Conveyors – chutes – skids – guides – and ways – Rollerways – Submerging and rising
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-16
2001-10-16
Bidwell, James R. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors, chutes, skids, guides, and ways
Rollerways
Submerging and rising
C193S037000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302255
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a roller track for the transport or storage of goods supported thereon and, more particularly, to a roller track having a plurality of serially arranged rollers whose axial ends are rotatably mounted to a pair of profiles extending in side-by-side spaced relation to one another, whereby the profiles are provided with a structure for securing the axles of the rollers which is in the form of cutouts or holes.
Roller tracks are used in the field of transport and in the field of storage. In their implementation in the field of storage, roller tracks are often slightly inclined such that the goods supported thereon tend to roll toward the lower end of the roller track in a self-driven manner due to the influence of gravity. Such roller tracks are used, for example, in the context of consignment warehousing.
One known type of roller track is configured with a plurality of smaller, neighboring as well as serially arranged, freely rollable rollers. It is also known to use cylindrically shaped rollers which extend entirely across the width of the respective roller track and define at the same time the support surface for the goods to be supported. The disposition of the rollers is accomplished by axles extending from both axial ends of the rollers which are mounted in metal profiles which extend pairwise in side-by-side spaced arrangement to one another. The metal profiles can, additionally, be extended to engage the sides of the goods to thereby act as side guides to the goods. To this end, the vertical flanges of the metal profile are lengthened so that they form an edge which is above the plane of the roller track.
For an economical installation of such roller tracks, a significant impact can be had by the installation of the rollers in fixedly supported portions of the roller track, that is, the installation of the rollers in metal profiles arranged in side-by-side spaced disposition to one another. Roller tracks of this type include rollers having inner springs which resiliently bias the axles in a direction axially outwardly of the roller. In the installation of the metal profiles, whose vertical flanges are provided with corresponding holes, each roller is initially disposed so that one of its axles is received in a respective hole of the profile, the roller is then pushed toward the respective profile which has just received the respective axle, and the axle at the other axial end of the roller is then brought into alignment with a respective hole on the other profile, whereupon the inner spring at the other axial end of the roller biases that axle into its seated disposition in the hole in the other profile. The removal or dismounting of the roller follows in a similar manner.
Rollers of the type just described are relatively expensive due to the provision of the additional springs as well as the relatively high assembly effort required to dispose the axially movable axles in the rollers. Additionally, the installation of such rollers and, especially, the automatic installation of such rollers, is difficult to configure, as the placement of the rollers between the profiles requires the simultaneous execution of various movements; specifically, the insertion of the axially movable axle into the roller on the one hand and the lowering or maneuvering of the other axial end of the roller into position on the other hand.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a roller track for the transport or storage of goods supported thereon which promotes ease of installation with the provision of rollers producible in an economical manner.
The roller track of the present invention is thus a roller track for support thereon of goods which includes a pair of profile members, each profile member having a length extent and having a plurality of holes spaced from one another along its length extent and a plurality of rollers. The rollers are mountable in rotatable dispositions in which the rollers extend transversely between and are supported by the pair of profile members, each roller having at least one borehole which is at a respective axial end of the roller and extends in the direction of the roller axis. The roller track also includes a plurality of retaining elements for retaining the rollers in their rotatable dispositions on the pair of profile members. Each retaining element is releasably mountable on one of the profile members and includes at least one axle oriented to extend perpendicularly to the length extent of the profile member upon mounting of the retaining element on the profile member. The free end of each axle is receivable in a respective borehole of a roller, and each retaining element includes a projection resiliently biased into engagement with a hole in the profile member upon mounting of the retaining element on the profile member.
The axles of the rollers of the roller track of the present invention are substantially fixed or rigid which leads to a reduced manufacturing cost. However, the substantially fixed or rigid axles, in contrast to those axles of the prior art, are not resiliently displaceable against the biasing force of a spring. Instead, the mounting of the axles on the roller track is accomplished in accordance with the present invention by means of retaining elements which extend transversely to the length of the rollers and which are releasably mountable on the profile of the roller track. Projections of the retaining elements are resiliently biased into seating engagement with holes in the profiles in order to avoid unintended release of the retaining elements from the profiles. The installation of the rollers in the roller track is accomplished by initially securing the retaining elements to the rollers and thereafter positioning both the retaining elements and the rollers in a simple movement from above into the pair of profiles arranged in side-by-side spaced disposition to one another, whereupon the resiliently biased projections of the retaining elements automatically seat into holes in the profile to secure the retaining elements and the rollers to the profiles. The installation can be effected with the aid of robot installers. In accordance with the present invention, each retaining element can be formed with a single axle or a plurality of axles so that, in the latter configuration, the rollers with the associated retaining elements can be installed in a groupwise manner.
According to one preferred embodiment of the roller track of the present invention, the retaining element is configured as a clip having spaced apart flanges which are resiliently biased toward one another, whereby, in the mounted condition of the clip on a profile, one of the clip flanges is disposed on the inside of the profile and the other flange is disposed on the outside of the profile, with the inside disposed flange having an axle while the outside flange is supported against the outside of the profile. In order to simplify the installation, it is advantageous to configure the projection to project from the inner side of the clip flange which is supported against the outside of the profile.
In the context of the erection and set-up of the roller track, the mounting of the retaining elements on the profile can be further simplified if the projection of the retaining element has, on its upper edge, a shoulder for releasably securedly engaging a cutout in the profile and if the projection has, on its lower edge, a lead-in incline. During force fit movement of the retaining element onto the profile, the projection is resiliently deflected and, upon alignment thereof with a hole in the profile, the projection moves automatically into the hole of the profile.
The securement of the projection of the clip in the hole of the profile must be released to effect the dismounting of the roller from the roller track. To this end, it is advantageous if the second flange of the clip is provided with a grip extending to a distance from the profile. The grip permits the gripping of the second flange of the clip on
Becker R. W.
Bidwell James R.
Dynamic Systems Engineering B. V.
R. W. Becker & Associates
LandOfFree
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