US3462030A - Container dumper - Google Patents

Description

Aug". 19, 1969 y w. A. ALLEN 3,462,030

I CONTAINER BUMPER Filed sept. 1'. 1967 2 sheets-sheet 11 WML/"AM A. ,ALL EN Bfm Aug. 19, 1969 w. A; ALLENY CONTAINER DUMPER Filed sept. 1, v 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 mvEN'roR M A. ALLEN United States Patent 3,462,030 CONTAINER DUMPER William A. Allen, San Bernardino, Calif., assignor to Jarke Corporation, Niles, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 1, 1967, Ser. No. 665,699 Int. Cl. B65b 69/00 U.S. Cl. 214-317 5 Claims ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE Mechanism for attachment to a forklift for upending a container to dump the contents thereof, and comprising means to effect a hooking engagement between lift forks that are pivotally connected to the lift carriage of the lift fork and the container to retain the latter against forward displacement when being upended as said forks are moved about said pivotal connection, the latter movement being effected by hooking a frame comprised of a pair of arms and a connecting tube to hook means provided at an elevated position on the mast of the forklift, and lowering the carriage to cause the mentioned pivotal movement of the forks and upending of the container.

Cross reference to related application Ser. No. 555,611, filed June 6, 1966, by William A. Allen, now U.S. Patent 3,360,143, for Forklift Dumping Means which discloses hook means affording a retractible fulcrum at an elevated position on the mast of a forklift and which is employed in the present container dumper as means to cause dumping or upending movement of the container as the vertically traveling lift carlriageof the forklift is lowered.

Background of the invention An object of the invention is to provide simple and improved means for moving heavily-laden containers, as boxes filled with a harvest of fruit, by use of a forklift provided with means to not only raise such heavy containers, but also to retain them in proper operative engagement with said means dumping of the contentsk of the vcontainers in transportation trucks, into hoppers, and other receptacles for receiving such contents.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description and which is based on the accompanying drawings. However, said drawings merely show, and the following description merely describes, preferred embodiments of the pesent invention, Which are given by Way of illustration or example only.

Summary of the invention The present improvements have 'basis on a generally conventional forklift 10 which in the drawings is represented by a mast 11, a lift carriage 12 that is vertically v I'Ce lowered after frame 17 is hooked to the hook means, to pivotally move said carriage around a pivot 18 on the end of the support frame 13. A stop 19 limits the initial untilted position of the cradle, and a stop 20 limits the raised tilted position of said cradle. In the latter position, the box 15 lhas been rotated at least 90 and preferably somewhat more, as shown, to insure discharge of the contents C of the box.

Brief description of the drawings In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of preferred form of container dumper according to the present invention, and shows a normal container supporting condition.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view as taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3, to an enlarged scale, is a side elevational view showing the dumper in container upended and dumping position.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front view of a corner of an alternate form of container and modified means for supporting the same.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view as taken on the line 5--5 of FIG. 4.

Description of the preferred embodiments The hook means 16 comprises two similar but oppositely arranged units, one mounted on each side of the mast 11. One such unit is 4shown in FIG. 3. Without invention, as shown in U.S. Patent 3,358,862, to William A. Allen, said means may be mounted on a vertically extensible portion of the upper end of the mast so the present dumping means may operate at a desired level above the level on which the forklift 10 moves.

Said hook means 16, on each side comprises mounting plate 21, and an arm 22 on a pivot 23 swingablein a vertical plane, said arm having an operating end 24 that is connected by a link 25 to an operating lever 26. Said arm, when actuated in one direction, Swings said arm 22 in a direction to project a hook 22a outwardly beyond the forward edge of the mounting plate 21. A spring or by moving said lever 26. in the opposite direction causes retraction of said hook 22a inward as limited by a stop pin 27.

The support frame 13 is shown as comprising a pair of back, vertical posts 28 that are separably connected by an upper hook 29 on each post to one cross bar 30 affixed to the carriage 12, and by a lower lock bar 31 on each post toa second cross bar 32 affixed to said carriage. Release of the two lock bars 31 4from engagement with the cross bar 32 enables the frame 13 to be lifted and separated from the carriage 12. Each post 28 is provided adjacent its upper end with a catch 33, the same having transversely aligned seats 34. A cross bar 35 connects the posts 28 combining with said posts to form a rear frame part. A pair of support arms 36 are affixed to the opposite ends of said frame part and extend forwardly. The forward ends 37 of said arms are -angularly upwardly directed and terminate in aligned pivot ends. The mentioned stop 20 is provided on each forward end 37.

The cradle 14 is shown as comprising a rearwardly disposed vertical frame-38, a pair of parallel, forwardly directed forks 39 aflixed to the lower edge of said frame 38, -a box encompassingl saddle 40 affixed to said frame 38 and formedwith parallel sides 41 that are spaced to re- I ceive a box 15 between them with suitable clearance.

At transversely spaced points of the frame 38 are provided stop members 42 spaced above the forks 39 to be clear of the upper edge of a box supported on said forks. The forks are provided with ends 43 in the form of hooks that are forwardly spaced from the frame 38 to accommodate the length of a box 15 on said forks, said ends 43, thereby normally extending forwardly from the forward face of such box.

The mentioned pivot 18 is formed by bolts 44 or the like extending through the arm ends 37.

The dump frame 17 is shown as comprising a pair of arms 45 that, adjacent to one end thereof, are connected by pivots 46 to the saddle sides 41 in forwardly and downwardly spaced relation to the pivot 18, and a cross rod or tube 47 connecting the opposite end of said arms 45 to form the U-shaped dump frame 17.

The box 15 that is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 has a bottom 48, front and rear wals 49, and side walls 50. The box shown is square but not necessarily so. A pair of cleats 51 are provided at the bottom to space the latter above a support surface, said cleats being preferably spaced farther apart than the transverse spacing of the forks 39. Said cleats, as can be seen in FIG. 2, have a height which is greater than the thickness of the forks 39 taken together with the hooks 43 on the ends of said forks.

The box 15 is shown as made of wood. When the box or container 15a is made of metal, as in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cleats 51a may be formed as tubes through the hollows of which the forks 39 may be extended, as shown. By providing a lip 52 at the front of the box, the hooks 43 of the forks may be engaged therewith, thereby obviating the need for the stop members 42. The forks, being retained by the tubular cleats and by the lips 52, limit the forward tilt of the box during upending thereof.

In operation, the forklift is moved into position with the forks 39 between the cleats 51, as in FIG. 2, or in register Iwith the tubular cleats 51a, as in FIG. 4. The forklift is then moved forwardly until the ends 43 of the forks extend beyond the loaded box. Assurance that this is the case is had when the cradle frame 38 encounters the rear of the box. Now, the carriage is moved up until the forks encounter the bottom 48 of the box, bring the fork hooks 43 into position to either impinge on the front of the box, as in FIG. 2, or to engage the lips 52, as in FIG. 5. Now, the carriage 12 is raised, certain being made that the hooks 22a are retracted so the tube 47 of the support frame 13 may move upwardly beyond said retracted hooks.

The arms 22 are then moved to project the hooks 22a forwardly, as limited by the stops 27. Now, the carriage 12 is lowered. When the tube 47 encounters the hooks 22a, the dumping frame 17 will start to tilt around said tube as a fulcrum, thereby arresting the downward progress of the pivots between said frame 17 and the cradle 14. As the carriage 12 continues its downward movement, the support frame causes the cradle to turn from the position of FIG. 2 to the tilted position of FIG. 3. The box 15, being caught, at the front by the fork hooks 43, cannot slide forwardly but, when an overtilted position, as in FIG. 3 is reached, either the stop 42 in the first form, or the fork-cleat engagement of the second fork, will act to retain the same in position in the cradle Iwhile the contents C of the box are dumped into the receiving receptacle 53. The stop 20 limits the dumping angle, the same being provided on the support arms 36 and are engaged by the dump arms 45.

The dumper is returned to its initial position, as in FIG. 2, by moving the carriage 12 upwardly until the catches pick up the tube 47 and upwardly disengage it from the hooks 22a. When the stops 19 on the sides 41 of the saddle 40 encounter the dump arms 45, the mentioned initial position is reached. Now, the books 22a are retracted so the carriage 12 may be lowered and the forklift disengaged from the empty box and moved to engage a loaded box so the dumping operation may be repeated.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A container dumper comprising in combination with .a fork lift having a mast and a carriage movable vertically along said mast of:

(a) a support frame alixed to said carriage and having forwardly ydirected transversely spaced arms,

(b) a cradle provided with forwardly directed forks terminating in end hooks and adapted to support a container, said cradle including a saddle having sides between which a box supported on the forks loosely ts, said saddle being connected on aligned pivots to the forward ends of the arms of the support frame,

(c) a dump frame provided with arms connected to said saddle on aligned pivots offset below the lirstfy mentioned aligned pivots, and with a transverse member connecting the rearward ends of the latter arms, v

(d) catch means on the support frame to engage the mentioned transverse member,

(e) stop means interfengaging said dump frame arms and the cradle to support the latter and the container supported thereon in non-dumping position,

(f) hook means on an elevated portion of the forklift mast to engage the transverse member of the dump frame during -downward movement of the lcarriage and the means carried thereby from a position above said hook means to thereby arrest the downward movement of said transverse member,

(g) said dump frame upon continued movement of the carriage rotationally moving the cradle and the boX supported thereby around the first-mentioned aligned pivots to dumping position of the contents of the box, and

(h) stop means inter-engaging the arms of the support frame and the arms of the dump frame to limit such rotational movement of the cradle and box.

2. A container dumper according to claim 1 in which the support frame comprises:

(a) rear vertically arranged members to which the forwardly directed arms are rigidly affixed, and

(b) means to separably engage said members and the carriage of the forklift.

3. A container dumper according to claim 2 provided with stop means on the cradle cooperating 'with the hooks on the forward ends of the forks to retain the box from displacement from the cradle in the dumping position of said cradle.

4. A container dumper according to claim 3 in which said stop means comprises members on the rear frame of the cradle in overstanding engagement with the upper rear edge of the box.

5. A container dumper according to claim 2 further including stop means comprising tubular members on the container through which the forks on said cradle extend, the engagement between said tubular members and the forks restraining the container to a limited relative movement in the dumping position thereof.

` References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,768,149 6/1930 Remde 214-317 X 3,358,862 12/1967 Allen 214-317 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,038,481 9/ 1958 Germany.

HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner

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