US2921702A - Carton loading and unloading device - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 19, 1960 E. J. GROSS CARTON LOADING AND UNLOADING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 16, 1956 FIGI FIG. 2

INVENTOR. ELMER J. GROSS Jan.1 9, 1960 CARTON LOADING AND UNLOADING DEVICE k I l I... I

INVENTOR: v ELMER J. GROSS I7 I BY .ATT'YS United States Patento 1,921,702 CARTON LOADING AND UNLoAmNG DEVICE Elmer J. Gross, Chicago, Ill, assignor to O S Products, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Ilhnors Application November 16, 1956, Serial No. 622,676

3 Claims. (Cl; 2 14310) This invention relates to carton-loading and unloading devices.

There are many types of carton which are packed w1th several layers of relatively small articles generally sepa- 'rated by horizontal removable divider elements and often retained out of direct contact by compartmental partitions. For example, eggs are packed in partitions between successive horizontal dividers.

Where such cartons have considerable depth, the loading and unloading of these successive layers of articles presents quite a labor problem incident to placing and/ or removing the lowermost layers of articles. On such occasions one has to reach down into the carton, often with both hands, to carefully place and/or to remove those lowermost layers of articles.

The main objects of this invention, therefore, are to provide an improved form of device adapted for association with a carton so as to makev possible the placing and removing of each successive layer of articles at the open top of the carton; to provide an improved load-adjusting device of this kind upon which the carton may be positioned and a reciprocable member manually controlled to permit a'step-by-step lowering and/or raising thereof to dispose the support for each successive layer of articles adjacent the open top of the carton; to provide an improved load-adjusting device of this kind adapted to support thereon within a carton the lowermost removable element and permit its step-by-step lowering and/ or raising with respect to the carton open top; to provide an improved carton-loading device of this kind the opposite step-by-step movement of which may be manually controlled by the carton packer standing alongside the carton; to provide an improved device of this kind which is so simple in construction as to make its manufacture very economical and its operation most effective with practically no incident of failure or repair; and to provide an improved carton-loading and -unloading device of this kind which is especially adaptable for use with egg cartons.

One specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing, in use with an egg-carton, a loading and unloading device constructedin accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical, sectional elevation of the device;

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective of the device;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the motor-driven sprocket and chain means whereby a load-supporting platform is raised and lowered; and

Fig. 5 is a reduced, bottom perspective of a carton showing the only modification thereof required to make it adaptable for use with this improved carton-loading and -unloading device.

The essential concept of this invention involves a motor-driven, vertically reciprocable member having parts thereof extendable through the bottom of a carton to support'a horizontally-disposed and vertically-shiftable portion of the carton.

Patented Jan. 19, race The housing 6 here is shown of rectangular form,

extending upwardly from a base 13 and having a cartonsupporting platform 14 at the top with one side of the housing formed of three separate removable panels 15, 16 and 17 to permit access to the interior of the housing. The base 13 extends beyond the two sides 18 and 19 to provide flanges 21 formed with apertures 22 permitting the use of screws 23 for anchoring the device to a floor.

The carton-supporting platform 14 comprises a housing top plate 24 extending beyond the sides 18 and 19 and mounting laterally-disposed angle-bar guide rails 23 at theforward ends of which is journaled a roller 27. The spacing and length of the rails 26 willdepend upon the character of the carton wherewith this device is to be used. Fig. 1 shows the device'in use with an egg carton C. For such a carton the spacing of the rails 26 is substantially that of the width of the conventional egg c'arton'C. The length of the rails 26, 'rear-' wardly of the roller 27, is slightly greater than half the length of a double compartment carton C. The roller 27 makes for easy movement of the loaded carton C onto and 01f from the platform 14.

The height of the housing platform, above the floor, also is determined by the character of the carton wherewith the device is to be used. The optimum height should be such as to dispose the open top of the carton C just below the elbow line of a person of average height. This will permit the placing in and/or removing of articles from the carton with the hands and fore-arms of the packer nearly horizontal, as indicated in Fig. l.

The housing sides 18 and 19 are formed with flanges 20 to which the panels 15, 16 and 17 are removably attached by suitable screws 25, in the manner clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. a

The load-adjusting member 7 comprises aplate 28 mounting a plurality of parts 29 secured at the upper end of a tube 31 which is slidably supported on a shaft 32.

The plate 28 is of rectangular form to slidingly fit within the housing 6. At its front edge the plate 28 is recessed at 33 to receive an offset 34 on the panel 15.

The posts 29 here are shown anchored at the four corners of the plate 28 and extend up through holes in the housing top plate 24 for movement into the carton C as presently will be explained more fully.

The tube 31 is bonded at its upper end centrally of the plate 28 and is slidably supported on the shaft 32 which is secured at its opposite ends to the housing base 13 and the plate 24, respectively. At its lower end, the tube 31 mounts a transversely-disposed guideway 36 to receive a roller 37 on the chain and sprocket drive 8, whereby the opposite reciprocal movement of the plate 24 is eifected, as will appear more fully hereinafter.

The chain and sprocket drive 8, for reciprocating the plate 28, comprises a pair of sprockets 38 and 39 journaled in vertical spaced relationship on the back of the panel offset 34 and around which travel a chain 41. The chain 41 mounts the roller 37 which is slidably seated in the guideway 36 on the tube 31.

I The motor 9 is of the conventional reversible type and is mounted on the outside of the panel oifset 34. Its shaft is connected to the upper sprocket 38 through suitable reduction gearing (not shown). From the motor 9 run the usual power leads 42 to the switches 11 and 12 and the receptacle plug 43. I V r I The switchll (Figs. 2 and 4) is a conventioiral microswitch. It is positioned on the panel offset 34 so as to dispose its trip arm 44 in position to be contacted by the plate 28 in its lowermost position and thereby automatically stop the motor 9 from further operation.

The switch 12, here is shown as a foot-actuated switch, hence positionable on the floor adjacent to the device so as to be depressed by the foot of the one packing or unpacking a carton C. A comparable switch might be located at some other place, to be depressed by some other'part of. the packers body than the foot.

The switch 12 is a dual unit, having two separatelyoperable foot treads 46 and 47 for effecting opposite rotations of the reversible motor 9 to respectively lower and .raise the load-adjusting member 7. p

.A type of carton C, for use with which this loading and unloading device has been especially designed, could be one of several conventional cartons or crates. Such cartons would be used for packing several layers of small articles between horizontal elements, such as dividers,

and quite generally with the articles of each layer separated from each other by partitions resting on the dividers. v v

The type of carton C with which this device will find most extended, if not universal, use is the egg carton or crate. As shown in Fig. l, the eggs are placedincompartmented partitions P resting on dividers D. To make any kind of carton of this type available for use withthis loading and unloading device, the, bottom of the carton would have to be modified only to the extent of forming holes in the bottom (Fig. 5) to register with the posts 29, when the carton C is properly placed on the carton, platform 14 between the rails 26 and against the roller 27.

I The operation of this improved carton-loading and -unloading device is as follows:

When a carton C is to berloaded, the switch tread 46 is depressed to so operate the motor 9 as will insure the plate 28 beingat its lowermost position; Upon reaching such a position, the plate 28 will engage and depress the arm 44 of the microswitch 11 and stop the motor 9. The posts 29 will then be retracted so that their upper ends will be below the plane of the horizontal parts of the guide rails 26. 7

An empty carton and the switch tread 47 is depressed to put the motor 9 in operation long enough to elevate the plate 28 to its uppermost position. This will dispose the upperends of the posts 29 a short distance below the open top of the carton C. A divider D is then placed in the carton C to rest on the upper ends of the posts 29. A packer may then place the requisite number of articles on the divider D. p p

When these articles of such a nature-as, for example, eggsthat they require separation from each other, a sectional partition P is first placed on the divider D and thearticles placed in the compartments of the partition P.

When thefull quota of articles is placed on what is to be the bottom layer of divider-supported articles in the carton C, the packer steps on the foot tread 46 of the switch '12 for such length of time as will run the motor 9 to lower the plate 28 a distance equal to the height of the first layer of articles placed on a divider D. A second divider Dis then placed on top of this initially-positioned layer of articles and the second layer of articles are placed thereon. a

This sequence of operations is repeated until the topmost layer of articles has been placed in the carton C. Thereupon the carton may be removed fromthe platform 14 and replaced by another empty one.

When it is desired to unload a packed carton. C, the foot tread 46 of the switch 12 is depressed/to insuretne operation of the motor 9 to move the plate 28 to. its

C is then placed on the platform 14.

4 a i The carton is opened and the topmost layer of articles is removed. The operator then depresses the foot tread 47 of the switch 12 long enough to operate the motor 9 to elevate the stack of goods in the carton to bring the second layer of articles up adjacent to the open top of the carton. The first divider D is removed and the second layer of articles taken out. of the carton C.

This sequence is repeated until the bottom layer has been elevated to the top of the carton andthe articles thereon removed.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departingfrom the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

l. A device for manually alternating the raising and lowering of a vertically-shiftable carton-bottom. for positioning at selective levels within the car-ton to permit placement or removal of successive layers of articles adjacent the upwardly open top of the carton, the device comprising, a housing adapted to support a carton in position to afford access to the open-top by an operator standing adjacent the housing, a member reciprocably mounted in the housing below the. carton, meanson the member for contacting the vertically-shiftable carton-bottom,.motor-driven means connected to reciprocate the member, and a manually-operable switch mechanism positioned for actuation by the operators foot for controlling the motor to effect a raising or lowering of the member to selectively position the carton-bottom at successive levels within the carton to dispose a tier of articles horizontally adjacent the upwardly open top of the carton.

2. A device for manually alternating the raising and lowering of a vertically-shiftable carton-bottom for positioning at selective levels within the carton to permit placement or removal of successive layersof articles adjacent the upwardly open top of the carton, the device comprising, a closed-top and -bottom housing of rectangular cross section, guide rails for positioning a carton on the housing top in position to afford access to.the open top by the operator standing adjacent the housing, a centrally-disposed shaft spanning and secured to the housing top and bottom, a tubular element reciprocably supported on the shaft, a platform member secured to the upper end of the element, posts on the platform member extending through the housing top to contact the vertically-shiftable carton-bottom, motor-driven means connected to reciprocate the tubular member to'efiect the raising or lowering of the member to selectively position the carton-bottom at successive levels within the carton to dispose consecutive tiers of articles horizontally adjacent the open top of the carton, and a manually-operable switch mechanism positioned for actuation by the operators foot for controlling the motor to effect a raising or lowering of the member to selectively position the carton-bottom at successive levels within the carton to dispose each successive tier of articles horizontally adjacent the open top of the upwardly open carton.

3. A device for manually alternating the raising and lowering of a vertically-shiftable carton-bottom for positioning at selective levels within the carton to permit placement or removal of successive layers of articles'adjacent the open top of the carton, the device comprising, a carton-supporting housing of rectangular U-shaped cross section havinginwardly-disposed flanges along the edges 'of the parallel sides thereof, top and bottom-plates closing the opposite ends of the U-shaped housing, a motor-mounting panel of rectangular U-shape cross section having outwardly-disposed flanges along the edges of. the parallel sides thereof, theU-shaped panel being formed to fit in the open side of the U-shaped housing with the panel flanges superimposed on and fastened to the U-shaped housing flanges, a centrally-disposed shaft spanning and secured to the top and bottom plates, a tubular element reciprocably supported on the shaft, a platform member secured to the upper end of the element, posts on the platform member extending through the housing top to contact the vertically-shiftable cartonbottom, a motor mounted a the upper end of the U-shaped panel between the parallel sides thereof so as to extend outwardly of the housing, vertically-spaced sprockets journaled on the U-shaped panel on the side opposite the motor, one of which sprockets being connected to the motor shaft, a sprocket chain traversing the sprockets, a roller on the sprocket chain, a guide-way on the tubular element engaged by the roller to reciprocate the platform member, an auxiliary panel positioned across the open side of the U-shaped housing member above the motor, a second panel positioned across the open side of the U-shaped panel below the motor, and a manuallyti operable switch mechanism connected to control the motor to effect a raising or lowering of the platform memher to selectively position the carton-bottom at successive levels Within the carton to dispose consecutive tiers of articles horizontally adjacent the open top of the carton.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,434,587 Broadley Nov. 7, 1922 1,735,042 Gillespie Nov. 12, 1929 2,362,853 Spiller et al Nov. 14, 1944 2,595,015 Sparks Apr. 29, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 505,543 Great Britain May 12, 1939 1,052,392 France Sept. 23, 1953

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