Metal working – Means to assemble or disassemble – Means to interrelatedly feed plural work parts from plural...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-19
2001-01-23
Hughes, S. Thomas (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Means to assemble or disassemble
Means to interrelatedly feed plural work parts from plural...
C029S429000, C029S783000, C029S787000, C029S798000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176009
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of framed structure assembly. More specifically, the invention relates to a device and method for assembling wooden pallets including a jig, or carrier, that facilitates the assembly.
2. Related Art
Wooden pallets are widely used for transporting and storing goods. A pallet is constructed by nailing a series of slats to transversely positioned stringers. Typically pallets have slats nailed to the top and bottom of the stringers although they may have slats nailed only to the top. Pallets may come in different sizes; the number of stingers and slats used and the size of the material used to make the pallets may vary, providing variety in the possible sizes for pallets.
Fabrication, or assembly, of pallets is sometimes done by hand. However, automatic, or semi-automatic, fabrication is more economical for large-scale pallet construction. A number of pallet assembly systems have been used. Many of the systems require manual positioning of the individual pallet components and many are capable of assembling
ailing only one side of pallet. Therefore, the pallet must be flipped during assembly to complete both sides of a double-sided pallet.
Another device that does provide for nailing of the top and bottom of a double-sided pallet and is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,388 uses a single slat hopper which requires that the pallet be moved back and forth beneath the single hopper to assemble a single pallet. Accordingly, the device may assemble only a single pallet at any one time, making the device relatively slow, and uses a relatively complicated jig, or carrier, that has trip-dogs that pull slats from the hopper as the jig moves past the hopper.
Thus, despite the use of the prior art features, there remains a need for a pallet assembly device and method that is relatively simple and that provides for relatively fast, high volume pallet assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve such improvements, the present invention provides an automatic pallet making apparatus for assembling pallets from slats and stringers. The apparatus provides a conveyor having at least one carrier attached thereto. The conveyor is adapted to move the carriers downstream along an assembly path defined by the conveyor. Positioned along the assembly path sequentially in the downstream direction are: (1) a first slat hopper, (2) at least two stringer hoppers, (3) a second slat hopper, and (4) at least one nailer. As the conveyor moves the carrier downstream along the assembly path, the carrier pulls a bottom layer of slats from the first slat hopper, then a set of stringers onto the bottom slats, and then a top layer of slats onto the stringers. The nailer then nails the slats to the stringers. To accomplish the withdrawal of the slats and stringers from the respective hoppers, the carrier provides a set of detents that are selectively moved into and out of position. In general, the respective detents are moved into position just before the respective hopper from which the detents are designed to draw material. However, when in position, the detents are necessarily positioned in the pallet abutting the components they pulled from the hoppers. Thus, after the pallet is nailed together, the detents are moved out of position to a resting position in which they are removed from the assembled pallet so that the assembled pallet may be removed from the carrier.
One aspect of the present invention provides an automatic pallet making apparatus for assembling pallets from slats and stringers. The apparatus provides a conveyor and at least one carrier attached to the conveyor. The conveyor is adapted to move the carrier along an assembly path in a downstream direction. A first slat hopper, positioned in the assembly path, is adapted to hold a plurality of slats. The carrier pulls a predetermined number of slats sequentially from the first slat hopper, one at a time, as the carrier moves downstream along the assembly path past the first slat hopper. As the carrier pulls the slats from the hopper it aligns the slats substantially in a single plane to form a bottom of the pallet. At least two stringer hoppers are positioned in the assembly path downstream from the first slat hopper. The stringer hoppers are each adapted to hold a plurality of stringers and are oriented substantially parallel to one another with the stringers aligned transversely to the slats in the first slat hopper and transversely to the slats forming the bottom of the pallet. The carrier pulls one of the stringers from each of the at least two stringer hoppers onto the bottom of the pallet as the carrier moves downstream along the assembly path past the stringer hopper with the stringers pulled from the stringer hoppers oriented transversely, and preferably perpendicular, to the slats of the bottom in spaced, substantially parallel relation to one another. A second slat hopper is positioned in the assembly path downstream from stringer hoppers and is adapted to hold a plurality of slats therein. As the carrier moves downstream along the assembly path and passes the second slat hopper, it pulls a predetermined number of slats sequentially from the second slat hopper, one at a time, onto the previously pulled stringers. The second slat hopper is oriented substantially parallel to the first slat hopper with the slats held in the first and second slat hoppers substantially parallel to one another and transversely oriented (and preferably perpendicular) to the stringers in the stringer hopper. The carrier aligns the slats pulled from the second slat hopper onto the stringers substantially in a single plane to form a top of the pallet with the slats forming the top oriented transversely, and preferably perpendicular, to the stringers and substantially parallel to the slats forming the bottom of the pallet. At least one nailer is positioned in the assembly path downstream from the second slat hopper and is adapted and positioned to nail the slats forming the top and bottom of the pallet to the stringers of the pallet.
In one preferred embodiment, the conveyor provides a conveyor frame, an endless conveyor belt movably attached to the conveyor frame, and a drive motor attached to and adapted to move the endless conveyor belt. The conveyor belt may alternatively comprise a chain, a belt, or any other form commonly used for conveyors.
One preferred embodiment for the carrier provides a base having a substantially flat upper surface, a front, a back, and opposing sides. A plurality of bottom slat detents are attached to the base and are spaced between the front and the back of the base. The plurality of bottom slat detents are selectively movable between a resting position, in which the plurality of bottom slat detents do not extend above the upper surface of the base, and an actuated position, in which the plurality of bottom slat detents do extend above the upper surface of the base. At least one stringer detent is also attached to the base at a position proximal the back of the base. The at least one stringer detent is likewise selectively movable between a resting position, in which the at least one stringer detent does not extend above the upper surface of the base in the vertical direction a distance that is at least slightly greater than the thickness of the slats, and an actuated position, in which the at least one stringer detent does extend above the upper surface of the base in the vertical direction a distance that is at least slightly greater than the thickness of the slats. Additionally, a plurality of top slat detents are attached to the base and are spaced between the front and the back of the base. The plurality of top slat detents are similarly selectively movable between a resting position, in which the plurality of top slat detents do not extend over the upper surface of the base, and an actuated position, in which the plurality of top slat detents do extend over the upper surface of the base in the vertical direction a distance that is at least sligh
Compton Eric
Hughes S. Thomas
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