Patent GB-729457-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to apparatus for removing articles accommodated in rows in crates
IPC: B65B21/18
Filed: 1952-05-01
Abstract: 729,457. Bottle decrating apparatus. UNITED DAIRIES (LONDON), Ltd., and LUNN, F. M. May 13, 1953 [May 1, 1952], No. 11057/52. Class 94 (1). [Also in Group. XXX] An apparatus for removing articles accommodated in rows in crates of the kind comprising a gripping head 14, Fig. 1, means 12 for locating a full crate beneath the head, means for effecting relative movement between the head and crate towards one another in an up and down direction, means for actuating the gripping head to grip the articles when they are brought up to it, means for effecting a separating movement between the head and crate leaving the articles supported by the head, a tray 31 for receiving the articles, means for moving the tray backwards and forwards between the head and an intermediate support, 42, and means for releasing the articles from the head when the tray is beneath it is characterised in that transfer mechanism additional to the tray is provided for moving the articles step by step from the intermediate support 42 to a receiving station e.g. the conveyer 43. As shown the full crate is located on a platform 12 which is moved in an up and down direction by a lever 60 operated by a scroll cam 59. The platform may be provided with pins or other means to free the articles in the crate at the upper end of its travel, and the top of the platform may also be provided with rollers to facilitate transfer of crates. The gripping head comprises a frame 14 attached to raising and lowering mechanism 15 operated by a lever 16 and scroll cam 20, the frame 14 having depending flanges 29 at opposite sides and one or more additional depending flanges 28 disposed between the flanges 29 according to the number of columns of articles e.g. bottles to be gripped and pairs of gripping plates 27, disposed between each pair of adjacent flanges, the plates 27 being pivoted to the frame so that the lower ends may be moved towards and away from an adjacent fixed flange. The plates 27 are operated by a cable mechanism 26 through bell cranks housed at 25 and operated by a scroll cam 24. The tray 31, on to which the bottles are lowered by the head 14 after removal from the crate is provided with an end wall 32 to engage the end bottles in the rows and the opposite or leading edge of the tray is arranged to slide under the intermediate support 42 whereby the tray in moving away from the gripping head pushes the bottles on to the top surface of the support 42. The tray 31 is moved by a linkage 35, 37 operated by a scroll cam 41. The supporting plate 42 is provided with slots 64, Fig. 2 so that each row of, as shown, four bottles, has a slot extending on each side and the mechanism, by means of which the bottles are 'transferred to a transverse conveyer 43 comprises fingers 45 projecting through the slots 64 so as to engage the periphal portions of two bottles. The fingers 45 are fixed to a rock shaft 46 provided with a lever arm 47 having a pin 48 thereon which engages the end of a lever 50. The lever 50 is connected by a link 52 to a push-pull rod 53 operated by a scroll-cam 56. The rock shaft 46 is mounted in a carriage 44 and the arrangement is such that after the shaft 46 is rocked to elevate..the fingers 45 the carriage and the fingers are then moved to the left and after rocking the lever 46 a lost motion connection between the carriage and the fork 49 of the lever 50 is taken up and the carriage withdrawn to the right. Assuming a set of bottles has just been delivered to the plate 42 by the tray 31, the transfer sequence is as follows. The gripper head removes the next set of bottles from a crate and deposits them on the tray 31. The tray 31 is moved to the left beneath the plate 42 and the wall 32 pushes the new set on to the plate moving all the bottles of the previous set towards the conveyer 43, the last part of this movement forcing the first row of the previous set on to the conveyer. The fingers 45 are then raised behind the last bottles of the previous set on the plate 42 and the carriage 44 and fingers 45 are then moved in three steps by the scroll cam 56 to deliver the three remaining rows of five bottles in turn to the conveyer 43. Meanwhile the tray 31 has been moved back to receive a further set of bottles and the cycle is then repeated. Reference has been directed by the Comptroller to Specification 681,493.