Method and apparatus for loading vessels using rotation
AssigneeCoastal Cargo Company, L.L.C.
InventorsWallace R. Binford, Gerald C. Miller, William C. Alberts
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for rapid loading stacks of items aboard vessels which can include rotating palletized items to depalletize the items, and then placing the items on a lifting robot, lifting the robot and items into the hold of a vessel, removing the items from the robot using a load push lift truck, and then using the load push lift truck to stow the items in a stowage location. The empty robot can be removed from the hold of the vessel and put in a position to receive a another depalletized stack of cartons. In one option the robot has a plurality of fork channels for receiving the blades of a load push lift truck along with receiving the blades or a rotating lift truck.
Claims20
A method of loading items onto a vessel with a hold and a lifting crane, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a rotating lift truck, the lift truck having
- a rotator and an elevator
- both of which being operably connected to the lift truck,
- the rotator having
- first and second sets of fork tines,
- the first set of fork tines having
- left and right fork tines,
- the second set of fork tines having
- left and right fork tines,
- the left fork tine from the first set of fork tines and
- the left fork tine from the second set of fork tines
- being
- opposed and
- capable of clamping onto a first palletized stack of cartons having a first height,
- the right fork tine from the first set of fork tines and
- the right fork tine from the second set of fork tines
- being
- opposed and
- capable of clamping onto a second palletized stack of cartons having a second height,
- wherein clamping can occur even where
- the second height is different from the first height;
- (b) using the elevator of the rotating lift truck
- to elevate first and second palletized stacks of cartons of frozen animal products located in a first area,
- the first and second palletized stacks of cartons each having
- a pallet supporting a plurality of layers of cartons,
- each layer having a plurality of cartons;
- (c) using the rotating lift truck to move
- the elevated first and second palletized stacks of cartons
- from the first area to a loading area for loading on a vessel lifting platform;
- (d) using the rotator of the rotating lift truck
- to rotate the elevated first and second palletized stacks of cartons
- by at least about 180 degrees in a first direction;
- (e) during at least part of step “d”
- the rotating lift truck moving the elevated first and second palletized stacks of cartons towards to the vessel lifting platform,
- the vessel lifting platform being operably connected to the crane;
- and
- (f) the rotating lift truck loading the first and second stacks of cartons onto the vessel lifting platform.
A method of loading items onto a vessel with a hold and a lifting crane, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a rotating lift truck, the lift truck having
- a rotator and an elevator
- both of which being operably connected to the lift truck;
- (b) using the elevator of the rotating lift truck
- to elevate two palletized stacks of cartons of frozen chicken located in a first area,
- the two palletized stacks of cartons having
- pallets supporting a plurality of layers of cartons,
- each layer having a plurality of cartons,
- the first stack having a first height and
- the second stack having a second height,
- the first height being not equal to the second height;
- (c) using the rotating lift truck to move the elevated stack of cartons
- from the first area to a loading area for loading on a vessel lifting platform,
- the lifting platform being operably connected to the crane;
- (d) using the rotator of the rotating lift truck
- to clamp onto and rotate
- the elevated first and second stacks of cartons and pallets
- by at least about 180 degrees in a first direction,
- (e) during at least part of step “d”
- the rotating lift truck moving the elevated stacks of cartons
- towards the vessel lifting platform;
- and
- (f) using the rotating lift truck to load the stacks of cartons
- on the vessel lifting platform.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.