Patent GB-506236-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to load transfer apparatus
IPC: B65G67/20
Filed: 1938-07-19
Abstract: 506,236. Vehicle fittings for loading. STEVENS. A. H. (Consolidated Iron-Steel Manufacturing Co.) July 19, 1938, No. 21390. [Class 78 (iv)] For transferring packages or bulk loads between vehicles, loading platforms, or between vehicle and platform, a wheeled. staith running on rails 12 carries a wheeled trolley 72 running on rails 7 and furnished with screw-mechanism for raising and lowering a movable skid member 19 having an endless-belt moving floor. Thus, to load packages from the platform 73, Fig. 2, commencing at the normal position in which the skid is supported centrally on the staith with its wheels 48 resting on the short tracks 49, the trolley 72 is moved to the left-hand. end of its track and extended to lift that end of the skid. On traversing the raised trolley to the right, the wheels 48 at the other end of the skid roll down the inclined tracks 51 until rollers 58 on roller end ramps rest on the platform, and travel across the latter. At this stage the. endless-belt moving floor is driven so that as the ramp forces its way under the packages, the belt receives them and carries them on to the skid. The packages may be carried on a supporting apron 187 fixed at one end to the platform and adapted to roll over the ramp as the latter moves across the platform. Having loaded the packages, the skid is returned to its central position on the staith and the trolley lowered. To transfer the packages to another vehicle or platform at the other side of the staith, the trolley is moved to elevate the right hand end of the skid and the latter is run out to the left of the staith over the vehicle platform. It is then retracted while the movable flow is rotated forwardly, so as to leave the packages behind as the skid retreats. Wheels 186 support the overhanging portion of the skid should it be projected inadvertently when there is neither vehicle or .platform to receive it. Staith. The staith is built of rolled steel sections and has main longitudinal channel girders 2 supporting the cross-bars 3, corner posts 5, track rails 7 and the upper tracks 49, 51. The running wheels 10 are connected by spur gearing to the motor 18. Endless-belt moving floor. The belt 26 rests on rollers 24 mounted in the skid frames and one or more rollers at or near one end is driven by spur and chain gear 36, 40 from a motor 37 on the skid. The roller at the other end of the belt is fitted with screw and nut tensioning- gear. Wheeled trolley. The trolley, Figs. 1 and 10. comprises travelling wheels 85, one pair of which is driven from a motor 89 through spur gear 86, 87. The screw lifting-mechanism is operated from a motor 92 which drives a vertical shaft 93 connected by chain and sprocket gear to nuts on screwed shafts 99. The axial movement of the nuts elevates the table or crutch 105 which contacts with the bottom of the skid. This elevating movement operates several locking and unlocking gears as follows : (1) It projects a tongue 110, Fig. 13, on the table 105, into a notch 109 in a plate attached to the skid and locks the latter against longitudinal and lateral movement, and (2) releases the pivoted latch 113 from the projection 120 and allows the spring 116 to project the latch over the. ledge 108, thus preventing relative vertical movement between skid and table, (3) it also the trolley wheels so that the latter can be traversed along its track. On the centralizing of the skid on the staith after completion of the previous operation, the wheels 48, Fig. 11 depressed the spring plunger 124 in passing, and thus released a catch 133 on a lever 135 leaving the latter free to be pushed clockwise by the spring 140 and so raise pivoted arms 147 into wheel-engaging position. The raising of the table 105 retracts the arms 147 by operating the bell-cranks 155 and thus sliding shaft 149 axially to the left, to swing the lever 135 and allow the arms 147 to drop by gravity. Finally, when the skid is centralized and re-lowered at the completion of the operation, the wheels 48 drop on to and depress the plungers 124 at that end of the track, thus locking the skid wheels at that end. Electric control circuits for the various motors are described and limit switches are provided to prevent overtravel on both rails 12 and 7.