Abstract: Imbricated or overlapped copies of printed material are formed within a plurality of rows to form a single layer of a multi-layered and cubic-shaped stack. The stack allows for more efficient use of space within the storage of printed materials, and allows for easier and faster storing and retrieving of printed materials. The apparatus for forming the stack includes a plurality of in-feed conveyors which feed imbricated copy stream segments to a shuttle assembly upon a plurality of side-by-side rows. Once filled, the shuttle is positioned over a flat separator sheet and drops the plurality of rows onto the separator sheet, thereby forming a single layer. The layer is formed directly upon a stack which is formed upon a pallet. The separator sheet of the formed layer is supported by the copy streams which lie below on the preceding separator sheet.

Abstract: An improved particulate handler that includes one or more elastic sheets that are particularly effective in facilitating the easy and complete removal of particulate from transporters or containers such as railroad cars, dump trucks, chutes and the like. The combination of the elastic sheets and supporting walls overcomes the problem with sticking of particulates to the interior surfaces and facilitates smooth and easy movement and/or removal under the influence of gravity and changes in tensile stresses and stretch that develop in the sheets during loading, unloading and conveying.

Abstract: A dump truck having a longitudinally extending conveyor structurally integrated into the bottom structure of the dump body of the truck. A hydraulic drive system is selectively operable for running the conveyor in each direction for dispensing the material contents of the dump body at the front and rear ends of the dump body. Front and rear spreaders are mounted on the truck frame at the front and rear ends of the conveyor for spreading the dispensed material onto the roadway in front of and rearwardly of the rear wheels of the truck.

Abstract: A prealigner (10) employs an X-Y stage (20) and a rotary stage (26) to position and orient a specimen (12) without centering it on the prealigner. In a preferred embodiment, the rotary stage is mounted on the X-Y stage and receives a semiconductor (12) in a substantially arbitrary position and orientation. The prealigner employs the rotary stage and translation in only an X-axis direction to scan the peripheral edge (76) of the wafer across an optical scanning assembly (36) to form a polar coordinate map of the wafer. A microprocessor (162) determines the location and orientation of the wafer from the map and cooperates with a motor drive controller (122) to generate control signals for positioning and orienting the wafer in the preselected alignment without changing the location at which the wafer is held.

Abstract: A novel spacing sheet is used in place of a conventional tie sheet in layered material loads, such as pallet loads. The spacing sheet generally comprises a plurality of spaced apart surface elements and intervening channels, on its top surface, which generally facilitate handling of the material on the sheet. The channels especially facilitate removal of material from the spacing sheet. The spacing sheets are generally thicker than a conventional paper tie sheet while being thinner than a conventional pallet.

Abstract: The vehicle undercarriage spare tire carrier wherein the tire is lifted by a lever arm. A yieldable resilient connection is provided to attach an end of the cable that lifts the tire so that the effective lever arm operating on the cable to lift the tire is shortened as the tire is lifted thereby increasing the ease of lifting the tire.

Abstract: A conventional bottom dump truck includes doors which in a closed position are suspended underneath the bottom opening of the hopper of the trailer. The doors are opened outwardly and upwardly by pivotal action about an upper suspension point of each of the doors. The amount of movement of the door is limited by an abutment member mounted upon a vertical flange on the outside surface of the hopper bottom. The abutment member includes an abutment plate extending outwardly from the flange together with a bracket which has a slot slidable along the length of the flange and locatable at different points along the length of the flange by a pin passing through openings in the bracket and one of a plurality of openings in the flange. The flange can be rotated about an axis longitudinal of the flange to move the abutment member out of the path of the abutment on the door and simultaneously to move a second abutment member into engagement with the door which is positioned at the maximum allowable opening of the door.

Abstract: An industrial robot apparatus comprise for controlling an industrial robot and a peripheral unit thereof according to a program so as to load workpieces on a pallet, an abnormal stop unit for detecting an abnormality which occurs in at least either of the industrial robot and the peripheral unit and for stopping both the industrial robot and the peripheral unit, a storage unit for storing a step of the program which is being executed when the abnormal stop takes place, and a removal unit for removing remaining workpieces to be loaded on the pallet in steps following the stored step of the storage unit.

Abstract: Apparatus for moving a plurality of pallets loaded with building block and being supported in a vertical stack in parallel relation to one another. Uncured molded block is supported on pallets which are serially advanced on a conveyor toward an unloader. Pallets are arranged in a vertical stack for engagement with an unloader spade assembly having a plurality of laterally extending spades one above the other. The spades are constructed to support and lift the pallets when each is positioned under a corresponding pallet and the spade assembly is shifted upwardly. A transfer carriage is mounted on a track above the spade assembly for lateral shifting movement with the spade assembly being suspended therefrom. A pivot shaft is mounted on the transfer carriage for pivoting about a vertical axis and includes a driving end connected to the spade assembly for pivoting the spade assembly about the axis. Rollers are mounted on the transfer carriage.

Abstract: A device for aligning a continuous paper sheet strip stored in a stacker (10), to form a package (14), which includes a first lateral locator (20) transversally fixed and vertically movable and a second lateral locator (50) movable both laterally and vertically; the locators (20, 50) include telescopically-shaped rods, the external rod (52, 62) thereof being cylindrical in shape. In order to move the second locator (50), a motor, a pair of rods and a worm screw are provided which is located in a region over the collector (10) and do not protrude laterally with respect thereto.

Abstract: An installer comprising a supporting structure and a carriage adapted to carry a water bottle. The carriage is mounted on the supporting structure for movement along a path between a loading position in which the carriage is adapted to receive the water bottle and an unloading position in which the carriage is at a higher elevation than in the loading position and inverted with respect to the loading position. A stopper is mounted on the carriage for movement with the carriage between the loading and unloading positions. The stopper is movable between a closed position in which it essentially closes a mouth of the water bottle and an open position in which the stopper is displaced from the closed position. A cam system is carried by the supporting structure and is responsive to the carriage approaching the unloading position for moving the stopper from the closed position to the open position.

Abstract: An end gate is provided for a truck box which may be selectively automatically pivotally moved to an open position as the truck box is pivotally moved to its dumping position. A cable interconnecting the end gate and dump box is threaded through a series of pulleys to cause the end gate to pivot outwardly in response to upwardly movement of the dump box.

Abstract: A stack of signatures are dropped upon the platform halves of a rotatable platform, the platform halves being raised to reduce the free fall distance from the point where the stack of signatures are dropped and a lower stack ejection position. The platform halves are lowered as each stack of signatures is delivered thereto. Eventually, the platform is lowered to the stack ejection position and the pusher is pushed through a gap provided between the platform halves to eject a completed bundle from the platform. The pusher moves through the gap as the platform is being raised or lowered to significantly reduce the cycle time. Stack compressors are selectively movable to a position above the turntable and by selectively raising the platform halves, the accumulated stack of signatures on the platform halves are squeezed between the compression members and the platform halves to form a neat, compressed bundle. The turntable is rotatable through a half-revolution to form compensated stacks.

Abstract: Apparatus for loading and transporting recreational vehicles includes a pickup truck. Four upright supports are coupled to the pickup's bed. An upper rack is coupled to the four upright supports, generally parallel to the bed with space between the rack and the bed to support a first recreational vehicle on the bed beneath the rack. A vehicle transport ramp is pivotally coupled to the upper rack pivotal from a first position in which a second recreational vehicle may drive onto the ramp to a second position, generally horizontal and parallel to the bed, for transporting the second vehicle on the ramp. The ramp has a displaceable extension for shortening the ramp's length when the ramp is pivoted to the second position. The displaceable extension is used for extending the length of the ramp to contact the ground when the ramp is in the first position.

Abstract: A stowage device for stowing workpieces of a plurality of kinds on pallets in accordance with inputted shipment information includes a supply conveyor system provided with a refuge track conveyor. A plurality of carrier means devices (e.g. containers) carrying workpieces of different kinds are supplied via the supply conveyor system. Pallets on which workpieces are stowed by an industrial robot are transferred via a transfer device. The stowing of workpieces on each pallet is effected in two cycles: In the first cycle, workpieces of each kind filling a complete layer or layers of workpieces on the pallet are stowed. In the second re-stowing cycle, remaining fractional numbers of workpieces of respective kinds are stowed on the pallet. During these stowing operations, the carrier devices may be temporarily taken into the refuge conveyor before being transferred away from the robot.

Abstract: A single large round bale handling apparatus includes an elongated generally upright support frame having a main portion and an upper end portion extending in an angular relationship relative to the main portion, an upper cross beam pivotally mounted to the upper end portion of the support frame and extending in transverse relation thereto, and a pair of lift arms pivotally mounted to and supported below the upper cross beam. Elongated bale impaling prongs are mounted in generally facing relation to one another to lower ends of the lift arms. The lift arms are pivotally coupled together at their upper ends. Elongated springs mounted between the lift arms and the opposite ends of the upper cross beams apply biasing forces to the lift arms to normally pivotally move the lift arms toward an outer bale releasing position.

Abstract: A bale carrier having first and second rows of bale cradles pivotally mounted thereon and which are moveable between bale supporting positions and bale dumping positions. A plurality of first safety latches are mounted on the carrier adjacent one of the rows of bale cradles. A plurality of second safety latches are mounted on the carrier adjacent the second row of bale cradles. A plurality of third and fourth safety latches are mounted on the carrier adjacent the first and second rows of bale cradles. The first safety latches are operatively interconnected so that all of the first safety latches may be simultaneously moved together between latched and unlatched positions. The second safety latches are also operatively interconnected so that all of the second safety latches may be simultaneously moved together between their latched and unlatched positions.

Abstract: A lifting device for down hole tubulars is used with an earth drilling machine of the type having a boom for moving a down hole tubular from a horizontal position at an intermediate level to a raised position aligned with a drilling axis, and a tubular holding device for holding a down hole tubular horizontally at a lower level, beneath the intermediate level. The lifting device includes first and second spaced, parallel tracks oriented to extend substantially from the lower level substantially to the upper level and first and second dolleys, each guided for movement along a respective one of the tracks and configured to retain the down hole tubular. The dolleys are moved between the lower and intermediate levels by an actuator which is connected to both of the dolleys by a mechanical linkage which includes tension members. This mechanical linkage positively synchronizes movement of the dolleys along the tracks to maintain the tubular horizontal as it is moved between the lower and intermediate levels.

Abstract: A movable cart has an air deck with a gripper assembly mounted thereon which has two opposed gripper arms which may be extended into a jogger/aerator to engage and grip a stack of paper supported on an air deck therein and to withdraw the stack fully onto the cart. The cart is movable between the jogger/aerator and one or more sheet feeding apparatus. Each sheet-feeding apparatus is outfitted with an air deck onto which the loaded sheet stack may be automatically unloaded. A transfer deck has a plurality of swords with spring-loaded dogs for storing a stack of paper and advancing the stored stack into the sheet-feeding apparatus upon exhaustion of its sheet supply.

Abstract: A hydraulic telescoping ram of the type suitable to tip dump trucks and the like, which permits the use of outer aggressive seals and a bore sealing device by providing a conduit which hydraulically connects the upper end of each cylinder of the telescopic ram with an oil reservoir. This makes it possible to use seals which are not aggressive and which can run on surfaces of somewhat less than top quality, on the internal bottom faces of the rams so as to allow the passage of a small quantity of oil into a gap formed within the ram and cylinder and between the aggressive and non-aggressive seals. The oil which passes the non-aggressive seal is returned to the oil reservoir when the ram is extended.