Material or article handling – Plural – static structures for supporting discrete loads and... – Load-underlying members
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-12
2001-08-28
Keenan, James W. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Plural, static structures for supporting discrete loads and...
Load-underlying members
C414S277000, C414S282000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280135
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS
1. Field of the Inventions
The present inventions relate to the field of material or article handling systems. More particularly, the present inventions relate to a system and a method for an automated storage and retrieval of rotary dies.
2. Background Art
FIG. 1
is an illustration of a rotary die storage rack
11
for a manual storage and retrieval of a plurality of rotary dies
10
. Each rotary die
10
includes an elongated semi-circular body
10
a
, and a plurality of cutting blades (not shown) mounted to and upwardly extended from a convex surface of body
10
a
. Rotary die storage rack
11
includes a frame
12
, and a plurality of rotary die shelves
13
disposed within and mounted to frame
12
. Rotary die shelves
13
form a grid consisting of five (5) horizontal rows and five (5) vertical columns of rotary die shelves
13
. Each rotary die shelf
13
is defined by a left angle iron
13
a
and a right angle iron
13
b
. The bodies
10
a
of each stored rotary die
10
have a left longitudinal edge placed upon left angle iron
13
a
, and a right longitudinal edge placed upon right angle iron
13
b
. Alternatively, each rotary die shelf
13
can include a board
13
c
placed upon left angle iron
13
a
and right angle iron
13
b
, and the left longitudinal edge and the right longitudinal edge of a body
10
a
of a rotary die
10
can be placed upon board
13
c
. Utilization of board
13
c
enables two or more rotary dies
10
having dissimilar radiuses to be placed upon board
13
c.
Prior to the advent of rotary die storage rack
11
, the typical storing procedures for rotary dies
10
were to either stand rotary dies
10
on the floor or hang rotary dies
10
from hooks There are several advantages of rotary die storage rack
11
over these aforementioned storing procedures. First, a risk of structural damage to a stored rotary die
10
is reduced when the stored rotary die
10
is being supported by a rotary die shelf
13
. Second, a risk of a personal injury to personnel during a storage of rotary dies
10
, particularly a risk of being cut by a cutting blade of a stored rotary die
10
, is also reduced when rotary dies
10
are being supported by rotary die shelves
13
. Finally, rotary die storage rack
11
is a more efficient use of floor space.
A major disadvantage of rotary die storage rack
11
is a number of horizontal rows of rotary die shelves
13
is dictated by a maximum height of a horizontal row of rotary die shelves
13
in which a person can easily and safely manually store and retrieve a rotary die
10
. As such, in situations requiring additional rotary die shelves
13
for a storage of extra rotary dies
10
, rotary die storage rack
11
can only be laterally expanded to include additional vertical columns of rotary die shelves
13
, or an additional rotary die storage rack
11
would have to be made or purchased. However, the appropriation of additional floor space for the additional vertical columns of rotary die shelves
13
or for an additional rotary die storage rack
11
may not be feasible or desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present inventions are an automated rotary die storage and retrieval unit, a rotary die storage rack, a rotary die storage cart, an automated rotary die storage and retrieval system, and an automated rotary die storage and retrieval method. The present inventions overcome the aforementioned drawback associated with rotary die storage rack
11
(FIG.
1
). Various aspects of the present inventions are novel, non-obvious, and provide various advantages. While the actual nature of the present inventions described in detail herein can only be determined with reference to the claims appended hereto, certain features which are characteristic of the present inventions disclosed herein can be described briefly.
As shown in the following description of the preferred embodiments, a rotary die storage and retrieval unit comprises a frame movably mountable to a rotary die storage rack, and a shuttle capable of supporting a rotary die. The rotary die storage rack comprises a plurality of rotary die shelves disposed within the rotary die storage rack and accessible through a side opening of the rotary die storage rack. The shelves are either adjoined to a frame of the rotary die storage rack, or adjoined to a pair of frames of a rotary die storage cart disposed within any embodiment of the rotary die storage rack capable of housing the rotary die storage cart. When the frame of the rotary die storage and retrieval unit is movably mounted to the rotary die storage rack, the frame is adjacent the side opening of the rotary die storage rack. The rotary die storage and retrieval unit further comprises a frame driver that is operable to align the frame with a vertical column containing a desired rotary die shelf upon which to store or retrieve a rotary die. The rotary die storage and retrieval unit further comprises a carriage movably adjoined to the frame, and a carriage driver that is operable to align the carriage with a horizontal row containing the desired rotary die shelf. The shuttle is movably adjoined to the carriage, and upon an alignment of the frame and the carriage with the rotary die shelf, the shuttle is extendable into and retractable out of the side opening of the rotary die storage rack. The rotary die storage and retrieval unit further comprises a shuttle driver to extend the shuttle or a portion thereof into the side opening of the rotary die storage rack, and to retract the extended shuttle or the extended portion thereof from within the side opening of the rotary die storage rack. As a result, when the shuttle or a portion thereof is extended into the side opening of the rotary die storage rack, a rotary die to be stored can be displaced from the shuttle and disposed upon the rotary die shelf, and a rotary die to be retrieved can be displaced from the rotary die shelf and disposed upon the shuttle.
It is a primary objective of the present inventions to reduce the risks associated with a manual storage and retrieval of rotary dies.
It is another primary objective of the present inventions to more efficiently utilize available floor space for the storage of a plurality of rotary dies.
These and other objectives and advantages of the present inventions will become more apparent from a review of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present inventions.
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Greene Line Manufacturing Company
Keenan James W.
Woodard Emhardt Naughton Moriarty & McNett
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