PLATFORMTO TILTABLY SUPPORT CONTAINERS

Abstract: A tiltable platform comprising a container support (1) sepa­ rated by compression springs (8 and 16) from a base (5) with spigots (2) on the support (1) engaged in vertical tracks (6). The springs (16) are weaker than the springs (8). Releasable latch means in the form of hooks on arms (13) pivotally connected to the base (5) can be used to releasably pivotally interconnect the container support (1) with the base (5).

Description: TITLE: "A TILTABLE PLATFORM" This invention relates to a support means for a container to facilitate the discharge of materials therefrom. With containers having side discharge openings adjacent the bottom of the container it is possible to have the contents of the container discharge by gravity up to the point where, in the case of dry materials such as sugar or flour or plastic pellets, the angle of repose of the material in the container prevents further discharging flow. I have developed a tiltable container supporting platform which will incline the bottom of the container relative to the horizontal as the need arises and thereby ensure all materials in the container gravity discharges therefrom. Generally, the invention provides a tiltable platform having a base, a support for the bottom of a container, releasable latching means to pivotally interconnect the base and the support and load compressible resilient suspension means disposed between the base and the support and which will when the latching means is operative bias the support and the bottom of a container mounted thereon into an angular relationship with the horizontal and which when the latching means is inoperative bias them towards a horizontal condition. The invention in several forms will now be described with reference to the accompanying schematic illustrations in which Fig.l is the simplest form of the tiltable platform of the invention and is a two spring version on which there is an empty container, Fig.2 isa view similar to Fig.l when the platform supports a loaded container, Fig.3 is a view similar to Fig.2 showing the relative angular relationship of the base and the container support of the platform when the container is only partly filled, Fig.4 is a view similar to Fig.l showing a four spring version of the inyention, Fig.5 is a modified version of the Fig.4 arrangement including apparatus to extract a liner bag from the container as the contents of the bag are discharged, the container is empty, Fig.6 is a view similar to Fig.5 where the container is full, and Fig.7 is a view of the Fig.6 arrangement after a substantial amount of the contents of the container has been discharged. In Fig.l there is a platform 1, which can be of any suitable form for example a simple rectangular frame, with a pair of aligned spigots 2 extending from opposite sides of the platform. At the front edge of the platform there is an upstanding stop means 3 which may be in the form of lugs or a bar against which a base corner of a container mounted on the platform 1 will bear during the discharge of the container. There are two upper spring sockets 4 respectively fixed to the sides of the platform having the spigots 2. The base 5, which can be of any suitable form for example a simple rectangular frame, has two track forming brackets 6 at opposite sides and the spigots 2 are slidably mounted in the tracks of the brackets 6. There are lower spring sockets 7 fixed to the sides of the base having the brackets 6 and a spring 8 is disposed between each pair of upper and lower spring sockets. There is a spring extension limiting rod 9 passing through each spring 8. Preferably the rods 9 are pivqtally connected to the spring sockets 7 and the upper spring sockets 4 are pivotally supported on the platform, Referring to Figs.2. and 3, a container C assumed to be of rectangular form and possibly of the type comprising two interconnected panel pairs forming an. enclosure fixed to a conventional pallet, is shown mounted on the platform 1. The container C has a discharge means adjacent the bottom edge of the front side of the container. When a full container C is loaded onto the platform 1 it will cause the springs 8 to be compressed and the platform to come to rest on stop blocks 10 an the base 5 and the spigots 2 to come to rest on the stop blocks 11 on the base 5. In descending the spigots 2 would engage the upper sloping faces 12 of hooked upper ends of arms 13 pivoted at 14 to the base and interconnected through arm-extensions 15. The resulting cam action would have caused the arms 13 to pivot in a clockwise direction and upon passage of the spigots 2 beyond the ends of the hooks the counterbalancing weight of the arm extensions 15 and their interconnection would cause the hooks to overlie the spigots '2 thereby holding the spigots captive. As the tilting platform will usually be located adjacent an industrial process, where it is constantly discharging a given product from containers into a hopper or the like, it is possible to design the springs so that after the container has been emptied to a given the the stored energy in the springs 8 is sufficient to commence elevation of the rear end-of the platform 1. The upper spring sockets will move upwardly within the limits imposed by the extension limiting rods 9 to produce the configuration shown in Fig.3 which-is the designed maximum incline for the illustrated arrangement. When the container is empty the spigots 2 are manually released from engagement by the hooks and because of the positioning and strength of the springs 8 the platform and the base of the container thereon will acquire a substantially horizontal condition as illustrated in Fig.l. The container C can then be replaced by a new fully loaded container and the sequence can be repeated. The arrangement is particularly suitable for liquids but can be used for granular or powdered materials. The arrangement shown in Fig.4 is similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 3 except that the springs Bare located more to the rear of the platform and springs 16, weaker than springs 8, are located in spring sockets 4a and 7a adjacent the brackets 6. In an alternative arrangement as shown in Figs. 5 to 7 the brackets 6 are formed to provide housings for the springs 16 which are disposed between the spigots 2 and the base 5. The springs 16 need only be strong enough to maintain the front end of the platform 1 elevated when the container is empty, and in the case of Figs.5 to 7 maintain the spigots at the upper ends of the tracks in the brackets 6 when the container is empty. The springs 8 must however be strong enough to tilt the platform when the container is still partly filled. Referring now to the arrangement shown in Figs.5 to 7 it will be seen that the platform 1 has additional features. These include a bag extractor of the type covered by my Australian patent 531154 and includes corner support columns 17 in place of the lugs 3 and diagonal braces 18 connecting the columns 17 to the platform 1. An arch member having a top tie roller 19 and arms 20 pivotally connected at 21 on the braces 18 extends over the container C. Angled extensions 22 of the arms 20 are respectively connected by springs 23 to two spaced apart arms 24 pivotally connected at first ends at 25 to the base 5. The arms 24 are interconnected by a bar 26 and the dther ends of the arms 24 are connected through links 27 to the'underside of the platform 1. The bag extractor is for the elevation and discharge promotional movement of a plastic liner bag used in the container to house in a sterile manner material transported in the container, such as powdered foodstuffs. A detailed descriptiOn of the operatiOn of a bag extractor is given in my patent referred to above but in summary the operation is as follows. The liner bag has a top tail T which is pulled over the roller 19 when the arms 20 are moved to the dotted position shown in Fig.6 and the tail T is tied down. The movement of the arms 20 causes the springs 23 to be tensioned. Discharge of the material in the liner bag commences through the bag nose BN extending though an opening in the lower front side of the container C normally covered by the hinged-door D. As previously explained the rear springs 8 will cuase the platform to tilt when a predetermined amount of material has been discharged from the container thereby facilitating the gravity discharge of material from the liner bag. As the weight of the material in the liner bag decreases it will reach a stage where the energy stored in the springs 23 will be sufficient to move the roller 19 to raise the liner bag within the container thereby urging material in the bag towards the bag nose BN. The final position of the roller 19 is shown in dotted lines in Fig,7 and at this time the liner bag will have a configuration somewhat like that shown in broken line in Fig.7 and indicated B. The purpose of the arms 24 is as follows. Looking at Fig.6, the springs 23 are designed to be almost in their collapsed state when the Fig.6 configuration exists. The arch arms 20 are moved to the dotted position )Fig.6) and this will tension the springs 23 somewhat. The bag tail T is connected to the container and emptying commences. The spigots 2 are held in the down position by the hooked members and the links 27 connected to the arms 24 prevent them from moving from their lowered position illustrated in Figs.6 and 7. Emptying continues and as the container empties and the platform begins to rise under the influence of the springs 8 the anchor point of the springs 23 to the arm extensions 22 moves away from the bar 26 which results in the springs being further stretched. The energy now stored in the springs 23 is sufficient to ensure commencement of bag extraction when the major extractive force is required i.e. when the container is tilted and has a large amount of material remaining therein. Thus the springs 23 are able to be stretched by hand to achieve the dotted position in Fig.6, because of their nominal stretched condition, but have energy st > additional stretch applied when required, i.e. when the container tilts and the bag needs extraction Further emptying results in the arms 20 achieving the dotted s -N \ positiorchown in Fig.7 and at this stage the springs 23 are extended to some extent and are longer than when in the basic position as shown in full lines in Fig.6 but are shorter than when fully stretched for maximum power as shown in full lines in Fig.7. When the container C is empty and the spigots 2 are released from the hooked members the configuration is as shown in Fig.5 where it will be seen that the arms 24 are elevated thereby reducing the tension in the springs 23, a state which remains substantially constant into the Fig.6 configuration. Another aspect is that when the spigots 2 are released by the hooked members the upthrust of the springs 16 is supplemented by the contraction force exerted by the springs 23. If the bars 24 were not provided and the springs 23 were.anchored to the base 5 the springs 23 would be acting against the springs 8 and 16. Springs acting against springs or arrangements where effects depend upon the balancing of spring strengths are undesirable and this has been taken into account in the design of the present invention.

Claims: CLAIMS: 1. A tiltable platform having a base, a support for the bottom of a container, releasable latching means to pivotally interconnect the base and the support and load compressible resilient suspension means disposed between the base and the support and which will when the latching means is operative bias the support and the bottom of a container mounted thereon into an angular relationship with the horizontal and which when the latching means is inoperative bias them towards a horizontal condition. 2. A tiltable platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein the support has spigot means engaged in tracks in said base and the spigot means are releasably engagable when in a lowered position in said tracks by retaining means to provide pivotal interconnection between the support and the base. 3. A tiltable platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein the resilient suspension means comprises compression springs disposed between the base and the support. 4. A tiltable platform as claimed in claim 3 including a pair of compression springs. 5. A tiltable platform as claimed in claim 3 including two pairs of compression springs, a first pair of springs disposed remotely from the latching means and a second weaker pair of springs disposed adjacent the latching means. 6. A tiltable platform as claimed in claim 2 wherein the resilient suspension means comprises a first pair of compression springs disposed between said spigots and said base and a second pair of stronger compression springs disposed remotely from the latching means. 7. A tiltable platform as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 6 including an arch frame extending across the tiltable platform and pivotally connected to the support with an axis of pivot parallel to the axis of pivot of the support relative to the base, tension springs extending between the arch frame and arm means pivotally connected at a first end to the base remote from the pivotal connection of the base to the support and connected at its other end through link means to the support adjacent the pivotal connection of the base to the support, said tension springs bias the arch frame towards a rest position where the top of the arch frame lies above the axis of pivotal connection of the base to the support.

Inventors: KARPISEK, LADISLAV STEPHAN
Applicants: KARPISEK, LADISLAV STEPHAN
Application year: 1984
Main classification: B65G65
IPC codes: B65G65