Lumber bin sorter with vertically-positionable and tiltable bin floors

Claim 2

A lumber bin sorter of the type having a multiplicity of bins to which graded lumber is carried by an overhead conveyor and ejected into designated bin locations with at least some of the bins being provided with a floor member vertically movable between a topmost position when the bin is empty and a lowermost position when the bin is filled up with lumber, and having means for providing an opening in the bottom of said bin for dumping its contents, characterized in that sensor means are provided for generating a pair of signals indicating respectively that said floor member has descended to said lowermost position and that the lumber pile Formed in said bin has reached a predetermined height, the occurrence of said pairs of signals serving to indicate that said bin is full and ready for dumping.

Claim 3

A lumber bin sorter apparatus comprising: an overhead conveyor carrying individual pieces of graded lumber and ejecting pieces of like character into a designated one of a multiplicity of bin storage locations, each of said bin storage locations being formed by a pair of laterally spaced front and rear wall members together with a floor member for catching and supporting lumber pieces dropping into said bin location, said floor member being formed of a plurality of support arms projecting out from and axially spaced along a common horizontal shaft positioned proximate and parallel to one of said bin walls and vertically movable between a topmost position when the bin is empty and a lowermost position when the bin is full, said floor member further containing shielding means secured to said shaft and extending to the nearer of said bin wall pair for guiding falling lumber toward the center of said bin and to prevent boards from jamming between said shaft and said near wall; and operable means for forming an opening in the bottom of said bin for permitting the contents thereof to dump out of said bin.

Claim 4

A lumber bin sorter apparatus comprising: an overhead conveyor carrying individual pieces of graded lumber and ejecting pieces of like character into a designated one of a multiplicity of bin storage locations, each of said bin storage locations being formed by a pair of laterally spaced front and rear wall members together with a floor member for catching and supporting lumber pieces dropping into said bin location, said floor member being formed of a plurality of support arms projecting out from and axially spaced along a common horizontal shaft positioned proximate and parallel to one of said bin walls and vertically movable between a topmost position when the bin is empty and a lowermost position when the bin is full, said floor member further containing shielding means secured to said shaft and extending to the nearer of said bin wall pair for guiding falling lumber toward the center of said bin and to prevent boards from jamming between said shaft and said near wall; and operable means for forming an opening in the bottom of said bin for permitting the contents thereof to dump out of said bin.

Claim 5

A lumber bin sorter apparatus comprising: an overhead conveyor carrying individual pieces of graded lumber and ejecting pieces of like character into a designated one of a multiplicity of bin storage locations, each of said bin storage locations being formed by a pair of laterally spaced front and rear wall members together with a floor member for catching and supporting lumber pieces dropping into said bin location, said floor member being vertically movable between a topmost position when the bin is empty and a lowermost position when the bin is filled, and formed of a plurality of support arms projecting out from and axially spaced along a common horizontal shaft aligned parallel to said bin walls, with a respective flange member attached at either end of said shaft and containing cam follower means in the form of a pair of rollers riding on respective surfaces of a guide track guiding the path of travel of said floor member, said pair of guide track surfaces being of generally straight parallel orientation over the major part of their length for guiding said floor member in a vertical path between said topmost position and said lowermost position, and over the remaining portion one of said guide track surfaces follows an arcuate path, while the other continues substantially vertically, thereby causing said floor member to tilt downward in a vertical arc so as to form an opening in the bottom of said bin for permitting the contents thereof to dump out of said bin.

Claim 6

A lumber bin sorter apparatus comprising: an overhead conveyor carrying individual pieces of graded lumber and ejecting pieces of like character into a designated one of a multiplicity of bin storage locations, each of said bin storage locations being formed by a pair of laterally spaced front and rear wall members together with a floor member for catching and supporting lumber pieces dropping into said bin location, said floor member being vertically movable between a topmost position when the bin is empty and a lowermost position when the bin is filled, and formed of a plurality of support arms projecting out from and axially spaced along a common horizontal shaft aligned parallel to said bin walls, with a respective flange member attached at either end of said shaft and containing cam follower means in the form of a pair of rollers riding on respective surfaces of a guide track guiding the path of travel of said floor member, said pair of guide track surfaces being of generally straight parallel orientation over the major part of their length for guiding said floor member in a vertical path between said topmost position and said lowermost position, and over the remaining portion one of said guide track surfaces follows an arcuate path, while the other continues substantially vertically, thereby causing said floor member to tilt downward in a vertical arc so as to form an opening in the bottom of said bin for permitting the contents thereof to dump out of said bin.