US4979870A — Automatic tray loading, unloading and storage sys…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 349 words

An automatic loading and unloading system for loading articles, supplied from a first location into trays and for unloading said articles from said trays for transport to a second location said articles from said trays for transport to a second location and for balancing a supply of articles loaded onto said trays with variations in both the rate of supply thereof and the rate of demand therefor, said system comprising: a tray loading station, tray loading means for loading said articles supplied from said first location into trays at said tray loading station; infeed means for feeding said articles to said loading means in a predetermined, orderly fashion; a stacking station; stacking means for stacking article-filled trays to form a supply thereof at said stacking station for use on demand; outfeed means for delivering said articles on demand to said second location in a predetermined, orderly fashion; and unloading station; and unloading means for unloading said articles at said unloading station from said article-filled trays to said outfeed means upon demand, such that article-filled trays may be stacked by said stacking means and then delivered to said unloading station, in accordance with fluctuations in the supply of, and demand for, articles at said first and second locations, respectively; wherein said infeed means and said outfeed means each comprises a plurality of generally parallel elongate lanes for simultaneously accommodating a corresponding plurality of generally parallel groups of linearly aligned articles, wherein each of said trays is configured for accommodating a plurality of said groups of articles generally in parallel alignment; wherein said loading and unloading means each includes a plurality of generally parallel pick-and-place devices; wherein said loading pick-and-place devices correspond in number to the number of groups of articles accommodated by each of said trays; and further including control means for controlling said loading pick-and-place devices individually relative to said infeed lanes for locating and aligning with filled one of said infeed lanes until all of said parallel loading pick-and-place devices are filled, and for thereafter controlling said loading pick-and-place devices for operating in unison for filling a tray.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 349 words

An automatic loading and unloading system for loading articles, supplied from a first location into trays and for unloading said articles from said trays for transport to a second location said articles from said trays for transport to a second location and for balancing a supply of articles loaded onto said trays with variations in both the rate of supply thereof and the rate of demand therefor, said system comprising: a tray loading station, tray loading means for loading said articles supplied from said first location into trays at said tray loading station; infeed means for feeding said articles to said loading means in a predetermined, orderly fashion; a stacking station; stacking means for stacking article-filled trays to form a supply thereof at said stacking station for use on demand; outfeed means for delivering said articles on demand to said second location in a predetermined, orderly fashion; and unloading station; and unloading means for unloading said articles at said unloading station from said article-filled trays to said outfeed means upon demand, such that article-filled trays may be stacked by said stacking means and then delivered to said unloading station, in accordance with fluctuations in the supply of, and demand for, articles at said first and second locations, respectively; wherein said infeed means and said outfeed means each comprises a plurality of generally parallel elongate lanes for simultaneously accommodating a corresponding plurality of generally parallel groups of linearly aligned articles, wherein each of said trays is configured for accommodating a plurality of said groups of articles generally in parallel alignment; wherein said loading and unloading means each includes a plurality of generally parallel pick-and-place devices; wherein said loading pick-and-place devices correspond in number to the number of groups of articles accommodated by each of said trays; and further including control means for controlling said loading pick-and-place devices individually relative to said infeed lanes for locating and aligning with filled one of said infeed lanes until all of said parallel loading pick-and-place devices are filled, and for thereafter controlling said loading pick-and-place devices for operating in unison for filling a tray.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 27 words

A system according to claim 1 and further including an unstacking station and unstacking means for delivering article-filled trays from said unstacking station to said unloading station.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 23 words

A system according to claim 2 and further including conveyor means for conveying articles-filled trays between said stacking station and said unstacking station.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 27 words

A system according to claim 3 wherein said conveyor means is reversible for alternatively delivering empty trays from said unloading station to said loading station for re-use.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 26 words

A system according to claim 4 and further including feeder conveyor means for transporting filled and empty trays respectively from and to said reversible conveyor means.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 35 words

A system according to claim 5 wherein said feeder conveyor means comprise respective feeder conveyors running between said conveyor means, and, respectively, said stacking station, said unstacking station, said loading station, and said unloading station.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 37 words

A system according to claim 1 wherein said infeed means and said outfeed means each comprises at least one elongate lane for receiving and transporting said articles in a generally linear direction and in a linear alignment.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 50 words

A system according to claim 1 wherein said respective pick-and-place devices engage said articles and transport the engaged articles for placement in empty trays and in said outfeed means, respectively, and thereupon disengage said articles and return for further articles to be respectively loaded and unloaded relative to said trays.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 66 words

A system according to claim 2 wherein said stacking means and unstacking means comprise respective palletizing and depalletizing devices located respectively at said stacking and unstacking stations for respectively engaging and transporting filled trays from said loading and unstacking stations respectively to said stacking and unloading stations respectively, and for palletizing filled trays at said stacking station and depalletizing filled trays at said unstacking station, respectively.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 58 words

A system according to claim 7 wherein said infeed means and said outfeed means each comprises means for handling said articles in separate groups, each group containing a predetermined number of linearly aligned articles, and means for individually linearly advancing each of said groups of articles respectively to and away from the loading station and unloading station, respectively.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 77 words

A system according to claim 1 and further including lane sensor means associated with each of said infeed lanes for developing control signals corresponding to which of said infeed lanes are filled for transmission to said control means, said control means being responsive to said control signals for controlling the individual loading pick-and-place devices for locating and retrieving groups of articles from the filled lanes until each of said loading pick-and-place devices contains a group of articles.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 57 words

A system according to claim 1 wherein said control means are further operatively coupled for controlling said unloading pick-and-place devices for operation in unison for unloading all of the groups of articles in unison from a filled tray and thereafter for operating individually for delivering respective groups of articles to respective empty lanes of said outfeed means.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 78 words

A system according to claim 12 and further including lane sensor means associated with said outfeed lanes for developing control signals corresponding to empty ones of said outfeed lanes, said control means being responsive to said control signals for individually controlling said unloading pick-and-place devices to deliver individual groups of said articles to the empty ones of said lanes, until each of said unloading pick-and-lace units has delivered a respective unloading group of articles to said outfeed lanes.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 82 words

A system according to claim 1 wherein said lanes comprise a plurality of end-to-end elongate lanes and comprise separating means for separating linearly aligned articles travelling to said lanes into respectively groups, each group being of a predetermined number of said linearly aligned articles, said end-to-end lanes thereby accommodating a supply of said groups of articles so as to in turn, facilitate the accommodation of variations in the supply of articles and demand for articles at the respective first and second locations.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 316 words

An automatic loading and unloading system for loading articles, supplied from a first location into trays and for unloading said articles from said trays for transport to a second location and for balancing a supply of articles loaded onto said trays with variations in both the rate of supply thereof and the rate of demand therefor, said system comprising: a tray loading station, tray loading means for loading said articles supplied from said first location into trays at said tray loading station; infeed means for feeding said articles to said loading means in a predetermined, orderly fashion; a stacking station; stacking means for stacking article-filled trays to form a supply thereof at said stacking station for use on demand; outfeed means for delivering said articles on demand to said second location in a predetermined, orderly fashion; an unloading station; and unloading means for unloading said articles at said unloading station from said article-filled trays to said outfeed means upon demand, such that article-filled trays may be stacked by said stacking means and then delivered to said unloading station, in accordance with fluctuations in the supply of, and demand for, articles at said first and second locations, respectively; said infeed means and said outfeed means each comprises at least one elongate lane for receiving and transporting said articles in a generally linear direction and in a linear alignment; said infeed and outfeed means being respectively arranged for accommodating said groups of linearly aligned articles in a substantially coaxial arrangement and wherein said loading and unloading means comprise respective pick-and-place devices, each including gripping means for simultaneously gripping lateral edge portions of all of the members of each of said groups of articles and axial pressing means for pressing oppositely axially inwardly upon opposite axial ends of each said group of articles within the gripping means, to thereby securely hold said group of articles within said pick-and-place device.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 316 words

An automatic loading and unloading system for loading articles, supplied from a first location into trays and for unloading said articles from said trays for transport to a second location and for balancing a supply of articles loaded onto said trays with variations in both the rate of supply thereof and the rate of demand therefor, said system comprising: a tray loading station, tray loading means for loading said articles supplied from said first location into trays at said tray loading station; infeed means for feeding said articles to said loading means in a predetermined, orderly fashion; a stacking station; stacking means for stacking article-filled trays to form a supply thereof at said stacking station for use on demand; outfeed means for delivering said articles on demand to said second location in a predetermined, orderly fashion; an unloading station; and unloading means for unloading said articles at said unloading station from said article-filled trays to said outfeed means upon demand, such that article-filled trays may be stacked by said stacking means and then delivered to said unloading station, in accordance with fluctuations in the supply of, and demand for, articles at said first and second locations, respectively; said infeed means and said outfeed means each comprises at least one elongate lane for receiving and transporting said articles in a generally linear direction and in a linear alignment; said infeed and outfeed means being respectively arranged for accommodating said groups of linearly aligned articles in a substantially coaxial arrangement and wherein said loading and unloading means comprise respective pick-and-place devices, each including gripping means for simultaneously gripping lateral edge portions of all of the members of each of said groups of articles and axial pressing means for pressing oppositely axially inwardly upon opposite axial ends of each said group of articles within the gripping means, to thereby securely hold said group of articles within said pick-and-place device.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 56 words

A system according to claim 15 wherein said pick and place devices comprise a plurality of generally identical pick-and-place devices arrayed in parallel arrangement and wherein each of said trays is configured for accommodating, generally in parallel, a plurality of said groups of articles corresponding in number to said plurality of parallel pick and place devices.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 71 words

A system according to claim 16 wherein each of said trays is configured for permitting loading and unloading of articles by said plurality of pick-and-place devices, with clearance space for simultaneous operation of said gripping means of each said pick-and-place device, and end opening means for permitting said pressing means to contact the axial ends of each said group of articles during both placement and removal thereof relative to said tray.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 85 words

A system according to claim 16 wherein said infeed and outfeed means each comprises a plurality of parallel lanes for receiving and transporting said articles, and wherein each of said pick-and-place devices is movable relative to the respective infeed and outfeed lanes for individually retrieving a group of articles from and delivering a group of articles to, respectively, any one of said plurality of said infeed and outfeed lanes, respectively, in accordance with which ones thereof are filled and empty, respectively, at any given time.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 55 words

A system according to claim 1 wherein said loading and said unloading pick-and-place devices are individually operable so that any one of said loading pick-and-place devices can remove articles from any one of said infeed lanes and any one of said unloading pick-and-place devices can place articles into any one of said outfeed lanes, respectively.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1993-12-24	1994-06-25	1994-12-25	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1997-12-24	1998-06-25	1998-12-25	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2001-12-24	2002-06-25	2002-12-25	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Automatic tray loading, unloading and storage system

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