Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02274566 1999-06-07
Our reference: BJZ-100-A
DISPOSABLE AND REUSABLE SPACER RACK,
AND METHOD OF USING SAME
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a disposable and reusable spacer rack, for
placing
between a pallet and a stack of thin sheets such as printing paper, and to a
method of using the
disposable and reusable spacer rack hereof. More particularly, the present
invention relates to a
substantially rectangular disposable and reusable spacer rack, having a
plurality of parallel
grooves formed in an upper surface thereof. The spacer rack according to the
present invention
is provided for use in conjunction with a pallet, in supportively holding a
stack of printing paper
or other printable sheet stock thereon, for use in a continuously fed, high-
volume printing press.
2. Description of the Background Art
Many different types of support pallets and skids, for supporting a load
thereon, and
which are adapted for movement by a forklift, hand truck, or similar device,
are known today.
Examples of some types of pallet configurations, and other known types of
support apparatus,
may be found in U.S. patent numbers 3,853,234, 4,269,556, 4,378,743 4,871,063,
5,042,397,
5,463,965, 5,493,962, 5,537,935, 5,601,035, and 5,609,557.
In a continuously fed, high-volume printing operation, using a continuous-feed
type of
printing press such as, e.g., the Heidelburg Speedmaster model, the
conventional approach to
loading blank paper into a printing press begins with a step of obtaining a
quantity of paper, or
other thin sheets of stock material to be printed, which has previously been
neatly stacked on top
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of a conventional wooden pallet. The paper or other printable stock is shipped
in this form, from
a distributor or manufacturer thereof, to a point of use. Then, after shipment
to a print shop
where the printing press is located, the paper is manually removed from the
shipping pallet, and
is manually re-stacked on a specially designed grooved skid, which is provided
for supporting a
stack of paper as it is fed into the printing press.
The grooved skid used in this process is sold as an accessory to the printing
press, and is
highly machined to close tolerances. The grooved skid includes a metal base
that has machined
wheels attached to a bottom surface thereof, for riding in floor rails, and
locking clamps for
fixing the position of the skid. Since the specialized grooved skid is so
complicated and highly
machined, it is relatively expensive.
This type of continuous feed printing press also includes a mechanized
platform, that is
slowly and continuously being raised up during automated operation of the
press, to allow
individual sheets of paper to be removed from the top of the stack, and fed
into the press. When
the skid is fully loaded, it is slid on the floor rails and moved on to the
platform, which is also
provided with built in rails to receive the skid. Then, after other
appropriate preparatory steps are
taken, the press begins taking paper from the stack, and the platform is moved
up automatically
as paper is removed therefrom.
When the stack of paper on the moving platform gets relatively short, its
weight is less
than the weight of a tall stack would be. When the platform reaches a
predetermined height on
the press, a plurality of support rods or spears are then inserted into, and
fed in through, the
grooves of the grooved skid, and are then engaged in suitable receptacles,
formed in support
members which are located at a fixed height on the press, behind the platform.
Since the weight
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of the stack is light at this stage of the process, the spears or support rods
alone are able to
support the weight thereof. The platform and grooved skid are then both
lowered down, away
from the support rods and the short stack of paper, and brought to the bottom
of travel of the
platform, close to the shop floor. The empty grooved skid is then removed from
the platform.
A second specialized grooved skid, with a full stack of fresh paper thereon,
is then
brought to the press and carefully placed on the platform via the rail
mechanism, below the short
paper stack and support rods. Then, the platform is raised up until the top of
the new stack fits
snugly against the support rods and touches the bottom of the short stack. The
support rods are
now located between the old, short stack and the new stack. Finally, the
support rods are
removed.
The entire process is later repeated, when the platform again gets close to
the top of its
range of motion. In this way, a continuous supply of paper for the printing
press is assured.
While the above-described conventional process for restocking a printing press
with fresh
paper "on the fly" is useful, and provides paper to the press in an
uninterrupted fashion, it
nevertheless has some drawbacks and limitations. In particular, it is
inconvenient that a fresh
pallet of paper comes from the supplier neatly stacked, but has to be manually
unloaded from the
pallet, and then manually re-stacked. This is a labor-intensive, and therefore
costly step.
Further, the specialized grooved skids and the floor rail mechanism therefor
are relatively
expensive, and represent a significant investment for the printer.
Another known approach to feeding paper into this type of printing press is to
place a
commercially available press-ready skid, stacked with paper, into the press on
the platform, to
run the press while the paper supply lasts, and later to shut down the press
when the paper supply
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runs out. The empty skid is removed, and a new press-ready skid full of paper
is then installed,
while the press is shut down. This approach is quite inefficient and
disadvantageous, because of
the significant down time associated therewith. It is highly preferable to
have the printing press
running continuously for extended periods of time, and even run around the
clock by shift
workers.
A specially manufactured plastic pallet is commercially available which is
made for use
with the above-described type of printing press, the pallet having a flattened
upper surface with
grooves formed therein to receive the support rods or spears in the above-
described process.
Plastic pallets of this type are available from Jeco Plastic Products, Inc. of
Plainfield, Indiana.
While these commercially available modified pallets are useful, they are still
relatively
expensive, and if a print shop wishes to receive paper pre-stacked on these
pallets, it is necessary
to purchase and ship the special pallets to a paper distributor, and to make
special arrangements
to have the paper installed thereon.
Still further, it has been proposed to modify or retrofit a conventional
pallet or skid for
use with above-described type of printing press by nailing wooden strips to
the top boards of the
pallet or skid in a spaced arrangement to define grooves for receiving the
support rods or spears
in the above-described process. Such modified pallets or skids are
disadvantageous for several
reasons, including the labor-intensive nature of the modification procedure,
the lack of
uniformity in the grooves thus formed, and contamination of the paper stock
caused by transfer
of water, dirt, and other foreign matter from the modified pallet or skid
which directly supports
the stock.
What is needed is a system and apparatus whereby a conventional shipping
pallet could
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be placed directly on top of the lowered platform, with the paper neatly pre-
stacked thereon, and
used in a printing press without any labor-intensive unloading and restacking,
but which could
retain the advantageous features of the existing approach, including a slotted
or grooved spacer
apparatus, for inserting the support rods into, below a short stack of paper,
to allow for paper
reloading while the press is in operation.
Preferably, a spacer rack could be designed which would work with existing
machines,
including the support rods or spears thereof, is free of imperfections and
contaminations, is
relatively inexpensively so as to be disposable, but is sufficiently durable
to be re-usable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a disposable and reusable spacer rack apparatus
for
cooperating with a pallet to support a stack of printing paper thereon. A
spacer rack apparatus
according to the present invention, generally, includes a substantially
rectangular body member,
the body member including a substantially flattened base portion having an
upper surface and a
lower surface, and a plurality of parallel spaced apart divider slats attached
to the upper surface
of the base portion. The parallel spaced apart divider slats define a
plurality of open grooves
therebetween, for receiving support rods therein during a paper change
process.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the spacer rack apparatus
is
integrally formed as a single unit, out of relatively inexpensive materials,
such as cardboard,
recycled plastic, or open-celled plastic foam.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to minimize the amount
of labor
reqired for re-stocking a contiuous feed type of printing press with paper.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and
apparatus for
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restocking a printing press with paper, which would allow re-stocking during
operation thereof,
but which would obviate the necessity for manually unloading and re-stacking
the paper.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a less
expensive alternative to
the customized grooved skid which is currently used to load paper into the
above-described type
of printing press.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the reader is
referred to the
following detailed description section, which should be read in conjunction
with the
accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description and in
the drawings, like
numbers refer to like parts.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a disposable and reusable spacer rack
according to the
present invention, sitting atop a pallet;
Figure 2 is a front plan view of the pallet and spacer rack of Figure 1, shown
with a stack
of paper thereon;
Figure 3A is a detail view of the spacer rack and pallet of Figure 1, taken
inside the circle
labeled 3 in Figure 1, and showing a first possible construction of the spacer
rack; and
Figure 3B is a detail view of the spacer rack and pallet of Figure 1, taken
inside the circle
labeled 3 in Figure 1, and showing a second possible construction of the
spacer rack.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, a disposable :md reusable low cost spacer rack
apparatus,
according to the present invention, is shown generally at 10. The spacer rack
apparatus 10 hereof
is shown placed on top of a pallet 12, and is provided for cooperating with a
pallet 12 to support
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a stack 14 of printing paper thereon. As used herein, the term "pallet"
broadly indicates pallets
(which typically have top and boards with runners therebetween), skids (which
typically have
only top boards supported on runners), and other such supporting devices.
Throughout the present specification, numerous references are made to paper,
stacks of
paper, and the like. It will be understood by those skilled in the relevant
art that the present
invention may be used with card stock, with transparent or opaque plastic
sheets, or with other
thin sheets of printable stock material to be printed on in a printing press.
As used throughout the
present specification, the term 'paper' is not intended to be interpreted as a
limitation on how the
invention may be used, but rather is provided as an illustration, since paper
is the most
commonly used type of printing stock.
The pallet 12 is of generally conventional construction, although it is
preferred to be kept
to a higher standard of quality than some pallets which are available. The
length and width
dimensions of the spacer rack apparatus are approximately the same as those of
the upper surface
of the pallet 12, so as to fit easily thereon. The pallet 12 may be made of
wood or plastic. The
pallet 12 is constructed so as to define open channels 36 therein for
receiving the tines (not
shown) of a hand truck, forklift, or similar lifting mechanism therein.
The spacer rack apparatus 10 non.nally is insufficient in strength and
durability to
function as a sole support for a stack of blank paper or other printing stock,
especially for
purposes of handling and transportation thereof, but the spacer rack apparatus
hereof is not
required to be self-supporting, or to have great strength and durability,
because it is used together
witli the conventional pallet 12, which provides strength and durability to
the combination 15 of
the pallet and spacer rack. Moreover, the spacer rack 10 can be made very
inexpensively, as
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discussed further hereinbelow, because it is not required to be self-
supporting. The ability to
make the spacer rack 10 inexpensively is very desirable because the rack may,
as a practical
matter, be disposed of after only a single use. Of course, the spacer racks 10
may be reused, if
desired, at the discretion of the user. If the spacer racks 10 are intended to
be reused, they may
be made a little more durable than if they are intended to be discarded.
A spacer rack apparatus 10 according to the present invention, generally,
includes a
substantially rectangular body member 16. The body member 16 includes a
substantially
flattened base portion 18 having an upper surface 20 and a lower surface 22.
The body member
16 also includes a plurality of parallel spaced apart divider slats 24, which
are attached to the
upper surface 20 of the base portion 18. In one embodiment, the divider slats
24 are about 7/8"
to 1 inch wide, and substantially the same height as they are wide.
The parallel spaced apart divider slats 24 define a plurality of parallel open
grooves 26
therebetween, for receiving support rods (not shown) during a paper change
process. The grooves
26 are about the same width as the divider slats 24. The body member 16 may
include extra wide
slats 28, 30 at opposite side edges thereof, as shown for strength and
reinforcement.
The base portion 18 and the slats 24 may be constructed separately, and
connected
together with appropriate bonding or fastening means such as nails, staples
and/or glues or other
adhesives. Alternatively, the base portion 18 and slats 24 may be integrally
constructed as a
single unitary member. In either case, the materials used are preferably
inexpensive, such as
wood, plastic, plastic foam, cardboard, fiber board, pressboard, or the like.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the spacer rack apparatus
10 is
integrally formed as a single unit, out of relatively inexpensive materials,
such as recycled or
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recyclable plastic, or plastic foam.
As shown in Figure 3A, the spacer rack apparatus 10 could be made of cardboard
32.
Alternatively, the spacer rack apparatus 10 could be made of chopped paper or
fiberboard. As yet
another alternative, and as shown in Figure 3B, the spacer rack apparatus 10
could be molded out
of an open-celled plastic foam 34.
METHODS OF USE
In a first method of using a spacer rack apparatus according to the present
invention, an
initial step is obtaining a stack assembly 40 which includes a pallet 12 with
a spacer rack 10 as
described herein disposed on top of the pallet, and a paper stack 14 disposed
on the spacer rack,
as shown in Figure 2. The next step in the method is placing the pallet 12,
with the spacer rack
10 and paper stack 14 thereon, on a movable platform of a printing press, and
operating the
printing press to use individual sheets of paper from the stack while moving
the platform
vertically upwardly. The next step in the method is inserting a plurality of
support rods into, and
through, the grooves 26 of the spacer rack and attaching them to a fixed
portion of the printing
press behind the platfonm. The next step in the method is lowering the
platform downwardly,
while supporting the remaining paper stack on the support rods. The final step
in the first
method hereof is removing the pallet and support rack from the platform. The
sequence of steps
is repeated, as desired, to provide continuous operation of the printing
press. The method
according to the present invention may include a further step of disposing of
the spacer rack 10.
Alternatively, the method according to the present invention may include a
further step of
sending the spacer rack 10 to a paper manufacturer or supplier, to be reused.
Although the present invention has been described herein with respect to a
preferred
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embodiment thereof, the foregoing description is intended to be illustrative,
and not restrictive.
Those skilled in the art will realize that many modifications of the preferred
embodiment could
be made which would be operable. For example, the spacer rack 10 could have a
shape other
than rectangular, the slats 24 could be made of a cross-sectional shape other
than rectangular, the
spacer rack could be used in conjunction with a pallet 12 to support loads
other than stacked
printing stock, etc. All such modifications, which are within the scope of the
claims, are
intended to be within the scope and spirit of the present invention.
