Apparatus for lifting and tilting drums of flowable material

Apparatus for lifting and tilting a drum and like containers of flowable materials brought to a lift device whereat the container is lifted to a desired height above the floor, and during said lift a determined tilt is made to an established angle at which the material in the container is discharged, this apparatus including:

• (a) a base support;
• (b) a column arrayed in a substantially vertical attitude and secured to said base support;
• (c) a slot formed in this column and providing an access opening to the interior of said column, this slot extending for much of the length of this column;
• (d) a container support having a bottom portion adapted to receive and retain the weight of the container;
• (e) means for retaining the container in a placed condition on the container support during lift and tilting of the container;
• (f) a movable plate positioned within the tubular column, this plate having cam follower-type rollers secured to the plate;
• (g) U-shaped channel members attached to the column and providing retaining guideways for the cam-follower rollers on the movable plate so that said plate may be cycled up and down the column;
• (h) a pinion and meshed spur gear carried on and by said movable plate, the pinion fixedly carried on a rotatable output shaft, with the end portion of said shaft extending through said slot and adapted for securing to the container support, and the spur gear carried on another shaft and rotatable thereon;
• (i) a selectively actuated lift-and-lowering means adapted to move the movable plate and the rollers thereon in the U-shaped tracks, and means attaching the lifting-and-lowering means to the movable plate;
• (j) an arm secured to said spur gear so as to move said spur gear as the arm is moved, and said arm having a cam follower-type roller thereon;
• (k) a cam track secured to the column and adapted to receive and retain said roller on the end of the arm associated with the spur gear, this cam track having an angled portion adapted to engage the cam follower and cause the spur gear to rotate a determined amount, this motion causing rotation of the spur gear and meshed pinion so that a determined rotation of the pinion shaft is made, the cam track made with a Y-shaped track guide portion providing for right and left movement of the cam follower in said track guides so as to provide a selected discharge attitude, and a selectively actuated diverter means adapted for opening one of the track guide extents to provide a selected discharge position, and
• (l) means attaching the output shaft to said container support so that in the lift of the movable plate the secured container is lifted and, when the roller on the end of the arm associated with the spur gear is moved in the cam track, said container support and the retained container are tilted to a discharge position, and the lowering motion is adapted to bring the now emptied container and support to the "start" condition and position.

Apparatus for lifting and tilting a drum and like containers of flowable materials brought to a lift device which includes a telescoping column and whereat the container is lifted to a desired height above the floor, and during said lift a determined tilt is made to an established angle at which the material in the container is discharged, this apparatus including:

• (a) a base support and a first tubular column, said first column arrayed in a substantially vertical attitude and secured to said base support;
• (b) a second tubular column configured so as to be slideably positioned within said first column;
• (c) a slot formed in each of these tubular columns, this slot providing an access opening to the interior of said columns, this slot extending for much of the length of these columns;
• (d) a container support having a bottom portion adapted to receive and retain the weight of the container;
• (e) means for retaining the container in a placed condition on the container support during lift and tilting of the container;
• (f) a movable plate positioned within the second tubular column and moved as this second column is moved, this plate having cam follower-type rollers secured to the plate;
• (g) U-shaped channel members attached to the second column and providing retaining guideways for the cam-follower rollers on the movable plate so that said plate may be cycled up and down the second column;
• (h) a pinion and meshed spur gear carried on and by said movable plate, the pinion fixedly carried on a rotatable output shaft, with the end portion of said shaft extending through said slot drivingly secured to the container support, the spur gear being carried on another shaft and rotatable thereon;
• (i) a selectively actuated lift-and-lowering means which includes a hydraulic cylinder secured to and supported by a base plate in the first tubular column and with this cylinder having a rod end secured to a support carried by and fixed to a top cap portion of the second tubular column, this hydraulic cylinder adapted to move the movable plate and the rollers thereon inthe U-shaped tracks, and means for attaching the lifting-and-lowering means to the movable plate;
• (j) an arm secured to said spur gear so as to move said spur gear as the arm is moved, and a cam follower-type roller rotatably mounted to said arm;
• (k) a cam track attached to said second column, said cam track being adapted to receive and retain said roller on the end of the arm associated with the spur gear, said cam track including an angled portion adapted to engage the cam follower type roller to cause the spur gear to be rotated a determined amount, this motion causing rotation of the spur gear and meshed pinion so that a determined rotation of the pinion shaft is made;
• and
• (l) the output shaft being attached to said container support so that in the lift of the movable plate the secured container is lifted and, when the roller on the end of the arm associated with the spur gear is moved in the cam track, said container support and the retained container are tilted to a discharge position, and the lowering motion of the movable plate is adapted to be moved from the second to the first column so as to bring the now emptied container and support to the .music-flat.start" condition and position.