Single latch loader and method for loading
US5660261A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 19, 1995 |
| Grant date | Aug 26, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 19, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB65G2201/0229
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A high-speed loader loads garments onto a conveyor using two metering devices, each controlled by a computer. The second metering device is located closer to the conveyor than the first, holds only one hanger at a time and can easily be cleared to allow garments on the conveyor to pass unimpeded. The metering devices allow the computer to triple-buffer the hangers by dividing the loader into three distinct sections. The first buffer is located before the first metering device and can hold several garments physically far enough away from the conveyor to allow garments to pass. Hangers are released by the first metering device one at a time to a second buffer, which is between the first and second metering device. The second metering device is a simple air stop positioned close to the conveyor. The location of the second metering device minimizes the length and uncertainty of the transit time of the hanger from the loader to the conveyor. The third section of the loader is a load ramp that conveys the hanger from the second metering device directly to the conveyor, which third buffer also holds only one garment. The hanger on the load ramp is removed by the motion of the conveyor, at…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.