US20130126294A1 - Conveyor chute and method of palletizing same for shipment - Google Patents
Conveyor chute and method of palletizing same for shipment Download PDFInfo
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- US20130126294A1 US20130126294A1 US13/302,013 US201113302013A US2013126294A1 US 20130126294 A1 US20130126294 A1 US 20130126294A1 US 201113302013 A US201113302013 A US 201113302013A US 2013126294 A1 US2013126294 A1 US 2013126294A1
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- section
- sections
- intake
- top end
- tapered
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G11/00—Chutes
- B65G11/14—Chutes extensible, e.g. telescopic
- B65G11/143—Chutes extensible, e.g. telescopic for articles
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G11/00—Chutes
- B65G11/02—Chutes of straight form
- B65G11/023—Chutes of straight form for articles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G11/00—Chutes
- B65G11/02—Chutes of straight form
- B65G11/026—Chutes of straight form for bulk
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G11/00—Chutes
- B65G11/18—Supports or mountings
- B65G11/183—Supports or mountings for articles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G11/00—Chutes
- B65G11/18—Supports or mountings
- B65G11/186—Supports or mountings for bulk
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G57/00—Stacking of articles
- B65G57/02—Stacking of articles by adding to the top of the stack
- B65G57/16—Stacking of articles of particular shape
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G57/00—Stacking of articles
- B65G57/02—Stacking of articles by adding to the top of the stack
- B65G57/16—Stacking of articles of particular shape
- B65G57/20—Stacking of articles of particular shape three-dimensional, e.g. cubiform, cylindrical
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- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F95/00—Laundry systems or arrangements of apparatus or machines; Mobile laundries
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- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04F—FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
- E04F17/00—Vertical ducts; Channels, e.g. for drainage
- E04F17/10—Arrangements in buildings for the disposal of refuse
- E04F17/12—Chutes
Abstract
A conveyor chute for conveying objects by gravity from at least one higher floor to at least one lower floor of a building includes a plurality of discrete sections which are joinable to one another to form an elongated conduit having an internal bore. At least one of the sections is of internal dimensions sufficient to permit at least one other of the sections to fit substantially completely inside while other sections are shaped to stack nestably to provide greater packing density and thereby lower shipping costs.
Description
- Not Applicable.
- Not Applicable.
- Not Applicable.
- The invention relates to the field of conveyor chutes of the type typically installed in multi-story buildings for conveying objects, such as trash, recyclables or laundry items, under gravity from higher floors to a lower floor of the building and to a method of palletizing such chutes for shipment.
- Conveyor chutes are typically installed in multi-story buildings such as hotels, hospitals, high-rise condominiums and the like for conveying trash, recyclables or linen items from one or more upper floors to a lower floor. The chutes are typically installed inside fire-rated shafts, often next to elevators, and provide a conduit having a vertically oriented central bore through which the objects may fall under gravity into a sorting device or a simple bin located beneath the chute. Access doors are typically provided on each upper floor to allow objects to be loaded into the chute for transport. In some cases, these access doors are associated with a control panel which enables users to enter the nature of the object being loaded so that it can be sorted appropriately by the sorting device. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,871 to Shantzis discloses a system in which a sorting device is disposed beneath a single chute. The sorting device has a turntable which carries a plurality of large receptacles, one for each category of waste, such as glass, aluminum, paper or garbage. A control on each floor enables a user to operate the turntable remotely to position the appropriate receptacle beneath the chute to receive a selected category of waste. The chute itself generally has a plurality of discrete sections which are joinable to one another to form the substantially continuous elongated bore through which the objects fall. As depicted in Shantzis '871, these sections are typically generally cylindrically-shaped with reduced diameter end portions which allow the lower end of one section to be inserted into the top end of an adjacent section to form overlapping joints which shed any liquid which flows downward along the inside wall of the bore from the inside of one section to the inside of the next without leaking to the exterior. The access door is generally connected to an intake section which has a generally cylindrical body from which a protuberance extends radially. The protuberance terminates in a portal which is ultimately fitted with a frame for the access door.
- According to the prior art, each intake section is typically about six feet (6 ft.) in overall length and has a cylindrical body whose inside diameter is equal to the nominal inside diameter of the chute except for a relatively short portion at its bottom end which is slightly necked-down so as permit formation of a lap joint with the top end of the next-lower section. A lower portion of each intake section passes through a hole in the floor which is surrounded by an acoustically isolated floor frame which is bolted to the floor slab. A plurality of substantially Z-shaped clips, which are welded to the intake section about one-third of its total length up from its open bottom end engage the floor frame to support each intake section such that approximately four feet of the intake section projects above floor level while approximately two feet of the intake section is suspended below floor level. An approximately four foot long tube of the same nominal inside diameter as the intake section has a lower end which is provided with a male connector in the form of a circumferential bead below which is a reduced diameter portion which has been crimped to form corrugations. This reduced diameter portion is of a sufficiently small outside diameter to fit inside the top end of an adjoining section. The approximately four foot long tube is joined to a shorter tube of same nominal inside diameter as the intake section and the approximately four foot long tube itself. This joint is facilitated by another male connector, of the same construction as just described, which is provided on the lower end of the shorter tube, permitting the lower end of the shorter tube to fit inside the top end of the approximately four foot long tube and form a lap joint therewith. The shorter tube is of a length which depends on the distance between adjacent floor slabs in a particular building. This length is selected such that the necked-down portion of the intake section mounted in the floor above fits inside, and forms a lap joint with, the top portion of the shorter tube.
- Despite their segmental construction, one of the major shortcomings of prior art conveyor chutes has been that they make very inefficient use of shipping resources even when shipped disassembled as they are when shipped from a manufacturer to a distributor or from a distributor to a job site. Because the chute sections are hollow and are dimensioned to form an open bore which has substantially constant diameter throughout the entire length of the chute, they tend to occupy excessive volume per unit weight when packed for shipping. As a consequence, shipping costs tend to be high because the usable volume of a truck or shipping container is substantially fully occupied well before applicable weight limits are approached.
- In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the invention to provide a conveyor chute whose packing density for shipment is significantly improved over the prior art.
- It is a further object of the invention to provide a method for efficiently palletizing a conveyor chute of the improved design.
- According to one aspect of the present invention, a conveyor chute for conveying objects by gravity from at least one higher floor to at least one lower floor of a building includes a plurality of discrete sections which are joinable to one another to form an elongated hollow conduit having an open bore through which the objects may fall under gravity. Those sections include: at least one intake section of enlarged inside diameter, at least one tapered section, at least one substantially cylindrical section and at least one generally frustoconical section. The generally frustoconical section serves as a transition member which adapts the diameter of the substantially cylindrical section to the larger diameter of the intake section.
- Each intake section has a substantially cylindrical body which has an open top end, an open bottom end and is of a first inside diameter. An intake port is located between the top end and bottom end. The intake port protrudes radially from the body and communicates with the bore to serve as a portal for receiving trash, laundry or other objects to be conveyed through the bore. The intake section terminates in a reduced diameter portion.
- Each tapered section has an open top end of an inside diameter sufficient to receive the reduced diameter portion of said first male connector of the intake section and has an open bottom end of a smaller inside diameter than the top end of said tapered section. When the conveyor chute is assembled, the reduced diameter portion of the first male connector of the intake section is receivable inside the top end of the tapered section to form a first interiorly liquid shedding lap joint between each intake section and each adjacent tapered section. The difference in diameter between its open top end and its open bottom end gives each tapered section a tapered shape which permits multiple tapered sections to at least partially nest inside one another to form a nestable stack for more efficient use of shipping space.
- Each substantially cylindrical section has a substantially cylindrical body whose a maximum outside diameter is smaller than the first inside diameter of the body of the intake section. This enables at least one cylindrical section to fit substantially completely inside the body of the intake section thereby providing for increased packing density for shipping and thus, lowering shipping costs. The body of each substantially cylindrical section has an open top end and an open bottom end and terminates in a second male connector having a radial protrusion and a reduced diameter portion. Upon assembly of the conveyor chute, the bottom end of each tapered section is telescopingly receivable inside the top end of a cylindrical section to form a second interiorly liquid shedding lap joint. The distance by which the top end of a cylindrical section overlaps the bottom end of a tapered section is preferably at least about three inches (3 in.) but may be a greater distance as may be needed to account for the vertical slab-to-slab spacing of the floors in a particular building and/or normal manufacturing variations in the lengths of the various sections of the chute.
- Each frustoconical section has an open top end of an inside diameter sufficient to receive the second reduced diameter portion of said second male connector to form a third interiorly liquid shedding lap joint between each tapered section and each frustoconical section when the conveyor chute is assembled. Each frustoconical section also has an open bottom end whose outside diameter and inside diameter are both larger than the inside diameter of the top end of the frustoconical section. This permits a plurality of frustoconical sections to be stacked for shipping such that the frustoconical sections nest at least partially inside one another. Each frustoconical section terminates in a third male connector having a radial protrusion and a reduced diameter portion. The reduced diameter portion has an outside diameter smaller than the first inside diameter of the substantially cylindrical body of said intake section so that upon assembly of the conveyor the reduced diameter portion of the third male connector is receivable inside the open top end of an intake section to form a fourth interiorly liquid shedding joint.
- A further aspect of the present invention relates to a method of palletizing sections of a conveyor chute. Upon a first pallet are mounted a first layer of intake sections and a second layer of intake sections, the second layer being disposed above the first layer. Mounted at least partially within the open bore of at least one, and preferably each, of the intake sections is a hollow substantially cylindrical section whose maximum outside diameter is smaller than the inside diameter of the body of the intake section. Upon a second pallet are mounted at least two stacks of tapered sections, and at least one stack of frustoconical sections. A plurality of tapered sections are at least partially nested inside other ones of the tapered sections and a plurality of the frustoconical sections are nested inside other ones of the frustoconical sections. The mounting of the substantially cylindrical sections inside the intake sections and the nesting of the tapered sections and the frustoconical sections, respectively, significantly increases packing density thereby significantly reducing shipping costs.
- The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in view of the following detailed description and the appended drawings in which like reference numerals are used to designate like items.
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FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing a typical length of a chute as installed between two floors of a building; -
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a typical length of a conveyor chute showing the various sections thereof; -
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a floor frame used for mounting a conveyor chute; -
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a hanger clip; -
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the mounting of an intake section and a tapered section to a floor frame; -
FIG. 6 is an enlargement of the area “A” ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the mounting of an intake section and a tapered section to a floor frame; -
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a first palletized load of conveyor chute sections, namely, a plurality of intake sections and substantially cylindrical sections shown mounted on a first pallet; -
FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the palletized load ofFIG. 8 ; -
FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of a second palletized load of conveyor chute sections, namely, a plurality of tapered sections and a plurality of frustoconical sections shown mounted on a second pallet; and -
FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the palletized load ofFIG. 10 . - Referring initially to
FIG. 1 , a preferred embodiment of aconveyor chute 10 according to the present invention consists of a plurality ofdiscrete sections tubular conduit 22 having acentral bore 24.Conduit 22 has a centrallongitudinal axis 25 which, upon installation ofchute 10, is oriented substantially vertically so that objects, such as trash, recyclables or laundry items, may fall under gravity from at least onehigher floor 27 of a building to at least onelower floor 29 of the building. Those sections include at least oneintake section 12, at least onetapered section 14, at least one substantiallycylindrical section 16 and at least one generallyfrustoconical section 18. - As shown in
FIG. 2 , eachintake section 12 has a substantiallycylindrical body 30 of substantially circular cross section, an opentop end 34 and an openbottom end 36. Anintake port 38, which is located between thetop end 34 and thebottom end 36, protrudes in a radial direction from thecylindrical body 30 and communicates withbore 24 for receiving objects deposited therein by users to be conveyed throughbore 24. Thebody 30 of eachintake section 12 terminates in a firstmale connector 42 having a reduceddiameter portion 48, which is optionally but preferably corrugated. The substantiallycylindrical body 30 has aninside diameter 32 which is larger than the nominal inside diameter of thechute 10. By way of non-limiting example, a nominal twenty four inch (24 inch) insidediameter chute 10 may have anintake section 12 whose substantiallycylindrical body 30 has aninside diameter 32 of about twenty six inches (26 in.).Intake section 12 is of anoverall length 50 which is preferably greater than, or substantially equal to, the overall length of substantiallycylindrical section 16. However, in some embodiments,intake section 12 may be somewhat shorter in overall length than substantiallycylindrical section 16. In one exemplary preferred embodiment,intake section 12 has an overall length of about forty-eight inches (48 in.) - Each tapered
section 14 is also of substantially circular transverse cross section and has an opentop end 54 of aninside diameter 56 of a size sufficient to receive the reduceddiameter portion 48 of the firstmale connector 42. As a non-limiting example, opentop end 54 may suitably have aninside diameter 56 of about twenty five inches (25 in.). Each taperedsection 14 also includes an openbottom end 58 of anoutside diameter 60 that is smaller than theinside diameter 56 of itstop end 54 so as to provide taperedsection 14 with its tapered shape which, as will be discussed in further detail below, permitstapered sections 14 to be stacked in a nested manner for more efficient and cost effective shipping. Again by way of non-limiting example, the open bottom end of a taperedsection 14 having anoverall length 61 of about twenty four inches (24 in.) and an opentop end 54 having aninside diameter 56 of about twenty five inches (25 in.), may be about twenty four inches (24 in.) inoutside diameter 60. Because of their tapered shape and the fact that the openbottom end 58 of each taperedsection 14 is of a smalleroutside diameter 60 than theinside diameter 56 of its opentop end 54, a plurality of taperedsections 14 can be stacked with one nesting at least partially inside another to form a nested stack. This increases packing density for shipment and thereby lowers shipping costs. - Each substantially
cylindrical section 16 has a substantiallycylindrical body 62 having an opentop end 64 and an openbottom end 66 each of which, by way of non-limiting example, may have an inside diameter of about twenty five inches (25 in.).Bottom end 66 terminates in a secondmale connector 67 having a secondradial protrusion 68, which preferably takes the form of acircumferential bead 70, and a second reduceddiameter portion 74, which is preferably corrugated. The maximum outsidediameter 76 of substantiallycylindrical section 16, inclusive of secondradial protrusion 68, is smaller than the firstinside diameter 32 of thebody 30 of theintake section 12. In one preferred embodiment, substantiallycylindrical section 16 has anoverall length 77 of about forty-eight inches (48 in.), butoverall length 77 may be longer or shorter as desired to meet the needs of a particular application. - Each
frustoconical section 18 has an opentop end 80 and an openbottom end 81. The opentop end 80 is of aninside diameter 82 sufficient to receive the second reduceddiameter portion 74 of the secondmale connector 67 while the openbottom end 81 is of aninside diameter 84 which is both larger than theinside diameter 82 of the opentop end 80. Eachfrustoconical section 18 terminates in a thirdmale connector 85 having aradial protrusion 86, which preferably takes the form of acircumferential bead 88, and a reduceddiameter portion 90 which is preferably corrugated and has anoutside diameter 92 which is slightly smaller than the firstinside diameter 32 of theintake section 12. Due to their tapered shape and the opentop end 80 being of a smalleroutside diameter 83 than theinside diameter 84 of the openbottom end 81, a plurality offrustoconical sections 18 can be stacked with one nesting at least partially inside one another to form a nested stack to increase packing density and thereby lower shipping costs. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , during a so-called “rough-in” phase of installation ofchute 10, a suitably sizedrough opening 95 in eachfloor respective floor frame 97. By way of non-limiting example,floor frame 97 may suitably be formed of four pieces of 1½″×1½″× 3/16″ thick steel right angle stock welded together to form an open square as illustrated inFIG. 3 . Eachfloor frame 97 hashorizontal edges 99 which are bolted to eachrespective floor acoustic isolation pads 98 and hasvertical edges 100 which form its inside periphery. - Once each
floor frame 97 is in place suitably centered with respect to the desiredlongitudinal axis 25 ofchute 10, a taperedsection 14 is suspended from thefloor frame 97. This may be achieved by way of fourhanger clips 102 which may suitably take the form of substantially letter “J”-shaped steel straps. Four (4 ea.) hanger clips 102 are welded adjacent the opentop end 54 of each taperedsection 14 at four (4 ea.) equally angularly spaced locations. A cross sectional view of atypical hanger clip 102 is shown inFIG. 4 . The taperedsection 14 passes,bottom end 58 first, through thefloor frame 97 andrough opening 95 until the hanger clips 102 engage thevertical edges 100 of thefloor frame 97 as shown inFIG. 5 so that the taperedsection 14 is suspended from thefloor frame 97 such that most of the length of the taperedsection 14 extends down through the floor and projects into the story below as illustrated inFIG. 1 . - As
FIG. 5 shows, the exterior of the lower end of eachintake section 14 has four substantially stair step-shapedclips 104 welded thereto at equally angularly spaced intervals at positions corresponding to those of hanger clips 102. Whenintake section 12 is placed ontofloor frame 97 as shown inFIGS. 6 and 7 , each substantially stair step-shapedclip 104 at least partially overlaps, and bears downwardly on, a corresponding one of the hanger clips 102 by which the taperedsection 14 is suspended. This creates a secure mechanical connection amongintake section 12, taperedsection 14 andfloor frame 97. - As noted above, each
intake section 12 terminates in a firstmale connector 42 having a reduceddiameter portion 48, which is optionally but preferably corrugated, and is received inside the opentop end 54 of taperedsection 14 to form a first internally liquid shedding lap joint 109 with taperedsection 14. As used herein and in the claims, the term internally liquid shedding lap joint refers to an at least partially overlapping joint which, though not necessarily liquid tight under liquid pressure, is operable to shed or let pass any liquid which may flow vertically downward along theinterior wall 106 ofchute 10 without allowing such liquid to leak through the joint to theexterior wall 107 ofchute 10 when thelongitudinal axis 25 of thechute 10 is substantially vertically oriented. Preferably, the first reduceddiameter portion 48 of the firstmale connector 42 penetrates and overlaps the opentop end 54 of taperedsection 14 by a distance of at least about two inches (2 in.) with further penetration being prevented byclips 104. The structure of the first internally liquid shedding lap joint 109 is also illustrated inFIG. 6 . - The open
bottom end 58 of taperedsection 14 is telescopingly received inside the opentop end 64 of a substantiallycylindrical section 16 by a distance which is at least sufficient to form a second internally liquid shedding joint 111, the structure of which is illustrated inFIG. 1 . The overlap distance between thetapered section 14 and the substantiallycylindrical section 16 may vary to account for differences in the vertical slab-to-slab spacing betweenadjacent floors - The open
bottom end 66 of the substantiallycylindrical section 16 terminates in a secondmale connector 67 which has aradial protrusion 68 which optionally but preferably takes the form of acircumferential bead 70. Secondmale connector 67 also has a reduceddiameter portion 74 that is optionally but preferably corrugated. Reduceddiameter portion 74 is received inside the opentop end 80 offrustoconical section 18 to form a third internally liquid sheddinglap joint 113. Preferably, the reduceddiameter portion 74 of themale connector 67 penetrates and internally overlaps the opentop end 80 offrustoconical section 18 by a distance of about two inches (2 in.). Further penetration is prevented by interference ofradial protrusion 68/circumferential bead 70 with thetop end 80 offrustoconical section 18 as illustrated inFIG. 1 . To increase overall packing density for less costly shipping, each substantiallycylindrical section 16 is preferably dimensioned such that it can be placed at least partially inside, and preferably substantially completely inside, one of theintake sections 12. The diametrical difference between substantiallycylindrical section 16 andintake section 12 which is needed to make this possible is accounted for during installation ofchute 10 byfrustoconical section 18. - The open
bottom end 81 offrustoconical section 18 terminates in a thirdmale connector 85 which forms a fourth internally liquid shedding lap joint 115 with the opentop end 34 of asecond intake section 12. Thirdmale connector 85 has aradial protrusion 86 which optionally but preferably takes the form of acircumferential bead 88 and also has a reduceddiameter portion 90 which penetrates and overlaps the opentop end 34 ofintake section 12 by a distance of about two inches (2 in.). Further penetration is prevented by interference betweentop end 34 and theradial protrusion 86/circumferential bead 88. - A further aspect of the invention relates to a method of palletizing sections of a conveyor chute. In a first step 117 as illustrated in
FIGS. 8 and 9 , afirst layer 121 of four (4 ea.)intake sections 12 and asecond layer 122 of four (4 ea.)intake sections 12 are mounted on afirst pallet 123. Thefirst layer 121 is mounted on thetop surface 124 of thefirst pallet 123 while the secondlayer intake sections 12 is disposed above thefirst layer 121. - Preferably, a layer of sheet material 126, such as a sheet of plywood, is disposed between the
first layer 121 and thesecond layer 122 in order to provide a uniform and stable mounting surface for thesecond layer 122 ofintake sections 12. Each of theintake sections 12 has a substantiallycylindrical body 30 having an opentop end 34, and an openbottom end 36 which are connected by way of anopen bore 24. Thebore 24 is centered on alongitudinal axis 25, which is preferably oriented perpendicular to thetop surface 124 of thefirst pallet 123. Anintake port 38 which is located between thetop end 34 andbottom end 36 protrudes radially from thecylindrical body 30. To maximize packing density, theintake ports 38 of each of theintake sections 12 are preferably oriented outwardly of thefirst pallet 123 as shown inFIGS. 8 and 9 . - According to the invention, mounted within the open bore 24 of at least one of, and preferably all of, the
intake sections 12 on thefirst pallet 123 is a hollow, substantiallycylindrical section 16 having a maximum outsidediameter 127 which is smaller than theinside diameter 32 of theintake section 12. Each substantiallycylindrical section 16 may be mounted inside itsrespective intake section 12, either before or after thatintake section 12 is mounted onfirst pallet 123. As indicated inFIG. 8 , to facilitate shipment by truck and/or cargo container, the maximum height offirst pallet 123 itself should preferably not exceed about one hundred and one inches (101 in.) or whatever other maximum height load a particular mode of transportation might be able to accommodate. - Further according to the method of the invention, as illustrated in
FIGS. 10 and 11 on asecond pallet 128 are mounted at least twostacks 129 of taperedsections 14 and at least onestack 130 offrustoconical sections 18. Each of thestacks 129 of taperedsections 14 includes a plurality of taperedsections 14 which are at least partially nested inside one another thereby increasing packing density by forming a nested stack. Likewise, eachstack 130 offrustoconical sections 18 includes a plurality ofsections 18 which are at least partially nested inside one another, thereby further increasing packing density by forming a nested stack and as a result, reducing shipping costs. - While the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments described above, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims, either literally or under the Doctrine of Equivalents.
Claims (25)
1. A conveyor chute for conveying objects by gravity from at least one higher floor to at least one lower floor of a building, said chute comprising:
a plurality of discrete sections which are joinable to form an elongated hollow conduit having an open bore through which the objects may fall under gravity, at least one of said sections being capable of fitting substantially completely inside another one of said plurality of sections.
2. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of discrete sections comprises a nestable section which can be stacked to form part of a nested stack.
3. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of discrete sections comprises an intake section having an intake port which includes an opening for receiving objects to be conveyed, said opening being provided with a door.
4. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 3 wherein said intake section is mounted to a floor frame by way of at least two substantially stair step-shaped clips.
5. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plurality of discrete sections includes at least (i) an intake section having an opening for receiving objects to be conveyed, and (ii) a section which is suspendable from a floor frame by way of at least two hangers, said intake section being mountable to said floor frame by way of at least two substantially stair step-shaped clips, each of said substantially stair step-shaped clips being mounted to at least partially overlap at least a respective one of said hangers.
6. A conveyor chute for conveying objects by gravity from at least one higher floor to at least one lower floor of a building, said chute comprising:
a plurality of discrete sections which are joinable to one another to form an elongated hollow conduit having an open bore through which the objects may fall under gravity, said sections including:
(a) at least one intake section having a substantially cylindrical body of a first inside diameter, said body of said intake section having an open top end, an open bottom end and, an intake port communicating with said bore for receiving objects to be conveyed through said bore, said intake port being located between said top end and said bottom end of said body of said intake section, said intake section terminating in a first male connector having a first reduced diameter portion;
(b) at least one tapered section having an open top end of an inside diameter sufficient to receive said first reduced diameter portion of said first male connector of said intake section, said tapered section further having an open bottom end of a smaller inside diameter than said top end of said tapered section, said first reduced diameter portion of said first male connector of said intake section being receivable inside said top end of said tapered section to form a first liquid shedding lap joint;
(c) at least one substantially cylindrical section having a substantially cylindrical body and a maximum outside diameter which is smaller than said first inside diameter of said body of said intake section, said body of said substantially cylindrical section having an open top end and an open bottom end, said substantially cylindrical section terminating in a second male connector having a second radial protrusion and a second reduced diameter portion, said bottom end of said tapered section being telescopingly receivable inside said top end of said cylindrical section to form a second interiorly liquid shedding lap joint;
(d) at least one frustoconical section having an open top end of an inside diameter sufficient to receive said second reduced diameter portion of said second male connector to form a third interiorly liquid shedding lap joint, said frustoconical section having an open bottom end of an outside diameter which is larger than said inside diameter of said top end of said frustoconical section, said frustoconical section terminating in a third male connector having a third radial protrusion and a third reduced diameter portion, said third reduced diameter portion having an outside diameter smaller than said first inside diameter of said substantially cylindrical body of said intake section so that said third reduced diameter portion of said third male connector is receivable inside a said open top end of a said intake section to form a fourth interiorly liquid shedding joint.
7. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 6 wherein said substantially cylindrical section is of a maximum outside dimension sufficiently small to permit said substantially cylindrical section to be received at least partially inside said intake section to increase packing density for shipment.
8. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 7 wherein said substantially cylindrical section is of a maximum outside dimension sufficiently small to permit said substantially cylindrical section to be received substantially completely inside said intake section to increase packing density for shipment.
9. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 6 wherein said at least one tapered section comprises a plurality of said tapered sections which are nestable at least partially inside one another to form a nested stack to increase packing density for shipment.
10. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 6 wherein said at least one frustoconical section comprises a plurality of said frustoconical sections which are nestable at least partially inside one another to form a nested stack to increase packing density for shipment.
11. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 6 wherein at least one of said first radial protrusion, said second radial protrusion and said third radial protrusion comprises a circumferential bead.
12. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 6 wherein at least one of said first reduced diameter portion of said first male connector and said second reduced diameter portion of said second male connector and said third reduced diameter portion of said third male connector is corrugated.
13. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 6 wherein said intake port includes an opening for receiving objects to be conveyed, said opening being provided with a door.
14. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 6 wherein said intake section is supportably mounted to a floor frame by way of at least two substantially stair step-shaped clips which are secured to respective exterior portions of said body of said intake section.
15. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 6 wherein said tapered section is mounted suspended from a floor frame by way of at least two hangers.
16. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 10 wherein said hangers are substantially “J”-shaped.
17. A conveyor chute as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tapered section is suspended from a floor frame by way of at least two hangers and said intake section is supportably mounted to said floor frame by way of at least two substantially stair step-shaped clips, each of said substantially stair step-shaped clips being mounted to at least partially overlap at least a portion of a respective one of said hangers, each of said hangers engaging said floor frame.
18. A method of palletizing sections of a conveyor chute, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) mounting on a first pallet a first layer of four intake sections and a second layer of four intake sections, said second layer being disposed above said first layer, each of said intake sections having a substantially cylindrical body of a first inside diameter, said body of said intake sections each having an open top end, an open bottom end, an open bore connecting said open top end and said open bottom end and an intake port communicating with said bore for receiving objects to be conveyed through said bore, said intake port being located between said open top end and said open bottom end of said body of said intake section;
(b) mounting at least partially within said bore of each of at least one of said intake sections a hollow substantially cylindrical section having a maximum outside diameter which is smaller than said first inside diameter of said substantially cylindrical body of said intake section;
(c) mounting on a second pallet (i) at least two stacks of tapered sections and (ii) at least one stack of frustoconical sections, each of said stacks of said tapered sections including a plurality of said tapered sections which are at least partially nested inside other ones of said tapered sections, each said stack of said frustoconical sections including a plurality of said frustoconical sections which are at least partially nested inside other ones of said frustoconical sections, each said tapered section being tubular and having an open top end and an open bottom end, said bottom end of each said tapered section having an inside diameter which is smaller than an outside diameter of said top end of said tapered section, each said frustoconical section having an open top end and an open bottom end, said bottom end having an inside diameter which is larger than an outside diameter of said top end of said frustoconical section.
19. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein each said substantially cylindrical body of each respective said intake section has a central longitudinal axis which is oriented substantially perpendicular to a top surface of said first pallet.
20. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein each said intake port of each respective said intake section faces outwardly of said first pallet.
21. A method as claimed in claim 12 further comprising the step of interposing a sheet of sheet material between said first layer of said intake sections and said second layer of said intake sections.
22. A method of palletizing sections of a conveyor chute, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) mounting on a first pallet a first layer of four intake sections and a second layer of four intake sections, said second layer being disposed above said first layer, each of said intake sections having a substantially cylindrical body of a first inside diameter, said body of said intake sections each having an open top end, an open bottom end, an open bore connecting said open top end and said open bottom end and, an intake port communicating with said bore for receiving objects to be conveyed through said bore, said intake port being located between said open top end and said open bottom end of said body of said intake section, each said bore of at least one of said intake sections having disposed therein a hollow substantially cylindrical section having a maximum outside diameter which is smaller than said first inside diameter of said substantially cylindrical body of said intake section;
(b) mounting on a second pallet (i) at least two stacks of tapered sections and (ii) at least one stack of frustoconical sections, each of said stacks of said tapered sections including a plurality of said tapered sections which are at least partially nested inside other ones of said tapered sections, each said stack of said frustoconical sections including a plurality of said frustoconical sections which are at least partially nested inside other ones of said frustoconical sections, each said tapered section having an open top end and an open bottom end, said bottom end of each said tapered section having an inside diameter which is smaller than an outside diameter of said top end of said tapered section, each said frustoconical section having an open top end and an open bottom end, said bottom end having an inside diameter which is larger than an outside diameter of said top end of said frustoconical section.
23. A method as claimed in claim 22 wherein each said bore of each of said intake sections has disposed therein a hollow substantially cylindrical section having a maximum outside diameter which is smaller than said first inside diameter of said substantially cylindrical body of said intake section.
24. A method of palletizing a conveyance chute of the type having a plurality of mutually adjoining tubular sections, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) forming at least a first one of the sections to have an outside diameter at least a second one of the sections, and
(b) placing on a pallet at least said first one of said sections and at least said second one of said sections such that said first one of said sections is disposed at least substantially entirely inside said second one of said sections.
25. A method as claimed in claim 24 wherein each of the tubular sections has a longitudinal axis which is oriented substantially perpendicular to a top surface of said pallet.
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/302,013 US20130126294A1 (en) | 2011-11-22 | 2011-11-22 | Conveyor chute and method of palletizing same for shipment |
US14/537,739 US9272846B2 (en) | 2011-11-22 | 2014-11-10 | Conveyor chute for the interior of a building and method of palletizing same for shipment |
US15/014,669 US9534401B2 (en) | 2011-11-22 | 2016-02-03 | Conveyor chute for the interior of a building and method of palletizing same for shipment |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/302,013 US20130126294A1 (en) | 2011-11-22 | 2011-11-22 | Conveyor chute and method of palletizing same for shipment |
Related Child Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US14/537,739 Continuation-In-Part US9272846B2 (en) | 2011-11-22 | 2014-11-10 | Conveyor chute for the interior of a building and method of palletizing same for shipment |
US14/537,739 Continuation US9272846B2 (en) | 2011-11-22 | 2014-11-10 | Conveyor chute for the interior of a building and method of palletizing same for shipment |
Publications (1)
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US20130126294A1 true US20130126294A1 (en) | 2013-05-23 |
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Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US13/302,013 Abandoned US20130126294A1 (en) | 2011-11-22 | 2011-11-22 | Conveyor chute and method of palletizing same for shipment |
US14/537,739 Active US9272846B2 (en) | 2011-11-22 | 2014-11-10 | Conveyor chute for the interior of a building and method of palletizing same for shipment |
Family Applications After (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US14/537,739 Active US9272846B2 (en) | 2011-11-22 | 2014-11-10 | Conveyor chute for the interior of a building and method of palletizing same for shipment |
Country Status (1)
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US (2) | US20130126294A1 (en) |
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US9809385B1 (en) * | 2013-05-07 | 2017-11-07 | John Peter Van Bogaert | Modular chute system |
CN107735344A (en) * | 2015-07-09 | 2018-02-23 | 山特维克知识产权股份有限公司 | Flexible funnel element for deflector chute |
CN108087001A (en) * | 2017-12-25 | 2018-05-29 | 中矿金业股份有限公司 | The erection method of steel drop shaft |
US10053291B1 (en) * | 2013-05-07 | 2018-08-21 | John Peter Van Bogaert | Modular chute system |
CN113175181A (en) * | 2021-05-21 | 2021-07-27 | 中信国安建工集团有限公司 | A rubbish is cleared and is transported device for high-rise building construction |
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CN109230563A (en) * | 2018-11-15 | 2019-01-18 | 安徽江淮汽车集团股份有限公司 | A kind of sled bunching device and transportation system |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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US9272846B2 (en) | 2016-03-01 |
US20150063975A1 (en) | 2015-03-05 |
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