Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or... – With selection responsive to means containing or introducing...
Patent
1994-06-13
1996-11-12
Bidwell, James R.
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or...
With selection responsive to means containing or introducing...
198358, 1984654, B65G 3700
Patent
active
055731015
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention refers to a method and the equipment for the sorting of goods hanging on hooks or hangers or similar article carrying devices, in particular garments hanging on coat hangers.
In the garment industry, garments of different type, shape, size, colour or similar, for instance those belonging to an order, are usually collected. This occurs for instance immediately after the garments are sewn and ironed, or for example they are picked up at a collection warehouse in which garments of the same type are grouped and stored in an orderly fashion. For instance, a client orders 10 blue jackets, 10 black jackets, 3 grey slacks, 4 slacks with a different cut in one order. In order to manage this sorting and distribution work, sorting devices, so called sorters, are known which are equipped with electronic detecting equipment and electronically controlled switching systems.
These sorting devices are able to register the garments hanging one behind the other on coat hangers during transportation and can transport the coat hangers on guide rail systems equipped with electronically controlled delivery installations located on specific points along the conveying route. Thanks to a pre-programmed connection based on the registration, a specific lock is opened when a specific electronically detected garment is in the lock area. The coat hanger with the specific garment leaves the row of coat hangers through the lock, and for instance, gets to a collecting guide rail on which a collection order is being gathered in order to be transported.
Laundries and dry cleaners for instance carry out a similar type of work.
In most cases the coat hangers with the garments are carried in one sorter to a registration station by means of a screw conveyor, where they are detected electronically. From the registration station they are transferred to a guide rail system in which the lock installations are located, by means of a transfer system.
Inserted after the lock installation area are take-over systems and collecting guide rails serving, for instance, as intermediate storage devices. On the guide rail system the hooks of the coat hangers are moved for instance with engaging fingers attached to chain belts, i.e. they glide or slide along the guide rails. A sorter of this type, for instance, is described in the patent EP-A2 0 064 100. The disadvantage of these known sorters is that they have a complicated construction, but above all that they operate too slowly with regards to the transportation on the guide rail system as well as with regards to the lock system. Another disadvantage is that the means for registration and identification are placed on the garments. The same are particularly difficult to recognize and detect when the garments move unchecked during transportation, are not hanging straight or swing. This causes incorrect sorting which requires a considerable effort to avoid or remedy. For this reason, the registration is often still carried out manually, i.e. by operating personnel.
The purpose of the invention is to create a method and an equipment which allows the fully automatic, expedient, very fast and safe sorting using simple means.
An important basic principle of the invention is based on assigning each article to be sorted and transported an intermediate hanger which can be easily equipped with a guide coding for the article or article group which is readily detected and which is automatically incorporated directly next to the inlet side of the sorter, between the hook of a coat hanger and the guide rail of the rail systems, and which can be automatically removed from the hook after leaving the sorter. The intermediate hanger is provided with a roll which rolls on the guide rails of the rail system and has a hook catcher which can be closed, and which for instance receives the hook of the coat hanger, storing it during transportation and which can be automatically opened in order to receive or deliver a coat hanger. Between the hook catcher and the roll is the actual hanger body which has means for the reco
REFERENCES:
patent: 4736687 (1988-04-01), Grube et al.
patent: 4907699 (1990-03-01), Butcher et al.
patent: 4909373 (1990-03-01), Geerts
patent: 5072822 (1991-12-01), Smith
patent: 5125498 (1992-06-01), Meyn
patent: 5141094 (1992-08-01), Speckhart et al.
Bidwell James R.
Gaertner Franz
LandOfFree
Method and equipment for sorting goods hanging on hangers does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and equipment for sorting goods hanging on hangers, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and equipment for sorting goods hanging on hangers will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-556541