure 1 includes a fluid actuated cylinder 24 which is double-acting and
. which includes a piston rod 26 on one end and a piston rod 28 on the other.
The stroke length of the piston is generally equal to the width of a tray 22
~hich is the distance required to move the tray from one space to another. A
cable 30 is attached at one end to the end of piston rod 26 and extends around
guide pulley 32 which is mounted on the floor of the vehicle for rotation
about a vertical axis and then around pulleys 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42 whereupon
. the other end of the cable is connected to the end of piston rod 28. Drive
detents 44 and 46 to be described in greater detail below are connected to the
3~7Z5~;~
cable at 48 and 50 respectively on what are referred to as the transverse runs
of the cable 30. It can be seen that when the cylinder 24 is actuated so that
the piston rod 26 is retracted and the rod 28 is extended, the cable 30 is
pulled to the left by the piston rod 26 causing the drive detents 44 and 46
to move to their respective dotted line positions as shown in Figure 1. When
the cylinder is again actuated to extend the piston 26 and retract the piston
rod 28, the drive detents are moved back to their full line positions as shown
in Figure 1.
The longitudinal drive means 14 includes a fluid-actuated cylinder
56 having piston rods 58 and 60. A cable 62 extends from piston rod 58 around
; guide pulleys 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, and 74 and is attached at its other end to
the end of piston rod 60. Drive detents 76 and 78 are attached to the cable
at 80 and 82 respectively along what will be referred to as the longitudinal
runs of the cable 62. When the cylinder 56 is actuated to retract the piston
rod 58 and extend the rod 60, the cable 62 will be pulled to the left as
viewed in Figure 1 whereupon drive detent 76 wi-ll be pulled to the right to
the dotted line position. Likewise drive detent 78 will be pulled to the
right to its dotted line position. It is to be understood that the drive
detents engage trays which occupy the spaces diagrammatically illustrated in
; 20 ~igure 1, with the exception of one space which is left blank.
As shown in Figure 3, a plurality of casters, all indicated by the
same number 84, are mounted on the floor 12 of the vehicle 10 for swivel mo-
tion as is conventional with casters. Figure 13 is illustrative of a floor
arrangement suitable for supporting trays 22 for movement over the floor.
This arrangement is suitable for the embodiment of Figure l and the embodi-
ments to be disclosed later herein with only slight modifications necessary
to accommodate the different positions of the conveyor hardware.
In Figure 12 it can be seen that strings of rollers 13 underlie the
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longitudinal rows of conveyors with preferably three strings of rollers for
each row. Of course, sufficient space is left for the ~ which receive
the drive detents. Braking members or static rests 15 are spaced stragetically
on the floor of the vehicle, preferably at the ends thereof. These rests com-
prise a supporting base and are covered on the top with a friction-reducing
material such as nylon or the like. The top surfaces of the members are sub-
stantially level with the surface of the rollers of the roller strings 13 and
the casters 84. The purpose of these braking members is to provide a more
stable support when the loads are in transit. The loads which are supported
entirely on the rollers or casters would not be very stable. The front end of
the vehicle in the area of transverse movement is provided solely with the
braking member type of supports while on the rear end of the vehicle a combina-
tion of braking support members 15 and the casters 84 is used. To further
assist in stabilizing the load, toggle throw type of load-bracing devices 17
are provided at the rear ends of the longitudinal rows. When unloading, rol-
lerways 19 are provided at the rear of one row of loads to facilitate removal
of loads from the vehicle and onto a loading dock, or at least onto a position
where it can be reached by a forklift truck. The area 21 is the operator's
area and includes a control panel 23 and operator protecting stanchions 25.
; 20 Tray 22 is substantially a planar metal sheet of sufficient strength
to support palletized loads and is provided with slots 86 along each side edge
portion thereof. These slots receive the drive detents as will be explained
more fully below. Figure 2 further shows in greater detail the cable arrange-
ment at the changeover section between the transverse drive means and the
longitudinal drive means. Figure 2 also more clearly shows the trackway 45
which receives the transverse drive de~ent 44 and the trackway 77 which
receives the longitudinal drive detent 76. It is to be understood that all
of the drive detents and trackways are substantially identical. Figure 2 also
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shows detent devices 90 which hold trays in the space A7. The detents permit
movement of the trays into space A7 from space B7 but prevent the trays from
moving back into space ~7, though it does not prevent the trays from moving
from A7 to A6. In other words, the detents are arranged for counterclockwise
movement of the trays through the rectangular path defined by the two rows of
trays.
Figure 3 further illustrates guide rail 100 which extends down the
center of the vehicle and which is provided with outwardly extending flanges
la2 which keep the trays from rising up. Likewise a similar flange 104 is
mounted along each side wall of the vehicle. Again, the purpose is to again
keep the trays in position on the rollsrs or casters to prevent them from
rising up~ardly.
One of the drive detents is shown in greater detail in Figures 4
through 6. Detent 76 will be described, however, it is to be understood that
the other drive detents 44, 46 and 78 are identical. The detent includes a
floor portion 108 which terminates in underlying flanges 75 which are received
in the channels defined by the overlying flanges 79 on the trackway 77. The
; drive detent wlll be referred to as having a front end 110 and a rear end 112.
The side walls 114 extend the length of the detent and at the rear end portion
thereof an axle 116 extends between the two walls. The axle swingably supports
the detent element 118, the upper portion of which is the part ~hat is actually
received ln the slots 86 in the trays when the drive detent is in driving posi-
tion. A pair of stops 120 are mounted on the floor of the detent and prevent
~ the detent 01ement 118 from swinging in the counterclockwise direction from
: the position shown in Figures 4 and 5. A tension spring 122 is connected at
one end to the floor 108 and at the other end to the lower end of the drive
detent 118 to maintain it in the position shown in Figures 4 and 5, up against
the stops 120. It can be seen tha~ when the element 118 is engaged in one of
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the slots 86 of the tray and the drive detent is moved to the right as viewed
in the figures, the element 118, because of its inability to swing in a coun-
terclockwise direction about the axle 116, will pull the tray to the right.
However, when the drive detent is moved to the left, the element 118 can pivot
in the clockwise direction against the bias of the spring 122 whereupon the
element 118 is released from the slot 86 of one of the trays and permits the
detent to move under and into driving engagement with an adjacent tray.
Referring again to Figure 1, it is to be unders~ood that the embodi-
ment shown therein utilizes a single blank space to move the loads in a rec-
tangular path through the ~wo rows Al to A7 and Bl to B7. In operation, assum-
ing that space A7 is vacant, transverse drive means 16 is ac~uated to retract
piston rod 26 whereupon the detent 44 which is in driving engagement with the
tray occupying the space B7 is moved to the dotted line position to move the
tray in B7 to A7. At the same time, the detent 46 which had been in engage-
ment with the tray occupying space Bl is released and moved back to the dotted
line position and into engagement with one of the drive slots of the tray oc-
- cupying space Al. In the second step of the cycle, longitudinal drive means
are actuated whereupon piston rod 58 is retracted and cable 62 is pulled to
the left thereby pulling detent 78 which is in driving engagement with the
tray occupying space Bl to the dotted line position. The trays occupying
spaces B2 through B6 are pushed by the tray occupying space Bl one tray length
such that the trays will occupy positions B2 through B7. At the same time,
drive detent 80 will be released from the tray in space A6 and will be moved
back to the position underlying and in driving engagement with the tray oc-
- cupying space A7. The transverse drive means 24 is actuated ~o move the tray
in Al to the now vacated space in Bl, following which the longitudinal drive
means is again actuated to move the trays occupying spaces A2 through A7
to the spaces Al through A6. Space A7 is now vacant and one cycle has been
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completed. The successive actuations of the transverse and longitudinal
drive means is continued until a selected load appears at the rear of the
vehicle whereupon it can be readily unloaded.
The longitudinal rows are preferably offset, as shown in Figures 12
and 13 such that a load being shifted transversely from one row to the next
will not snag a load in the next row. This offset is accomplished by only
slightly lengthening the stroke of the longitudinal drive pistons. The stroke
length will be equal to a load length plus the offset. When a load is en-
gaged, for longitudinal movement it will first cover the distance of the off-
set space and will then cover one load length to move the entire row one load
length.
Figures 7 through ll schematically illustrate different arrangements
of the cable-driven deten~s utilizing either the single blank space or double
i blank space concepts, and in the instance of the arrangements shown in Figures
9 and 10, utilizing additional fluid power cylinders and in some instances
utilizing drive detents which are directly connected to the piston rods of
some of the fluid power cylinders.
Figure 7 is the mirror image of the arrangement shown in Figure 1
and ~he only difference in the arrangement shown in Figure 1 and that of
Figure 7 is that in Figure 1 the loads are moved in a counterclockwise di-
- rection wfiile tn Figure 7, the loads are moved in a clockwise direction.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 8, the fluid power cylinder A
drives the longitudinal detent 76 and the transverse detent 46 while the
cylinder B drives the longitudinal detent 78 and the transverse detent 44.
In the case of rectangular trays wherein the length is greater than the width,
a lost motion connection has to be provided between the cables and the trans-
verse detents 44 and 46 since the stroke length for the cylinders A and B will
be the same for a transverse or a longitudinal movement. The arrangement shown
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in Figure 8 utilizes a single blank space as with the arrangements of Figures
1 and 7 and move the loads in the clockwise direction. Of course, it is to be
understood that for all arrangements shown, the direction of movement is de-
pendent upon the positioning of the drive detents and the arrangement of the
cables over the floor of the vehicle.
In Figure 9 a still further simplified system is shown wherein four
power cylinders 200, 201, 202 and 203 are placed on the vehicle floor, with
cylinders 201 and 203 effecting longitudinal movement of the trays while
cylinders 200 and 202 effect the transverse movements. The detents 204, 206,
208, and 210 are identical to that described with the earlier described em-
bodiments; however, they are connected directly to the piston rods of the
cylinders 200 - 203. As shown, the cylinders are designed for counterclock-
wise movement of the load through the rectangular path. However, it is to be
understood, as with all the other embodiments, the direction of the cylinders
may be merely reversed whereupon clockwise rotation can be effected. In any
event, assuming that the space in the upper righthand corner is vacant, cylin-
der 202 is extended and then retracted to draw the load in the adjacent space
transversely and into the vacant upper righthand corner space whereupon cylin-
der 201 is actuated to move its row of trays to the right and into the newly
vacated space. Transverse drive cylinder 200 is then activated, following
which the longitudinal cylinder 203 is activated. After this sequence of
movements, the space in the upper righthand corner is again vacant. This
describes the operation wherein a single blank space was utilized. Assuming
that double blank spaces are utilized and the system shown in Figure 9 is
operable with double blank spaces, then the time consumed in moving a load
throughout the entire rectangular path is cut in halF. For example, assuming
that tha space in the upper righthand corner and the space in the lower left
hand corner are vacant, then, transverse cylinders 200 and 202 may be operated
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simultaneously to move loads from adjacent rows into those vacant spaces,
following which hydraulic cylinders 201 and 203 are simultaneously actuated
to move the two rows longitudinally in opposite directions.
In Figure 10 an arrangement is shown for moving loads in the clock-
wise direction utilizing either a single blank space or double blank spaces.
Again, it is to be understood that by utilizing the mirror image arrangement
of the arrangement shown in Figure 10, the direction of movement of the load
can be reversed. In any event, a pair of cylinders 220 and 222 are utilized
to effect movement of one transverse detent 224 through connecting cable 234
, 10 while cylinders 226 and 228 effect movement of the other transverse detent
230 through connecting cable 232. By using pairs of cylinders in this manner,
the detents 224 and 230 may be operated simultaneously to move loads from ad-
jacent rows to adjacent blank spaces where the double blank space concept is
used. The longitudinal movements are effected by cylinders 240 and 242 which
have directly connected thereto longitudinal drive detents 244 and 246. By
simultaneous actuation of the cylinders 240 and 242, the trays or loads in
the two rows may be moved simultaneously in opposite directions. Of course,
by energizing the drive means one at a time, the arrangement of Figure 10 can
be used to move loads through the rectangular path utilizing only a single
blank space.
Finally, in Figure 11 an arrangement is disclosed which is used to
move a load through a path in the clockwise direction utilizing double blank
spaces. Cylinder 300 when actuated, causes longitudinal driving movement of
longitudinal drive detents 302 and 304 through cable 306. Transverse drive
; cylinder 308 simultaneously effects transverse driving movement of transverse
detents 310 and 312 by means of cable 314.
It can be seen that the cable, drive detent arrangement disclosed
by applicant is highly versatile and may be readily adapted to existing vehic-
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les without significant structural modification. Further, by varying ~he
disposition of the cables, detents and power cylinders on the floor of the
vehicle, the direction of movement of the loads can be varied. Further, by
making other modifications previously described, a double blank space concept
may be utilized whereby loads are moved through the rectangular path in half
the time required when only a single blank space is employed. Finally, a
savings in power is realized in a number of the embodiments disclosed herein,
particularly those described in Figures 1, 8 and 11, wherein only a pair of
hydraulic cylinders are required to effect the ~wo transverse movemen~s and
the two longitudinal movements.
Figures 14 and 15 diagrammatically illustrate a system whereby a
vehicle load may be exchanged with a load in another vehicle or in a station-
ary housing or unit on a loading dock. The system employs the indexing ar-
rangement described with respect to the aforegoing embodiments wherein loads
are indexed in a rectangular path using at least a single void area on the
floor of the vehicle. In the Figures, the number 400 indicates a trailer
loaded with a plurality of unitized containers or palletized loads 402. The
loads are aligned in two longitudinal rows on conveyors which are designed to
index the loads in a rectangular path through the two rows. The embodiments
described earlier herein can be used in this system or the embodiments dis-
closed in applicant's earlier patents may be used. A stationary unit 404 can
be mounted on a loading dock or is mounted on hydraulically adjustable supports
406 by which the stationary unit 404 can be adjusted to the height of the ve-
hicle or trailer 400. The loads in the stationary unit 404 are identified by
-; the numeral 402a. The stationary unit 404 is likewise provided with a con-
veyor mechanism which will index the loads through an endless rectangular path
within the confines of the unit. Further, the trailer and the stationary unit
404 are provided with closures which may be locked for security purposes. It
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is to be understood that the stationary unit 404 may be replaced by another
trailer or the like.
The purpose of this arrangement is to exchange the load of the
trailer 400 with the load of the unit 404. This is accomplished by deactivat-
ing the transverse conveying units at the adjacent ends of the units 400 and
404. For example, in the embodiment of Figure 1 of this application, the
drive detent may be held by any suitable mechanical means in the downward,
; out-of-engagement position such that even though it is actuated and goes
through the motions, it will not engage the trays. A spanning or connecting
conveyor such as a roller conveyor or the like 408 is positioned between the
floors of the trailer 400 and the stationary unit 404. In Figure 14, the
connecting conveyor 408 is exaggerated, however, it is to be understood that
it is of a height which is substantially equal to the height of the supporting
rollers or casters which support the loads 402 or 402a. Since the transverse
movements at the adjacent ends of the units ~which movements are indicated by
- the dotted-line arrows X and Y) have been eliminated, upon actuation of the
system, the units will travel in an enlarged rectangular path which covers
the two units. Accordingly, the loads are indexed within the longitudinal
rows and within the units until they are completely exchanged. In Figure 15,
the exchange process is indicated as being in process.
In practical application, a supermarket or the like may employ one
of the stationary units on one of its loading docks and perhaps may fill it
with empties to be returned. A supply truck may arrive at any time during
the night or day. The driver can unlock the unit 404 and by actuating the
conveyors in each, can fully exchange the loads, can lock up the unit 404,
and then drive off. There is no need for an attendant to be present and when
the store manager arrives in the morning he will find a complete llew stock.
It is contemplated that the power units for the conveyor systems for each of
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the units can be connected in tandem such that one will be a slave to the
other.
. In general manner, while there has been disclosed effective and
efficient embodiments of the invention, it should be well understood that the
invention is not limited to such embodiments as there might be changes made
in the arrangement, disposition, and form of the parts without departing from
the principle of the present invention as comprehended within the scope of the
accompanying claims.
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