Apparatus and method for producing truss plate bundles
AssigneeTee-Lok Corporation
InventorWilliam H. Black, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for bundling truss plates includes comprises means for forming a plurality of truss plates and means for forming these truss plates into a unitized bundle that is easily shipped, stored, and handled. The apparatus can include means for orienting each of the plurality of truss plates so that the backing members are substantially parallel to a predetermined plane, aligning means for aligning the oriented truss plates so that the peripheries of their backing members are substantially aligned, stacking means for stacking the oriented and aligned truss plates, and interconnecting means for interconnecting the stacked truss plates into a unitized bundle.
Claims43
An apparatus for producing unitized truss plate bundles, each of said truss plate bundles comprising a plurality of truss plates, each of said truss plates having a generally planar backing member with a plurality of elongate apertures having opposed ends and a plurality of impaling members extending from one side of said backing member, said impaling members being arranged in pairs adjacent respective backing member apertures, with one of said impaling members of each pair being positioned adjacent one end of a backing member aperture and the other impaling member of each pair being positioned adjacent the opposite end of that backing member aperture, said apparatus comprising:
- orienting means for orienting the plurality of truss plates so that said planar backing members thereof are oriented in a predetermined orientation;
- aligning means positioned downstream from said orienting means for aligning the truss plates so that the peripheries of said backing members are substantially aligned;
- stacking means positioned downstream from said aligning means for stacking said oriented and aligned truss plates into a stack of oriented and aligned truss plates in which said truss plate backing members are substantially parallel;
- and
- interconnecting means positioned downstream from said aligning means for interconnecting said stacked truss plates into a unitized bundle.
A method for producing a unitized bundle of truss plates, each of said truss plates including a generally planar backing member and a plurality of impaling members extending from one side thereof, and each of said backing members having a periphery of substantially the same dimensions as the peripheries of the other backing members, said method comprising the steps of:
- passing each of said truss plates over a shelf having a transverse edge, with a portion of each truss plate having a free transverse edge being unsupported thereby, so that each of said truss plates drops therefrom into a predetermined orientation, with the backing member of each truss plate being oriented substantially parallel to a predetermined plane;
- positioning each of said truss plates so that the peripheries of said backing members are substantially aligned;
- then
- stacking said oriented and aligned truss plates;
- then
- interconnecting said stacked truss plates to form a unitized truss plate bundle.
A method for producing a unitized bundle of truss plates, each of said truss plates including a generally planar backing member and a plurality of impaling members extending from one side thereof, and each of said backing members having a periphery of substantially the same dimensions as the peripheries of the other backing members, said method comprising the steps of:
- orienting said truss plates so that said backing members are substantially parallel;
- directing said oriented truss plates into a stop member configured so that contact of said truss plates therewith causes the peripheries of said backing members to be substantially aligned;
- directing each of said oriented and aligned truss plates into overlying contacting relationship with at least one other truss plate;
- then
- stacking said oriented, aligned, and contacting truss plates;
- then
- interconnecting said stacked truss plates to form a unitized truss plate bundle.
A method for producing a unitized bundle of truss plates, each of said truss plates including a generally planar backing member and a plurality of impaling members extending from one side thereof, and each of said backing members having a periphery of substantially the same dimensions as the peripheries of the other backing members, said method comprising the steps of:
- orienting said truss plates so that said backing members are substantially parallel;
- positioning each of said truss plates so that the peripheries of said backing members are substantially aligned;
- then
- forming said aligned and oriented truss plates into stacked subsets in which said truss plates are in contacting relationship with each other and the backing members of said truss plates are noncoplanar;
- repeatedly stacking subsets of said oriented and substantially aligned truss plates until a predetermined number of said truss plates have been stacked;
- then
- interconnecting said stacked truss plates to form a unitized truss plate bundle.
A method for producing a bundle of truss plates, each of said truss plates including a generally planar backing member and a plurality of impaling members extending from one side thereof, and each of said backing members having a periphery of substantially the same dimensions as the peripheries of the other backing members, said method comprising the steps of:
- orienting said truss plates so that said backing members are substantially parallel;
- positioning each of said truss plates so that the peripheries of said backing members are substantially aligned;
- then
- stacking said oriented and aligned truss plates;
- then
- compressing said stacked truss plates in a direction generally orthogonal to said backing members;
- then
- interconnecting said stacked truss plates to form a unitized truss plate bundle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.