Title: Transport cart system and method of its manufacture and operation
Abstract: A system of transport carts are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van to leave an aisle between them. The carts have wheel supported upright frames with bottom supports for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts with front decks movable from a stowed retracted position to a generally horizontal operative position adjacent the bottom supports. The decks are movable into generally abutting relation to form a raised false floor between the rows of carts on which hand trucks can travel.
Patent Number: 6,899,508 Issued on 05/31/2005 to Krawczyk
| Inventors:
|
Krawczyk; Joseph D. (Pinconning, MI)
|
| Assignee:
|
Magline, Inc. (Pinconning, MI)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
252492 |
| Filed:
|
September 23, 2002 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
414/537; 280/79.2; 280/651; 410/66 |
| Intern'l Class: |
B60P 007/00 |
| Field of Search: |
410/66,67,77,121
280/473.4,473.5,791.1,793,651,652,792
414/537
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
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| 3918368 | Nov., 1975 | Wilson.
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| 4056066 | Nov., 1977 | Homanick.
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| 4120076 | Oct., 1978 | Lebra.
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| 4642007 | Feb., 1987 | Marshall et al.
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| 4884936 | Dec., 1989 | Kawada.
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| 4948154 | Aug., 1990 | Guggenheim.
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| 5480187 | Jan., 1996 | Binning.
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| 5562374 | Oct., 1996 | Plamper.
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| 5605344 | Feb., 1997 | Insalaca et al.
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| 5634681 | Jun., 1997 | Gionta.
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| 5673984 | Oct., 1997 | Insalaco et al.
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| 5845914 | Dec., 1998 | Lenkman.
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| 6099220 | Aug., 2000 | Poth.
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| 6299184 | Oct., 2001 | Krawczyk.
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| 6520515 | Feb., 2003 | Krawczyk.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 2305183 | Feb., 1973 | DE.
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| |
| 2318777 | Oct., 1974 | DE.
| |
Primary Examiner: Gordon; Stephen
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Reising, Ethington, Barnes, Kisselle & Learman, P.C.
Parent Case Text
This invention is entitled to the priority of U.S. provisional application Ser.
No. 60/116,473, filed Jan. 20, 1999, and is a division of Ser. No. 09/478,769 filed
Jan. 6, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,184, and a division of Ser. No. 09/870,905,
filed May 31, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,515. It relates generally to the manufacture
and handling of carts carrying products such as stacked cases of beverage containers
for transport in a delivery vehicle. Typically, the vehicle will move the carts
from a manufacturing facility or distribution center to a retailer.
Claims
1. A system of transport carts for a transport vehicle having side walls, a floor,
and an openable portion; said transport carts being positioned on wheels in side
by side relation in fore to aft extending laterally spaced opposite rows within
said transport vehicle, said carts having lower end product supports, side retention
members on three sides and a front side open for receiving product and facing laterally
toward a like cart in an opposite row; said carts in opposite rows including laterally
opposite carts having front decks movable from a retracted stowed position to an
extended abutting position supported above said transport vehicle floor at a horizontal
level to form a false floor aisleway above said transport vehicle floor enabling
unloading access to said carts.
2. The system of claim l wherein a biasing mechanism connects with each of said
decks and its respective one of said carts, said biasing mechanism being connected
to said cart in a position to impose a disengageable downward force on said decks
when the decks are in an operative position.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein said biasing mechanism is operative to disengageably
bias said deck to tend to maintain it in said stowed position.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein a ramp disengageably interfits with the decks
of rearmost ones of said carts in each said row at the rear of said transport vehicle
inward of said transport vehicle rear and includes a portion extending downwardly
at an inclined angle from said cart decks and a retractable plate movable from
a retracted position inside said transport vehicle rear to a ramp continuation
position beyond said transport vehicle rear to an unloading platform.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein said decks have front and rear portions and
the rear portions of said decks are pivotally connected to said carts at generally
a level of bottoms of the carts to swing to a stowed vertical position forming
a partial wall for the open sides of said carts; said decks at their front portions
having legs foldable from a deck supporting vertical position to a stowed position;
and interconnection members between said deck legs and carts operative when said
decks are swung from stowed position to operative position to automatically move
said legs to vertical position.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein said interconnection members comprise rigid
links pivoted to said cart bottoms and to said legs at a location below a pivot
location of said legs to the decks when the legs are in vertical position, and
said biasing mechanism comprises gas springs connected between said decks and cart
bottoms exerting a force urging said decks to remain in both stowed and operative positions.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein said links pivot to said carts at a location
forward of and below said pivotal connection of said decks to the carts when the
carts are in operative position, and said links automatically move to a retracted
position within said decks when said decks are moved to vertical stowed position.
8. The system of claim 6 wherein a lower surface of said decks is recessed to
receive said links, deck legs, and gas springs in nested positions which are assumed
automatically when the decks are moved to stowed position.
9. A system of wheel supported transport carts for a transport vehicle having
side walls, a floor, and an accessible rear; said transport carts being in side
by side relation in fore to aft extending laterally spaced rows within said vehicle
said carts having side retentions on three sides and an open front side laterally
facing a cart in an opposite row; said carts further having raised bottoms and
front decks hingedly connected to said carts and movable from a retracted vertical
stowed position in which they partially close said open front side to an extended
generally horizontal operating position supported above said floor at a level generally
in alignment with said bottoms of said carts to form a false floor aisle way above
said vehicle floor for unloading access; outer support leg structures for front
ends of said decks for supporting said decks above said vehicle floor; and interconnections
between said leg structures and carts operative when said decks are moved from
stowed to operative position to automatically move said leg structures to vertical
deck supporting positions, and for restoring said leg structures to folded position
when said decks are moved from operative to stowed position.
10. The combination defined in claim 9 wherein said interconnections include
rigid links pivoted to said carts at a location outward of said hinged connections
of said decks to said carts when said decks are in said generally horizontal position,
and a spring mechanism connecting said decks to said carts whereby said leg structures
are urged downwardly when said decks are in said generally horizontal position.
11. The combination of claim 10 wherein said interconnections retain said decks
in stowed position exerting a disengageable force on said decks.
12. The combination of claim 9 wherein a ramp disengageably interfits with the
decks of rearmost ones of said carts in each said row at the rear of said vehicle
inward of said rear, and includes a portion extending downwardly at an inclined
angle from said cart decks and a swingable plate movable from a retracted position
inside said vehicle to a ramp continuation position beyond said vehicle rear to
an unloading platform.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The system which is presently commonly used to handle and transport cases of
beverage containers, for example, from a manufacturing and/or distributing center
to a retailer, such as a grocery store, convenience store, etc. is inherently a
laborious, time-consuming operation requiring numerous delivery vehicles and operators,
each covering a rather limited region. The traditional system involves stacking
large numbers of a given brand of containers onto large pallets at a distribution
center, which are loaded into the exterior bay wells of specially designed delivery trucks.
Upon arrival at a retail site, the operator fills the particular order by selecting
the particular brand and quantity of containers from the various bays and unloading
them by hand onto a hand truck or wheeled dolly for transport into the facility
of the retailer. It takes considerable time to fill an order in this manner inasmuch
as it requires an operator to select the appropriate brand and quantity of containers
called for by the order, and then to physically remove the various containers from
the bays, restack them onto the hand truck or dolly, and transport the containers
from the delivery truck into the retail facility.
A principal object of the present invention is to provide a more efficient system
for getting products from the point of manufacture or distribution to the retailer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A transport and delivery system constructed and operated according to the invention
utilizes a series of wheeled carts having upstanding back and side retention members
or walls, which have been loaded at a manufacturing and/or distribution facility
with stacks of containers advantageously pre-sorted by brand and quantity according
to the orders to be filled. These stacks are preferably built on mini-pallets such
that a given cart may be loaded with one or several (four for example) of such mini-stacks.
The location of each pre-filled order is recorded as to which cart or carts are
involved, and as to the particular location of the stack or stacks within the carts.
For example, a given order might be contained in cart No. 4, stacks 1-3. Once filled
with product, the carts are wheeled into an elongate delivery van or trailer of
conventional manufacture and positioned so that the carts line the opposite walls
of the trailer in two laterally spaced rows leaving a center aisle down the middle
of the trailer wide enough to access the carts with a two-wheeled hand truck.
The cart floors are supported above the level of the floor of the trailer on
wheels or other appropriate motive supports. A false floor is provided along the
aisle to elevate the walkway to the level of the cart floors, so that an operator,
using a two-wheeled hand truck, is able to access the mini-stacks in the carts
with the hand truck. The false floor is provided by opposing sets of retractable
deck sections carried off the forward edge of each cart which can be moved into
the aisle to form an elevated sectionalized walkway. The deck sections have automatically
folded and restored front support leg structures.
The deck sections are disclosed as including at least one gas spring operative
to assist an operator to move the deck sections between the extended and stowed
positions. The springs also exert a constant downward biasing force on the deck
sections which serves to maintain them in position during transport over any rough
terrain and further act to retain the deck sections in the stowed and use positions.
The trailer van, which opens at its back end, is fitted with a powered lift gate
that can be raised to the level of the floor of the trailer. The false floor is
thus supported above the level of the lift gate. According to a further aspect
of the invention, a ramp is positioned between the false floor and lift gate to
provide a transition from the elevated false floor to the lift gate. The ramp preferably
includes a foldable section that, in use, extends out of the trailer and onto the
lift gate and, when stowed, is hinged inwardly of the trailer van to accommodate
closing of the back door(s) of the trailer.
According to the operation of the system, the carts, once loaded into and
locked in the trailer, are transported along with the hand truck from the manufacturing
and/or distribution center to the various retail delivery sites. Since the orders
for each site are pre-built according to the type and quantity of the various brands
of beverages or other products, the operator need only locate the order, remove
the mini-stack(s) of containers from the cart(s) with the hand truck, and wheel
the load(s) along the elevated false floor formed by the deck sections, down the
ramp and onto the elevated lift gate, which is then lowered to the ground to enable
the operator to wheel the order into the facility of the business receiving them.
When the deliveries are completed, the emptied trailer is returned to the distribution
center where the deck sections are returned to their stowed positions, and the
empty carts are unlocked and removed from the trailer. The trailer can then be
loaded with a waiting set of carts pre-loaded with additional orders, and the off-loaded
emptied carts can be recycled to handle future orders.
Considerable labor and time is saved with this system, enabling delivery
personnel to service a greater number of retail customers in a given region, complete
their routes in less time, and service expanded territories.
THE DRAWINGS
A presently preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the following
description and in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective rear elevational view of a transport system
constructed according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic top plan view schematically illustrating the positioning
of the carts within the trailer;
FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of a transport cart constructed according
to a presently preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a leading side of the cart of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the opposite trailing side of the cart of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the cart of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken generally along lines
7—7 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of a portion of the cart,
taken generally along lines 8—8 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken generally along
lines 9—9 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken generally along
lines 10—10 of FIG. 6;
FIG. 11 is a top plan view like FIG. 6 but showing a cargo retention tarp in
its use and stowed positions;
FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of the deck of the cart of FIG. 3;
FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken generally along lines 13—13
of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view showing details of the cart lock system;
FIG. 15 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view showing details of
the cart locking system;
FIG. 16 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing details of the cart locking system;
FIG. 17 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional plan view taken generally
along lines 17—17 of FIG. 16;
FIG. 18 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of an accompanying ramp
constructed according to the invention;
FIG. 19 is a side elevational view of a hand truck having a nose plate constructed
according to the present invention;
FIG. 20 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional plan view taken generally along
lines 20—20 of FIG. 19; and
FIG. 21 is an elevational view of a modified cart side and back wall.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A product support and delivery system constructed according to the present invention
is shown generally at
20 in FIGS. 1 and 2 and comprises a plurality of wheeled
modules or carts
21, positionable within a van trailer
22 along opposite
side walls
23 thereof on a floor
24 of the trailer
22 in longitudinally
extending rows R
1, R
2 which extend from a front wall
25
of the trailer
22 toward the back
26 thereof. Space is provided between
the adjacent rows R
1, R
2, defining a center aisle A for accommodating
the passage of a hand truck
27 (FIG. 19) used by an operator to remove multiple
mini-stacks of palleted containers C from the carts
21 for transport to
a retail sales facility.
Turning now to the construction of the cart
21, and with reference
to FIGS. 3-15, and initially to FIGS. 3-8, the identical carts
21 each include
a rigid frame structure provided by a rectangular base frame
28 mounting
a set of four caster wheels
29, one of which is lockable via a lock pin
mechanism
30 (FIG. 5) to preclude normal movement of the cart
21
when locked. A floor or product support member
31 on the cart
21
is carried by the base frame
28 to provide a surface above the van floor
on which the stacked containers C are supported. A set of front
32 and back
33 vertical corner rails are fixed at their lower ends to the corners of
the base frame
28 and extend upwardly therefrom. They are interconnected
along three sides adjacent their upper ends by upper side
34 and back
35
cross rails.
Each cart
21 is closed on three of its sides and incorporates a pair
of side panels
36 and a back panel
37. The front
38 of the
cart
21 is open to permit loading and unloading of the stacked containers
C (FIG.
5) from the cart
21. The side and back panels
36,
37 are secured to the framing of the cart and may be fabricated from any
of a number of tough, generally rigid materials, such as aluminum plating or synthetic
plastic sheets. The panels
36,
37 are preferably molded organic polymeric
structures fabricated from materials such as a heavy gauge thermoformed polypropylene
or polyethylene, engineered plastics, or the like, to provide lightweight, durable,
corrosion resistant, readily cleanable walls for the cart
21. FIG. 8 illustrates
the preferred manner of securing the panels
36,
37 to the rails
32-
35
and base
28. The rails
32-
35 are preferably formed as extrusions
and include a channel or groove
39 in which a peripheral tongue
40
on the panels
36,
37 is received, such that the panels
36,
37 are captured and permanently retained by the base
28 and rails
32-
35 without need for fasteners.
The floor
31 of the cart
21 is preferably angled so as to tilt
downwardly from the front
38 toward the back
37 of the cart
21
at an angle of about 3 to 5°. The slight angle of the floor
31 serves
to tilt the stacks of containers C inwardly of the carts
21 away from the
aisle A to stabilize the load during transport, as illustrated in FIG.
5.
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 10, the floors or bottom supports
31 of
the carts
21 are preferably fabricated from a series of elongate floor sections
41, each having a flat load-supporting upper wall
42 and underlying
beam formations
43 along their edges. The beams
43 of adjacent panels
have interlocking portions
44,
45 (FIG. 10) that, when interfitted,
join the panels
41 to provide a continuous reinforced floor surface
31
which is secured to the base frame
28, such as by welding or with mechanical
fasteners. The interior space of each cart
21 is sized to accommodate multiple,
and preferably four, mini-stacks of the containers C, each supported on an associated
mini-pallet P, as illustrated diagrammatically in FIG.
5.
Two rows of commercially available E-track
46a,
46b extend
horizontally along and are secured to the interior surface of the side
36
and back
37 panels. One row
46a is located about midway up
the panels
36,
37, and an upper row
46b is located
adjacent the upper ends of the panels
36,
37. The E-track
46
is accommodated within recesses or channels
47 formed in the panels
36,
37, as illustrated in FIG. 7, such that the face of the E-track
46
lies generally flush with the inner surface of the panels
36,
37.
The E-track sections
46 may be joined to the panels
36,
37
by means of rivets
48 or the like extending through openings
48a.
The tracks
46 have a series of punched out openings
49 that receive
angular end hooks or clips
50 (FIG. 11) secured to the opposite side edges
of a retaining tarp or curtain
51. The tarp
51 can be removed from
the stowed position shown and, as illustrated diagrammatically in broken lines
in FIG.
11, the tarp
51 is operative to wrap about a partial load
to assist in securing the stack of containers from tipping forwardly out of the
carts
21 during transport. The full extension of the E-track
46 across
the side
36 and back
37 panels enables the tarp
51 to secure
virtually any size load. The general use of an E-track
46 and curtain
51
securement system is known, per se, for retaining cargo in a trailer.
When loading the palleted containers C into the carts
21, it is desirable
to have the curtain
51 positioned clear of the open front
38 of the
cart
21 so as not to interfere with loading. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 11,
the back panel
37 of the cart
21 is fitted with the keeper bracket
52 on the exterior side thereof in position to receive and releasable retain
the upper end clip
50 of the curtain
51 when not in use. As illustrated
diagrammatically in FIG. 11, extending the curtain
51 exteriorly of the
cart
21 around to the back of the cart
21 enables the end clip
50
to be secured in the keeper
52 to support the curtain
51 clear of
the open front
38 during loading.
As shown best in FIG. 4, the leading side of the cart
21 is fitted with
an upper pull handle
53 and lower tow bar
54 which are shown spring
biased to a stowed position against the side panel
36, but which are swingable
outwardly of the side panel
36 to an extended position to facilitate handling
of the cart
21. As shown in FIG. 5, the trailing side of the cart
21
is fitted with a hitch pin
55 projecting downwardly from the base frame
28 and operative to receive and releasable retain the tow bar
54
of another cart to enable a number of the carts
21 to be trained together
for transport.
In use, a plurality of the carts
21, located at a manufacturing or distribution
center, are loaded with one or more mini-stacks of the containers C according to
the brand and quantity called for by the particular retail orders to be delivered
on a delivery route. The illustrated carts
21 are designed to hold four
such mini-stacks of containers C two deep and two wide within the bay of each cart
21 as illustrated in FIG.
2. In this way, each order is pre-assembled
on the mini-pallets P and loaded onto the carts
21 in preparation for delivery
to the retail sites. The location of each order is recorded such that an order
might be contained in cart 4, pallet 2, for example. The carts
21 are equipped
with a clip board B (FIG. 3) secured thereto, with alligator clip "a", for holding
written records.
Once loaded, the carts
21 are wheeled into the trailer
22 and
positioned end-to-end along the side walls
23 forming the two long rows
R
1, R
2 of carts, as illustrated best in FIG.
2. The
front-to-back depth of the carts
21 is dimensioned to leave space between
the cart rows R
1, R
2 to define the center walkway or aisle
A extending the length of the trailer
22. It is of sufficient width to accommodate
the operator and hand truck
27. The carts
21 are oriented such that
their open fronts
38 face the aisle A. In the present example, the carts
21 have a depth of about
29 inches, providing the aisle A formed
within a conventional van or enclosed trailer with a width of about 40 inches between
the rows R
1, R
2.
Referring to FIGS.
2 and
14-
17, a cart positioning/lock
system
56 is provided for properly locating and locking the carts
21
in position within the trailer
22. The system
56 includes a plurality
of cart brackets
57, fixed to the van side walls
23 at predetermined
locations along the length of the trailer
22, which engage corresponding
portions of the carts
21 to locate and secure the carts
21 in position.
The locations of the brackets
57 correspond preferably with the locations
of the ends of the carts
21 when positioned in their rows R
1,
R
2 along the sides
23 and preferably in relation to the location
of upright locking post portions
58 projecting from the back corners of
each cart
21. Referring also to FIGS. 4 and 5, the locking posts
58
preferably comprise extended sections of the back corner rails
33 which
project above the top rails
34,
35 of the carts
21. The upper
ends of the locking posts
58 are each fitted with an enlarged end cap
59
having sides
60 thereof projecting laterally outwardly of the posts
58
and fabricated preferably of a tough, low friction, non-marring material such as
polypropylene, polyethylene, glass-filled nylon, or the like. The end caps
59
each have a top wall
61 that extends across the top of the post
58
on which it is mounted and each is formed with an opening or socket
62 therein
for purposes to be explained hereinafter.
The brackets
57 are fabricated of a strong, rigid material such as aluminum
or structural plastic material, and each has a base portion
63 that is secured
by rivets R or the like to the side wall
23,
24 of the trailer
22,
and preferably to a cargo track
64 that is fixed to the side wall
23,
24 and extends the length of the trailer in position to mount the brackets
57. The base portions
63 of the brackets
57 support cart-retaining
portions
65 which are configured and positioned to retain the locking posts
58 of the carts
21. The cart-retaining bracket portions
65
preferably have generally an L-shaped configuration, including a top wall portion
66 that extends transversely away from the side wall
23 on which
the bracket
57 is mounted in a generally horizontal plane above the level
of the top posts
58. They further include a forward retaining wall section
67 that projects downwardly from the top wall portion
66 to a level
below the free ends of the locking posts
58, and preferably beyond the end
caps
59 as best shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. The L-shaped configuration of
the cart-retaining portions
65 provides a locking channel
68 that
is closed at the top and front by the top wall and retaining wall sections
66,
67, open at the bottom, and open at opposite longitudinal ends
69.
As shown best in FIGS. 14-17, the locking channels
68 are each dimensioned
to receive at least one, and preferably two, locking posts
58 of adjacent
carts
21 into the channel
68 from the open ends
69 of the
brackets
57. The effective lateral depth dimension is selected such that
the forward retaining wall section
67 is positioned outwardly of the side
wall
23 a distance sufficient to allow the end caps
59 of the locking
posts of the carts
21 to pass behind the wall section
67 when the
carts
21 are moved along the side wall
23 of the trailer
22
so as to position the locking posts
58 within the channels
68, but
yet be fairly close in proximity to the posts
58 to restrict the lateral
inward movement of the carts
21. The structure positively locates and retains
the carts
21 against the side walls
23 of the trailer
22.
It is preferred that the depth of the channels
68 somewhat exceed the minimum
spacing requirements such that a limited amount of play exists between the brackets
57 and the posts
58 to account for tolerances and for ease of moving
the posts
58 into and out of the channels
68 (e.g., about ½
inch of play). The length dimension of the brackets
57 is selected to be
at least as long as, and preferably greater than, the distance between the locking
posts
58 of adjacent carts
21 positioned in their rows R
1,
R
2 in substantially end-to-end abutting relationship, as best shown
in FIGS. 15 and 17, so as to accommodate both of such locking posts
58 within
the same locking channel
68. The center-to-center spacing of the brackets
57 thus equals or closely approximates the end-to-end spacing of the carts
21.
Referring now particularly to FIG. 17, the top wall section
66 of
each bracket
57 is formed with an opening
70 that is positioned to
align with the socket
62 in the end cap
59 of the aft locking post
58 of each cart
21 (that is, the locking post
58 of each cart
nearest the rear end
26 of the trailer
22). A locking pin
71
associated with each bracket
57 is extendable into the aligned openings
70,
62 to lock the carts
21 to the brackets
57 and
positively locate and secure the carts
21 longitudinally of the trailer
22. In other words, the carts
22, when locked, are precluded from
longitudinal movement in the trailer
22 and are positively located in fixed
positions with respect to the other carts
21 within a row and apart from
the other row to thereby maintain the width of the aisle A within predetermined
limits. The opening
70 in each bracket
57 is preferably elongated
in the lateral direction as illustrated in FIG. 17 to permit limited lateral movement
of the carts
21.
As the first cart
21 is wheeled into the trailer
22, it is moved
toward the front
25 and oriented such that its back corner rails
35
are positioned against one of the side walls
23 of the trailer
22.
The leading locking post
58 of the cart
21 is guided into the open
aft end
69 (i.e., the end nearest the rear
26 of the trailer) of
the locking channel
68 of the fore-most bracket
57 (i.e., the bracket
57 nearest the front wall
25 of the van trailer
22), while
at the same time the locking post
58 on the aft or trailing end of the cart
21 is guided into the locking channel
68 of the next adjacent bracket
57 along the wall. Once the first cart
21 is positioned and the top
opening
62 of the aft end cap aligned with the opening
70 of the
bracket
57, the foremost locking pin
71 is extended through the openings
62,
70 from above to positively position and lock the cart
21
releasably to the bracket
58 in position against the side wall. It is preferred
that each locking pin
71 be tethered to the bracket
57 or side wall
25 of the trailer
22 by a lanyard L. Once the initial cart in each
row R
1, R
2 is locked into position, each subsequent cart
21 can be positioned and retained in a similar manner until the rows R
1,
R
2 are completed.
Referring now to FIG. 9, it will be seen that the floors
31 of the
carts
21 are elevated above the level of the floor
24 of the trailer
22 on which the carts
21 are supported. The leading front edge of
each cart floor
31 may be, for example, about 7½ inches above the floor
24 of the trailer
22. According to the invention, it is desirable
to be able to unload the mini-stacks of the containers C from the carts
21
using a two-wheeled hand truck
27. In effecting this, it is further operatively
desirable to support the hand truck
27 at generally the level of the cart
floors
31 for engaging, lifting and transporting the mini-stacks C with
the hand truck
27.
According to the invention, a false elevated floor FF is provided in the
aisle A between the rows R
1, R
2 to provide an upper surface
that is substantially level with the almost abutting forward edges of the cart
floors
31. While various methods of constructing a false floor FF, such
as by laying down overturned pallets or multiple false floor sections in the aisle
A are possible, the safest approach is to integrate such false flooring with the
beverage carts
21.
Referring to FIGS.
4,
5,
9, and,
12-
13,
each cart
21 is provided with a deck section
72 having a generally
rectangular platform configuration of predetermined length between opposite ends
72a,
72b thereof and a predetermined width between
opposite front and back edges
72c,
72d thereof. The
cart deck sections
72 are mounted by pivots or hinges
72e (FIG.
16) along their back upper edges
72d to the front ends of the cart
base frames
28. Each deck section
72 is pivotal about the axes of
the hinges
72e between an upright, stowed or closed position, illustrated
in broken chain lines in FIG. 5, in which the deck section
72 extends along
and is generally flush with the front corner rails
32 of the cart
21,
and a downwardly pivoted operating position, illustrated in solid lines in FIGS.
4,
5, and
9, in which an upper surface
72f of each
deck section
72 is substantially horizontal and level with the forward edge
of the cart floor
31 so as to form a horizontal extension of the cart floor
31 forwardly of the cart
21.
With particular attention to FIGS. 5,
12, and
13, the deck sections
72 have support legs
73 mounted pivotally at
73a to
the underside of the deck sections
72 adjacent the forward free edges
72c
of the deck sections
72. The legs
73 may be referenced singly
or multiply as leg structure. The legs
73 are coupled adjacent their lower
free ends to forwardly extending brackets
28a, fixed to the base
frame
28, by linkages, including rigid, non-foldable links
74, pivoted
at their respective front and rear ends to the legs
73 and base frame
28
brackets
28a. The links
74 react to and are moveable with
the pivoting movement of the deck sections
72 to position the legs
73
between a retracted position folded beneath and into the deck sections
72
when the deck sections are moved to the stowed position (FIG.
5), and an
extended floor-engaging vertical position in response to movement of the deck sections
72 to the horizontal use position (FIG.
5). The links
74 are
pivoted at
74a and
74b. It will be seen that the pivots
72e,
74a,
73a, and
74b are
arranged in generally parallelogram configuration in FIG. 5 with the pivot or hinge
point
72e of the deck to the cart floor being rearward of link pivots
74a.
The deck sections
72 may be fabricated of any of a number of materials
such as aluminum decking or various organic polymeric materials, such as polypropylene,
polyethylene, an engineered plastic or resin, or glass-filled plastics. The deck
sections
72 in the illustrated embodiment are injection molded plastic members,
whose upper surface
72f is continuous and preferably molded with
traction enhancing features represented by the stippled markings in FIG.
6.
The upper surface
72f is backed by structural ribbing
75,
as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, to render the deck sections
72 rigid and capable
of supporting the composite weight of an operator, hand truck, and a load of stacked
containers C. The underside is preferably formed with recesses
76 of such
dimension and location as to accommodate the folding of the legs
73 and
the links
74 (FIG. 12) into nested position within the deck section
72
when the deck section is moved to the stowed vertical position.
The deck sections
72 are spring-controlled in their movement between the
stowed and use positions by gas springs
77 which bias the decks
72
over-center as the deck sections
72 move to operating position. The springs
77 positively retain or lock the deck sections
72 in both the stowed
and use positions (FIG.
5). At least one or more, preferably two, gas springs
77 form part of the linkages or linkage assemblies. The gas springs
77
are of the usual type having a gas-filled cylinder
78 and a piston rod
79
which is extendable and retractable relative to the cylinder
78. The gas
springs
77 have a socket coupling
80 at each end (FIG.
12),
connected to a laterally extending ball stud
81 provided on each cart on
the deck section
72 and on the base frame
28, respectively. The gas
springs
77 are of such length and are positioned relative to the hinge axis
of each deck section
72 so as to assist an operator in bodily positioning
the deck section
72 between the stowed and use positions, while moving over-center
of the hinge axis as the deck section
72 moves to its extreme positions
to provide spring-biased retention of the deck section
70 in the stowed
and use positions. The gas springs
77 in the stowed position are accommodated
within recesses
77a formed in the underside of the deck sections
72 (FIG.
12).
In operation, once the carts
21 are loaded and locked in their rows R
1,
R
2 within the trailer
22, the deck sections
72 are manually
pivoted downwardly to their horizontal use positions in which the automatically
outwardly pivoted legs
73 engage the floor
24 of the trailer
22.
In the stowed position of decks
72, the gas springs maintain a pressure
which must be overcome in order to swing the decks
72 out of the locked
position. Because of the leverage resulting from manually pushing the front edge
of each deck
72 downwardly, and the weight of the deck itself, little force
is needed to compress the gas springs
77 sufficiently to initiate and maintain
downward pivoting of the deck section and cause links
74 to move legs
73
from nested position to an extended position in which gas springs
77 bias
them downwardly. When the compressing gas springs move past center (i.e. hinge
axis
72e) the gas springs exert pressure below the hinge axis
72e
so that downward pressure is exerted on the deck
72 and legs
73.
This locks or retains the deck in horizontal position. When the deck
72
is to be restored to stowed position, little lifting force is required to extend
the gas springs sufficiently to unlock deck
72 and legs
73. As the
deck swings up past the hinging axis
72e, the gas springs
77,
which were compressed when swung downwardly, assist the upward pivoting movement
of deck
72 and the pivoting of legs
73 via links
74 toward
nested position. As shown best in FIGS. 2,
9, and
14, the predetermined
length and width dimensions of the substantially abutting deck sections
72
are so selected as to provide a near-continuous elevated false floor surface along
the aisle A at the same level as the front edge of the floor
31 of the carts
22. While the deck sections
72 of longitudinally adjacent and laterally
opposite carts
22 may be sized to substantially abut one another, it is
preferred that some play be provided to account for tolerances and variations in
the positioning of the carts by the brackets
57. For example, about a ½
to ¾ inch spacing S between the facing sides
72a,
72b
and front edges
72c of adjacent deck sections
72 will
provide a near-continuous false floor FF while allowing for variations in tolerance
and positioning (FIG.
14).
The van trailer
22 is preferably of the type having a back door or doors
82 (FIG. 18) that open to provide access to the interior of the trailer
22. A conventional powered lift gate
83 provided at the unloading
dock is movable between an elevated position (FIG. 18) in which an upper surface
84 of the gate is level with the floor
24 of the trailer
22,
and a lowered ground-engaging position facilitating the off-loading of cargo from
the trailer
22. It will be seen from FIG. 18 that the false floor FF provided
by the deck sections
72 is at a level above the upper surface
84
of the lift gate
83 when the latter is in the elevated position.
According to one aspect of the invention, a ramp, generally designated
85, is positioned between the false floor FF and the lift gate
83
to provide a transition between the floor FF and platform of the lift gate
83.
The ramp
85 has a body
86 supported on the floor
24 of the
trailer
22 adjacent the exposed side edges
87 of the rearward-most
deck sections
72 of the carts
21. A pair of upturned hooks
88
are mounted on a forward end of the ramp body
86 and are extendable beneath
the exposed side edges
72b of the rearward-most deck sections
72
where they are received in corresponding recesses or sockets
89 provided
on the underside of the deck sections
72 for securing the ramp
85
releasably to the false flooring end sections.
The body
86 of the ramp
85 has a sloped support surface
90
that extends from the false floor FF to the upper surface
84 of the lift
gate
83. The support surface
90 is preferably segmented to include
a fixed section
91 and a hinged section
92 that is moveable about
hinge
92a selectively between an extended use position shown in solid
lines in FIG. 18 in which the section
92 extends over and is supported on
the surface
84 of the lift gate
83, and a stowed position, shown
in broken chain lines, in which the section
92 is folded inwardly of the
door
82 of van trailer
22 and its fixed section
91, so as
to provide clearance for the closing of the back door(s)
82 of the van or
trailer
22.
Upon arrival at a point of delivery, the operator simply wheels the hand truck
27 down the aisle A along the elevated false floor FF and selects the cart
or carts
22 and location or locations of the mini-stacks of containers C
within the cart(s) corresponding to the particular order involved. The hand truck
27 (FIG.
19), except for the nose plate which will be described hereinafter,
is of conventional construction and has an upright handled frame
93 mounting
a pair of wheels
94 off the back of the frame
93, and a nose plate
95 off the front of the frame
93. A typical hand truck is disclosed
in U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,182.
Referring to FIG. 20, the nose plate
95 illustrated has a generally
L-shaped profile with a generally horizontal load-supporting platform
96
and an upright back wall
97 fixed to the frame and supporting the platform
96.
To off-load the appropriate mini-stacks of containers C, the operator simply
extends
the platform
96 of the nose plate
95 beneath the mini-pallet P, which
is elevated above the floor
31 of the cart
21 by spaced side feet
or rails
98 to provide clearance below the mini-pallet P for the nose plate
95. Once positioned, the operator rocks the hand truck
27 rearwardly
to transfer the palleted containers C onto the hand truck
27. The mini-pallets
P involved with the present system has, in addition to side feet
98, a downwardly
projecting central disc or piloting pad
99 that is generally cylindrical
in configuration and engages the floor
31 of the cart
21. The pad
99 is spaced inwardly from the front edge of the mini-pallet P. To accommodate
disc
99, platform
96 is provided with a recess or cut-out
100
that extends from a forward edge
101 of the platform
96 inwardly
toward the back wall
97 and terminates short of the back wall
97.
The curvilinear base
102 of the cut-out
100 conforms in size, shape
and location to the circular pad or disc
99 on the mini-pallet P. Such a
nose plate
95 enables the mini-pallets P to be fully received and supported
on the platform
96 with the pad
99 accommodated within the cut-out
100.
It is preferred also that the cut-out
100 have side walls
103 that
converge from the forward edge
101 to the base
102 for piloting the
pad
99 into the cut-out
100. A taper of about 5 degrees is preferable.
The cutout
100 gives the platform
96 a generally U-shaped configuration,
when viewed in plan as in FIG. 20, which has side portions
104 on either
side of the cut-out
100 joined by a flat connecting or bridging plate portion
105 extending behind the cut-out
100 continuously between the side
portions
104. The provision of the continuous connecting or bridging plate
portion
105 provides the platform
95 with strength and rigidity to
prevent it, and particularly the side portions
104, from flexing under load.
As shown in FIG. 21, alternatively, the side and back walls
36 and
37
are modified to provide viewing slots
106 which are provided in two vertical
rows
107 and
108 extending along the side edges of the side and back
walls
36 and
37, respectively. The through slots
106 are diagonally
disposed to enhance their viewing function.
Once the palleted containers C are loaded onto the platform
96 of the
hand truck
27, the operator simply wheels the hand truck
27 along
the elevated false floor FF toward the open back
26 of the trailer
22,
down the ramp
85, and onto the elevated lift gate
83, whereupon the
gate
83 is lowered to the ground to permit the containers C to be wheeled
into the facility of the retailer or other receiving party. The process is repeated
until the delivery of the order is completed, after which the hand truck
27
is loaded onto the vehicle, the ramp
85 folded to the stowed position, the
door(s) of the trailer
22 closed, and the trailer transported to the next
delivery site.
Once the trailer
22 has been emptied of product, it is returned to the
distribution center where the ramp
85 is detached and removed, the deck
sections
70 raised to their stowed positions, and the carts
22 unlocked
and removed from the trailer
22 in reverse order for restocking with new product.
The disclosed embodiment is representative of a presently preferred form of the
invention, but is intended to be illustrative r
