Abstract:
A system for re-assembling collapsed collapsible topless containers which have four side walls pivotal to each other and a pallet. The system unfolds a collapsed container by lifting it up by one of the sides. The unfolded container is transferred to an assembling sub-unit which tips the unfolded container upright and deposits it on the pallet which releasably engages two opposing side walls.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Certain products are suitable for being boxed and transported for further treatment. For example, some varieties of berries may be collected in large containers before they are cleaned, sorted and packaged for retail sale. The containers used in such operations are sometimes very large, occupying space which could be better utilized if the boxes could be folded and stacked during storage. In answering this need, collapsible containers have been designed such as were disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,380. These collapsible containers are often very heavy and considerable manual labor is required to re-assemble them. 
     This invention relates to an improved method for handling collapsible containers of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,380. More specifically, it involves a device and method to re-assemble collapsed collapsible topless containers which are designed to be broken down for stacking, storing, and transporting. The method consists of unfolding the collapsed container by lifting it by one of its sides and depositing the unfolded container onto a pallet, which releasibly engages two opposing side walls. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the present invention is a non-manual system for manipulating collapsed collapsible topless wooden containers of the type having four sides pivotal to each other and a base. Adjacent sides of the container are hinged together by means of two or more flexible straps. In an assembled container the sides are releasably attached to the base by means of at least two sets of U-shaped clips on two opposing side walls of the container. Specifically, the system re-assembles the collapsed collapsible topless containers by unfolding the collapsed sides and placing the unfolded sides onto the base. 
     The system consists of an elevator-transfer sub-unit and an assembler sub-unit which act cooperatively. The elevator-transfer sub-unit has an upright element which is attached to a base element, a roller-slide device which is capable of moving up and down the upright element and a means to move the roller slide up and down. A horizontal suspension arm which is fixedly attached to the roller slide extends laterally and towards the assembler sub-unit. An inverted T-rail is pivotally attached to the suspension arm. An air driven piston/cylinder-device which connects to the T-rail and suspension arm pivots the T-rail. A trolley with at least one set of wheels runs along the T-rail. A first grasper is pivotally attached to and suspended from the trolley. The first grasper has a means to engage one side of a collapsed collapsible container releaseably. 
     The assembler sub-unit comprises a base member and an upright member. A horizontal arm is fixedly attached to and extends laterally from the upright member. It is directed towards the suspension arm of the elevator-transfer sub-unit. A second grasper is pivotally attached to the distal end of the horizontal arm and is capable of receiving the ends of two opposing sides of an unfolded collapsible. The second grasper engages the container, rotates 90 such it such that it is in an upright position over a base. When a container is positioned over a base, the container is released and it falls unto the base to which it is releaseably attached by U-clips. The cycle can be repeated by leaving the first grasper over a collapsed container. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
     FIG.  1 . Schematic side view of the apparatus that is the subject of this invention. 
     FIG.  2 . Top perspective view of the first grasper of the invention. 
     FIG.  3 . Perspective view of the location of the second grasper of the invention. 
     FIG.  4 . Broken away view of the camming device located on the bottom side of the first grasper. 
     FIG. 5. A side view of the second grasper of the invention. 
     FIG.  6 . Partial broken away view of the second grasper of the invention. 
     FIG. 7. A schematic side view of the trolley of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1 the container assembling system of this invention has an elevator/transfer sub-unit  10  and a container assembling sub-unit  110  which interact cooperatively, and a controller unit, a power source and a compressed air source, all of which is known in the art (not shown). The elevator/transfer sub-unit  10  and the container assembling sub-unit  110  each have a base  11  &amp;  111  and upright columnar members  12  &amp;  112  which are of I-bar construction. The subunits  10  &amp;  110  are connected by an upper crossbeam  110  which connect the upright columnar members  12  &amp;  112  and a lower base beam  115  which joins the bases  11  &amp;  111 . A catwalk (not shown) may ride on the upper crossbeam  111 . 
     The elevator/transfer sub-unit  10  has a roller slide device  14  which is known in the art and which is capable of moving up and down the first upright columnar member  12 . A first pulley  31  is attached to the lower portion of the first upright columnar member  12 . 
     A power driven motor  28  with a shaft  33  is fixedly attached to the first columnar member  12 . A motor pulley  31   a  is located on the shaft. A driver chain  30  is attached by both ends to the roller slide device  14  and is suspended between motor pulley  31   a  and the lower pulley  31 . The power driven motor  28  is connected to and controlled by a controller (not shown). A horizontal balance beam  16  is fixedly attached to the top of the first upright columnar member  12 . The horizontal balance beam  16  has first  17   a  and second  17   b  ends. Second pulleys  18   a  and  18   b  are attached to the first and second ends  17   a  and  17   b  of the balance beam  16 . 
     The roller slide device  14  has a triangular suspension arm  20  which is made of metal box tubing. The arm  20  extends laterally towards the container assembling sub-unit  110 . A cable  26  which is suspended from the second pulleys  17   a  &amp;  17   b  connects the triangular suspension counterweight  24 . An upright guide  33  which runs parallel to the first upright columnar member  12  is attached between the balance beam  16  and base  11 . They pass through apertures  25   b  in the counterweight  24  as shown in FIG.  1 . 
     A first contract switch  34  which is capable of engaging the roller slide  14  is attached near the top of the upright columnar member  12 . The first contact switch  34  is connected to the controller unit (not shown). A sensor  51  capable of being activated by contact is located on the distal end of the triangular suspension arm  20 . 
     A trolley/rail system  40 , which is a rectangular structure consisting of an upper bar  42  and a lower inverted T-rail  44  and connecting members  43 , is pivotally attached to the suspension arm  20  as shown in FIG.  1 . The inverted T-rail  44  may be box tubing. A first air driven piston/cylinder device  48  is fixedly attached to the upper bar  42 . The piston rod  49  of the device  48  is connected to the upper bar  42 . Trolley stop members  52   a  &amp;  52   b  are fixedly attached to each end of the T-rail  44 . Guide rods  55  run on each side of the T-rail  44 , extending between the stops  52   a,    52   b.  A spiral spring member  54 , which is capable of cushioning a trolley  70  upon impact, is located distally to the proximal trolley stop member  38  around the guide rod  54 . 
     A first brake mechanism  56  is attached to the distal half of the trolley/rail system  40 . The brake mechanism  56  is of angle iron construction whose proximal end  57  is pivotally attached to the upper bar  42 . Its distal end  58  is attached via a biased air cylinder/piston mechanism  60 , which is known in the art, to the upper bar  42 . In the preferred embodiment a second brake mechanism  57  is attached to the trolley/rail system  40  to provide braking proximally. It is attached in a manner that is a mirror image of the first brake mechanism  56 . 
     A trolley  70  with at least one pair of wheels  72  is suspended on the T-rail  44 . The trolley  70  has a plate member  74  extending upwardly sufficiently to engage the brake mechanisms  56  &amp;  57 . Referring to FIG. 7, a teflon block  76  is embedded in the top of the plate member  74  and is capable of engaging the brake mechanisms  56  &amp;  57 . Referring to FIG. 1 a roller  5  is supported by two roller supports  6  which are attached to and extend upwardly from the first base  11  and acts to keep a container  100  which is suspended from the first grasper  80  from swaying. It is located off-center sufficiently to accommodate the container and is oriented parallel to the lower base beam  115 . 
     A first grasper  80  is pivotally attached to the trolley  70  by a connecting member  71 . Referring to FIG. 2 the first grasper  80  is a rectangular frame structure with two long sides  84  and two short sides  86  Which support two crossbeams  88  and a central beam  89 . The central beam  89  is fixedly attached to the connecting member  71  as shown in FIG.  2 . Third air driven cylinder/piston members  92  are attached to the upper sides of the crossbeams  88 . 
     Referring to FIG. 4 camming devices  94 , which are sets of four wheels  95  arranged in series, are attached to the crossbeams  88  by shafts  96  which extend through the crossbeams  88 . The second wheel  95  is attached to the piston of the third air driven piston/cylinder members  92 . The second and third wheels  95 , which are cogged, of the camming devices  94  interact with each other by cogs  96 . The first and fourth wheels  95  are connected to the second and third wheels  95 , respectively, by metal plates  97 . The first and fourth wheels  95  are connected to second cams  98  on the underside of the cross beams  88  as shown in FIG. 3 by their shafts  96 . The second cams  98  are shown in both engaging  98  and disengaging  98   a  positions with respect to a side of a collapsed container in FIG.  3 . 
     The cam faces  99  of the second cams  98  have convexedly curved configurations adapted to engage with upwardly directed slats  103  of the collapsible container  100 . The leading surfaces  101  of the cam faces  99  have a greater radius than the trailing surfaces  102 . Referring to FIG. 3 a contact switch  91 , including a switch actuator, which is known in the art, moveable between open and closed positions is located on the underside of the central beam  89 . 
     Referring to FIG. 1 sub-unit  110  consists of a second upright columnar member  112  on a base  111 . The second upright columnar member  112  supports an arm  114  which extends horizontally towards the first grasper  80 . A second grasper  116  is pivotally attached to the distal end of the arm  114  by a second camming device  130 . The camming device  130  is attached by a chain  113  to a fourth air driven piston/cylinder assembly  115  which is fixed attached to second upright columnar number  112 . 
     The second grasper  116  is shown in FIG. 5 and 6. It has a grasper shaft  120  which supports two short support bars  122  which are suitably spaced parallel to each other. The short  122  support bars support two longitudinal frame member  124  that extend beyond the points of attachment to the short support bars  122 . The short support bars  124  are fixedly attached to the two longitudinal frame members  124 . The longitudinal frame members  124  support a pair of spaced channels  126 , each channel  126  being for by a fixed flange  128 . The spaced channels  126  are capable of receiving opposing sides  101  of the uncollapsed collapsible container  100 . The moveable flange  129  is attached by a fifth air driven piston/cylinder device  132  at grasper end plate  134 . Lateral guide plates  136  are fixedly attached to the ends of the fixed flange  128  and grasper and plates  134 . The spaced channels  126  are sufficiently wide to receive the ends of side walls  101  of a collapsible container  100 . The fifth piston/cylinder device  132  is connected to and controlled by a controller unit (not shown) which is known in the art. A contact switch  138  is located in one spaced channel  126  and connected to the controller unit (not shown). It is actuated by contact with a side wall  101  of container  100 . 
     A pair of compressing piston/cylinder devices  200   a  &amp;  200   b  are located on the lower base beam  115 . The piston head  201  is tapered inwardly and downwardly so as to push the two sides  101  of the container  100  inwardly. They are spaced to receive an unfolded collapsible container  100 . 
     In the operation of the container assembling system, when the machine is turned on, the driver motor  28  drives the driver chain  30  to lower the roller slide  14 . This causes the first grasper  80  to come in contact with a collapsed container  100 . Contact switch  91  is activated by contact with the container  100 . This activates the third piston/cylinder member  92  to cause the cam device  94  to be activated thereby causing the cam faces  99  to engage container  100  by its slots  103 . After a delay relay to the driven motor  28 , it is activated to move the driven chain  30  and raise the roller slide  14 . 
     When the switch  91  is activated air enters the piston/cylinder member  92 , thereby moving the wheels of camming device  94  causing them to rotate. The rotation of the cam causes interconnected wheels to rotate thereby causing the camming faces  99  of second cam members  98  to engage opposing sides of adjacent slats  103  of a collapsed collapsible container  100 . 
     When the collapsed collapsible container  100  is fully engaged by the second cams  78  the power driven motor  28  is activated as a result of time delay relay which is known in the art. This causes the driver chain  30  to lift the roller slide  14 . As the roller slide  14  moves upwardly the collapsed container  100  unfolds. At the top of the lifting cycle the roller slide  14  engages contact switch  34 . Upon contact the switch is activated causing the power to the driven motor  28  to be turned off and causing first piston/cylinder device  48  to lift the trolley/rail system. The force of gravity causes the trolley to move to the distal end of the T-rail  44  causing the container  100  to engage a second grasper  116  of sub-unit  110 . Specifically, the ends of the side walls  101  enter the spaced channels  126 . 
     The contact switch  138  is activated thereby causing the fifth air driven piston/cylinder devices  132  to move the movable flange  129  toward to engage the container  100  which lies in the spaced channels  126 . After a suitable time delay by means known in the art the fourth air driven piston/cylinder assembly  115  is activated to allow the second grasper  110  with container  100  to rotate  90  degrees whereby a third contact switch  137  is engaged. This activates the fifth piston/cylinder devices  132  to move the moveable flange  129  back thereby releasing the container  100 , allowing it to fall onto the pallet base  105 . Two opposing sides  102  engage the compressing pistons/cylinder devices  200   a  and  b  causing the sides to move inwardly, allowing the U-clip (not shown) of the container  100  to engage the pallet base  105 , when the pressure is released after a time delay. The second grasper  116 , after a time delay rotates 90° to its resting position by action of the fourth air driven piston/cylinder device  115 . This disengages third contact switch  137 . At the same time the driver motor  28  is activated to lower the roller slide  14  (the start of a new cycle).