Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US3977513?dq=7,177,838
Timestamp: 2017-01-19 03:48:58
Document Index: 70346565

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 23', 'arts 23', 'art 23', 'arts 23', 'art 23', 'art 23']

Patent US3977513 - Cart conveyor system - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsNewspaper stacks are transported from stacking and tying equipment to a loading dock by a closed-loop endless train of carts moving on a contoured track which can allow horizontal or vertical movement of the cart train. The individual carts may be loaded, while in motion, with one or two stacks at cart...http://www.google.com/patents/US3977513?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US3977513 - Cart conveyor systemAdvanced Patent SearchTry the new Google Patents, with machine-classified Google Scholar results, and Japanese and South Korean patents.Publication numberUS3977513 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 05/473,346Publication dateAug 31, 1976Filing dateMay 28, 1974Priority dateMay 28, 1974Publication number05473346, 473346, US 3977513 A, US 3977513A, US-A-3977513, US3977513 A, US3977513AInventorsGeorge T. RushforthOriginal AssigneeSun Chemical CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (6), Referenced by (48), Classifications (6) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetCart conveyor system
Newspaper stacks are transported from stacking and tying equipment to a loading dock by a closed-loop endless train of carts moving on a contoured track which can allow horizontal or vertical movement of the cart train. The individual carts may be loaded, while in motion, with one or two stacks at cart loading stations along the closed-loop path from bundle entry devices which are interlocked and synchronized with the moving cart train. The contents of each cart can be discharged at preselected discharge regions in a truck loading dock by tilting the track and the cart at a 30° angle as the train passes the loading dock, and selectively opening a bundle retaining gate provided on each cart, to enable gravity discharge of the stacks to the desired loading dock location.
In accordance with the invention, the individual carts of a closed loop cart train are provided with bundle retention gates and the track and carts are tilted to an angle which causes the bundles to slide, due to gravity, against the gates when the carts reach the unloading dock area. The gates are then opened when it is desired to discharge the bundles from the cart and into a suitable discharge chute. The bundles are loaded into the carts by suitable entry devices which automatically determine the presence of an empty cart and load bundles into the cart when the cart passes the entry device. In a typical system, there would be a train of steel carts pivotally connected end to end to form an endless train. Each cart might be three feet long to receive two tied stacks of newspapers. The newspaper stacks are loaded over an open bundle retention plate which is cammed to a latched-closed position after the cart passes the bundle receiving area. The track then tilts the carts about 30° from the horizontal when the carts reach the unloading region, and the retention plates hold the bundles until they are opened by the operation of their latch to allow bundles to slide off the smooth bottom surface of the carts and toward a discharge chute.
The cart train will run along a loading truck dock, banked at an angle which may be 30°, at a height above the dock sufficient for any necessary clearance to objects at ground level. A discharge chute is provided at each of these positions and is designed to receive either one or two bundles from the carts which pass the position and to deposit these bundles in a controlled way onto a conveyor which conveys the bundles onto a truck loader. A pneumatically-operated latch release mechanism is positioned at each chute location along the dock for opening the bundle-retaining gate of any cart which is to be off-loaded at that particular chute.
The train of carts 23 is carried on an elevated steel track assembly 25 which guides the carts 23 around their closedloop path. The track 25 has the configuration to be described in connection with FIGS. 2 to 5 and is generally horizontal, except for its length through the loading dock 20, where the track and carts tilt downward toward the loading region at an angle of about 30° to the horizontal.
The operation of the general system of FIG. 1 can now be described. A central electronic control system, not described here, is used to appropriately program the operation of the system and to determine how many bundles are to be delivered to different loading docks, as required by the presence of a truck for a given route at the dock. The control system will also control the action of the pacers 15 and 17 in determining the supply of bundles to the system. If desired, each individual cart 23 may be coded so that the cart can be sensed at the entry and discharge devices by the control circuits. As all carts pass device 41, their gates 40 are unlatched and lowered. Suitable optical sensors then determine whether the cart is already loaded and, if not, one or two bundles will be loaded onto the cart from one of the bundle entry devices 22. Note that the cart may be loaded with only one bundle if there is a demand for a total odd count number of bundles. Once the entry device 22 loads its bundles onto a cart, the pacers 17 allow the loading of further bundles into the entry device. The carts 23 then pass cam 42 and the gates 40 are latched closed. As the track 25 reaches the dock 20, it begins to twist to a 30° bank, or whatever bank is needed for gravity-discharge of the bundles from the cart 23. The gates 40 prevent the discharge of bundles until the gates are opened. An appropriate sensing mechanism which is controlled from the central electronic control system then senses a cart with bundles approaching a given exit device 30 and, if that loading area requires bundles, the latch of the gate 40 of the particular cart 23 is released and the bundles on the cart are discharged by gravity. Note that, on their return to the mail room, each cart gate is unlatched at device 41 so that empty carts whose gates were closed by cam 42 in a prior loading cycle and whose gates were not opened at the dock 20 will have their gates reopened before entering the bundle entry area.
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