Transport assembly for use with storage conveyor, and combination

An transport assembly for use in association with a storage conveyor having a drive sprocket mounted thereon, on a drive sprocket axle;

• said transport assembly comprising:
• (a) a transport mechanism for carrying an object;
• (b) truck means for orienting said transport assembly with said transport mechanism at selected locations for loading and unloading;
• (c) a conveyor drive mechanism including a pivotably mounted arm and a powered drive gear;
• (i) said arm comprising a yoke including first and second laterally spaced elongate sidearms;
• (ii) said yoke having a first end portion and a second end portion;
• (iii) said powered drive gear being mounted between said sidearms and being rotatable about an axis-of-rotation extending generally perpendicular to said yoke sidearms and positioned generally between said yoke first and second end portions;
• (iv) said yoke first end position having a receiving space therein for receipt of at least a portion of the conveyor drive sprocket therein during operation of said transport assembly;
• and
• (v) said powered drive gear being selectively engageable with the conveyor drive sprocket;
• (d) motive means mounted on said truck means;
• said motive means including a motor and drive shaft;
• (i) said drive shaft extending through said yoke second end portion in a direction generally perpendicular to said sidearms;
• (ii) said motor being selectively operable to rotate said drive shaft;
• said drive shaft having means thereon providing selected rotation of said powered drive gear when said motor is selectively actuated;
• and
• (iii) said yoke being mounted for pivoting about a pivot axle defined by a longitudinal axis of said drive shaft;
• and
• (e) a yoke positioning mechanism for selectively pivoting said yoke about said pivot axle between engaged and disengaged positions;
• (i) said engaged position having said yoke extending generally outwardly for receipt of a portion of the conveyor drive sprocket in said receiving space to operably engage said powered drive gear with the conveyor drive sprocket enabling selected rotation of the conveyor drive sprocket, to drive the conveyor, upon selected actuation of said motor;
• and
• (ii) said disengaged position having said yoke and said drive gear positioned out of possible engagement with the conveyor drive sprocket;
• (f) whereby said transport mechanism may be selectively oriented in an operative position relative to a storage conveyor having a drive sprocket thereon;
• and
• (g) whereby said conveyor drive mechanism may be selectively operated to engage said powered drive gear with the conveyor drive sprocket so that selected actuation of said drive gear drives the storage conveyor, facilitating transfer of an object between the storage conveyor and the transport mechanism.

A transport assembly for use with an unpowered storage conveyor having an associated storage conveyor member movable to convey articles thereon, said transport assembly comprising:

• (a) truck means movable to position said transport assembly at a selected storage conveyor;
• (b) a transport mechanism mounted on said truck means and including a transport member operable to move an article on said transport assembly to transfer articles between said transport assembly and a selected storage conveyor;
• (c) storage conveyor drive means positioned on said transport mechanism and operable to drive a storage conveyor member of a storage conveyor at which said transport assembly is positioned to cause the movement of articles on said storage conveyor;
• and
• (d) storage conveyor grasping means mounted on said transport mechanism and operable to grasp a storage conveyor at which said transport assembly is positioned to cause a positive driving engagement between said storage conveyor drive means and an associated storage conveyor member to drive said storage conveyor member.

In combination:

• (a) an unpowered storage conveyor including an ass1ociated storage conveyor member movable to convey articles on said storage conveyor and a storage conveyor gear drivingly engaged with said storage conveyor member to move said storage conveyor member;
• (b) a transport assembly including truck means movable to position said transport assembly at said storage conveyor;
• (c) a transport mechanism mounted on said truck means and including a transport member operable to move articles on said transport mechanism to transfer articles between said tranport mechanism and said storage conveyor;
• (d) an arm pivotally mounted on said transport mechanism;
• (e) a drive gear rotatably mounted on said arm;
• (f) a motor drivingly engaged with said drive gear to rotate said drive gear;
• and
• (g) an arm actuator connected between said arm and said transport mechanism and operable to deploy said arm to grasp said storage conveyor and mesh said drive gear with said storage conveyor gear to drive said storage cnveyor member and operable to retract said arm to disengage said drive gear from said storage conveyor gear.