Pallet type transfer device

A pallet type transfer device utilized to transport parts or components along a conveyor-type assembly line is disclosed. The pallet type transfer device includes a body member having a rear bumper member with a pair of oppositely disposed idler wheels rotatably mounted thereto and having a front bumper member attached to the front surface thereof. The top surface of the rear bumper member is inclined upwardly towards the rear surface of the body member. Parallel, longitudinally extending, spaced-apart complementary grooves are provided on the bottom surface of the body member, each groove having a conveyor belt received therein. When a "moving" pallet type transfer device contacts a "stopped" transfer device along the assembly line, the front bumper of the "moving" transfer device contacts and moves laterally on the inclined top surface on the rear bumper member on the "stopped" transfer device causing the body member of the "moving" transfer device to move slightly upwardly resulting in the complementary grooves on the bottom surface thereof becoming disengaged from the conveyor belts, thus minimizing or eliminating wear to the belts and to the bottom surface of the "moving" transfer device. The conveyor belts continue to move within grooves provided within the idler wheels, however, the belts do not contact the complementary grooves provided in the bottom surface of the body member of the "moving" transfer device which has now been stopped.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The present invention relates, in general, to a pallet type transfer device 
utilized to transport parts or components along a conveyor-type assembly 
line and, more particularly, to a pallet type transfer device which 
minimizes wear to the conveyor belts and to the transfer device when the 
transfer device is stopped along the assembly line. 
BACKGROUND ART 
Parts or components are typically transported along a conveyor-type 
assembly line by means of a small movable platform, known as a pallet. The 
pallet is stopped at various locations along the assembly line so that 
some type of assembly operation can be performed. When the pallets are 
stopped along the assembly line, the conveyor belts under the pallets 
typically continue to move relative to the pallets resulting in wear to 
the top surface of the belts and to the bottom surface of the pallets. 
In a typical assembly line installation, the pallets are placed on moving 
belts on a conveyor. The belts are solid, have a circular cross-section, 
are positioned in a parallel spaced-apart relationship and move parallel 
to the longitudinal axis of the conveyor. Typically, each belt is received 
within a groove located on the bottom surface of the pallet gripping same 
permitting the pallet to be transported along the assembly line until it 
contacts a "stop" or until it contacts another pallet which has been 
stopped. When a moving pallet contacts a "stop" or contacts another pallet 
which has been stopped, the moving pallet is subjected to shock loading. 
Thus, in a typical assembly line installation utilizing presently 
available pallets, the abrupt stopping of a pallet causes the pallet to be 
subjected to shock resulting in the jarring of the parts or components 
being transported thereby. In addition, after the pallet has been stopped, 
wear occurs to the conveyor belts and to the grooves on the bottom surface 
of the pallet since the belts continue to move with respect to the stopped 
pallet. 
In view of the foregoing, it has become desirable to develop a pallet type 
transfer device which minimizes or eliminates wear to the conveyor belts 
and to the bottom surface of the pallet when the pallet is in the 
"stopped" condition and which minimizes the shock which occurs when a 
pallet contacts a "stop" or another pallet which has been stopped along 
the conveyor line. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention solves the problems associated with prior art pallet 
type transfer devices and other problems by providing a pallet structure 
which minimizes or eliminates wear to the conveyor belts and to the bottom 
surface of the pallet when the pallet has been "stopped" and which also 
minimizes shock to the pallet during the stopping process. The pallet type 
transfer device of the present invention is comprised of a body member 
having a rear bumper member with a pair of oppositely disposed idler 
wheels rotatably mounted thereto and having a substantially flat front 
bumper attached to the underside of a flanged surface on the front of the 
body member. The top surface of the rear bumper is inclined upwardly 
towards the rear surface of the body member. Parallel, longitudinally 
extending, spaced-apart complementary grooves are provided on the bottom 
surface of the body member, each groove having a conveyor belt being 
received therein. When a "moving" pallet type transfer device of the 
present invention contacts a "stopped" pallet type transfer device or 
contacts a "stop" along the conveyor type assembly line, the front bumper 
of the "moving" pallet type transfer device contacts and laterally moves 
on the inclined surface of the rear bumper on the "stopped" transfer 
device or on the "stop" provided on the assembly line minimizing any shock 
to the "moving" pallet type transfer device. Further movement of the 
"moving" transfer device relative to the "stopped" transfer device results 
in lateral movement of the front bumper on the "moving" transfer device 
relative to the inclined surface of the rear bumper on the "stopped" 
transfer device causing the body member of the "moving" transfer device to 
move slightly upwardly about its idler wheels resulting in the 
complementary grooves on the bottom surface thereof to become disengaged 
from the conveyor belts. The conveyor belts continue to move laterally 
causing the idler wheels on the "moving" transfer device, which has now 
been stopped, to rotate, however, the belts do not contact the 
complementary grooves provided in the bottom surface of the body member of 
the "moving" transfer device, which has now been stopped, minimizing or 
eliminating wear to the belts and to the bottom surface thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings where the illustrations are for the purpose 
of describing the preferred embodiment of the present invention and are 
not intended to limit the invention described herein, FIGS. 1 and 2 are 
top perspective views of two (2) pallet type transfer devices 10 of the 
present invention in a disengaged and engaged condition, respectively. The 
transfer device 10 is comprised of a body member 12, a rear bumper member 
14 and a pair of oppositely disposed idler wheels 16 rotatably mounted to 
the rear bumper member 14. The transfer device 10 is conveyed along a 
conveyor or assembly line by means of parallel, longitudinally directed, 
spaced-apart belts 18, each belt being received within a complementary 
groove 20 provided on the bottom surface 22 of the body member 12, as 
shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, and also being received within a groove 24 
provided in an idler wheel 16. 
The body member 12 is generally rectangular in cross section in the 
direction transverse to the direction of travel of the transfer device 10 
along the conveyor or assembly line. Body member 12 is provided with a 
flanged surface 26 across its front portion 28, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. 
Flanged surface 26 is an extension of the top surface 30 of body member 
12. A substantially flat bumper 32, made from urethane or the like, is 
affixed to the underside 34 of the flanged surface 26 by fasteners 36. The 
complementary grooves 20 provided on the bottom surface 22 of the body 
member 12 are substantially parallel to one another and parallel to the 
side surfaces 38 of body member 12. The rear bumper member 14 is attached 
the rear surface 40 of the body member 12 and has a top surface 42 which 
is inclined upwardly toward the rear surface 40 of the body member 12. An 
idler wheel 16 is attached to each of the oppositely disposed ends 44 of 
the rear bumper member 14 by means of a shoulder screw 46 which permits 
the rotation of the idler wheels 16 thereon. A groove 24 is provided 
within and around the periphery of each idler wheel 16 and is aligned with 
the adjacent complementary groove 20 in the bottom surface 22 of the body 
member 12. In this manner, a belt 18 is received in a groove 24 in an 
idler wheel 16 and in its adjacent aligned complementary groove 20 in the 
bottom surface 22 of the body member 12. 
Referring now to FIGS. 9-11, a "stopped" transfer device 10 is shown by the 
numeral 60, whereas a laterally "moving" transfer device 10 is shown 
generally by the numeral 70. As "moving" transfer device 70 approaches 
"stopped" transfer device 60, bumper 32 affixed to the flanged surface 26 
on the front of the "moving" transfer device 70 contacts the top surface 
42 of the rear bumper member 14 on the "stopped" transfer device 60 
causing bumper 32 on the front of the "moving" transfer device 70 to move 
laterally on the top surface 42 of the rear bumper member 14 on the 
"stopped" transfer device 60. The bumper 32 on the front of the "moving" 
transfer device 70 and the top surface 42 of the rear bumper member 14 on 
the "stopped" transfer device 60 minimize any shock to the transfer 
devices 60, 70, upon contact, and to the parts or components being 
transported by same. Since the top surface 42 of the rear bumper member 14 
on the "stopped" transfer device 60 is inclined upwardly, lateral movement 
of bumper 32 on the front of the "moving" transfer device 70 relative to 
the top surface 42 of the rear bumper member 14 on the "stopped" transfer 
device 60 causes body member 12 of "moving" transfer device 70 to move 
slightly upwardly causing the complementary grooves 20 on the bottom 
surface 22 thereof to become disengaged from the belts 18. The belts 18 
continue to move laterally causing the idler wheels 16 on "moving" 
transfer device 70 to rotate, however, since body member 12 of "moving" 
transfer device 70 has moved slightly upwardly, the belts 18 do not 
contact the complementary grooves 20 in the bottom surface 22 thereof 
minimizing or eliminating wear to the belts 18 and to the bottom surface 
22 of the transfer device 70. It should be noted that the same effect can 
be achieved if the "stopped" transfer device 60 is replaced by a stop 
member on the conveyor line provided that the stop member has an inclined 
surface on the rear portion thereof which would contact a bumper 32 
attached to the underside of the flanged surface 26 on the front surface 
of the body member 12 of the "moving" transfer device 70. 
Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the 
art upon reading the foregoing. It should be understood that all such 
modifications and improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of 
conciseness and readability, but are properly within the scope of the 
following claims.