Patent ID: 6478524
Filing Date: 2002-11-12
Classification: B65G,F25D,G01N

Abstract:
A climate controlled cabinet for storing a plurality of objects comprising:a front wall and a back wall, a climate generator, at least one lock window opening closed by means of a lock window in said back wall of the cabinet, and a storage arrangement for storing and handling the objects in the cabinet, said storage arrangement comprising: a) a storage device with a1) exactly two storage shafts non-rotationally mounted inside the climate controlled cabinet, wherein each storage shaft comprises: a11) several storage spaces arranged on top of each other for receiving an object each, a12) a vertical center plane and a12) an opening for inlet and outlet, wherein said storage shafts are arranged around a vertical axis in such a way that their vertical center planes intersect in the vertical axis, and wherein the openings for inlet and outlet of the storage shafts are facing the vertical axis, and a2) a delivery device comprising a transfer platform arranged outside the cabinet in an area of the lock window opening for temporarily receiving the objects prior to or after storage, and b) a transport device positioned between said lock window and said storage shafts, said transport device having an object carrier and said object carrier comprising a carrier plate having a support surface for receiving one object, which transport device has b1) a vertical displacement device for displacing the object carrier along said vertical axis over the height of the storage device and for bringing the object carrier to a transfer level for each of the storage spaces or for the delivery device, b2) a horizontal rotating device for pivoting the object carrier around said vertical axis and for aligning it with one of the storage spaces or the delivery device, and b3) a horizontal displacement device for displacing the object carrier between an inner transport position, where the object carrier is vertically displaceable and horizontally pivotal, and an outer transport position, where the object carrier is arranged during a transfer of the objects between the object carrier and one of the storage spaces or the delivery device, wherein said storage shafts are arranged in opposite halves of said cabinet.