Depalletizing device and method

A depalletizing device for moving articles by groups from a pallet with each said group of articles having a leading portion and a trailing portion, said device comprising:

• sweep means having movable article urging means engagable with the trailing portion of a group articles then at a pallet sweep area;
• retainer means having movable article retaining means engagable with the leading portion of said group of articles then at said pallet sweep area, said article retaining means including a retaining arm positioned adjacent to said leading portion of said group of articles when in a home position prior to engagement with said leading portion of said group of articles with said retainer arm being moved from the home position into engagement with said leading portion of said group of articles and thereafter being further moved to lead said engaged groups of articles from said pallet as said group of articles are urged from said pallet by said article urging means, said retainer means including movable carriage means having said retainer arm pivotably mounted thereon with said retainer arm being movable in opposite directions substantially parallel to said predetermined direction of movement of said group of articles when urged from said pallet by said article urging means so that said retainer arm is thereby mounted for movement between an article engageable position and an article non-engageable position, and said retainer means also including pivot control means having first and second portions with said portion being connected with said retainer arm;
• actuating means connected with said sweep means and said retainer means for causing movement of said article urging means whereby said article urging means engages said trailing portion of said group of articles and thereafter urges said group of articles from said pallet in a predetermined direction, said actuating means also causing movement of said article retaining means whereby said article retaining means engages said leading portion of said group of articles and thereafter leads said group of articles from said pallet as said group of articles is moved from said pallet in said predetermined direction by said article urging means;
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• frame means having said carrier means movable relative thereto, said frame means having said second portion of said pivot control means mounted thereon whereby said retainer arm is caused to be pivoted to said article engagable position during one portion of movement of said carriage means to allow engagement of said retainer arm with said leading portion of said group of articles after movement of said retainer arm from said home position, and whereby said retainer arm is caused to be pivoted to said article non-engagable position during another portion of movement of said carriage means to facilitate return of said retainer arm to said home position.

A depalletizing device for moving articles by groups from a pallet with each said group of articles having a leading portion and a trailing portion, said device comprising:

• sweep means having movable article urging means engagable with the trailing portion of a group of articles then at a pallet sweep area;
• retainer means having movable article retaining means engagable with the leading portion of said group of articles then at said pallet sweep area, said article retaining means including a retainer arm positioned adjacent to said leading portion of said group of articles when in a home position prior to engagement with said leading portion of said group of articles with said retainer arm being moved from the home position into engagement with said leading portion of said group of articles and thereafter being further moved to lead said engaged group of articles from said pallet as said group of articles are urged from said pallet by said article urging means, said retainer means including movable carriage means having said retainer arm mounted thereon so that said retainer arm is movable in opposite directions substantially parallel to said predetermined direction of movement of said group of articles when urged from said pallet by said article urging means, said retainer means including drive means having connector means mounted thereon with said connector means being driven in a closed loop path, and said retainer means also including connecting means extending between said connector means and said carriage means whereby said carriage means is driven in opposite directions by said drive means when said connector means is driven through said closed loop path;
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• actuating means connected with said sweep means and said retainer means for causing movement of said article urging means whereby said article urging means engages said trailing portion of said group of articles and thereafter urges said group of articles from said pallet in a predetermined direction, said actuating means also causes movement of said article retaining means whereby said article retaining means engages said leading portion of said group of articles and thereafter leads said group of articles from said pallet as said group of articles is moved from said pallet in said predetermined direction by said article urging means.

A depalletizing device for moving articles by groups from a pallet with each said group of articles having a leading portion and a trailing portion, said device comprising:

• sweep means having movable article urging means engagable with the trailing portion of a group of articles then at a pallet sweep area, said sweep means having first drive means movable in a single direction along a first predetermined path;
• retainer means having movable article retaining means engagable with the leading portion of said group of articles then at said pallet sweep area, said retainer means having second drive means movable in a single direction along a second predetermined path;
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• actuating means connected with said first drive means of said sweep means and said second drive means of said retainer means for causing movement of said article urging means whereby said article urging means is caused to be initially moved in said predetermined direction to engage said trailing portion of said group of articles then at said pallet sweep area, said article retaining means is caused to be initially moved in a direction opposite to said predetermined direction to engage said leading portion of said group of articles then at said pallet sweep area, and said article urging means and said article retaining means are then caused to be moved in unison in said predetermined direction to move said group of articles then at said pallet sweep area from said pallet.

A depalletizing device for moving articles by tiers from a pallet in a predetermined direction, said device comprising:

• sweep means having first and second movable sweep arms mounted for movement about a closed loop path and spaced from one another along said path so that said sweep arms are alternately engagable with the trailing portions of successive tiers of articles when said tiers are successively positioned at a pallet sweep area;
• retainer means having a movable article retainer arm mounted for movement in opposite directions along a path substantially parallel to said predetermined direction of movement of said tiers of articles from said pallet so that said retainer arm is engagable with the leading portions of each said tier of articles when at said pallet sweep area;
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• actuating means connected with said sweep means and said retainer means for causing movement of said sweep arms of said sweep means and said retainer arm of said retainer means whereby said first sweep arm engages the trailing portion of a first tier of articles when at said pallet sweep area and thereafter urges said first tier from said pallet in said predetermined direction, whereby said retainer arm is caused to engage the leading portion of said first tier of articles and thereafter leads said first tier of articles from said pallet as said first tier of articles is urged from said pallet by said first sweep arm, whereby said second sweep arm engages the trailing portion of a second tier of articles when at said pallet sweep area and thereafter urges said second tier of articles from said pallet in said predetermined direction, and whereby said retainer arm engages the leading portion of said second tier of articles and thereafter leads said second tier of articles from said pallet as said second tier of articles is urged from said pallet by said second sweep arm.

A method for moving articles by groups from a pallet with each said group of articles having upstream and downstream sides, said method comprising:

• commencing a cycle of operation by engaging both the upstream and downstream sides of a group of articles then to be moved from said pallet;
• after such engagement, applying force to said upstream side of said group of articles to cause movement of said group of articles in the downstream direction while continuing engagement with the downstream side of said group of articles to thereby lead said group of articles from said pallet;
• discontinuing leading of said group of articles after at least said downstream side of said group of articles has been moved from said pallet;
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• thereafter continuing application of force to the upstream side of said group of articles until all of the articles in said group have been moved from said pallet.