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US3467025A - Tow truck dispatch system - Google Patents

Tow truck dispatch system Download PDF

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Publication number
US3467025A
US3467025A US632350A US3467025DA US3467025A US 3467025 A US3467025 A US 3467025A US 632350 A US632350 A US 632350A US 3467025D A US3467025D A US 3467025DA US 3467025 A US3467025 A US 3467025A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
chain
conveyor
curved
rollers
wall
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US632350A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Lynn J Bradt
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
SI Handling Systems Inc
Original Assignee
SI Handling Systems Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by SI Handling Systems Inc filed Critical SI Handling Systems Inc
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3467025A publication Critical patent/US3467025A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G15/00—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration
    • B65G15/60—Arrangements for supporting or guiding belts, e.g. by fluid jets
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
    • B65G2201/02—Articles

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a tow truck dispatch system, and more particularly, to a novel conveyor arrangement for use in a tow truck dispatch system.
  • a roller chain is provided at the curved portion of a tow truck dispatch system.
  • a wall is provided at the curved portion and having a radius of curvature corresponding to the curved portion.
  • the roller chain is disposed between the curved wall and the conveyor and in rolling contact with each of them. It has been found that such a system is selfcleaning, is capable of use in higher speed systems, is simpler than devices proposed heretofore as well as being more reliable and more inexpensive. Also, the roller chain is moving in the same direction as the conveyor in addition to being in rolling contact therewith, thereby minimizing frictional forces at the curved portion of the dispatch system.
  • the present invention is applicable and adapted to be used between two straight portions of a dispatch system which are parallel to one another or at an angle with respect to one another less than 180.
  • the present invention will be described in connection with the curved portion extending between two straight portions which are perpendicular to one another. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is adapted to be utilized between curved or straight portions which are to be interconnected by another curved portion.
  • FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a curved portion of a tow truck dispatch system, with a portion broken away for purposes of illustration.
  • FIGURE 2 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in FIGURE 1.
  • FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIGURE 1.
  • FIGURE 4 is a side elevation view of a portion of the roller chain.
  • FIGURE 1 a portion of a tow truck dispatch system designated generally as 10.
  • the system 10 includes a reference surface 12.
  • Surface 12 may be the floor or a ceiling in a building.
  • the reference surface 12 is a floor.
  • the floor 12 there is provided a main slot having portions 14 and 16 interconnected by slot 15 in the curved portion 18.
  • the main slot portion 14 is defined by spaced horizontally disposed guide plates 20 and 22. Curved guide plates 24 and 26 define slot 15 at the curved portion 18. Only a portion of one of each of plates 24 and 26 are shown.
  • Main slot portion 16 is defined by corresponding guide plates 28 and 30.
  • a conveyor designated generally as 32 is provided below the main slot and supported on a base plate 34. Conveyor 32 is preferably of the type disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 405,951, now abandoned filed on Oct. 23, 1964, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
  • the curved portion 18 is adapted to be factory assembled so that it can be rapidly and inexpensively installed.
  • the plates 24 and 26 are supported from and removably connected to the base plate 34.
  • Rigid upright backup walls 40 and 42 are provided on the base plate 34.
  • Walls 40 and 42 are curved so as to correspond to the curvature of portion 18.
  • Spacers 38 are welded to the walls 40 and 42 at spaced points therealong.
  • Bolts 39 removably interconnect the plates 26 to the walls 4t] and 42.
  • Plates 24 are removably connected to angle irons 41 on outside wall 36 by bolts 33.
  • the height of walls 40 and 42 is greater than the height of the conveyor 32.
  • Clean-out boxes 43 and 45 are provided at the ends of curved portion 18 and located so that they overlap the straight portions 14 and 16 respectively.
  • a wheel 44 mounted for rotation about a pin 46 is adjustably supported by a base plate 47 in box 45 spaced from plate 34. Adjacent one of the ends of the wall 40, there is provided an extension curved plate 48 connected to flange 50 on plate 47. Wheel 44 is adjustably coupled to the base plate 47 by nuts and bolts to facilitate adjustment and take-up of slack in chain 52. Wheel 44 lies in the same horizontal plane containing the walls 40 and 42.
  • An endless roller chain 52 extends around the wheel 44, curved plate 48, and is in rolling contact with the walls 40 and 42 are shown more clearly in FIGURES 2 and 3.
  • the height of the roller chain 52 is slightly less than the height of the walls 40 and 42.
  • the roller chain 52 includes spaced rollers 58 interconnected by an upper link 54 and a lower link 56.
  • the rollers of the chain 52 adjacent to the rollers 58 in FIGURE 4 are interconnected by an upper link 54' and a lower link 56. Links 56 are removable provided with wear links 57.
  • the height of the rollers 58 is greater than one-half the height of the roller chain 52.
  • the pitch for the rollers on the chain 52 that is the distance between the axis of rotation of adjacent rollers 58, is less than the length of a side face 60 on various links of the conveyor 32. This relationship is shown more clearly in FIGURE 1.
  • the side face 60 of various links of the conveyor 32 are preferably in contact with two adjacent rollers 58 most of the time. It is theoretically impossible to have side faces of the links in contact with two rollers at all times because of the angular change of the links as they move around curved portion 18.
  • a removable cover 59 is provided for box 45.
  • a similar cover is provided for box 43.
  • a curved plate 61 is provided in box 45 as an extension to wall 42. The radius of plate 61 is the same as for plate 48.
  • A- similar plate 62 is provided in box 43 at the other end of wall 42.
  • a wheel 64 is rotatably supported in box 63 spaced from the bottom thereof. It will be noticed that wheels 44 and 64 rotate about axes located alongside portions 16 and 14 respectively. Wear plates 64 and 66 are provided for conveyor 32 and chain 52 respectively.
  • a tow pin on a load carrying vehicle will project through the main slots 14, 15 and 16 for driving contact with driving links of the conveyor 32.
  • the tow pin is adapted to be supported in an upright position at the front end of a tow truck such as that in Patent 2,619,370.
  • the conveyor 32 will engage the lower end of the tow pin and propel the tow truck along the main slot of the dispatch system 10.
  • the means for propelling or dragging the conveyor 32 is not shown and may be conventional.
  • the side face 60 of the various links of the conveyor 32 may be perfectly straight. Since the support for each side face 60 of the links of the conveyor 32 is in the form of rotating movable rollers 58 which are in frictional contact with wall 42, the chain 52 will walk itself along the wall 40 and will be self-cleaning.
  • the entire curved portion of the conveyor and system may be prefabricated at the factory and shipped to the point of installation. Minimum adjustment is required at the point of installation. The opportunity for foreign matter to become lodged in the chain and cause the same to jam is minimized by the fact that the rollers 58 are in rolling contact with spaced substantially parallel vertical surfaces of walls 40 and 42 and the wheels 44 and 64 are spaced from the bottom or floor of the boxes 43 and 45. It will be noted that chain 52 and wall 40' provide support for conveyor 32 before, during and after the curved portion 18.
  • elements 44 and 64 need not be wheels. That is, one or both of elements 44 and 64 may be a ring-shaped member which is stationary.
  • a tow truck dispatch system comprising a reference surface having a main slot through which a tow pin on a vehicle may extend for contact with a conveyor, said slot having first and second sections connected by a curved section, a roller chain alongside the main slot at said curved section, a rigid curved back-up wall at said curved section, the curvature of said back-up wall and the curved section being substantially identical, said chain having rollers in rolling contact with a surface of said wall and side faces of link members on said conveyor, and said rollers being rotatable about a vertical axis, whereby said conveyor may cause said chain to walk along said wall and frictional contact is reduced.
  • a system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said chain is an endless chain extending around curved members positioned adjacent the respective ends of the curved section.
  • rollers have a height which is at least greater than onehalf the height of said link members.
  • a conveyor comprising a track guide member, a conveyor chain guided by said member, said member having a curved portion, a back-up wall at the curved portion, an endless movable back-up chain having rollers, said rollers rollingly contacting said conveyor chain and wall, said rollers being between said conveyor chain and wa 11.
  • the pitch of the back-up chain is less than the length of links of the conveyor chain, and said rollers transmitting forces from the conveyor chain directly to said wall.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Framework For Endless Conveyors (AREA)
  • Rollers For Roller Conveyors For Transfer (AREA)
  • Treatment Of Steel In Its Molten State (AREA)
US632350A 1967-04-20 1967-04-20 Tow truck dispatch system Expired - Lifetime US3467025A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US63235067A 1967-04-20 1967-04-20

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3467025A true US3467025A (en) 1969-09-16

Family

ID=24535166

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US632350A Expired - Lifetime US3467025A (en) 1967-04-20 1967-04-20 Tow truck dispatch system

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US3467025A (sv)
DK (1) DK121714B (sv)
FI (1) FI46606C (sv)
GB (1) GB1225678A (sv)
NO (1) NO125617B (sv)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3648618A (en) * 1970-03-09 1972-03-14 Cutler Hammer Inc Subfloor conveyor system and dolly therefor
US4664036A (en) * 1984-08-27 1987-05-12 Si Handling Systems, Inc. Conveyor having curved track section
US5835376A (en) * 1995-10-27 1998-11-10 Total Technology, Inc. Fully automated vehicle dispatching, monitoring and billing
US6694248B2 (en) 1995-10-27 2004-02-17 Total Technology Inc. Fully automated vehicle dispatching, monitoring and billing
US20040143466A1 (en) * 1995-10-27 2004-07-22 Total Technology, Inc. Fully automated vehicle dispatching, monitoring and billing

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1407673A (en) * 1921-08-22 1922-02-21 Roe John Pearce Overhead conveying system for the transport of materials

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1407673A (en) * 1921-08-22 1922-02-21 Roe John Pearce Overhead conveying system for the transport of materials

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3648618A (en) * 1970-03-09 1972-03-14 Cutler Hammer Inc Subfloor conveyor system and dolly therefor
US4664036A (en) * 1984-08-27 1987-05-12 Si Handling Systems, Inc. Conveyor having curved track section
US5835376A (en) * 1995-10-27 1998-11-10 Total Technology, Inc. Fully automated vehicle dispatching, monitoring and billing
US6430496B1 (en) 1995-10-27 2002-08-06 Trak Software, Inc. Fully automated vehicle dispatching, monitoring and billing
US6694248B2 (en) 1995-10-27 2004-02-17 Total Technology Inc. Fully automated vehicle dispatching, monitoring and billing
US20040143466A1 (en) * 1995-10-27 2004-07-22 Total Technology, Inc. Fully automated vehicle dispatching, monitoring and billing
US7113864B2 (en) 1995-10-27 2006-09-26 Total Technology, Inc. Fully automated vehicle dispatching, monitoring and billing
US20060293835A1 (en) * 1995-10-27 2006-12-28 Total Technology Inc. Fully Automated Vehicle Dispatching, Monitoring and Billing
US7343243B2 (en) 1995-10-27 2008-03-11 Total Technology, Inc. Fully automated vehicle dispatching, monitoring and billing
US20080228562A1 (en) * 1995-10-27 2008-09-18 Total Technology Inc. Fully Automated Vehicle Dispatching, Monitoring and Billing

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DK121714B (da) 1971-11-22
GB1225678A (sv) 1971-03-17
NO125617B (sv) 1972-10-09
FI46606C (sv) 1973-05-08
FI46606B (sv) 1973-01-31

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