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US 4,358,236 AGranted
De-palletizing/palletizing apparatus for cans and can-type containerizations
OwnerRobert G. Dudleyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Cans are unloaded from pallets, utilizing an overhead first magnet which attracts the can units and holds them against the intercepting underside of a rotationally moving belt so as to be transported thereby to a station where the cans as they pass out of the influence of the first magnet are introduced to the influence of a second magnet which intercepts, guides and positively controls what would otherwise be the cans free-fall travel onto a conveyor which then delivers the cans enfile to a receptive station which has a positive requirement for this controlled can alignment.
Claims13
In apparatus used for unloading cans from pallets on which they are vertically stacked which apparatus embodies
- a first station containing an elevatable lift onto which pallets stacked with cans are loaded,
- a second station located to one side of said first station containing a discharge conveyor,
- a continuously-moving belt which courses the upper reaches of the first and second stations, and
- means disposed immediately above the course of said belt which attracts the cans to the underside of the belt when the pallet is elevated by the lift to locate the cans within the influence of said can attracting means whereby the cans are separated from the pallet and move with the belt out of the first station into the upper reaches of the second station for release to the discharge conveyor,
- the improvement wherein
- said can attracting means is so positioned that its influence on the cans terminates within the discharge station so as to release the cans to the discharge conveyor therebelow,
- said discharge station including magnetic pulley means which continuously rotates on an axis extending transversely of the carrier belt movement and positioned beneath the carrier belt and said termination of the can attracting means such that the bottom end of the cans come under the influence of said rotating magnetic pulley means as their top ends are released from the carrier belt,
- said magnetic pulley means tilting the thus-influenced cans out of their initial vertical disposition as they are released from the carrier belt and temper the free fall of the cans onto the discharge conveyor, and
- associated guide means which direct the released cans onto the discharge conveyor therebelow as the cans are tilted by the magnetic pulley means out of their initial vertical disposition.
6 more elements
Apparatus for unloading in succession cans from pallets on which they are stacked in tiers with separating divider sheets comprising;
- a first unloading station containing an elevatable lift onto which each pallet stacked with cans is located when the lift is in its lower position,
- a second station to one side of said first station containing a conveyor which leads to a can discharge area,
- a moving belt above said first and second stations which courses across the lift of the first station to above the conveyor of the second station in the upper reaches of said stations,
- first magnetic means disposed above the course of said moving belt in the upper regions of said first station which attract each tier of cans and divider sheet into contact with the moving belt as said tier of cans is raised by the lift into the influence of the magnetic means,
- the tier of cans and divider sheets being thereby held in contact with the moving belt so as to move therewith to the second station and permit the lift to rise further to locate the next tier of cans and its overlying divider sheet into the influence of the magnetic means to continue the removal of the tier of cans,
- the influence of the first magnetic means terminating over the second station short of the full course of the moving belt such that the cans of each tier are carried by the moving belt beyond the influence of the first magnetic means and released onto the conveyor leading to the can discharge area,
- second magnetic means in the second station which are aligned with the conveyor therebetween and the moving belt to which the bottom ends of the cans are attracted as the top ends of the cans are released from the magnetic field of the first magnetic means, and guide means which lead the released cans to the conveyor,
- a divider sheet collection area located beyond said second station and in line with the course of the moving belt to receive the divider sheets as the tiers of cans moving with the belt are carried beyond the influence of the magnetic means, and
- a third station into which the empty pallets are discharged when the lift is returned to its lowered station to receive the next pallet stacked with cans.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.