Method and apparatus for storing and dispensing bagged ice
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
B65G-001/04
B65G-057/03
F25D-025/00
F25C-005/20
출원번호
US-0760180
(2014-01-06)
등록번호
US-10093482
(2018-10-09)
국제출원번호
PCT/DK2014/050002
(2014-01-06)
국제공개번호
WO2014/108133
(2014-07-17)
발명자
/ 주소
Pape, Henrik
출원인 / 주소
REDDY ICE TECHNOLOGY LLC
대리인 / 주소
Haynes and Boone, LLP
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
98
초록▼
An article storage and dispensing apparatus and method in which articles made by series production are distributed from an article supplier into a storage compartment of predetermined dimensions for storage of articles in front and rear rows of article storage positions. An article distributor in an
An article storage and dispensing apparatus and method in which articles made by series production are distributed from an article supplier into a storage compartment of predetermined dimensions for storage of articles in front and rear rows of article storage positions. An article distributor in an upper portion of the storage compartment has a carriage, a carriage drive which is configured to drive the carriage in a reversible horizontal carriage drive direction across at least part of the width of the storage compartment, and an article support mounted on the carriage and configured to receive articles from the article supplier above the support when the carriage is in a start position. An article dispenser is associated with the article support to dispense articles selectively in opposite horizontal dispensing directions transverse to the carriage drive direction off the front and rear ends of the support to drop into front and rear article rows.
대표청구항▼
1. An apparatus for distributing a series of articles at a plurality of storage positions in a storage compartment, comprising: a storage compartment having an article storage area having a rear, a front, and opposite sides;a carriage movably mounted in an upper portion of the storage compartment ab
1. An apparatus for distributing a series of articles at a plurality of storage positions in a storage compartment, comprising: a storage compartment having an article storage area having a rear, a front, and opposite sides;a carriage movably mounted in an upper portion of the storage compartment above the storage area;a horizontal drive linked to the carriage and configured to drive the carriage back and forth in a reversible horizontal carriage transport direction above the storage area and extending across at least part of the width of the storage area between opposite sides of the storage compartment;an article support movably mounted on the carriage and configured for supporting an article dispensed from an article supply onto the support, the article support having a front end and a rear end;an article distributor associated with the article support and configured for selectively driving articles in opposite horizontal article transport directions transverse to the horizontal carriage transport direction off the front and rear end of the support, respectively, into storage positions in front and rear rows of storage positions in the storage area, the front end of the article support being located above the front row of storage positions and spaced from the front of the article storage area, and the rear end of the article support being located above the rear row of storage positions and spaced from the rear of the article storage area; anda controller associated with the horizontal carriage drive and the article distributor which is configured to control the horizontal carriage drive to drive the carriage to a location in which the front or rear end of the article support is above a selected storage position in the front or rear row, respectively, and to control the article distributor to selectively drive the article in a first article transport direction towards the front of the storage compartment and off the front end of the article support to drop into a selected storage position in the front row, and to selectively drive the article in a second, opposite article transport direction towards the rear of the storage compartment and off the rear end of the article support to drop into a selected storage position in the rear row;wherein the carriage comprises a support frame having a rear end linked to the horizontal drive and a forwardly projecting portion, the article support is mounted on the forwardly projecting portion of the carriage, and the rear end of the article support is spaced forward from the rear end of the carriage to provide a gap through which articles can fall off the rear end of the support into a stacking position in the rear storage row. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the front and rear storage rows each have at least two storage positions for receiving stacked articles. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a wheeled cart removably positionable in the storage compartment below the carriage, the cart having a basket defining at least one article storage area for selectively receiving articles in front and rear rows. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the storage compartment has a floor defining a second article storage area for selectively receiving articles into storage positions in front and rear rows on the floor of the storage compartment when no wheeled cart is positioned in the storage compartment. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the article support comprises an endless article conveyor mounted on the carriage and the article distributor comprises a second drive device configured to drive the conveyor in opposite front and rear directions to drive articles selectively off the front and rear ends of the article conveyor and into storage positions in the front and rear rows. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising rollers at opposite ends of the article support about which said article conveyor extends, whereby portions of the article conveyor extending over the rollers define opposite first and second convex, rounded ends of the article support, and the article conveyor is configured to rotate articles as they are driven off the opposite ends, whereby each article flips over as it falls off the conveyor onto a stack of articles in a selected storage position. 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the article conveyor comprises one or more endless conveyor belts extending over the rollers. 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein a first distance comprising a gap between front and rear rows of stacked articles in the storage area is less than a second distance between the front and rear ends of the article support. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first distance is approximately one third of the second distance. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a guide plate pivotally mounted on the rear end of the support frame at a location spaced above the gap and movable between a forwardly inclined position extending over the gap in which a lower edge of the guide plate is adjacent the rear end of the article support and a retracted position in which the lower edge of the guide plate is spaced rearward from the rear end of the article support to allow articles to be driven off the rear end of the article support to fall into a storage position in the rear row. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a biasing device which biases the guide plate into the forwardly inclined position. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising an article supplier located above the storage compartment having an outlet through which articles are supplied onto the article support, the guide plate comprising a guide for directing articles supplied through the outlet onto the article support when the carriage is located in a start position under the article supplier. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a locking mechanism configured to lock the guide plate in the forwardly inclined position when the carriage is located in the start position, the locking mechanism being released when the carriage is moved away from the start position, whereby an article on the article support driven rearward by the article distributor urges the guide plate towards the retracted position to allow the article to fall off the rear end of the article support and through the gap into a selected storage position in the rear row. 14. An apparatus for distributing a series of articles at a plurality of storage positions in a storage compartment, comprising: a storage compartment having an article storage area having a rear, a front, and opposite sides;a carriage movably mounted in an upper portion of the storage compartment above the storage area;a horizontal drive linked to the carriage and configured to drive the carriage back and forth in a reversible horizontal carriage transport direction above the storage area and extending across at least part of the width of the storage area between opposite sides of the storage compartment;an article support mounted on the carriage and configured to support an article dispensed from an article supply onto the article support, the article support having a first end and a second end;an article distributor associated with the article support and configured to drive the article in a first horizontal article transport direction off one of the first and second ends of the support into a first storage position in a first row of storage positions in the storage area, the one of the first and second ends of the support being located above the first row of storage positions;a controller associated with the horizontal drive and the article distributor, and configured to control the horizontal drive to drive the carriage to a location in which the one of the first and second ends of the article support is above the first storage position in the first row, and to control the article distributor to selectively drive the article in the first article horizontal transport direction;a track to which the carriage is operably coupled, wherein the article support is located vertically below the track, anda plate extending from the track and towards the article support located vertically below the track. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plate is adapted to pivot from a first position in which a lower edge of the plate is adjacent the article support to a second position in which the lower edge of the plate is spaced from the article support. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, when the article is transported in the first horizontal article transport direction, the plate pivots from the first position in which the lower edge of the plate is adjacent the article support to the second position in which the lower edge of the plate is spaced from the article support so that the article falls off the one of the first and second ends, through a gap that is at least partially defined between the article support and the lower edge of the plate, and into the first storage position in the first row of storage positions in the storage area. 17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the article distributor is further configured to drive another article in a second horizontal article transport direction off the other of the first and second ends of the article support into a second storage position in a second row of storage positions in the storage area, the other of the first and second ends of the support being located above the second row of storage positions; and wherein the second horizontal article transport direction is different from the first horizontal article transport direction. 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to control the horizontal drive to drive the carriage to a location in which the other of the first and second ends of the article support is above the second storage position in the second row, and to control the article distributor to selectively drive the another article in the second article horizontal transport direction. 19. An apparatus for distributing a series of articles at a plurality of storage positions in a storage compartment, comprising: a storage compartment having an article storage area having a rear, a front, and opposite sides;a carriage movably mounted in an upper portion of the storage compartment above the storage area;a horizontal drive linked to the carriage and configured to drive the carriage back and forth in a reversible horizontal carriage transport direction above the storage area and extending across at least part of the width of the storage area between opposite sides of the storage compartment;an article support mounted on the carriage and configured to support an article dispensed from an article supply onto the article support, the article support having a first end and a second end;an article distributor associated with the article support and configured to: drive the article in a first horizontal article transport direction off one of the first and second ends of the support into a first storage position in a first row of storage positions in the storage area, the one of the first and second ends of the support being located above the first row of storage positions;drive another article in a second horizontal article transport direction off the other of the first and second ends of the article support into a second storage position in a second row of storage positions in the storage area, the other of the first and second ends of the support being located above the second row of storage positions, wherein the second horizontal article transport direction is different from the first horizontal article transport direction;anda controller associated with the horizontal drive and the article distributor, wherein the controller is configured to: control the horizontal drive to drive the carriage to a location in which the one of the first and second ends of the article support is above the first storage position in the first row, and to control the article distributor to selectively drive the article in the first article horizontal transport direction; andcontrol the horizontal drive to drive the carriage to a location in which the other of the first and second ends of the article support is above the second storage position in the second row, and to control the article distributor to selectively drive the another article in the second article horizontal transport direction;wherein the apparatus further comprises a track along which the carriage is driven back and forth; andwherein the carriage comprises a support frame to which the article support is mounted, the support frame comprising a vertical portion extending downward from the track and a support arm connected to the vertical portion. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a plate extending downward from the track and towards the article support located vertically below the track; wherein the plate is adapted to pivot from a first position in which a lower edge of the plate is adjacent the article support to a second position in which the lower edge of the plate is spaced from the article support; andwherein, when the article is transported in the first horizontal article transport direction, the plate pivots from the first position in which the lower edge of the plate is adjacent the article support to the second position in which the lower edge of the plate is spaced from the article support so that the article falls off the one of the first and second ends, through a gap that is at least partially defined between the article support and the lower edge of the plate, and into the first storage position in the first row of storage positions in the storage area.
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