Abstract: An apparatus for emptying containers which are loaded with pedominantly horizontal, preferably flat piece goods and which are transported on a conveyor to the discharge location; for purposes of emptying the containers, the piece goods are tilted in the discharge direction and are lifted so that they can slide off in the discharge direction, one after the other; a column of piece goods is produced whose coding can be mechanically read rapidly and correctly by a conventional reading device so that they can be coordinated to a predetermined destination.

Abstract: A lead-frame separating apparatus includes an inclined stationary stocker placed with a plurality of rectangular sheet-type lead-frames in alignment, and a chuck unit capable of taking two positions consisting of a stand-by position above conveying rails where it swings within a vertical plane and extends beneath the stocker, and a chuck position where it adjoins the first lead-frame on the stocker. At the chuck position, the chuck unit holds and takes out the first lead-frame, which is released at the stand-by position and transferred onto the conveying rails.

Abstract: The invention concerns itself with the automatic processing of metal sheets. These are placed onto pallets (6) in form of stacks (7) and are fed to a pallet storage (4) in form of a high multi-tier shelf coordinated to each production machine (1). Between the pallet storage (4) and the production machine is provided a transport device (9) movable vertically along the pallet storage, which accepts a pallet (6) with a sheet metal stack (7) or delivers an empty pallet (6). The transport device (9) contains a single-sheet feeder (11), for example in the shape of suction heads (20) which lift off the topmost sheet, place it on a sheet support table (23) and from there feed it to the production machine. So as to facilitate the disengagements of the sheets from one another, magnets (18) are so arranged that under their influence they spread the forward positions of the sheets from one another.

Abstract: An agricultural vehicle for transporting and feeding round bales of hay consisting of a vehicle frame having wheels, which are retractable for setting the vehicle on the ground, a trailer hitch for towing the vehicle, a plurality of inverted U shaped frame members for supporting opposing jaws which are attached at the top of the inverted U shaped frame member. The opposing jaws engage bales of hay between them. Once the bales are lifted off the ground they can be transported to storage and stacked by raising the jaws, or the hay may be fed to cattle. The vehicle frame is surrounded by feeder bars which allow cattle to access the hay contained in the vehicle, by sticking their necks between the bars.

Abstract: The tubes to be conveyed to the pirn heads are stacked up within each other in columnar fashion, are held in readiness at a supply location and are separated to be taken away. The separated tube is brought into a conveying position and, while maintaining this conveying position, is transferred to a conveyor extending across all of the pirn heads of the machine. For this purpose a tube-conveying device is installed between a tube magazine (4) and a conveyor belt (2) extending alongside all of the pirn heads, containing means (51) to position the tube (50) into the conveying position and means (71, 6, 8) for the transfer of the tube (5) in its conveying position to the conveyor belt (2).

Abstract: Discharge of fluid and debris onto a roadway from between the closure member and the rear of a truck body is eliminated by the use of a collection trough mounted beneath the rear of the truck body and a pivotally mounted slide member which can be selectively positioned to cover the trough while functioning as an asphalt slide or to act as a retaining wall to deflect and retain water and debris within the trough.

Abstract: A warehouse contains a fixed number of pallet-carrying primary modules (7) arranged in a rectangular block (8) and further arranged in side-by-side parallel longitudinal rows. A working row (A) provides an exposed front side (9) adjacent a worker's station (12, 13) with at least one storage row (B) disposed behind the working row and forming a single working aisle (18) if desired. A secondary module (S) is disposed externally of the block. The secondary module (S) is positioned at the upstream end of the working row and pushes the entire row downstream, causing the secondary module to join the block and the downstream primary module (45) to exit the block. The newly exited module is then moved transversely to the downstream end of a storage row, and the entire row pushed upstream, causing the exited module (45) to again join the block and the upstream primary module (46) in that row to exit the block.

Abstract: A method of stacking boxes, cases, cartons, crates or the like using a computer-controlled apparatus having a lifting grab fitted with two independently movable grippers between which a box to be lifted may be clamped. In a first step, the grab is positioned at a loading station, the grippers are relatively separated and then the grab is lowered over the next box to be stacked. One gripper is then moved to a datum position and the other gripper is moved towards said one gripper so as to clamp a box therebetween. The grab is raised and moved together with the clamped box to a stacking station whereat the grab is finely positioned to have the box correctly placed in the stack under assembly with said one gripper alongside a previously stacked box. The lifted box is released by moving said other gripper away from said one gripper and then the grab is raised clear of the stack without disturbing the placement of the last-lifted box.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for positioning a silicon wafer which comprises: two pieces of supporting boards, fixed to an upper plate, for supporting both side portions of the silicon wafer; an adsorbing disk, disposed in a vertically movable and rotatable manner between the supporting boards, for supporting the silicon wafer in its central position, this adsorbing disk having its upper surface formed with adsorbing holes; a holding member disposed in a vertically movable manner on the circumference of the adsorbing disk between the supporting boards, this holding member having a movable holder which moves inwards by pushing the edge of the silicon wafer when going up while raising the silicon wafer supported on the adsorbing disk; and a photoelectric detector, fitted to a part of the supporting boards, for detecting the edge of an orientation flat of the silicon wafer. The silicon wafer loaded on the supporting boards is raised while being adsorbed by the adsorbing disk.

Abstract: A feeder for containers comprising a magazine having counter-positioned controls for positioning a pile of containers, and a trolley movable horizontally, relative to the pile, and with two sheets for engaging the lowermost container of the pile, and with components for separating the lowermost container from the pile and having various further components whereby it can accommodate containers of various sizes and shapes.

Abstract: A loading device for holding LP gas cylinders on an industrial vehicle which includes a bottom plate in rectangular form, a rear plate extending upwardly along a rear end side of the bottom plate, and a partition plate extending upwardly at a position separating the bottom plate equally into right and left parts and extending between both longitudinal ends of the bottom plate. Tightening bands, each of which has a tightening fitting at one end portion thereof, and hooks are opposed to each other at a front end portion of the partition plate and both lateral end portions of the rear plate. The loading device can always hold two cylinders which are usable alternately, whereby one cylinder can be always used as a spare cylinder and inconvenience due to lack of fuel can be prevented.

Abstract: A paper arranging apparatus for unpiling a vertical stack of paper sheets disposed upon a paper feeding table and repiling the paper sheets into a vertical stack upon a paper piling table includes a vibrational transfer plate disposed within the vicinity of the upper region of the paper piling table, and a crossing plate pivotably mounted upon the upper end of the paper feeding table so as to be movable between a first inoperative elevated position, and a second lowered operative position which overlies the vibrational transfer plate. The crossing and vibrational transfer plates therefore bridge the lateral spacing defined between the paper feeding and paper piling tables in order to facilitate the paper transfer operation between the paper feeding and paper piling tables.

Abstract: A destacker in which each one of a multiplicity of blank sheet materials piled one on another as a stack on a pallet disposed at a predetermined position inside the destacker is lifted by means of an attraction and transported by means of a conveyor to a machining apparatus includes a body frame, a stack receiving section and an empty pallet take-off section mounted respectively on both sides of the body frame and in close proximity to the latter, a stack resting pallet supporting frame section mounted below the inside of the body frame in such a manner as to be moved up and down freely, a stack supporting fork section mounted inside the body frame so as to be slidably moved freely in the horizontal direction and movable up and down freely in the substantially vertically intermediate part of the body frame, a sheet material attraction unit mounted in the upper part of the body frame so as to be moved up and down freely, and a conveyor section with an attraction nature disposed at an upper portion of the body

Abstract: An automatic article stacking system wherein a plurality of articles to be stacked are arranged in layers prior to being stacked. The layers are advantageously arranged horizontally orthogonal to one another so as to enhance the stability of the stack. A measurement system is provided for determining whether any of the articles exceeds a predetermined size limit. In one embodiment which is arranged for stacking egg cartons, a determination that the egg carton exceeds the predetermined size limit signifies that the egg carton is open and, therefore, not in a form suitable for stacking. The open egg carton is conveyed under an elevator which accumulates the articles to be stacked, and to a discharge area. Thus, closed egg cartons are accumulated in layers and stacked. Successive layers of articles are stacked under prior stacked layers.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a work platform movable inside a vessel and associated with a handling robot for handling and laying bricks is presented. The present invention includes at least two hoists placed next to one another, each hoist comprising several telescopic sections. Carriages move along the hoists in order to raise the bricks individually from a depalletizing station located at the foot of the hoist up to platform level. A depalletizing robot, the action of which is coordinated with that of the handling robot, transfers the bricks from a reserve of several brick pallets onto the carriages of the hoist.

Abstract: Apparatus for converting a continuous stream of partially overlapping sheets of paper or the like into a succession of stacks has a table which is movable between a first position adjacent the discharge end of a conveyor for the stream of sheets and a second position adjacent a stack removing unit. When in first position, the table is lowered gradually at the rate at which the height of the growing stack on its top increases, and such table is mounted on a reciprocable carriage which further supports a platform adjacent to the table so that the platform can enter the gathering station and take over a growing stack while the fully grown stack on the table is advanced to the removing unit. The table and the platform are provided with conveyors so that a fully grown stack can be transferred from the table onto the removing unit and the conveyor on the platform can transfer a growing stack onto the table when the transfer of the fully grown stack onto the stack removing unit is completed.

Abstract: Two conveyors for stacks of paper sheets are coupled to each other for movement back and forth between a first position in which one of the conveyors receives one or more stacks and the other conveyor is relieved of the stack or stacks thereon, and a second position in which the one conveyor is relieved of the stack or stacks thereon and the other conveyor receives one or more stacks. In order to expel air from the stacks on the conveyors the foremost portions of the stacks are clamped by reciprocable rams to the respective conveyors and the thus clamped stacks are caused to move along stationary squeegees which bear against successive increments of the stacks behind the respective rams while the stacks, the respective rams and the respective conveyors move away from the stack-receiving positions.

Abstract: A load elevator for pallets comprising a load supporting platform connected to a base frame through scissor linkages, a pair of compression springs interposed between the platform and the base frame, the capacity of said springs being selected according to the formula: ##EQU1## wherein C is the spring capacity in kilograms, W is the weight of the load in kilograms and H is the height of the load in millimeters, such that when a predetermined load W is supported by the platform, the springs will be substantially fully compressed and will operate to automatically elevate the platform as part of the load is removed from the platform whereby the top portion of the load remains at substantially the same height.

Abstract: An apparatus for transit of articles between a transfer surface and an adjacent separator sheet is disclosed with the apparatus having a selectively positionable and extendable bridge for providing a transitional surface between the transfer surface and the sheet and for overlapping a portion of the sheet adjacent to the transfer surface when in a first position, and for providing a clearance for placement and positioning of the sheet when in a second position.

Abstract: A transfer table system includes a plurality of stationary work tables positioned with their respective longitudinal axes in parallel spaced relationship and a transfer table movable into end to end juxtaposition with the work tables. The transfer table and the work tables each include a boundary layer of pressurized air above the table top to facilitate the transfer of previously stacked layers of cloth between the work tables and the transfer table.