Method and apparatus for loading vessels using rotation
OwnerGerald C. Miller, Wallace R. Binford +1inventors
InventorsGerald C. Miller, Wallace R. Binford, William C. Alberts
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for rapid loading stacks of items aboard vessels which can include rotating palletized items to depalletize the items, and then placing the items on a lifting robot, lifting the robot and items into the hold of a vessel, removing the items from the robot using a load push lift truck, and then using the load push lift truck to stow the items in a stowage location. The empty robot can be removed from the hold of the vessel and put in a position to receive a another depalletized stack of cartons. In one option the robot has a plurality of fork channels for receiving the blades of a load push lift truck along with receiving the blades or a rotating lift truck.
Claims20
A method of loading items onto a vessel with a hold and a lifting crane, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a rotating lift truck, the lift truck having a rotator and an elevator the rotator having first and second sets of fork tines, the first set of fork tines having at least one fork tine, the second set of fork tines having at least one fork tine, the at least one fork tine from the first set of fork tines and the at least one fork tine from the second set of fork tines being opposed and capable of clamping onto a first palletized stack of cartons having a first height, the at least one fork tine from the first set of fork tines and the at least one fork tine from the second set of fork tines being opposed and capable of clamping onto a second palletized stack of cartons having a second height, wherein clamping can occur even where the second height is different from the first height;
- (b) using the elevator of the rotating lift truck to elevate first and second palletized stacks of cartons of frozen animal products located in a first area, the first and second palletized stacks of cartons each having a pallet supporting a plurality of layers of cartons, each layer having a plurality of cartons;
- (c) using the rotating lift truck to move the elevated first and second palletized stacks of cartons from the first area to a loading area for loading on a vessel lifting platform;
- (d) using the rotator of the rotating lift truck to rotate the elevated first and second palletized stacks of cartons by at least about 180 degrees in a first direction;
- (e) during at least part of step “d” the rotating lift truck moving the elevated first and second palletized stacks of cartons towards to the vessel lifting platform, the vessel lifting platform being operably connected to the crane;
- and
- (f) the rotating lift truck loading the first and second stacks of cartons onto the vessel lifting platform.
A method of loading items onto a vessel with a hold and a lifting crane, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a rotating lift truck, the lift truck having a rotator and an elevator;
- (b) using the elevator of the rotating lift truck to elevate two palletized stacks of cartons of frozen animal products located in a first area, the two palletized stacks of cartons having pallets supporting a plurality of layers of cartons, each layer having a plurality of cartons, the first stack having a first height and the second stack having a second height, the first height being not equal to the second height;
- (c) using the rotating lift truck to move the elevated stack of cartons from the first area to a loading area for loading on a vessel lifting platform, the lifting platform being operably connected to the crane;
- (d) using the rotator of the rotating lift truck to clamp onto and rotate the elevated first and second stacks of cartons and pallets by at least about 180 degrees in a first direction,
- (e) during at least part of step “d” the rotating lift truck moving the elevated stacks of cartons towards the vessel lifting platform;
- and
- (f) using the rotating lift truck to load the stacks of cartons on the vessel lifting platform.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.