US4642014A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Framing system
Assignee: Lannen Tehtaat Oy
•
Filing: 1985-03-26
•
Granted: 1987-02-10
•
Expires: 2005-03-26
Abstract
Abstract Framing system in which plant pot sets (12) are shifted onto a pallet (5) provided with a bottom with holes by means of a roll conveyor (4) extending through the holes in the bottom of the pallet, and in which the pallets filled in this way are stacked.
Inventors
- 👤 Kari Saarinen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 19:52
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01G; A01G9/00; A01G9/08; A01G9/088; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S414/00; Y10S414/10; Y10S414/106
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
145 words
A method of filling pallets with plant pot cassettes comprising the steps of: conveying a predetermined number of plant pot cassettes horizontally along a roll conveyor to a first location; before said conveying step, feeding pallets individually into position at said first location such that upper portions of rolls of said roll conveyor protrude through holes in said bottom portion of the pallet; loading the conveyed cassettes onto the positioned pallet by lowering the roll conveyor relative to the positioned pallet; stacking the loaded pallet by shifting said loaded pallet into a stack such that it becomes a lowermost member of the stack; and during said stacking step, providing spaces between bottom portions of the stacked pallets with spacer members provided along edges of each pallet, whereby plants in the cassettes of the stacked pallets may grow within the space provided between said stacked pallets.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
145 words
A method of filling pallets with plant pot cassettes comprising the steps of: conveying a predetermined number of plant pot cassettes horizontally along a roll conveyor to a first location; before said conveying step, feeding pallets individually into position at said first location such that upper portions of rolls of said roll conveyor protrude through holes in said bottom portion of the pallet; loading the conveyed cassettes onto the positioned pallet by lowering the roll conveyor relative to the positioned pallet; stacking the loaded pallet by shifting said loaded pallet into a stack such that it becomes a lowermost member of the stack; and during said stacking step, providing spaces between bottom portions of the stacked pallets with spacer members provided along edges of each pallet, whereby plants in the cassettes of the stacked pallets may grow within the space provided between said stacked pallets.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stacking step includes lifting the loaded pallet upwardly.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lifting of the loaded pallet raises pallets already in the stack.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pallets are raised by their opposite ends by shelf conveyors.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said positioning step includes lowering the pallets to be filled onto the roll conveyor from above and the stacking step includes moving the pallet horizontally from said first location.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said positioning step includes lowering the pallets to be filled onto the roll conveyor from above and the stacking step includes moving the pallet horizontally from said first location.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said positioning step includes lowering the pallets to be filled onto the roll conveyor from above and the stacking step includes moving the pallet horizontally from said first location.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said positioning step includes lowering the pallets to be filled onto the roll conveyor from above and the stacking step includes moving the pallet horizontally from said first location.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
165 words
An apparatus for loading pallets with plant pot cassettes, comprising: roll conveyor means for conveying a predetermined number of cassettes to a first location along a horizontal path; feed conveyor means for feeding cassettes onto said roll conveyor means; a plurality of pallets having bottom portions and spacer members so as to be stackable with space provided between bottom portions of the stacked pallets, said bottom portions provided with holes and adapted to receive said plurality of cassettes, whereby plants may grow within the space provided between stacked pallets; means for feeding pallets individually into a position at said first location such that upper portions of rolls of said roll conveyor means protrude through said holes; means for loading cassettes from said roll conveyor to pallets positioned at said location by lowering said roll conveyor means relative to said pallet positioning means; and means for shifting loaded pallets from said first location into a stack such that the shifted pallet becomes lowermost in the stack.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
165 words
An apparatus for loading pallets with plant pot cassettes, comprising: roll conveyor means for conveying a predetermined number of cassettes to a first location along a horizontal path; feed conveyor means for feeding cassettes onto said roll conveyor means; a plurality of pallets having bottom portions and spacer members so as to be stackable with space provided between bottom portions of the stacked pallets, said bottom portions provided with holes and adapted to receive said plurality of cassettes, whereby plants may grow within the space provided between stacked pallets; means for feeding pallets individually into a position at said first location such that upper portions of rolls of said roll conveyor means protrude through said holes; means for loading cassettes from said roll conveyor to pallets positioned at said location by lowering said roll conveyor means relative to said pallet positioning means; and means for shifting loaded pallets from said first location into a stack such that the shifted pallet becomes lowermost in the stack.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
31 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the feeding means includes means for supporting pallets in position above the rolls conveyor and means for lowering pallets individually into said position.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
The use of the equipment as claimed in claim 10 for the discharging of stacked pallets filled with pot cassettes.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein the shifting means includes means for raising a filled pallet upwardly and means for supporting the raised pallets in their raised positions.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said supporting means includes openable catches which engage opposite ends of the pallet.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
20 words
The use of the equipment as claimed in claim 13 for the discharging of stacked pallets filled with pot cassettes.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
20 words
The use of the equipment as claimed in claim 12 for the discharging of stacked pallets filled with pot cassettes.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
80 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said feed conveyor means includes a first conveyor at a generally right angle to said roll conveyor means and a transfer table for positioning cassettes fed by said first conveyor at a second location along said horizontal path, said conveying means including means for raising and lowering said conveying means from upper and lower positions, said conveying means receiving cassettes positioned on said transfer table when being raised to said upper position.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
55 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein said pallet is a wire basket and said holes are spaces formed between wire members of said basket, said spacer members being positioned at locations along edges of said baskets, spacer members of one basket in a stack engaging spacer members of adjacent baskets in the stack.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
43 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein said shifting means includes a horizontal conveyor which is positioned at said first location so as to receive spacer members of said individually fed pallets so as to support the fed pallet at said position.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1990-02-09 | 1990-08-11 | 1991-02-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-02-09 | 1994-08-11 | 1995-02-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-02-09 | 1998-08-11 | 1999-02-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |