US 2014/0110315 A1Published application

Automatic loading/unloading apparatus for automatically loading/unloading flat articles stacked on edge, a sorting machine for sorting flat articles, an unloading method, and a postal sorting method

AssigneeSolystic

InventorsDamien Hughes, Pierre Campagnolle, Marie Petit

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Abstract

Automatic loading/unloading apparatus (1) for automatically loading flat articles (200) stacked on edge into storage trays (300) and for automatically unloading flat articles (200) stacked on edge therefrom, each of the storage trays (300) having a bottom plate (301) provided with a through window (306), said automatic loading/unloading apparatus having a stationary actuator (4) in register with said window and a moving actuator (5) that receives said storage tray (300) and that is mounted to move between: a waiting position in which said stationary actuator (4) is set back from said moving actuator (5) and is not in contact with said flat articles (200); and an unloading position in which said stationary actuator (4) passes through said window (306) while carrying said flat articles (200) until it comes flush with said stacking zone (3) suitable for receiving said flat articles (200) without said storage tray (300) being interposed between said flat articles (200) and said stacking zone (3).

Claims15

Dependent claims

Automatic loading/unloading apparatus (1, 101) for automatically loading flat articles (200) stacked on edge into storage trays (300) and for automatically unloading flat articles (200) stacked on edge therefrom, each of said storage trays (300) having a bottom plate (301) receiving the edges of the flat articles (200) and provided with at least one through window (306), said automatic loading/unloading apparatus (1, 101) having at least one tray-receiving zone (2, 102) suitable for receiving said storage trays (300) successively and at least one stacking zone (3;

103) suitable for receiving said flat articles (200) stacked on edge in the stacking direction (F) before loading/after unloading, said automatic loading/unloading apparatus being characterized in that it has at least one stationary actuator (4;
104) and at least one moving actuator (5, 105), which actuators are designed so that, simultaneously, one of them is in register with said window (306) and the other of them receives said storage tray (300) bearing against it, and so that said actuators are movable relative to each other between:
a waiting position in which said stationary actuator (4) or said moving actuator (105) that is in register with said window (306) is set back from said moving actuator (5) or from said stationary actuator (104) so that said storage tray (300) can rest respectively on said moving actuator (5) or on said stationary actuator (104) without respectively said stationary actuator (4) or said moving actuator (105) being in contact with said flat articles (200);
and
an unloading position in which respectively said moving actuator (5) or said stationary actuator (104) is set back from said stationary actuator (4) or from said moving actuator (105) so that said stationary actuator (4) or said moving actuator (105) can pass through said window (306) while carrying said flat articles (200) to be loaded/unloaded until it comes flush with said stacking zone (3;
103) without said storage tray (300) being interposed between said flat articles (200) and said stacking zone (3;
103).

4 more elements

A method of automatically unloading flat articles (200) stacked on edge into/from storage trays (300), each of which has a bottom plate (301) receiving the edges of said flat articles (200) and provided with at least one through window (306), said method being characterized in that it comprises at least:

a feed step during which at least one storage tray (300) containing flat articles (200) stacked on edge is placed in a tray-receiving zone (2;
102) at which it is supported by at least one actuator that is a stationary actuator (4;
104) or a moving actuator (5;
105), and said window (306) is in register respectively with said moving actuator (5;
105) or with said stationary actuator (4;
104);
an extraction step during which said moving and stationary actuators (5;
105;
4;
104) are moved relative to each other in a first direction (S1) so that respectively said moving actuator (5;
105) or said stationary actuator (4;
104) passes through said window (306) so that the edges of said flat articles bear against the end of said moving actuator (5;
105) or of said stationary actuator (4;
104) and move gradually away from the bottom plate (301) until they are above the outer panels (302A, 302B) of said storage tray (300) and come flush with a stacking zone (3;
103) suitable for receiving said flat articles (200) after unloading;
a transfer step during which said flat articles (200) are moved in said stacking direction (F), from the end of said moving actuator (5;
105) or of said stationary actuator (4;
104) towards said stacking zone (3;
103) at which said flat articles (200) as unloaded in the form of stack are accumulated;
and
a release step for releasing said storage tray (300) and during which said moving and stationary actuators (5;
105;
4;
104) are moved relative to each other in a second direction (S2) opposite from said first direction (S1) so that said window (306) is released from the passing respectively of said moving actuator (5;
105) or of said stationary actuator (4;
104), and so that said storage tray (300) can be removed from said tray-receiving zone (2;
102).

24 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/805,925Filed 12 Oct 2012
Priority: FR 11 6231622 Dec 2011
Published: 24 Apr 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification16 codes

B65G 65/005
Loading or unloading: control arrangements
B07C 3/008
Sorting according to destination: means for collecting objects, e.g. containers for sorted mail items
B07C 5/00
Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material
B65H 1/027
Adapted to support articles on edge: support fully or partially removable from the handling machine, e.g. cassette, drawer