Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02326839 2000-11-23
PATENT
SYSTEM FOR AFFIXIlVG TAGS TO LUMBER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a system for tagging lumber. In particular,
the present invention relates to a system that includes an automated apparatus
and
method for affixing labels ("tags") that carry identifying indicia onto the
ends of
individual boards in a pack of lumber.
2. Discussion of Background:
Lumber is usually labeled ("tagged") to identify the manufacturer, the species
of wood or the type of product, the grade, and various other data useful to
consumers (wholesalers and retailers, homeowners, handymen, carpenters,
builders,
etc.). Identifying labels are sometimes applied by the manufacturer, for
example, b y
stamping individual boards with an inked design, by embossing, or by attaching
a
paper or plastic tag to the boards. Iiowever, most lumber is not sold directly
to the
end user. Rather, it is bundled and shipped from a primary manufacturer (such
as a
sawmill) to a secondary manufacturer (a kiln or surfacing yard), then to a
wholesaler,
and finally to a retailer. At each stage in this process, the lumber may be
unpacked,
graded (or regraded), sorted (by size, grade, and composition), and repacked.
The
bundled units ("packs" or "stacks") that are ultimately shipped to a retail
outlet may
each contain boards of the same or different length, width, grade, and
composition.
Each pack in a shipment may differ from the others; each layer ("course") of a
pack
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may differ from the other layers. Even in shipments of woods such as Southern
Yellow Pine ("SYP") where the packs tend to be quite similar, the dimensions
of
boards in different layers of a pack may vary.
With the growing popularity of bar code scanners at retail checkout counters,
many wholesalers and retail distribution centers label each board individually
with a
label that can be read by these types of scanners. Labels can be applied by
hand, for
example, with devices such as those disclosed by Vanderwiel (U.S. Patent No.
5,292,048), Reitmeier, et al. (U.S. Patent No. 5,014,896), and Hurd (U.S.
Patent No.
3,476,302). Vanderwiel's semiautomatic lumber tag stapler includes a
conventional
pneumatic staple gun, a holder for a roll of tags, a rotatable pivot indexing
arm that
moves a tag into position for stapling, a cylinder for rotating the indexing
arm, and an
index stop pin for limiting pivoting of the arm.
Reitmeier, et al. disclose a trigger-operated pneumatic staple gun which both
staples
and cuts labels. This device includes a guide which directs the labels
througli a cutter
and underneath the staple gun head, and a pair of pneumatic cylinders with a
common spool valve. One of the cylinders is connected to a label advance head
which brings labels into position; the other is connected to a cutter which
cuts the
just-stapled label from the remainder of the roll.
Hurd's portable stapler is used for attaching wallboard to a supporting
framework. The device includes an attachment with a reel of wire, a slidable
shoe,
and a staple guide that, when mounted to a conventional stapler, acts as a
mechanism
for regulating the driving force and thereby minimizing damage to the
wallboard.
No matter what hand tool is selected, hand-labeling lumber is slow, labor-
intensive, and expensive, and has a high potential for error due to the
variability of
the boards in a typical wholesaler's or retailer's pack. Individual boards are
difficult
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to distinguish from other boards of siniilar species, grade, thickness, width,
and
length.
Automated and semi-automated apparatus for tagging lumber is also
available. In U.S. Patent No. 5,775,497, Lippincott discloses a lumber stamper
for
embossing the ends of a plurality of stacked pieces. The apparatus includes an
embossing plate, a press plate with a plurality of movable segments, a lumber
support for holding stacked, parallel lumber pieces between the plates, a
drive
mechanism for moving the press plate segments between their retracted and
extended
positions so as to emboss the ends of a clamped stack of lumber, and a
controller.
The embossing and press 'plates are mounted on movable carriers, allowing the
operator to adjust the distance between these plates to accommodate lumber of
different lengths.
Aman, et al. (U.S. Patent No. 5,307,294) use a focussed beam or a movable
scanner which collects topological information about a stack of lumber, with a
processor which translates this information into the "tally count" or "end
tally,"
defined as the number of pieces of lumber with each particular combination of
width,
thickness, and length. This information can be used to determine the exact
location
of individual boards within as tack, generating unique labels for each board,
and
applying the labels (U.S. Patent No. 5,674,335).
Walker, Jr.'s automated tagging apparatus (U.S. Patent No. 5,208,962) is
used for stapling tags to the ends of individual boards passing along a
conveyor belt.
The apparatus includes a conveyer operating at approximately one foot/second,
a
labeling system with a roll of tags and a conventional stapler, a sensor that
activates
the labeling system when a board passes over the sensor, and a roller that
lifts the
boards to release the sensor. Before reaching the sensor, the boards are fed
through a
chute that aligns the ends.
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Prim, et al. (U.S. Patent No. 4,392,204) provide a computer-controlled
lumber marking system that includes a trimming system with a chain/lug
conveyer, a
pulse generator that produces a pulse for each increment of conveyor movement,
a
console where an operator views the boards and inputs grade data, a "curtain"
of
optical detectors which determine the maximum available length of each board,
and a
second set of optical detectors that determine the width of each board based
on the
number of pulses during the period that a light beam is broken by each board.
This
grade, length, and width data is collated and output to an embossing mechanism
that
marks the ends of the boards on a piece-by-piece basis.
Moore's wood han'dling machine (U.S. Patent No. 4,324,519) includes a
rectangular support bed that holds a stack of precut boards in layers, a
wheeled
carriage that holds a vertical support frame and a hydraulic piston-and-
cylinder
assembly, a pneumatic clamping device to clamp the stack and hold it in
alignment, a
pushing device for pushing one layer at a time of the stacked boards in order
to
expose the surface of the next layer for marking, and a stop bar to prevent
movement
of the next adjacent layer of boards during operation of the pushing device.
The
operation of the apparatus is described in the paragraph starting on line 51,
Col. 5
(note that the apparatus is manually controlled).
While automated or semi-automated tagging apparatus is faster than hand-
labeling, some presently available apparatus requires that the individual
boards be
placed onto a conveyer and moved past a stapler, embosser, or other marking
device.
Other such apparatus requires a determination of the number of boards in a
pack
(and the dimensions of the individual boards) before the tags can be applied.
There
remains a need for a simple, rugged, cost-effective system for tagging the
ends of
boards in a pack.
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SUNIlVIARY OF THE INVENTION
According to its major aspects and broadly stated, the present invention is an
automated apparatus and method for labeling ("tagging") individual boards in a
pack
5 of lumber. The apparatus includes a support frame, a'jump chain conveyor, a
lift, a
back stop or bump plate, a detector for deteimining the position of a leading
board
within the pack, a labeling assembly, a positioning assembly for moving the
labeling
assembly in three dimensions, and a computer system with a PLC (i.e.,
programmable logic controller) and an HMI (i.e., a human-machine interface
such as a
keyboard, keypad, touchpad or touch screen, voice input, or other suitable
interface).
In operation, a pack of lumber is placed onto the jump chains, lifted, and
conveyed by the moving chains until it abuts the back stop, where it is
lowered onto
the support frame. The operator inputs identifying information about the pack
into
the computer, for example, the dimensions of the boards, the size of the pack
(typically a full, 1/2, or 1/4 pack, although other sizes may also be useful),
the grade,
composition, and, optionally, customer information such as the customer's
name,
brand name or logo. The computer system uses this information to compute the
number of labels needed, the approximate distance between the centers of the
boards
in each course, and the approximate distance between the centers of
neighboring
boards in adjacent courses.
Under computer control, the detector automatically locates the position of
the first, leading board in the pack; then, starting with the leading board,
the
positioning assembly automatically moves the labeling assembly to each board
in
turn to print and affix a label. (For stand-alone operation, packs of lumber
are
simply loaded onto the support frame by a forklift or other suitable lifting
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6
apparatus, tagged, and removed.) The labels may be placed
approximately at the centers of the boards, or at some other
convenient location. The apparatus is capable of attaching
identifying labels ("tags") to the individual boards in a
pack with minimal intervention by a human operator, with
increased accuracy and increased speed over manual tagging.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is
provided an apparatus for affixing labels to boards within a
pack of lumber, said apparatus comprising: a computer
system; means for inputting identifying information about
said pack by an operator to said computer system, said
information including a size of said pack and dimensions of
boards in said pack, said computer system processing said
identifying information to generate labels; means for
detecting a position of a leading board within said pack;
labeling means for printing a label and applying said label
to a board; positioning means for moving said labeling means
to a position proximate said leading board, said detecting
means, said labeling means, and said positioning means
responsive to said computer system for detecting said
position, moving said labeling means to said proximate
position, and automatically applying said label to said
leading board.
According to another aspect of the invention,
there is provided a method for automatically affixing labels
to boards within a pack of lumber, said method comprising
the steps of: inputting identifying information about said
boards in said pack to a computer system by an operator,
said information including a size of said pack and
dimensions of boards in said pack, said computer system
using said information to generate labels for said boards;
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6a
and under control of said computer system, remotely
detecting a position of a leading board within said pack,
moving a labeling device to a position proximate said
leading board, and operating said labeling device to print a
label and apply said label to said leading board.
According to a further aspect of the invention,
there is provided an apparatus for affixing labels to boards
within a pack of lumber, said apparatus comprising: a
computer system; input means for inputting identifying
information about said pack to said computer system by an
operator, said information including a size of said pack and
dimensions of boards in said pack, said computer system
processing said information to generate labels; a
positioning assembly; a detector carried by said positioning
assembly said detector adapted for determining a position of
a leading board within said pack, said detector operated by
said computer system; a labeling assembly carried by said
positioning assembly, said labeling assembly including means
for printing a label and means for applying said printed
label to a board; and at least one bidirectional
communications link connecting said detector, said labeling
assembly, and said positioning assembly to said
bidirectional communications link so that said computer
system can automatically operate said detector, said
labeling assembly, and said positioning assembly to detect
said position of said leading board, move said labeling
assembly to a position near said leading board, and print
and apply said label to said leading board, respectively.
An important feature of the present invention is
the positioning assembly, which is movable in three
dimensions via servo or stepper motors, pneumatic (air or
other gas) or hydraulic cylinders, or other suitable
devices. For example, the positioning assembly may include
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6b
three servo motors for moving the labeling assembly in three
orthogonal directions (X, Y, and Z) for precise, three-
dimensional positioning and accurate tagging.
Alternatively, two servo motors move the labeling assembly
in two orthogonal directions (such as the X and Y
directions), while an air cylinder moves it in the Z
direction. The positioning assembly also operates in
conjunction with the detector to precisely locate the
position of the leading board, and to deter accidental
"slamming" of the labeling assembly into the pack.
Another important feature of the present invention
is the computer system which controls the operation of the
apparatus. The computer system can be user-programmable;
alternatively, dedicated systems may also be useful. Solely
by inputting the dimensions of the boards in the pack into
the computer system, the operator is able to program the
computer system to remotely control the apparatus to affix
labels to each board in turn, starting with a selected
leading board (typically, the leading board is located at
one of the four corners of the pack). If desired, the
operator can input additional information about the pack to
be printed on the labels, including but not necessarily
limited to the species of wood (pine, birch, oak, etc.), the
type of wood product (natural wood, fiberboard, chipboard,
compositions such as MasoniteTM, etc.), the grade, the
customer's name, the customer's logo, price, bar
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7
code, etc. Labels can be pre-printed with some or all of the desired
information;
alternatively, the information can be printed "on the fly" during labeling
operations.
Programming the computer to print all identifying information in real time,
during the
labeling process, eliminates the need to change out rolls of tags after
processing each
pack or order.
Another feature of the present invention is the detector, which is preferably
mounted to the Z-axis carriage of the positioning assembly (other locations
may also
be useful). The detector includes an optical, radiofrequency ("RF"), or
ultrasonic
sensor for determining the position of a leading board within the pack. Once
the
position of the leading board is known, the computer automatically operates
the
positioning assembly to move the labeling assembly to the leading board, then
to
each of the remaining boards in turn.
Still another feature of the present invention is the computer-controlled
labeling assembly, which is mounted to the positioning assembly for three-
dimensional movement. The labeling assembly includes a printer for generating
labels, and a stapler, glue gun, or other suitable device for affixing the
labels to the
boards.
Yet another feature of the present invention is the support frame with the
conveyor and back stop. The conveyor is preferably a jump chain conveyor or
chain-lug conveyor of the type familiar to those skilled in the art, with at
least two
parallel, endless chains moving in a path defined by an elongated loop with
upper
and lower runs. In this type of conveyor, each chain wraps around a drive
sprocket.
The drive sprockets are mounted on a common drive shaft, which is rotated by a
motor operably connected to the shaft. The chains lift and move a pack of
lumber
until it abuts the back stop, where the pack is lowered onto the support frame
to be
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tagged. The back stop ensures that the ends which are to be tagged are
approximately aligned in a vertical plane.
Still another feature of the present invention is the mode of operation of the
apparatus, which can operate in-line or in stand-alone mode as described
above.
Given the identifying information provided by the operator, the detector
automatically determines the position of the leading board; the computer
system
controls movement of the positioning assembly and tags of every board in the
pack
without the need for other human intervention. This makes for rapid, cost-
effective
labeling, since there is no need to precisely specify the positions of the
individual
boards in the pack before starting labeling operations.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to
those skilled in the art from a careful reading of the Detailed Description of
Preferred
Embodiments presented below and accompanied by the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings,
Fig. 1A is a side, detail view of a lumber tagging apparatus according to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention loaded with a pack, showing the
relative positions of the labeling assembly, the back stop, the XYZ
positioning
assembly, and the computer system;
Fig. 1B is a side view of the apparatus of Fig. IA without a pack, showing
the relative position of the labeling assembly with respect to the support
frame and
the back stop of the apparatus;
Fig. 2 is a top view of the apparatus of Fig. 1 A;
Fig. 3 is an end view of the apparatus of Fig. IA; and
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Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the apparatus of Fig. 1 A
for
tagging lumber.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIlViENTS
In the following detailed description of the invention, reference numerals are
used to identify structural elements, portions of elements, surfaces or areas
in the
drawings, as such elements, portions, surfaces or areas may be further
described or
explained by the entire written specification. For consistency, whenever the
same
numeral is used in different drawings, it indicates the same element, portion,
surface
or area as when first used. Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are
intended to
be read together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of
the
entire written description of this invention as required by 35 U.S.C. 112.
As used
herein, the terms "horizontal," "vertical," "left," right," "up," "down," as
well as
adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof, refer to the relative
orientation of the
illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader.
Referring now to Figs. 1-3, there is shown an "endtagger" or lumber tagging
apparatus 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Apparatus 10 includes a support frame 12 with two parallel, longitudinal
members
14a, 14b, a plurality of transverse members 16a, 16b, 16c, corner supports
18a, 18b,
and a conveyor 20.
Support frame 12 is configured to hold a pack of lumber, that is, a plurality
of elongated boards of approximately the same length that are stacked in a
parallel,
adjacent configuration.
Conveyor 20 is a jump chain conveyor, a chain-lug conveyor, or other
suitable type of conveyor known to those skilled in the art. Conveyor 20 has
at
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least two parallel, endless chains 22a, 22b, each chain moving in a path
defined by an
elongated loop with upper and lower runs. In this type of conveyor, the loop
at one
end of each chain 22 wraps around a drive sprocket 24; the other end wraps
around a
roller 26. The individual drive sprockets 24 are mounted on a common drive
shaft 28
5 which is rotated by a motor (not shown) operably connected to the shaft.
(For
clarity, the various components of apparatus 10 are shown schematically in
Figs.
1-3.)
A back stop or bump plate 30, of any convenient height, is mounted
transverse to members 14a, 14b near a first end 32 of frame 12. Chains 22a,
22b are
10 positioned generally as indicated in Figs. lA and 2. Chains 22a, 22b lift
and move a
pack of lumber (such as a pack 80) until it abuts back stop 30, where the pack
is
lowered onto support frame 12 to be tagged. Back stop 30 is generally planar;
thus,
the back stop serves to even the ends of the boards in the pack and to
straighten the
pack on conveyor 20. Back stop 30 may be fixed in position; alternatively, the
back
stop may be movable in a horizontal direction (i.e., parallel to longitudinal
members
14a, 14b).
A positioning assembly 40 is mounted to frame 12 at first end 32. Assembly
40 includes an XYZ-axis positioning device 42 with transverse arms 44a, 44b, a
vertical arm 46, a horizontal arm 48, and a plurality of linear bearings such
as 50a,
50b (if preferred, a single bearing may be used instead).
A labeling assembly 58 includes a printer 60 and a stapler 62 secured to a
carriage 64, which in turn is secured to horizontal arm 48. Printer 60 may be
any
useful type of printer, for example, a thermal printer that uses standard
paper rolls.
Labeling assembly 58 may include a 90 rotary actuator, an air gun, or other
suitable
device (not shown) that transfers printed labels from printer 60 to the board
which is
to be labeled.
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A detector 56 includes a sensor that senses the position of the detector (and
therefore, the position of assembly 58) with respect to the ends of boards
placed on
frame 12 (as will be described further below). Detector 56 includes an
optical,
radiofrequency (RF), or ultrasonic sensor that emits a focussed beam of energy
and
receives a reflection of that beam, from which positional data can be computed
by
techniques known in the art.
Servo or stepper motors 66a, 66b, 66c allow for positioning of assembly 58
in three dimensions: motor 66a controls the X-axis position of assembly 58,
that is,
the position of vertical arm 64 along transverse arms 44a, 44b; motor 66b
controls
the Y-axis position of assem'bly 58 along vertical arm 64; motor 66c controls
the Z-
axis position of assembly 58. In this way, assembly 58 can be operated to
traverse
the entire vertical-horizontal plane which is approximately parallel to the
end surface
of apparatus 10.
Motors 66a, 66b, 66c are operably connected to a PLC (programmable logic
controller) or programmable computer 70 and a bidirectional communications
link 72
by cables 74a, 74b, 74c and 76b, 76c, connected generally as indicated in
Figs. 1 A
and 3. One or more hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders 78 raise and lower back
stop
30 with respect to support frame 12. Additional stepper or servo motors (or
hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders) may be provided to adjust the horizontal
position
of back stop 30. Detector 56 and labeling assembly 58 are operably connected
to
PLC 70 either directly or via communications link 72.
If desired, any or all of motors 66a, 66b, 66c may be replaced by pneumatic
or hydraulic cylinders or other suitable positioning devices. For example,
positioning assembly 58 may include two servo or stepper motors for movement
in
the X and Y directions, and a pneumatic cylinder for movement in the Z
direction.
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12
Other combinations of mechanical and pneumatic (or hydraulic) positioning
devices
may also be useful.
In operation, a pack of lumber 80 is placed onto conveyor 20, lifted, and
conveyed to back stop 30 where it is lowered onto support frame 12. Pack 80
contains a plurality of individual boards 80aa, 808b, ..., 80ba, 80bb, ...
arranged in
generally horizontal rows or courses a, b, ..., k. The number of courses, and
the
number of boards in each course, will of course vary depending on the size of
the
order to be processed, the size of the individual boards, and so forth.
In a preferred mode of operation of apparatus 10, the operator inputs
information about pack 80' into PLC or computer 70 via a control unit 90 that
includes a keyboard, selector switches, touch screen monitor, keypad or touch
pad,
light pen, voice input, or indeed any other convenient input technology. Such
information may include, but not necessarily be limited to, the dimensions of
the
boards in pack 80 (length, width, height), the grade of lumber, the size of
the pack
(full, 1/2, 1/4, etc.), the type of wood or wood product (pine, walnut, birch,
oak,
plywood, fiberboard, Masonite , etc.), a UPC or other scannable bar code, the
price, the customer's name, the customer's brand name or logo, and so forth.
Control
unit 90 may include on/off controls, indicator lights, and other tactile,
visible, or
audible outputs that provide the operator with information about the status
and
operation of apparatus 10.
PLC 70 uses the operator-provided information to compute the number of
labels needed, the approximate distance between the centers of the boards in
each
course, and the approximate distance between the centers of neighboring boards
in
adjacent courses. The computed data is used to operate apparatus 10 as
described
below. Alternatively, PLC may be programmed to compute the distance between
the leading edges of two neighboring boards.
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13
Labeling assembly 58 may use pre-printed tags with the customer's name
and/or logo; alternatively, this information may be input by the operator and
printed
on each label. Apparatus 10, as described herein, can be used with any
standard or
custom size pack 80, including fractional (1/4, 1/2, 3/4, etc.) packs and
packs
dimensioned in metric units or standard inches.
Back stop 30 is raised via cylinder 78, and the operator initializes assembly
58 via PLC to locate a leading board (such as a corner board 80ka, indicated
in Fig.
1 A). The first, or leading board in a pack is typically selected to be one of
the corner
boards; however, PLC 70 can be programmed to operate with any board in pack 80
as a designated "leading board." PLC 70 determines the position of the leading
board
with respect to positioning assembly 40 using data from detector 56; this
information also helps deter slamming of any portion of apparatus 10 into pack
80
during operation. PLC 70 then moves positioning assembly 40 into a position
proximate the leading board, and activates labeling assembly 58 which proceeds
to
print, cut, and staple a custom label ("tag") to the leading board. If
desired, assembly
58 may use other types of marking devices than above-described printer 60. For
example, spray-painted labels, laser-embossed labels, and other types of
labels are
usable with apparatus 10.
PLC 70 then operates motors 66a, 66b, 66c to control the XYZ positioning
of labeling assembly 58 to similarly tag each of the other boards in pack 80,
as
indicated schematically in Fig. 4. Assembly 58 may be moved horizontally along
lower-most course k, labeling each board 80k., 80kb, . . . in sequence, then
raised to a
next lower-most course j, and so forth, until all the boards in pack 80 have
been
tagged row by row. Alternatively, assembly 58 may be moved vertically to label
boards 80k,, 80j,, ... in a column k, and continuing to label the boards
sequentially,
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14
column by column. Additional modes of operation of assembly 58 may also be
useful.
Alternatively, PLC 70 may be programmed to label individual boards 80 row
by row or (column by column), moving labeling assembly 58 to a next board
until the
end of a row (or column) has been reached, as computed from the operator-
provided
data. Then, PLC 70 moves labeling assembly 58 vertically to the next row, or
horizontally to the next column, to continue operations.
To label each board 80 in sequence, PLC 70 affixes a label to the leading
board, then moves labeling assembly 58 by a distance computed from the data
input
by the operator. To label bbards 80 row by row, PLC 70 moves labeling assembly
58 sideways (i.e., horizontally) by a distance approximately equal to the
width of
the boards. To move to another row, PLC 70 moves assembly 58 vertically by a
distance that depends on the height of boards 80.
In one embodiment of the invention, PLC 70 is programmed to move labeling
assembly 58 so as to affix a label approximately at the center of each board
80.
Alternatively, the label may be affixed at a selected corner of the board, or
indeed at
any convenient location on the face of the board.
The components of apparatus 10 may be made of any sturdy, durable
materials: By way of example, frame 12 is preferably made of metal. Conveyor
20,
printer 60, stapler 62, PLC or computer 70, and communications link 72 may be
any
of a variety of such devices as are readily available and suitable for the
operation of
the invention.
A tagging apparatus according to the present invention is capable of attaching
identifying labels to each board within a pack 80 of lumber with minimal
intervention
by a human operator, with increased accuracy and increased speed over manual
tagging. In a preferred mode of operation, the operator inputs data about the
pack
CA 02326839 2000-11-23
l1 t = ._... .
into PLC 70, and apparatus 10 proceeds to robotically attach a label to each
board
80aa, . . . in succession.
Apparatus 10 allows the operator to affix unique identifying labels for each
pack 80, that is, the labels can be customized with the customer's name,
address,
5 logo, and so forth. In addition, the labels can include a UPC (i.e.,
universal product
code) or other scannable code that contains this information (and, if desired,
other
information useful to the customer such as price, grade of lumber, etc.).
Tedious
hand-labeling and preprinted labels are not needed.
Apparatus 10 is rugged and simple to operate. Rather than stapling tags by
10 hand or scanning the entire end face of a pack of lumber before starting to
affix tags
to the individual boards, a single sensor (sensor 56) locates the leading edge
of one of
the boards in the pack. This mode of operation is simple and rapid, and allows
the
use of more cost-effective computer equipment as well as more robust, user-
friendly
software. Additional data such as the dimensions of the boards in the pack are
input
15 manually.
With respect to the above description of the invention, it is to be realized
that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to
include
variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation,
assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in
the art,
and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and
described in
the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing description is considered as illustrative only of the
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes
will
readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the
invention to the
exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all
suitable
modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of
the
CA 02326839 2000-11-23
16
invention. Thus, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many
changes and
substitutions can be made to the preferred embodiment herein described without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the
appended claims.
