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US 4,362,452 AGranted
Process and apparatus for loading and emptying a store for press supports
AssigneeCarl Schenck AG
InventorWerner Sparr
Life of this patent
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AssigneeCarl Schenck AG
InventorWerner Sparr
Estimating the term…
Temporary storage for flexible underlayments or press supports being transported in the manufacture of chipboard is provided by dragging the underlayments over a storage pit into which their rear ends are allowed to drop. Protruding ends of head leaders by which the supports are dragged by longitudinally moving catches, are inserted in a rack having stacked ledges disposed on both sides of the path of travel of the press supports. The rack is indexed downwardly one step at a time as each head leader is inserted into the rack to stack the press supports one above the other in the pit. Press supports are retrieved from storage by raising the rack to realign the head leader with the path of travel of the transporting catches. The rack may be a rigid vertical stack of ledges, or it may constitute a paternoster-type elevator. The catches may include a disengageable mechanism or may be mounted or successive conveyors between which they transfer or drop the press supports in accordance with the vertical deployment of the rack.
A process for loading and emptying a temporary store for press supports installed in a conveyor line, comprising the steps of catching and dragging the press supports by their front ends over a storage pit into which the trailing portion of the press support is dropped, the front ends of the press supports being inserted in a storage rack disposed on both sides of the conveyor line, the vertical position of the storage rack being controlled to determine whether the press support is immediately transferred forward along the conveyor line or dropped below its path of movement to temporarily store the press support in the pit, stored press supports being removed from storage by raising the rack to catch the front end of the press support and resume its transport along the conveyor line.
An apparatus for the temporary storage of press supports moved along a conveyor line in a manufacturing process comprising a storage pit disposed below a portion of the conveyor line, edge support means connected to the front ends of the press supports, catch means on the portion of the conveyor line disposed above the storage pit for dragging the press supports by their front ends over the storage pit with rear ends dragging within the storage pit, a storage rack for receiving the edge supports disposed on both sides of the conveyor line past the storage pit in the direction of movement of the press supports, the storage racks having stacks of ledges for receiving the edge supports of press supports one on each ledge, vertical indexing means connected to the rack for controlling the vertical position of each of the ledges to provide storage of the press supports within the pit when the ledges are disposed below the path of movement of the catch means and retrieval from the pit and transport along the conveyor line when disposed in alignment with the path of movement of the catch means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.