Article retrieving and positioning system and apparatus for articles, layers, cases, and pallets

An apparatus for retrieving articles from various different locations in a preselected area with a quantity of such articles therein and delivering the same to a designated area spaced from said preselected area, said apparatus comprising:

• a carriage rollingly mountable on a track system having a predetermined path offset a selected distance along said preselected area for the articles, said carriage having a load carrying support surface thereon for holding articles as they are retrieved in succession one after another from said preselected area and first power means on said carriage to propel the same along said track
• rigid support superstructure carried by said carriage;
• reach means mounted on said superstructure and second power means to extend and retract the same;
• a power operated article gripping assembly carried by said reach means for grasping an article to be retrieved from said preselected area and place it on said carriage load carrying surface;
• said article gripping assembly comprises:
• a base assembly;
• a first elongate member mounted on said base assembly, said elongate member extending in a first direction and terminating in a first jaw member on a free outer end thereof, said jaw member having an article engaging face thereon;
• a second elongate member movably mounted on said first elongate member for movement longitudinally there along in a direction toward and away from said first jaw member;
• said first and second elongate members being angularly related with respect to one another;
• a second jaw member mounted on said second elongate member and being moveable in a direction toward and away from said first elongate member;
• and
• power means for moving said second jaw member.

An apparatus for retrieving articles from various different locations in a preselected area with a quantity of such articles therein and delivering the same to a designated area spaced from said preselected area, said apparatus comprising:

• a carriage rollingly mountable on a track system having a predetermined path offset a selected distance along said preselected area for the articles, said carriage having a load carrying support surface thereon for holding articles as they are retrieved in succession one after another from said preselected area and first power means on said carriage to propel the same along said track;
• said track system comprising at least two spaced apart rails shaped to capture at least two rows of wheels (supporting said carriage) from above and on an exposed side of said wheels, thereby guiding said carriage in a precise path down said track system;
• a rigid support superstructure carried by said carriage;
• reach means mounted on said superstructure and second power means to extend and retract the same;
• a power operated article gripping means assembly carried by said reach means for grasping an article to be retrieved from said preselected area and place it on said carriage load carrying surface;
• said gripping means comprises a variable size peripheral frame for embracing at least one article to be retrieved, said frame containing at least four sides wherein at least three sides contain interior walls capable of moving toward and away from said at least one article to be gripped;
• power means connected to said variable in size frame selectively to vary the size of the same for receiving and grasping an article;
• and
• means mounting said variable in size frame on said reach means.

Apparatus for retrieving articles from a stack of the same in a selected storage area and load the same onto a mobile carriage means, said apparatus comprising:

• a support structure;
• an extendable and retractable boom;
• means mounting said boom, adjacent one end thereof, on said support structure;
• a work head tool;
• and
• means mounting said work head tool on a free outer end of said boom opposite to said one end, said work head tool comprising a yoke attached to said boom and extending from said free outer end thereof, a first elongate member pivotally attached to said yoke, a first jaw member secured to and extending from said first elongate member, a second elongate member disposed at an angle perpendicular to said first elongate member and movably mounted on said first elongate member for movement longitudinally therealong, a second jaw member mounted on a distal end of said second elongate member and being reciprocally movable in directions toward and away from said first elongate member, said second jaw member having an article engaging face positionable in face-to-face relation with said first jaw member.