초록 ▼

This invention pertains to load forming systems, especially those designed to place cased product on e.g. a pallet. The invention contemplates receiving cases at a high rate of input, and fragmenting the input, sending it to parallel processing elements of the load forming system. A layer creating s

This invention pertains to load forming systems, especially those designed to place cased product on e.g. a pallet. The invention contemplates receiving cases at a high rate of input, and fragmenting the input, sending it to parallel processing elements of the load forming system. A layer creating subsystem has parallel processing elements, and preferably has sufficient designed throughput capacity to continue processing cases at the overall rated capacity of the case loading system when any one of the parallel processing elements in the layer creating subsystem fails. The case loading subsystem also can incorporate parallel layer transfer elements and load forming elements.

대표청구항 ▼

[ Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:] [1.] A case loading system for receiving cases of product, and for forming loads of the cases, in layers, with said case loading system having an overall designed throughput capacity, said case loading system comprising;(a) a product convey

[ Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:] [1.] A case loading system for receiving cases of product, and for forming loads of the cases, in layers, with said case loading system having an overall designed throughput capacity, said case loading system comprising;(a) a product conveyor;(b) a layer creating subsystem comprising at least first and second case converting subsystems, said at least first and second case converting subsystems comprising corresponding (i) at least first and second layer forming stations, and (ii) at least first and second in-feed conveyors, each said in-feed conveyor having a receiving locus configured and positioned to receive cases of product from said product conveyor, and a discharge locus configured and positioned to discharge cases of product to the corresponding said layer forming station, whereby both of said first and second case converting subsystems receive cases of product from said product conveyor, said first and second layer forming stations being configured and positioned to receive cases of product from the corresponding said in-feed conveyors and to form the cases of product into layers;(c) a load creating subsystem, comprising at least one load forming station for receiving layers of cased product formed in said layer creating subsystem, and for forming the layers into loads; and(d) at least one of said product conveyor, layer creating subsystem, and said load creating subsystem being designed to have a throughput capacity greater than said overall designed throughput capacity of said case loading system.