System for transporting piece goods

Details System for transporting piece goods System for transporting piece goods

1999-02-09

2001-06-12

Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)

Conveyors: power-driven

Conveyor system having a gravity conveyor section

Power-driven conveyor section feeding to gravity section...

Reexamination Certificate

active

06244424

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a system for transporting piece goods, said system including at least one output track by which piece goods are conveyed from an entrance to an exit, said entrance being at a higher level than said exit.
More particularly, the invention related to a system for transporting parcels in a parcel distribution center where the weight of the parcels and the adhesive properties of their surfaces may vary in a wide range and where the parcels are not only transported, but also slowed down and stacked.
Conventional systems of the above-mentioned kind include output tracks which are mostly composed of metal or wooden chutes comprising sections having different slopes. These output tracks are disadvantageous in that some parcels slide down slide too fast and others too slow or not at all, the sliding speed of a parcel depending upon its weight and the adhesive properties of its outer surface. The undesirable consequences of quite different sliding speeds of the parcels are parcel collisions and the resulting damages, on one hand, and a poor utilization of the transport capacity of the chutes, on the other hand. In the latter case, some sections of the chutes are almost empty, and others are congested. Parcels which do not slide remain in the upper section of an output track and must be retrieved by the personnel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As an aim of the invention is therefore to provide a system of the above-mentioned kind which makes it possible to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks and which thereby prevents excessive pressure on the goods that can be caused by congestion of piece goods at the lower end of an output track.
According to the invention, this aim is attained by a system for transporting piece goods wherein said output track includes at least two sections in the longitudinal direction, said sections having different adhesive properties and having upper surfaces which form different angles with a horizontal plane.
The particular advantages of a system according to the invention are that it provides:
a soft deceleration of piece goods having different weights and sliding properties as they enter into the output track, and
transport of piece goods in the output track at a uniform speed.
The piece goods are thus softly decelerated along the output track, and pressure which may be exerted on the goods by congestion thereof at the lower end of the output track is reduced. Therefore, a system according to the invention prevents the above-mentioned parcel collisions and makes possible a better utilization of the transport capacity of the system. These advantageous effects are also obtained when the system for transporting goods according to the invention is used for transporting piece goods whose weight and sliding properties are homogenous.
Preferred embodiments of a system according to the invention are defined by the dependent claims.


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patent: 3957630 (1976-05-01), Mooradian
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patent: 5226547 (1993-07-01), Malatesta
patent: 5655667 (1997-08-01), Isaacs
patent: 703265 (1941-03-01), None
patent: 4309038 (1994-03-01), None

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