Bottom Unloading Body Patents (Class 414/378)
  • Patent number: 12157641
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses for shifting, orienting, organizing, and/or routing objects including parcels and packages. In different aspects, the systems can shift objects, re-orient the objects, e.g., based on dimensions and/or geometries, and then can deposit the objects into transport receptacles used for additional shifting, organizing, and/or routing. In one aspect, an object-orienting mechanism includes a pivot-assembly having a plurality of pivoting-extensions, e.g., that can be independently rotated into different positions, e.g., to manipulate a package. In another aspect, a bin for holding objects includes a base, a plurality of sidewalls extending from the base, and a releasing mechanism that is adjustable into different configurations. In another aspect, a method of re-orienting objects onto a side of smallest dimension or cross-section is provided. This can be used to increase the efficiency of processing objects, e.g., in a logistics network operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: United Parcel Service of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephens B. Woodrough, Jr., Joshua D. Brown
  • Patent number: 11780686
    Abstract: The invention relates to a transport container (4) for a sorting device (1), which can be moved along a conveying path (2), comprising a support frame (6), wherein at least one support tray (8, 10) is rotatably mounted on the support frame, in particular a first support tray (8) and a second support tray (10) following the first support tray (8) in the conveying direction (A) of the transport container (4), wherein the at least one support tray (8, 10) can be rotationally moved by a control device (12) between a substantially horizontal transport position (P1) for transporting a load (L) and a substantially vertical tilt position (P2) for depositing the load (L), wherein the control device (12) has a control lever (14, 16) connected to the support tray, in particular a first control lever (14) connected to the first support tray (8) and a second control lever (16) connected to the second support tray (10), wherein the control lever (14, 16), in particular the respective first control lever (14) and/or second
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Interroll Holding AG
    Inventor: Thomas Eisinger
  • Patent number: 8960412
    Abstract: In one aspect, an apparatus includes an elongated housing, first and second spaced-apart material inlet openings in a top wall of the housing, an outlet opening in a bottom wall of the housing, a first conveyor configured to move material received from the first material inlet toward the outlet opening, and a second conveyor configured to move material received from the first material inlet toward the outlet opening. The outlet opening is longitudinally disposed between the first and second spaced-apart material inlet openings. In another aspect, an apparatus includes a housing having first and second opposite ends and an outlet opening in a bottom wall of the housing. The first end is configured to receive a portion of a first conveyor and the second end is configured to receive a portion of a second conveyor. The first and second conveyors are configured to move material toward the outlet opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Sudenga Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Cory Marshall Maxwell
  • Patent number: 7381023
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a conveyer system configured to move material dumped from a rail-car positioned over fixed rails of a railroad track. The conveyer system includes a frame structure, at least one first conveyer belt system and at least one second conveyer belt system. The frame structure includes rails defined along an upper portion thereof. The frame structure is configured to be positioned on the fixed rails of the railroad track. The at least one first conveyer belt system is coupled to the frame structure and includes a feed end configured to deliver the material and is configured to extend longitudinally along and above the fixed rails of the railroad track. The at least one second conveyer belt system is coupled to the frame structure and configured to extend transverse to and below the feed end of the at least one first conveyer belt system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Ashross, LLC
    Inventor: Lloyd Ash
  • Patent number: 7351026
    Abstract: A rail-car unloading apparatus and method for the same configured to be positioned over fixed rails of a railroad track. The rail-car unloading apparatus includes a frame structure and two parallel rails. The frame structure includes two outer main beams extending substantially parallel with two inner main beams. The two outer main beams are coupled to the two inner main beams with lateral supports. The two inner main beams include tapered end portions at opposite ends thereof and the two inner main beams are configured to extend over and to be positioned against the fixed rails along substantially an entire length of the two inner main beams. The two parallel rails each include a rail length respectively coupled to the two inner main beams of the frame structure. The rail length of each of the two parallel rails is configured to be positioned over the fixed rails with substantially an entire portion of the rail length configured to be positioned over and against the two inner main beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Ashross, LLC
    Inventor: Lloyd Ash
  • Patent number: 7178464
    Abstract: A track mounted system for closing rail car doors that enables the simultaneous closing of multiple car doors. After hopper car contents such as aggregate or coal are unloaded, the doors are closed in pairs by semi-automated door closing arms that are positioned on the track and are operated by hydraulic cylinders, pneumatic cylinders, or electric motors. The closing arms are configured in specific shapes to adapt to a variety of hopper door configurations. The closing arms may be added in pairs depending on the number of doors. The door closer can be sequenced to accommodate frontward or rearward facing doors. Hydraulic cylinders with a differential bell crank can be used to activate the closer arm assemblies. Closer arms can be mounted side by side on the inside or outside of the track or separately inside and outside of the track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Inventor: Gary Clark
  • Patent number: 5678975
    Abstract: A waste container throw-in system of a building, comprises a container holder for holding a waste container therein, a handcart for carrying the container holder thereon, a vertical conveyor tube vertically provided in the building, a waste throw-in apparatus including a frame structure and miscellaneous actuators, an inserting tube inserted in the vertical conveyor tube and a central control system for controlling the waste throw-in apparatus. When a collector carries the handcart to the waste throw-in apparatus and couples therewith, the container holder is lifted up from the handcart and moved in the horizontal direction toward the vertical conveyor tube with the help of the actuators. Then, the inserting tube is removed from the vertical conveyor tube and instead thereof the container holder is inserted in the vertical conveyor tube, whereby the waste container is thrown into the vertical conveyor tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1997
    Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yonosuke Okabe, Takao Sekigawa
  • Patent number: 5116183
    Abstract: An unloading apparatus comprises a supporting frame, a railroad disposed on the bottom of the supporting frame for an open freight car with freight, a pair of belting members hung on the upper portion of the supporting frame, and a moving member including pivotal rods with a shoveling member, whereby when the moving member moves forward and backward along the pair of belting members, the freight are automatically unloaded through a plurality of outlets of the open freight car.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1992
    Inventor: Sang H. Lee
  • Patent number: 5000358
    Abstract: A low profile pneumatic outlet for a covered hopper railway car is disclosed which allows the bottom slope sheets of the hopper car to be moved downwardly closer to the rail thereby increasing the cubic capacity of the car while maintaining the car within AAR clearances. The low profile aspects of the pneumatic outlet result from the provision of an outlet opening in the bottom of the outlet which is opened and closed by a slidable, translatable gate operated by gate opening and closing cam mechanisms positioned generally horizontally with respect to the gate. The preferred gate operating mechanism is a cam operated mechanism which generates a high mechanical advantage initially upon effecting opening movement of the gate thereby to overcome lading and static friction loads, and then, after movement of the gate has been initiated, a lower mechanical advantage is provided so as to more rapidly move the gate toward its open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1991
    Assignee: ACF Industries, Incorporated
    Inventor: Richard H. Dugge
  • Patent number: 4762458
    Abstract: A bottom discharge hopper includes an elongated rectangular discharge opening closable by two discharge doors hinged along their outer edges to the hopper so that the doors are biased to an open position. Each door includes control means comprising a biasing member pivotally mounted to the hopper which biases a runner at each end of the door along a runner track on the door towards a position corresponding to the closed position of the door, the runners being located substantially directly below the pivot of the biasing member in this closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1987
    Date of Patent: August 9, 1988
    Inventors: Deon A. van der Merwe, Brian A. Steinhobel
  • Patent number: 4740130
    Abstract: A bottom discharge hopper the body of which is elevated at a tip by ramps so that doors on the underside of the body, which are secured thereto by links and which are pivotally fixed to upstanding structure on the chassis, open outwardly and downwardly to permit material discharge from the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 26, 1988
    Assignee: Peter Redvers Thorburn
    Inventor: Petrus D. Prins
  • Patent number: 4568311
    Abstract: A wrist mechanism includes a plurality of rigid links connected together by a plurality of joints, wherein each of the joints includes a joint member interconnecting the adjacent links in a manner to enable an angular displacement to be transmitted between the adjacent links, and an angular displacement transmitting section for transmitting the angular displacement between the links in the form of at least two rotational angle components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1983
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1986
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Norihisa Miyake
  • Patent number: 4492509
    Abstract: A box formed by a set of walls closed by a pivoting bottom which is openable so that the object which it carries falls vertically in the ejection zone to be collected in a receptacle. The walls are extended below the bottom so that the pivoting operation may be started before the box quite reaches the ejection zone. The bottom in the closed position forms an angle with the horizontal, thus the object which it carries is automatically jolted against the rear wall during the conveying phase. The portion of the rear wall above the rest position of the bottom is given a slight forward inclination to promote the sliding of the object towards the discharge position. A comb-shaped separation scrapes the bottom (indented) so as to loosen any object adhering abnormally thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1981
    Date of Patent: January 8, 1985
    Assignee: Hotchkiss-Brandt Sogeme H.B.S.
    Inventors: Michel Divoux, Hubert Bonansea, Bernard Constant
  • Patent number: 4244299
    Abstract: A locking arrangement for the side dump doors of a hopper car includes a pair of actuating levers projecting downward from the car engaging suitable trips mounted adjacent to the tracks which provides for longitudinal movement of a pair of latch bars which disengage a plurality of latches longitudinally disposed on the car between the hopper slope sheets and the swinging doors. Safety locks are provided to provide inadvertent opening of the latch mechanisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1978
    Date of Patent: January 13, 1981
    Assignee: Pullman Incorporated
    Inventor: William H. Peterson
  • Patent number: 4232989
    Abstract: A door operating mechanism for a bottom dump railway hopper car including a plurality of longitudinally mounted, divergently opening discharge doors held in the closed position by a plurality of longitudinally spaced claw-like latches. Each pair of transversely opposite latches includes operating rods connecting each latch to a bell-crank positioned beneath the longitudinal hood of the car. The bell-cranks are operatively connected to a longitudinally disposed tension rod, which includes linkages at either end for actuation of the mechanism by trackside mounted cams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1978
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1980
    Assignee: Pullman Incorporated
    Inventor: Roy W. Miller
  • Patent number: 4212333
    Abstract: An automatic bottom load and unload railway tank car includes a tank body having a quick fill and unload lading valve in the tank bottom. A vent valve is also located in the tank bottom and a vent conduit extends from the vent valve up to the top of the tank to a tank vent located in the top of the tank. At a tank car loading and unloading site, the tank car is spotted over an actuating assembly located between and below the tracks. The actuating assembly includes a lading valve actuator and a vent valve actuator which move upwardly and engage the tank bottom to open the lading valve and the vent valve. A lading conduit is connected to the lading loading and unloading valve and to a storage container. A vent conduit is connected between the vent valve and the upper portion of a storage container. During loading, lading passes from the storage container through the lading valve into the tank, and air and vapors pass from the tank to the top of the storage container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1978
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1980
    Assignee: ACF Industries, Incorporated
    Inventor: Robert W. Randolph
  • Patent number: 4207020
    Abstract: An open top railway hopper car is provided with longitudinal center dump discharge openings closed by hinged clam shell type of doors. The doors include an arm and linkage arrangement pivoted to the hopper car structure for continually urging the doors to a closed position. The arm and linkage arrangement is opened by means of side of track cams. Locking for each of the doors is provided by means of a locking pawl engaging stops provided on door brackets which preclude opening of the doors during transport. Opening actuation of the arm and linkage arrangement provides for initial displacement of the locking pawls thereby permitting the doors to continue to their open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1978
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1980
    Assignee: Pullman Incorporated
    Inventor: James J. Schuller