Intermediate storage baking tins

Storage method, in particular intermediate storage method for baking tins, whereby the baking tins are disposed in racks wherein the baking tins are positioned story-wise in rows behind each other and always one type of baking tin per each rack.

In the bakery baking tins in various types and dimensions are used for 
different types of bread, cake and the like. Depending on the size of the 
bakery, there are available numbers of 1000 to 6000 pieces/type which, 
when not in use, have to be stored temporarily. 
For said intermediate storage of said baking tins which mostly slightly 
taper in connection with the unloading of the batch and sometimes are 
coupled groupwise, various methods are known which in most cases imply 
that the baking tins or "couples" are nested, i.e. are stacked in partly 
telescoped condition. Apparatus used for this purpose are so-called 
stackers and unstackers. 
Drawbacks going with this prior art technique are: 
The baking tins should be adapted to the specific stacking method and also 
for unstacking of telescoped baking tins, additional engagement ridges and 
the like are to be provided with the tins. 
To enable in this manner stacking and unstacking, an accurate dimensioning 
is necessary. Damaged, deformed baking tins will jam. 
Stacking with telescoping has the drawback that no plastics lining can be 
utilized. 
It is the object of the invention to avoid the above drawbacks, to which 
effect the invention provides an (intermediate) storage method according 
to which the baking tins are disposed in racks wherein the tins are 
positioned storey-wise in rows behind each other and always one type of 
baking tin per each rack. 
In a further embodiment of the invention more racks can be adjacently 
arranged and be accessible on either side so that the racks may be loaded 
at a leading end and the baking tins may be taken from the other end, 
which has the advantage that, while one type of baking tin is positioned 
in a rack, simultaneously another type of baking tin may be taken from a 
different rack and be brought in the baking circuit so that switching from 
the one type to the other can take place substantially without loss of 
time. Furthermore it is also possible to always work from one leading end. 
For performing the method, the invention provides a storage apparatus with 
a rack construction, provided with carriers vertically spaced in a frame, 
each for one row of baking tins, means being provided for positioning the 
baking tins vertically and horizontally. 
Thereby according to the invention the carriers at each level in a rack may 
be provided with two laterally spaced support faces and there being 
accommodated in the rack a horizontal conveying means adjustable in height 
and by means of which a substantially united row of baking tins can be 
formed on each carrier, starting with a leading end of the carrier, 
respectively the baking tins can be discharged from a row via the same or 
via the other leading end of the carrier. 
The vertical conveying means may comprise a lifting device at one or each 
of the leading ends of the rack, for bridging differences in height 
between each carrier in the rack and conveyors, by means of which baking 
tins are supplied, respectively discharged. 
In order to store the baking tins simultaneously and to bring other tins 
from the store into the baking circuit, according to the invention a 
plurality of racks may be arranged in adjacent relationship with a leading 
end adjacent a baking tin supply conveyor and adjacent a baking tin 
discharge conveyor, whereby between the racks on the one end and the 
respective conveyors on the other end lifting devices are disposed that 
are movable parallel to the respective conveyor and which can be 
positioned before any required rack. 
In a preferred embodiment of the invention each lifting device is provided 
with an endless conveyor circulating along an upper curve and a lower 
curve, said conveyor having projecting baking tin engaging means, whereby 
the rising part of a lifting device coacting with the baking tin supply 
conveyor is facing towards the conveyor and the descending part of a 
lifting device coacting with the discharge conveyor is facing towards the 
conveyor. 
By means of such a device baking tins lying with the open side upwards on 
the supply conveyor are engaged, pivoted upwards over the upper curve of 
the lifting device and positioned on a rack in inversed position. The 
advantage thereof is that bread remainders and similar contaminations 
remaining in the baking tins may fall out of the tins during the reversal, 
while likewise it is prevented that during the storage of the tins 
pollution occurs by vermin and the like. 
It will be clear that the reliability of operation of such a device is 
larger than of devices through which baking tins are stacked nestingly. 
The timed drive and control of the various conveying means may be 
performed through application of known per se sensors and signal 
transmitters. Translation means are applied between the various conveyors, 
lifting means and conveying means within the racks. 
For the purpose of receiving the baking tins from the supply conveyor, the 
lifting with the rising part of the conveyors of the lifting device, 
conducting along the upper curve and likewise reversing the baking tin and 
the lowering thereof in the descending part of the conveyor to the level 
of the storey of a rack to be filled, according to the invention the 
engaging means of the lifting device may each be fitted with two baking 
tin support means, one of which being operated in the rising path and the 
other in the descending path. 
Preferably each baking tin support means is provided with two support 
fingers which are adapted for lateral movement towards and away from each 
other, in such a way that both in the rising path and in the descending 
path each time the lower fingers are moved towards each other for engaging 
a baking tin underneath the lateral portions thereof, while each time the 
upper fingers are moved away from each other at least in the entire 
descending path. 
A simple and reliable control of the fingers is achieved by designing each 
finger slidably in a longitudinal slot in a common guide plate while 
controlling each finger by means of a driven chain enclosed in a suitable 
C-profile, whereby the profiles associated with the fingers of one pair in 
the rising path and the descending path have a different interspace at 
least locally, depending on the function of the respective finger pair. 
It is observed that the storage method according to the invention wherein 
use is made of racks, wherein baking tins are positioned storey-wise in 
rows behind each other through means for vertically and horizontally 
positioning the baking tins, may also be employed for loading so-called 
dough inhibiting proofers, wherein by cooling the proofing process is 
temporarily discontinued. It will be clear that in this case the lifting 
device may not reverse the dough-filled baking tins and consequently it is 
possible to apply as lifting device, in general as vertical positioning 
means a lifting platform having transfer means as pusher members.

According to the drawings, in particular FIG. 1, the intermediate storage 
apparatus for baking tins of the type shown in FIG. 2 however is naturally 
also suitable for other articles for storage and/or intermediate storage 
to be eligible, provided with a supply conveyor 1, a discharge conveyor 2, 
a plurality of storage racks 3A, B, C, . . . arranged transversely between 
the parallelly extending conveyors 1 and 2, e.g. lifting devices 6 and 7 
movable for instance along rails 4 and 5. The racks 3 are distinguished in 
FIG. 1 by letters A, B and C to indicate that in principle in each rack a 
different type of article, e.g. baking tins can be stored for different 
baking products. 
It appears from the general arrangement of FIG. 1 that the storage 
principle is based on the supply of baking tins, e.g. of the type C over 
the supply conveyor 1, the filling, by means of the lifting device 6, 
which is arranged for this purpose between the supply conveyor 1 and the 
rack 3C, of said rack with articles of type C, while it is simultaneously 
possible to transfer another type of articles, e.g. type B, via the 
lifting device 7 onto the discharge conveyor 2, which conducts these 
articles, e.g. baking tins B, into the baking circuit. 
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the loading of a rack 3 will now be further 
discussed, the starting point being that the articles to be handled are 
baking tins 8 of the type shown in FIG. 2, viz. each composed of a 
plurality of downwardly tapering baking tins 9, which are united to one 
unit 8 by a circular belt 10. 
A rack 3 comprises a frame 12 with sets of guide members 13 extending 
longitudinally therein in subjacent relationship, and constituting bearing 
surfaces for rows of baking tins 8. 
The filling of a rack is effected from the top downwards by means of the 
lifting device 6 and a horizontal conveying means, such as a conveyor belt 
14 which is vertically adjustable for instance by means of a linkage 
mechanism 15 diagrammatically shown in FIG. 4. The vertical adjustment is 
effected preferably in such a way that the upper parts of the conveyor 
belt 14 can each time be positioned at a slightly higher level than the 
effective bearing surface of the bearing guide members 13, so that a 
series of baking tins 8 positioned on a bearing guide set is movable along 
the bearing guides from the entry side (FIG. 4 at the left) towards the 
discharge side. 
The lifting device 6 comprises a frame 16 which is movable on wheels 17 
along rails 4 between the supply conveyor 1 and the series of racks 3. 
In the frame 16 a conveyor means 18 according to the arrows drawn in FIG. 4 
is movable along an upper curve 19a and a lower curve 19b. 
The conveying means 18, distributed over its length, carries a plurality of 
pick-up means 20 for the baking tins 8. FIG. 4 only shows two of the 
pick-up means and one embodiment thereof will be further discussed. 
With the apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 baking tins 8 are transferred 
from the supply conveyor 1 and by means of a pusher member 11 to a ready 
pick-up means 20 which together with the baking tin is conducted upwards 
by the conveying means 18, conducted along the upper curve 19a and 
subsequently is again lowered to the level of the horizontal conveying 
means 14 which is disposed between a set of bearing guides 13 whereon the 
respective baking tin has to be positioned. It is assumed that the 
superposed bearing guide sets are already entirely filled with rows of 
baking tins 8. The thus (see FIG. 4) entrained baking tin is positioned in 
reversed position on the horizontal conveying means, in particular the 
conveyor belt 14, which ensures the moving up of the baking tin and the 
preceding baking tins 8 along the bearing guides 13. Thus the rack 3 (FIG. 
4) is filled from the top downwards and from the left to the right. 
Similarly baking tins of a different rack, e.g. the rack 3B, may be 
unloaded from the bottom to the top and be positioned through the lifting 
device 7 on the discharge conveyor 2. 
Provisions have to be made for the baking tin pick-up means 20 for 
receiving the baking tins from the supply conveyor 1, for moving same 
vertically upwards, reversing same along the upper curve 19a and 
subsequently for moving same again downwards and translating same onto the 
conveyor belt 14. 
It is conceivable that the paths of the pick-up means 20 and of the 
conveyor belt 14 do not contact each other and that use is made of 
separate transfer means for transferring a baking tin onto the conveyor 
belt 14. 
Simpler from a mechanical viewpoint however is to have the paths of the 
pick-up means 20 and of the conveyor belt 14 overlap each other, so that 
the pick-up means 20 can position baking tins directly onto the conveyor 
belt 14. In this case however measures have to be taken to remove the grip 
of the pick-up means on baking tins which are deposited on the conveyor 
belt 14. 
One embodiment of the pick-up means enabling the above arrangement is 
depicted in FIGS. 3 and 5. 
In these each pick-up means 20 is fitted with four support fingers 21, 22, 
23, 24 each having the shape of an angle section and projecting through a 
longitudinal slot 25 in a guide plate 26. As appears from FIGS. 3 and 5 
the fingers 23 and 24 have moved towards each other and are adapted to 
pick-up a baking tin 8 which is positioned by pusher member 11 on a table 
11a by engaging same sideways underneath the belt 10 or underneath the 
bottom of the tins 9. The fingers 21 and 22 have moved away from each 
other and remain in this position in the entire rising part of the 
conveyor means 18 (see FIG. 4). However it is possible to move the fingers 
21 and 22 away from each other only in the zone where baking tins 8 are 
engaged. In the upper curve 19a, in so far this has not been effected 
earlier, also the fingers 21 and 22 move towards each other and take the 
baking tin 8 over from the finger 23 and 24 which then move away from each 
other and in the entire descending path of the conveying means 18. The 
control of the fingers 21, 22, 23, 24 is effected by means of driven 
chains 27 confined in guide sections 18a-18d. Each of the fingers 21-24 is 
connected through a carrier 28 to the chain 27 of the associated guide 
sections 18a-18d. As indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 3, the various 
guide sections 18a-18d have been shifted in the upper and in the lower 
curve, so that in the rising path of the lifting device 6 the guide 
sections 18c and 18d are relatively close to each other and in the 
descending path selectively remote from each other, while in the guide 
section 18a-18b this is precisely the opposite. In principle, it is thus 
possible to apply per each baking tin pick-up means 20, a number of which 
is present in spaced relationship on the conveyor means of the lifting 
device 6, four fingers 21-24 each controlled separately and carried by the 
associated chains 27, which fingers in each pick-up means are kept 
together and are centered by a guide plate 27. 
This embodiment has the advantage that separate transfer means for 
transferring baking tins onto the conveyor belt 14 of a rack can be 
omitted. 
In order to enable a rapid displacement of a lifting device 6 or 7 along 
the rails 4, respectively 5 along the racks 3A, 3B . . . etc., the 
portions of the conveyor belt 14 projecting from the rack 12, dotted in 
FIG. 3, may be designed retractable, which can be effected in various 
known per se manners. 
Although one embodiment has been described, wherein the racks 3 are 
arranged between the supply conveyor 1 and the discharge conveyor 2, it is 
possible that the racks are loaded and unloaded from the same leading end. 
Preferably in this case, in situ of the racks, the conveyors 1 and 2 are 
superimposed.