Horizontally supported planar surfaces – Industrial platform – With load-confining means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-26
2004-06-01
Chen, Jose V. (Department: 3637)
Horizontally supported planar surfaces
Industrial platform
With load-confining means
C053S447000, C053S441000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06742459
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to pallets used to support and transport a load of packages, and, in particular, to systems and methods for producing a disposable and/or recyclable pallet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Pallets are typically used to support a load of packages, allowing the load to be lifted and transported by a lift truck such as a forklift. Several layers of packages may be loaded onto a pallet, and the load may then be secured around its circumference using, for example, flexible wrap or shrink wrap in order to stabilize the load on the pallet.
Some pallets have a platform upon which the packages are loaded and a base having channels adapted to receive the “forks” of a forklift. These pallets, hereinafter referred to as “platform-type pallets”, are typically constructed from wood or plastic, and may be re-used multiple times. Disadvantages to using platform-type pallets involve the cost of producing the pallet, space required for and cost of storing the pallets, cost of shipping the pallet and its load to their destination, and cost and inconvenience of shipping the pallet back from its destination so it may be reused. The shipping costs are even more significant for relatively heavier pallets (e.g., wood pallets). Due to weight restrictions, the amount of product that can be shipped with the relatively heavier pallets is reduced. Furthermore, while these pallets are generally reusable, they are subject to breakage (especially wood pallets).
A relatively thin and lightweight alternative to a platform-type pallet is known as a “slip sheet” or “slip pallet”. Referring to
FIG. 1
, a conventional slip pallet
10
may be, for example, a thin sheet of lightweight material such as plastic having one or more extending edges
12
. The slip pallet
10
is loaded with packages
20
and the packages are usually wrapped around the circumference of the load (i.e., around a vertical axis) in order to stabilize the load
22
. A specially adapted lift truck
24
grasps an edge, e.g.
12
, of the slip pallet
10
, pulls the slip pallet
10
onto a platform
26
, and then lifts and transports the load
22
as desired. As the load
22
is lifted and transferred onto the platform
26
, the weight of the load
22
shifts from the leading end
14
to the opposite (trailing) end
16
(as indicated by “L1” and “L2”), possibly damaging packages (e.g.,
20
a
,
20
b
) located on the lowermost layers
18
on these ends
14
,
16
. The greater the lift angle “A”, the greater the weight “L2” exerted on the packages (e.g.,
20
b
) located on the trailing end
16
, especially those on the lowermost layers
18
.
Using either a platform-type pallet or a slip pallet, additional damage may occur to the lowermost layers of packages during shipping due to vibration and jostling of the load.
High-speed packaging operations often use an automated system for “palletizing” a load of packages which is typically referred to as a “palletizer”. The term “palletizing” as used throughout this application refers to arranging a plurality of packages (which includes any type of container, product, etc.) into a desired pattern (typically, but not necessarily having a square or rectangular “footprint”) to form a “palletized tier”. The term “palletized tier” as used throughout this application refers to a single layer of adjacent packages arranged into a desired pattern. The term “load” as used throughout this application refers to a stack of palletized tiers.
Examples of conventional palletizer systems are the 920-series palletizers manufactured by Alvey Systems, Inc., 9301 Olive Boulevard, St. Louis, Mo., 63132 (see “www.alvey.com”); or the 520-series palletizers manufactured by Mectro/Emmeti USA, 101 Sherwood Drive, Boalsburg, Pa. 16827. An example of a conventional palletizer system
300
is schematically shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
.
With reference to
FIGS. 7 and 8
, a conventional palletizer system
300
may include an infeed conveyor
302
and an output conveyor
398
. As used herein, the term “downstream” generally refers to directions of conveyance away from the infeed conveyor
302
and/or toward the output conveyor
398
. The term “upstream” generally refers to directions of conveyance toward the infeed conveyor
302
and/or away from the output conveyor
398
. The terms “upstream” and “downstream” do not necessarily refer to particular physical directions, since a package or load may change directions while traveling “upstream” or “downstream” depending on the physical layout of the system
300
. The term “lateral” (or “laterally”, etc.) refers to directions of conveyance which are generally perpendicular to an “upstream” or “downstream” direction. In
FIGS. 7 and 8
, exemplary downstream directions are shown by arrows with reference numeral “
301
” exemplary upstream directions are shown by arrows with reference numeral “
303
”, and exemplary lateral directions are shown by arrows with reference numeral “
305
”.
As shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
, the infeed conveyor
302
conveys packages
304
in a longitudinal (and possibly somewhat vertically declined), downstream direction
301
to a palletizing station
306
at which packages
304
may be arranged into a palletized tier
370
of adjacent packages
304
. The palletizing station
306
may include a first conveyor portion
308
having a plurality of guide slats
310
mounted on a conveyor
312
such as, for example, a plurality of rollers
314
. Specifically, each of the guide slats
310
may be slidably mounted between a pair of rollers
314
. A guide slat control mechanism (not shown, but known in the art) may be adapted to slide the guide slats
310
laterally
305
in order to guide each of the packages
304
laterally
305
(
FIG. 7
) and downstream
301
to a desired location on the second conveyor portion
320
.
The second conveyor portion
320
may comprise a re-orientation mechanism
322
which is adapted to re-orient certain packages (e.g.
304
a
,
FIG. 7
) generally perpendicularly to a package's infeed orientation in order to create a desired palletized tier pattern. The re-orientation mechanism
322
may comprise, for example, several package turning devices
324
,
325
which are adapted to contact particular packages (e.g.,
304
a
) while being conveyed downstream in order to turn the packages 90 degrees from their infeed orientation (see packages
304
on infeed conveyor
302
, FIG.
7
). A palletizer system
300
may be adapted to create a number of different palletized tier patterns with packages
304
, as is well-known in the art. The pattern shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
(see the palletized tier
370
) is merely exemplary of a desired pattern. The packages
304
may be conveyed downstream past the re-orientation mechanism
322
by any conventional conveyor
326
such as rollers
314
, belts, chains, pusher bar assembly (described below) or the like and arranged into a loosely-formed tier
328
at the second conveyor portion
320
. A stopping device
330
such as a retractable elongate plate or the like may be provided which is adapted to periodically halt the downstream flow of packages
304
in order to divide the packages into tier-sized groups and to longitudinally tighten up the loosely-formed tier
328
.
The tier
328
may then be conveyed downstream by any conventional conveyor
331
such as rollers
314
to a third conveyor portion
332
. As shown in
FIG. 7
, the palletizing station
306
may include lateral guides
334
,
336
which are adapted to gradually laterally
305
guide the packages
304
into a more tightly-formed tier
340
at the third conveyor portion
332
. The lateral guides
334
,
336
may be comprised of a plurality of rollers
338
or the like as shown in
FIG. 7
in order to minimize friction between the guides
334
,
336
and the packages
304
as the packages are being conveyed downstream. A pusher bar assembly
342
or other type of conveyor (e.g., belt or rollers) may be provided at the third conveyor portion
332
in order to convey the tier
340
(
FIG. 7
) downstream f
Chen José V.
Coors Global Properties, Inc.
Kaufman Nellie C.
Klaas, Law, O'Meara and Malkin, P.C.
O'Meara William P.
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