GB2245246A

GB2245246A - Load-handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2245246A
Application number: GB9013618A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Leslie Ralph Porter
Original assignee: Simplex Mechanical Handling Ltd
Current assignee: Simplex Mechanical Handling Ltd
Priority date: 1990-06-19
Filing date: 1990-06-19
Publication date: 1992-01-02
Anticipated expiration: 2010-06-19
Also published as: GB9013618D0; GB2245246B

Abstract

A beer keg/drink crate handling apparatus (1) comprises rails (2) and a carrier (4) connected by a cord to a winch. For carrying a beer keg (K) the carrier (4) tilts at the bottom to facilitate loading/unloading of the keg (K). For carrying drink crates (C) the carrier (4) does not tilt. In order not to tilt, for the drink crates (C), the carrier has a roller (21) which rides along the straight rail side portions (19). In order to tilt, for the beer keg (K), the roller (21) is removed and lower wheels (18) run along straight flange sections (20a) down to a level (20b) where they follow rail sections (20c) round a bend at (20b). <IMAGE>

Description

LOAD-HANDLING APPARATUS This invention relates to load-handling apparatus, comprising a carrier adapted to ascend and descend along one or more guide rails between an upper level and a lower level for carrying a load in either direction from one level to the other level. A preferred use for one form of such apparatus is for transferring kegs of beer and/or crates of drinks between ground level and a cellar which is below-ground.

In known forms of such apparatus, the carrier comprises a platform for the load, the platform remaining untilted at the lower level (for example, the cellar) and remaining some centimetres or inches above the level of the ground or the floor at the lower level. Because the platform is not tilted, and is above the level of the floor or the ground, it is difficult to on-load or off-load a keg of beer onto or off the platform. However, in the event that the load is formed by one or more crates, it is an advantage for the platform to remain level, that is, not tilted.

The invention provides load-handling apparatus as claimed in each of the claims, to which reference is directed.

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a load-handling apparatus embodying the invention, shown with a carrier in two positions, namely, a lowermost or bottom (tilted) position in full lines and an intermediate position in chain-dot lines, carrying a keg of beer; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a bottom end part of the apparatus of Fig. 1, showing the carrier positioned at the bottom, tilted; FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the bottom end part of the apparatus, shown with the carrier positioned at the bottom, until ted, carrying crates of drinks; FIG. 4 is a perspective view corresponding to Fig. 3; FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view along line V-V in Fig. 4, showing the construction of a removable roller of the carrier; and FIG. 6 is a scrap side view of the motor on a tilting platform.

Referring to the drawings, the illustrated load-handling apparatus 1 comprises two guide rails 2 which extend between an upper level and a lower level (not shown). For example, the upper and lower levels may be ground level and a cellar below ground respectively. The rails 2 are interconnected by cross-pieces 3, extending between the rails 2.

The apparatus also comprises a carrier 4 which is adapted to ascend and descend along the rails 2 between the upper level and the lower level for carrying a load, such as a keg of beer R (as in Figs. 1 and 2) or one or more crates of drinks C (as in Fig. 3) in either direction from one level to the other level.

For raising and lowering the carrier 4, it is connected to a steel cord 5, which extends around a pulley 6 at the top of the rails 2, down at the front to an anchor 7 on the carrier 4 and down at the back to the winding drum 8a of an electric motor-driven winch 8 which is positioned at the foot of the rails 2, behind the rails as shown, with a hand-held, cable-connected controller 9. The winch 8 is mounted on a tiltable platform 10, see Fig. 6, the purpose of which is described hereinafter, pivoted at 10a.

The carrier 4 is of steel and comprises two side plates 11, 12 each in the shape of an inverted triangle, that is, a triangle having its base uppermost and its apex pointing downwards. At the front and the back of the carrier 4, the tops of the side plates 11, 12 are interconnected by two welded L-section crossmembers 13, 14 forming (in conjunction with the tops of the side plates 11, 12) a cradle 15 at the top of the carrier 4, the two welded L-section crossmembers 13, 14 forming a front lip, or front flange, and a back lip, or back flange, respectively, for helping to keep loads from falling off the cradle 15 during transport thereon. The two side plates 11, 12 are also interconnected by one or more welded crossmembers, such as crossmember 16, lower down, as shown.

The carrier also comprises two pairs of wheels, namely, an upper pair of wheels 17 and a lower pair of wheels 18. The upper pair of wheels 17 are mounted rotatably to the two side plates 11, 12 just below the back end of the cradle 15, whilst the lower pair of wheels 18 are mounted rotatably to the two side plates 11, 12 at the bottoms of the two side plates, near the apexes of the triangles.

Each of the rails 2 is generally L-sectioned, with the cross-pieces 3 extending between inner, mutually parallel side portions 19 of the rails. At the front of the rails 2, flange portions 20 of the rails 2 extend laterally outwardly from the aforesaid parallel side portions 19.

The inner, mutually parallel side portions 19 of the rails 2 are of uniform width from the top to the bottom of the rails 2 and extend rectilinearly from top to bottom to form straight rail sections.

The flange portions 20 of the rails 2 extend rectilinearly at 20a along the front edges of the side portions 19 from the top of the rails 2 down to a level at 20b which is at a distance somewhat above the very bottom of the rails. Below the level 20b, the flange portions 20 are bent at 20c downwardly more towards the backs of the side portions 19. Above the level 20b at which the flange portions 20 start to bend, they form straight rail sections. Below that, flange portions 20 form non-aligned extensions 20c of rail sections 20a, being non-aligned because of being bent.

The upper pair of wheels 17 of the carrier engage the backs, or undersides, of the flange portions 20 of the rails 2, whilst the lower pair of wheels 18 are engageable with the fronts of the flange portions 20.

Hence, a load on the cradle 15 results in both pairs of wheels 17, 18 bearing, or tending to bear, against the flange portions 20 of the rails 2.

The carrier 4 also (Fig. 5) comprises a selectively removable roller 21 which is mounted on a shaft 22, the shaft 22 and the roller 21 extending across the carrier 4 from one side to the other, at about the same level as the lower pair of wheels 18. The roller 21 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 22, which extends through two holes 23, 24 in the side plates 11, 12 of the carrier 4. The shaft 22 is retained, when in use, by a retainer member 25 which is fitted to one of the side plates 12 of the carrier 4 and which engages two flats 26, 27 on opposite sides of one end of the shaft 22 as shown. The retainer member 25 is L-shaped, having two limbs 28, 29. One of the limbs 28 has an elongate slot 30 through which a bolt 31 slidably extends, the bolt 31 being screwed into the side plate 12 to mount the retainer member 25 to the side member 12.The distal end of the limb 28 is forked, to engage the two flats 26, 27 as shown. The other limb 29 of the retainer member 25 forms a handle.

The other side plate 11 of the carrier 4 has an outwardly projecting, L-shaped stop 32 which engages the other end 33 of the shaft 22, as shown.

The roller 21 comprises two end bushes 34, 34, sleeves 34a, 34a of which fit inside opposite ends of a a load-bearing tube 35, the ends of the tube 35 being abutted by flanges 34b, 34b of the bushes 34,34. The bushes 34 form bearings for the roller 21 on the shaft 22.

Without the roller 21, that is, with the roller 21 and shaft 22 both removed, the lower pair of wheels 18 remains always in contact with the fronts of the flange portions 20 of the rails 2, so that where the flange portions 20 are bent round towards the backs of the side portions 19, at the bottom of the rails 2, the carrier 4 with its cradle 15 is tilted downwardly to facilitate on-loading and/or off-loading of a keg of beer, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

With the roller 21 and shaft 22 installed in the carrier 4 as described above, the roller 21 engages the front edges of the parallel side portions 19 of the rails 2, which extend rectilinearly right down to the bottom of the rails 2, so that the lower pair of wheels 18 leave flanges 20 at level 20b, whereby the carrier 4 with its cradle 15 remains untilted at the bottom, to facilitate on-loading and/or off-loading of crates of drinks, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Operationally, removal of the roller 21 involves disengaging the retainer member 25 from engagement with the flats 26, 27 on the shaft 22 and withdrawal of the shaft 22 and roller 21 from the carrier 4, whilst replacement of the roller 21 and shaft 22 involves inserting the shaft 22 through its hole 24 in one side plate 12 and then passing it through the bushes 34, 34 on the roller 21 and through the hole 23 in the other side plate 11 until it abuts the stop 32, then re-engaging the retainer member 25 with the flats 26, 27 on the shaft 22.

When the steel cord 5 is under tension, the platform 10 is tilted upwardly, as shown in Fig. 6, about its pivot 10a. When the carrier 4 reaches the top of its travel, it operates a microswitch (not shown) which switches off the motor. When the cord slackens as the carrier 4 reaches the bottom of its travel, the platform 10 tilts downwardly about its pivot 10a, operating a microswitch (not shown) to switch off the motor.

When the carrier 4 reaches the bottom of the rails, whether the carrier 4 tilts or not depends on whether the roller 21 is absent or present respectively.

Claims

Claims:-

1. Load-handling apparatus, comprising a carrier adapted to ascend and descend along guide rail means between an upper level and a lower level for carrying a load in either direction from one level to the other level, the carrier being selectively adaptable either to tilt downwardly at the lower level, guided by at least one first bottom end portion of said guide rail means, or to remain untilted at the lower level, guided by at least one second bottom end portion of said guide rail means.

2. Load-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one first bottom end portion of the guide rail means is formed as a respective extension of at least one straight first rail section, the or each extension being non-aligned with the respective first rail section, and wherein the or each said second bottom end portion of the guide rail means is a respective part of at least one straight second rail section, said straight first and second rail sections being mutually parallel.

3. Load-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first and second rail sections are respective portions of at least one L-section member.

4. Load-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the carrier is provided with wheels which run along the at least one straight first rail section and the extension or extensions thereof, and wherein the carrier is provided with a removable roller to run along said at least one second rail section.

5. Load-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the roller is mounted on a shaft which is selectively removable to remove the roller.

6. Load-handling apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the carrier is movable along the guide rail means by means of a motorised winch.

7. Load-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the winch is adapted and/or arranged to switch off automatically at at least one end of the travel of the carrier.

8. Load-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the winch is mounted on a tiltable mount such that tilting of the mount occurs, in use, at the end of the travel of the carrier, and operates switch means so as to cause the motorised winch to be switched off.