US3037444A - Strap guide - Google Patents

Description

June 5, 1962 c, SCOTT 3,037,444

STRAP GUIDE Filed Oct. 25, 1959 3,637,444 STRAP GUEDE Andrew C. Scott, Hinsdale, Ill., assignor to Acme Stee Company, Chicago, Ill, a corporation of Illinois Filed Oct. 23, 1959, Ser. No. 848,449 6 Claims. (Cl. wit-26) This invention relates to the art of strapping and particularly to strapping bundles or loads to supporting skids or pallets.

In the past several years it has become morecommon to secure bundles or loads to supporting skids or pallets to provide unitized loads which can be handled conven-iently by fork lift trucks and other carrying devices during subsequent handling and shipping. Experience with skid loading has resulted in many different types and forms of pallets or skids, each being used in its own special way for various reasons depending upon the nature of the commodity and on the various requirements inherently essential :to the proper handling and shipping of the commodity.

One of the prevalent requirements of skid loading or palletizing is that the straps securing the bundle to the pallet are not exposed below therunners or feet of the skid where they can be subjected to snagging and damage as the unitized loads are moved about. One common type of skid embodies a platform supported by two parallel longitudinally extending runners below the platform. The runners are provided with notches at their upper edges to provide openings between the upper edges of the runners and the bottom surface of the platform supported by the runners, to thereby provide passageways for the binding straps at a level adjacent to the platform rather than beneath the runners where they could be snagged and damaged.

It is quite common to strap loads to this particular type of pallet completely by hand whereby the operator must feed the strap through the passageway provided by one of the runners across to the passageway provided by the other runner of a pallet. Then the strap is encircled about the platform and the package on it and the strap ends are then secured together to provide a closed loop of strap securing the skid to the load. It should be quite apparent some difficulty arises when threading the strap from an opening in one skid runner to and through the opening in the adjacent skid runner. if the strap is curved longitudinally, considerably difiiculty is encountered in getting the strap through the second opening. It is therefore, the principal object of this invention to overcome this strap threading problem by providing means for facilitating the threading of the strap through the openings of the skid runners. 7

It is another object of the invention to provide such improved strap guiding means which can be used in conjunction with a modified standard type strap guide which is used for encircling straps around the palletized load.

It is still another object of the invention to provide improved guide means of the type mentioned which has a particular advantage when used in combination with a conveyor on which the pallet loads, are transported because it provides clear passage of the skid runners along the conveyor without interfering with the strapfeeding oepration between the openings in the skid runners.

It is another object of the invention to provide such improved guide means which is stationary and therefore requires no special operating mechanism.

Other objects and advantages can be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front elevation of a portion of a conveyor and strap guide of a type which embodies the improved strap guide means of this invention;

Patented June 5, 19:62

FIG. 2 shows a partial sectional view along the line 22 of FIG. 1 and particularly shows the improved strap guide means of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and indicates the shape of the strap guide track;

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged partial sectional view of the portion of FIG. 2 particularly showing the improved strap guide means of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional View along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

A structure in which the improved guide means of this invention is embodied can be of many forms but is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 supported on a frame 1 which is provided with a front upright 2 and a taller rear upright 3 connected together by a bottom horizontal member 4. On either side of the frame member 1 are supported roller conveyors 5 and 6 on legs 7 and 8 which support the conveyors at their proper height. The conveyors may be of any conventional type but, as shown, each consists of two parallel spaced channel members 9 and 10 which have trunnioned between them rollers 11 on which the objects to be bound or strapped are supported. The uprights 2 and 3 and horizontal members 12, 13 and 14 form a framework for the support of a strap guide track 15 which is divided into two lengths 15a and 1511. Length 15a extends in a C-shape from member 14 along member 3 and down along member 13. Its lower end terminates adjacent to the inner ends of the conveyors 5 and 6. The length 15b is rather short and is positioned on members 12 and 2 on the opposite sides of the conveyors 5 and 6. Both of the lengths 15a and 15!) are held in place by means of L-shaped clips 16. These clips 16 are secured to the frame members by means of screws 17. Their shape and positions are shown in FIG. 3.

The cross-section of the strap guide track 15 is also shown in FIG. 3. The track as shown is made of flexible material such as rubber or plastic and is either molded or extruded into the cross-section shown. It is shaped with two flanges 18 which connect to two semi-circular walls 19 which ordinarily are disconnected in a region 2t? where these walls abut to form a circle. Contained within the walls 19 is a strap backing member 21 which extends for the entire length of each of the lengths 15a, and 151). It is retained within the walls 19 by bending of its ends as indicated at 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d. This backing member 21 is preferably made of smooth surfaced.

metal to provide a hard and smooth surface against which strap fed through the track can slide with a minimum of frictional drag.

The flanges 18 are held against the frame members by means of the L-shaped clips 16 as shown in FIG. 3.

Adjacent to the member 14 at the top of the vertical member 3 is another horizontal member 22 which supports a platform 23 at its end. The platform 23 supposts a motor 24 which is provided at the end of its shaft 25 with a feed wheel 26. Below the feed wheel 26 is an idler wheel 27 which is mounted on a spring loaded hinge 28 which urges the idler wheel 27 upward-1y against the feed wheel 26. The spring loaded hinge 23 allows the idler wheel 27 to be deflected downwardly to a position as shown at 27a so that strap can be conveniently removed from between two wheels. I I

Mounted between the two aligned ends and 15a of the strap guide lengths 15a and 15b and in the space between the two conveyors 5 and 6 is a strap guide member 29 which is supported on legs 34) fixed to the horizontal member 4. The strap guide member 29 is of channel shape, having a bottom wall 2% connected between two side walls 2% and 290. The side walls 2% and 29c are positioned angularly to each other so that they are spread apart further at one end of the strap guide member than at the other. The bottom wall 29a is sloped upwardly in the direction of the guide length 15b.

The heights of the inner ends 150 or 15d of the guide lengths 15a and 15d as well as the height of the high end 29d of the bottom wall 29a of the guide member 29 is predetermined by the height of the slot openings or passageways 31 provided in the parallel runners 32 of a skid or pallet 33 onto which a load is to be strapped. As indicated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the pallet consists basically of a platform 34 supported on two of the runners 32. The platform 34 supports the load which is in the form of cylindrical objects 35. The runners 32 are provided with notches 36 at their upper edges and these notches 36 provide the passageways 31 through which the binding straps are to be passed.

In operation, strap 37 is fed in the direction of the arrow 38 by means of the feed wheel 26 which is rotated when the motor 24 is electrically energized. The strap 37 is directed by the feed wheel 26 into the upper end of the strap track guide length 15:: and is guided by it until it emerges from the end 15d of the length 15a. If a pallet supporting a load is properly aligned on the conveyors and 6, the leading strap end 37a emerges and passes through a strap passage 31 of the pallet 33. This leading strap end 37a, due to its weight, naturally drops vertically until it contacts the bottom wall 29:: of the strap guide member 29 which guides it forwardly and again upwardly to lead it into the strap passage 31 of the second runner 32 of the pallet 33. After emerging from the second strap passage 31, the leading strap end 37a is directed into the second length 15b of the strap guide 15 and it is guided through this guide length 15 until it emerges from its upper end. Sufficient length of strap is fed beyond the end of the guide length 15b so that the leading strap end 37a and the supply strap end 37b can be manipulated by the operator into overlapping relationship with each other. After this point in the operation, the strap 37 is encircled about the entire palletized load as shown in FIG. 2. At this time the o erator retracts the supply end 37b by withdrawing it in a direction opposite to that of the arrow 38. When doing so, the flexible side walls 19 of the track flex outwardly as the strap 37 cams against them until they assume positions approximately as shown at 40 in FIG. 3. When so flexed, the region 29 of their separation is widened sufficiently that the strap 37 can be withdrawn from the strap guide. Likewise, the leading strap end 37:; is pulled upwardly and Withdrawn from the length 1512 in a similar manner. When the strap 37 is Withdrawn and is suificiently close to the load of objects 35 on the pallet 33, the operator uses conventional tools for further tensioning the strap 37 into a closed loop onto the load and then securing the overlapping strap ends 37a and 37b into interlocking engagement with each other, ordinarily with a seal 41 also interlocked around the overlapping strap ends. A final secured loop of strap is indicated at 42 in FIGS. 1 and 2.

It should be emphasized that, without the guide member 29 between the runners 32 of the pallet, the leading strap end 37a would of its own weight fall downward between the runners and not automatically feed through the second consecutive strap passage 31 of the runners 32. With the member 29 the leading strap end 37:: is ordinarily lead properly into the second passageway.

Although the invention is shown embodied with an entire guide track 15 and a feed mechanism for feeding the strap, it should be understood that the invention still has utility when only the guide member 29 is used and one operator feeds the band from one side of the pallet to the other where another operator is available to receive it. Both of the strap ends then can be raised up on opposite sides of the load where they can be joined together around the load. Also, the guide member 29 can be used in situations where a strapping head is used to automatically tension and join together the strap, or other variations are possible. And, although only one embodi- 4. ment of the invention is shown, it should be clearly understood that it can be made in many different ways without departing from the true scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination in strapping apparatus for strapping a pallet of a type having a load supporting platform secured at its lower surface to spaced apart parallel support runners provided with aligned strap openings adjacent the load supporting platform comprising, a pallet support having support regions for supporting a pallet on the bottom surfaces of its spaced apart parallel support runners, a strapping station on the pallet support, a strap guide extending from the pallet support and projecting above the level of said support regions to be positioned in the space between the spaced apart parallel support runners when the pallet is at the strapping station, said strap guide having a bottom wall for catching the leading end of a strap fed through a first strap opening in one of the adjacent runners, said bottom wall being sloped upwardly from a level below that of the bottom surface of said first strap opening to terminate at least at the height of the level of the bottom surface of a second strap opening in the other next adjacent runner so as to direct a strap fed from the first opening into the second opening in order to obtain clear passage of the strap from one side of the pallet to the other adjacent to the load supporting platform.

2. The combination in strapping apparatus for strapping a pallet of a type having a load supporting platform secured at its lower surface to spaced apart parallel support runners provided with aligned strap openings adjacent the load supporting platform comprising, a pallet support having support regions for supporting a pallet on the bottom surfaces of its spaced apart parallel support runners, a strapping station on the pallet support, a strap guide extending from the pallet support and projecting above the level of said support regions to be positioned in the space between the spaced apart parallel support runners when the pallet is at the strapping. station, said strap guide having a bottom wall for catching the leading end of a strap fed through a first strap opening in one of the adjacent runners, said bottom wall being sloped upwardly from a level below that of the bottom surface of said first strap opening to terminate at least at the height of the level of the bottom surface of a second strap opening in the other next adjacent runner so as to direct a strap fed from the first opening into the second opening in order to obtain clear passage of the strap from one side of the pallet to the other adjacent to the load supporting platform, said strap guide also having side walls connected to opposite margins of the bottom wall to confine lateral movement of the strap end as it is fed through the strap guide.

3. The combination in strapping apparatus for strapping a pallet of a type having a load supporting platform secured at its lower surface to spaced apart parallel support runners provided with aligned strap openings adjacent the load supporting platform comprising, a pallet support having support regions for supporting a pallet on the bottom surfaces of its spaced apart parallel support runners, a strapping station on the pallet support, a strap guide extending from the pallet support and projecting above the level of said support regions to be positioned in the space between the spaced apart parallel support runners when the pallet is at the strapping station, said strap guide having a bottom wall for catching the leading end of a strap fed through a first strap opening in one of the adjacent runners, said bottom wall being sloped upwardly from a level below that of the bottom surface of said first strap opening to terminate at least at the height of the level of the bottom surface of a second strap opening in the other next adjacent runner so as to direct a strap fed from the first opening into the second opening in order to obtain clear passage of the strap from one side of the pallet to the other adjacent to the load supporting platform, said strap guide also having side Walls connected to opposite margins of the bottom wall to confine lateral movement of the strap end as it is [fed through said strap guide, said side walls being spread apart an amount 7 larger than the width of the first strap opening to facilitate entry of the strap end into the strapguide and said side walls being convergent toward the second strap opening to accurately direct the strap end into the second strap opening.

4. The combination in strapping apparatus for strapping a pallet of a type having a load supporting platform secured at its lower surface to spaced apart parallel support runners provided with aligned strap openings adjacent the load supporting platform comprising, a first guide through which a strap ,can be fed endwise around the pallet, said first guide being interrupted along its length to provide a strapping station at the interruption, a pallet support mounted at the interruption having support regions for supporting a pallet on the bottom surfaces of its spaced apart parallel support runners at a level to cause alignment of the strap openings of the runners of the pallet with the strap feed path through the first guide when the pallet is supported at the strapping station, a second strap guide extending from the pallet support and projecting above the level of said support regions to be positioned in the space between the spaced apart parallel support runners when the pallet is at the strapping station, said second strap guide being aligned to direct a strap fed from a first strap opening in one of said adjacent runners across to an aligned second strap opening in the other adjacent runner in order to obtain guided passage of the strap from the portion of the first guide on one side of the interruption through the aligned strap openings of the pallet to the portion of the first guide on the opposite side of the interruption, said second strap guide having a bottom wall for catching the leading end of the strap fed through the first strap opening, said bottom wall being sloped upwardly from a level below that of the bottom surface of said first strap opening to terminate at least at the height of the level of the bottom surface of the second strap opening to help insure proper guidance through the second guide.

5. The combination in strapping apparatus for strapping a pallet of a type having a load supporting platform secured at its lower surface to spaced apart parallel support runners provided with aligned strap openings adjacent the load supporting platform comprising, a first guide through which a strap can be fed endwise around the pallet, said first guide being interrupted along its length to provide a strapping station at the interruption, a pallet support mounted at the interruption having support regions for supporting a pallet on the bottom surfaces of its spaced apart parallel support runners at a level to cause alignment of the strap openings of the runners of the pallet with the strap feed path through the first guide when the pallet is supported at the strapping station, a second strap guide extending from the pallet support and projecting above the level of said support regions to be positioned in the space between the spaced apart parallel support runners when the pallet is at the strapping station, said second strap guide being aligned to direct a strap fed from a first strap opening in one of said adjacent runners across to an aligned second strap opening in the other adjacent runner in order to obtain guided passage of the strap from the portion of the first guide on one side of the interruption through the aligned strap openings of the pallet to the portion of the first guide on the opposite side of the interruption, said second strap guide having a bottom wall for catching the leading end of the strap fed through the first strap opening, said bottom wall being sloped upwardly from a level below that of the bottom surface of said first strap opening to terminate at least at the height of the level of the bottom surface of the second strap opening to help insure proper guidance through the second guide, said second strap guide also having side walls connected to opposite margins of the bottom wall to confine lateral movement of the strap end as it is fed through the second guide.

6. The combination in strapping apparatus for strapping a pallet of a type having a load supporting platform secured at its lower surface to spaced apart parallel support runners provided with aligned strap openings adjacent the load supporting platform comprising, a first guide through which a strap can be fed endwise around the pallet, said first guide being interrupted along its length to provide a strapping station at the interruption, a pallet support mounted at the interruption having support regions for supporting a pallet on the bottom surfaces of its spaced apart parallel support runners at a level to cause alignment of the strap openings of the runners of the pallet with the strap feed path through the first guide when the pallet is supported at the strapping station, a second strap guide extending from the pallet support and projecting above the level of said support regions tobe positioned in the space between the spaced apart parallel support runners when the pallet is at the strapping station, said second strap guide being aligned to direct a strap fed from a first strap opening in one of said adjacent runners across to an aligned second strap opening in the other adjacent runner in order to obtain guided passage of the strap from the portion of the first guide on one side of the interruption through the aligned strap openings of the pallet to the portion of the first guide on the opposite side of the interruption, said second strap guide having a bottom Wall for catching the leading end of the strap fed through the first strap opening, said bottom wall being sloped upwardly from a level below that of the bottom surface of said first strap opening to terminate at least at the height of the level of the bottom surface of the second strap opening to help insure proper guidance through the second guide, said second strap guide also having side walls connected to opposite margins of the bottom wall to confine lateral movement of the strap end as it is fed through the second guide, said side walls being spread apart an amount larger than, the width of the first strap opening to facilitate entry of the strap end into the second strap guide, and said, side walls being convergent toward the second strap opening to accurately direct the strap end therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,732,619 Ryan Oct. 22, 1929 2,632,381 Buckland Mar. 24, 1953 2,780,986 Ritenour Feb. 12, 1957 2,844,091 Shafer et a1. July 22, 1958

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