LOADING APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORT CONTAINER
An apparatus (10) for loading a transport container with a load of bulk material has a load bin (20) positioned for axial movement atop a base assembly (40). A packer blade (90) is positioned inside the load bin for movement relative to the load bin in the same axial direction. The load bin has an open first end (22) and a second end (24), with a pair of vertical side walls (66) and a substantially open top surface. Drivers (60, 92) are provided for the axial movements. Material is loaded into the load bin, the openable end of the transport container is placed around the first end of the load bin, and the load bin is extended into the transport container until the packer blade is inside the transport container. By retracting the load bin while retaining the packer blade inside the container, the load is transferred.
This application is a divisional of, and makes a claim of priority to, U.S. Ser. No. 13/012,397, filed 24 Jan. 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,813, issued on 4 Mar. 2014, which is in turn a non-provisional of U.S. 61/297,438, filed on 22 Jan. 2010, now expired. Both applications are incorporated by reference as if fully recited herein.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe disclosed embodiments relate to a method for loading a material into a transport container, as well as to a device for practicing the method.
BACKGROUNDThe incentives for providing a device for loading a material, and especially a bulk material, in a transport container of a standardized size, are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,172,382 and 7,588,406, both of which are issued to Nathan Frankel.
Because the transport container is primarily a hollow rectangular solid that is open on an end rather than on the top, the process of filling the transport container necessarily occurs sequentially from the innermost end of the transport container and retreats towards the open end. As Frankel properly notes, this has previously been accomplished by use of palletized units or by use of skid-steer loaders.
It is therefore an unmet advantage of the prior art to provide a device and a method for using the device, where a load of bulk material can be moved easily and in a single loading operation from a load bin into a transport container, especially where the movement of the bulk material into the transport container is at least in part controlled by axial movement of a packer blade within the load bin.
SUMMARYThis and other unmet advantages are provided by the apparatus and method described, shown and claimed in more detail below.
The apparatus allows the loading of a transport container with a load of bulk material, the load being of sufficient size to substantially fill the transport container to capacity in a single operation, rather than in a series of stepwise operations, such as using palletized units or using skid steer units.
The apparatus comprises a load bin, a packer blade and a base assembly, as well as means for driving the packer blade relative to the load bin and means for driving the load bin relative to the base assembly.
The load bin has an open first end and a second end, with a pair of vertical side walls and a substantially open top surface. The packer blade effectively closes the second end of the load bin and can be moved within the load bin along the bin's longitudinal axis, from a retracted position near the second end of the load bin to an extended position in the direction of the first end. The load bin is positioned atop the base assembly, and is movable along a longitudinal axis of the base assembly between an extended position and a retracted position. The load bin and base assembly are of substantially the same length.
In some embodiments, a counterweight is provided in a second end of the base assembly, where a power unit, operatively engaged with the drive means, is also located.
The load bin has a width corresponding to a width of the transport container with which the apparatus is used, for insertion of the load bin into the openable end of the transport container.
In preferred embodiments, the packer blade and the load bin have co-acting means for guiding the relative movement of them
In the preferred embodiments, the first end of the load bin is devoid of any door or closure means that could obstruct free passage of the bulk material being transferred from the load bin into the transport container.
The method for loading a transport container having an openable end with an load of bulk material in a single operation is performed with the apparatus as described. The method comprises the steps of: loading the load bin of the apparatus with the bulk material with the packer blade positioned in the retracted position; positioning the openable end of the transport container around the first end of the load bin, such that the first end passing into an interior of the transport container; disposing the bulk material inside the transport container by at least moving the first end of the load bin further into the interior by moving the load bin toward the extended position relative to the base assembly such that the packer blade is inside the transport container; transferring the bulk material from the load bin into the transport container by simultaneously moving the load bin toward the retracted position while maintaining the packer blade inside the transport container; and moving the transport container relative to the load bin, so that the first end of the load bin passes out of the transport contain through the openable end thereof.
In some embodiments of the method, the loading step occurs while the load bin is in the retracted position on the base assembly.
In some embodiments, the loading step occurs after the positioning step has placed the first end of the load bin into the transport container interior, while, in other embodiments, the loading step occurs before the positioning step has placed the first end of the load bin into the transport container interior.
A better understanding of the disclosed embodiments will be obtained from a reading of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings wherein identical reference characters refer to identical parts and in which:
A first end 22 of the load bin 20 extends beyond a first end 42 of the base assembly 40 even in the retracted position of
The load bin 20 comprises a pair of vertical side walls 26, one of which is visible in
A first end 22 of the load bin 20 is preferably left open and unobstructed by any gate or other closure. In the preferred modes, this first end 22 provides no surfaces that would obstruct free passage of the bulk material during the process of transferring it into a transport container. Access to the interior of the load bin 20 at the opposite second end 24 is generally precluded by a movable packer blade 90, which is described in more detail below. With the vertical side walls 26, the floor (shown in
The movable packer blade 90 is normally positioned at the second end 24 of the load bin 20. In the disclosed embodiment, a structure 32, which is attached to the load bin 20, houses a drive mechanism 92 that, when actuated, moves the packer blade 90 along a longitudinal axis of the load bin 20 towards or away from the first end 22. As depicted, drive mechanism 92 is a hydraulic drive, although other means for driving the packer blade, such as a screw drive, a chain-and-sprocket drive, as well as others, will be known to those of skill. It is preferred that, whatever drive mechanism 92 is used, it should serve as a brake against movement of the packer blade 90 in either direction when the drive means is not actuated. In cases where the drive means for the load bin 20 is a hydraulic drive, the implementation will be similar to that shown with drive mechanism 92.
Attention is now directed to
The use of the apparatus 10 is exemplified by the depictions in
In one situation, the load bin 20 is filled in the retracted position. The load bin 20 is moved to the extended position by using drive means 60 and the transport container is moved around the extended portion of the load bin, with the first end 22 of the load bin passing into the interior of the transport container through the open end of the transport container. At this point, the packer blade 90 of the load bin is advanced, if necessary, using the drive means 92 until the packer blade is inside the transport container and the entire unpalletized load is fully disposed inside the transport container.
In another situation, the load bin 20 is filled in the retracted position, but, before the load bin is moved to the extended position, the transport container is moved proximate to the apparatus 10 at the first end 22 of the load bin. Then, by extending the load bin into the
In the third situation, the load bin is filled while in the extended position of
In any of these situations, the result to this point is substantially the same, with the packer blade 90 internal to the transport container and the unpalletized load residing in the load bin 20. By simultaneously operating the drive means 60 that move the load bin relative to the base assembly and the drive means 92 that positions the packer blade 90 inside the load bin 20, the unpalletized load is transferred by retracting the load bin from the transport container in the direction of the base assembly while maintaining the packer blade inside the transport container by advancing the packer blade towards the first end of the load bin.
Once the unpalletized load is transferred, the transport container is moved away from the apparatus, separating the load bin from the interior of the transport container. The open end of the transport container is closed to secure the unpalletized load, which remains inside the transport container. The load bin may now be re-filled with unpalletized material and the process repeated.
Having shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, those skilled in the art will realize that many variations and modifications may be made to affect the described invention and still be within the scope of the claimed invention. Thus, many of the elements indicated above may be altered or replaced by different elements which will provide the same result and fall within the spirit of the claimed invention.
Claims
1. A method for loading a transport container having an openable end with an load of bulk material in a single operation with a loading apparatus comprising a load bin, having an unobstructed first end and a second end, the load bin comprising a floor, a pair of vertical side walls, and a gusset on each vertical side wall that extends into an interior of the load bin and secures the vertical side wall to the floor, the load bin having a substantially open top surface, a packer blade, effectively closing the second end of the load bin and movable along a longitudinal axis of the load bin interior on a track defined by the gussets and the vertical side walls, from a retracted position near the second end of the load bin to an extended position in the direction of the open first end, a base assembly, upon which the load bin is positioned for movement between an extended position and a retracted position along a longitudinal axis of the base assembly extending from a first end to a second end of the base assembly, means for driving the load bin relative to the base assembly and means for driving the packer blade relative to the load bin; the method comprising the steps of:
- loading the load bin of the apparatus with the bulk material, the packer blade positioned in the retracted position;
- positioning the openable end of the transport container around the first end of the load bin, such that the first end passing into an interior of the transport container;
- disposing the bulk material inside the transport container by at least moving the first end of the load bin further into the interior by moving the load bin toward the extended position relative to the base assembly such that the packer blade is inside the transport container;
- transferring the bulk material from the load bin into the transport container by simultaneously moving the load bin toward the retracted position while maintaining the packer blade inside the transport container; and
- moving the transport container relative to the load bin, so that the first end of the load bin passes out of the transport contain through the openable end thereof.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein:
- the loading step occurs while the load bin is in the retracted position on the base assembly.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein:
- the loading step occurs after the positioning step has placed the first end of the load bin into the transport container interior.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein:
- the loading step occurs before the positioning step has placed the first end of the load bin into the transport container interior.
5. A method for loading a transport container having an openable end with a load of bulk material in a single operation, the method comprising the steps of:
- loading a load bin of a loading apparatus with the bulk material, the loading apparatus comprising a load bin having a rectangular floor with a width and a length dimension, a pair of side walls extending upward from the rectangular floor, from a first end to a second end thereof, along the edges defining the length dimension, with the width of the floor and the height of the side walls selected to permit insertion of the load bin into the transport container through the openable end, the load bin further defined by a packer blade spans across the rectangular floor between the side walls, the packer blade movable in the length dimension of the floor from a retracted position near a first end of the load bin to an extended position near the second end; a base assembly, upon which the load bin is movably positioned, so that, in a retracted position, the load bin is atop the base assembly and, in an extended position, the first end of the load bin is extended onto a transport container being loaded with the second end of the load bin over the base assembly; means for driving the load bin relative to the base assembly between the retracted and extended positions; and means for driving the packer blade relative to the load bin, the packer blade positioned in the retracted position during the loading of the bulk material;
- positioning the openable end of the transport container around the first end of the load bin, such that the first end passes into an interior of the transport container;
- disposing the bulk material inside the transport container by at least moving the first end of the load bin further into the interior by moving the load bin toward the extended position relative to the base assembly such that the packer blade is inside the transport container;
- transferring the bulk material from the load bin into the transport container by simultaneously moving the load bin toward the retracted position while maintaining the packer blade inside the transport container; and
- moving the transport container relative to the load bin, so that the first end of the load bin passes out of the transport contain through the openable end thereof.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein:
- the loading step occurs while the load bin is in the retracted position on the base assembly.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein:
- the loading step occurs after the positioning step has placed the first end of the load bin into the transport container interior.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein:
- the loading step occurs before the positioning step has placed the first end of the load bin into the transport container interior.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 3, 2014
Publication Date: Jun 26, 2014
Inventor: Greg R. Bushong (Loomis, CA)
Application Number: 14/195,277
International Classification: B65G 67/20 (20060101);