US 5,096,369 AGranted

Pallet inspection and stacking apparatus

AssigneeOuellette Machinery Systems, Inc.

InventorJoseph F. Ouellette

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Abstract

A pallet inspection and stacking apparatus having a frame with an upper end. An elevator can index a stack of pallets upwardly in the frame as the uppermost pallet from the stack is subject to an automatic alignment mechanism and then is transferred from the stack to a transversely located inspection mechanism. The inspection mechanism grips the side edges of the pallet and rotates the pallet for inspection purposes. A rejected pallet can be released from the inspection mechanism and deposited on another elevator that is indexed downwardly as rejected pallets are stacked on it until the rejected stack is removed by a conveyor. Accepted pallets are transferred from the inspection mechanism to an outfeed bay where the pallets are gripped and sequentially deposited on an elevator which is indexed downwardly as the stack grows.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A pallet handling apparatus comprising:

a main frame having an upper end and a lower end;
first elevator means for transporting pallets from the lower end to the upper end;
second elevator means for transporting pallets from the upper end to the lower end;
a pallet inspection apparatus supported adjacent the upper end of the main frame, the pallet inspection apparatus incorporating means for gripping edges of a pallet of the kind having upper and lower sides and inverting the pallet for successive exposure of the upper and lower sides to enable inspection thereof, and for selectively separating pallets that pass inspection from pallets that do not pass inspection;
first means for transferring a pallet along a substantially direct path of transfer from the first elevator means to the pallet inspection apparatus;
and second means for transferring a pallet from the pallet inspection apparatus to the second elevator means, wherein the means for gripping and inverting inverts the pallet while the pallet remains in the path of transfer.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.