Returnable crate loader
A system, apparatus and method are presented for loading product containers into a crate wherein the crate is a reusable crate having four sides, which may be distorted bowed or bent relative to a nominal position. The system has a conveyer to convey the crate to an actuation assembly. The actuation assembly then actuates the crate into contact with a bracing assembly. The bracing assembly has four bracing members, each of which has at least one bracing block engaged thereto. Each bracing block has a grasping portion which contacts and bias against one of the four sides of the crate when the crate is actuated into engagement with the bracing assembly so as to reposition the sides of the crate to be in the nominal position.
1. A system for loading product containers into a crate wherein the crate is a reusable crate having four sides, the system comprising:
a crate, the inside surface of the four sides of the crate define a distorted crate opening size and shape wherein at least one set of opposing sides of the crate are not substantially parallel to one another;
a conveyer, the conveyer constructed and arranged to convey the crate to an actuation assembly;
the actuation assembly constructed and arranged to actuate the crate into biased engagement with a bracing assembly;
the bracing assembly comprising:
four bracing members, a first pair of the four bracing members being positioned in parallel opposition to one another, each of the first pair of bracing members having at least one bracing block engaged thereto, each bracing block having a grasping portion, the grasping portion having an outside surface and an inside surface, the inside surface constructed and arranged to be in contact with one of the four sides of the crate when the crate is actuated into biased engagement with the bracing assembly;
the bracing blocks are arranged to define a nominal crate opening size and shape wherein opposing sides of the crate are substantially parallel to one another, the inside surface of the four sides of the crate also define the nominal crate opening size and shape after the crate has been actuated by the actuation assembly into biased engagement with the bracing assembly.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the four bracing members include a second pair of bracing members, each of the second pair of bracing members having at least one second bracing block engaged thereto, each second bracing block having a second grasping portion, the second grasping portion having a second outside surface and a second inside surface, the second inside surface constructed and arranged to be in contact with one of the four sides of the crate when the crate is actuated into engagement with and biased against the bracing assembly.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the inside surface and the outside surface of the grasping portion form an angle of about 35 to about 55 degrees.
4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the inside surface and the outside surface of the grasping portion form an angle of about 45 degrees.
5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the outside surface of the grasping portion is substantially parallel with an inside surface of the one of the four sides of the crate after the crate has been actuated into biased engagement with the bracing assembly.
6. The system of claim 2 , further comprising a pick-up head, the pick-up head constructed and arranged to pick-up at least one product container and deposit the at least one product container into the crate after the crate has been biased against the bracing assembly and the inside surface of the four sides of the crate define the nominal crate opening size and shape.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the bracing blocks are positioned such that the at least one product container does not contact any of the bracing blocks when the pick-up head deposits the at least one product container into the crate.
8. The system of claim 2 , wherein each of the bracing blocks define a nominal plane representative of the position of a crate side which defines the nominal crate opening size and shape, each of the four sides of the distorted crate opening are no more than one inch offset from the nominal plane prior to being actuated into biased engagement with into the bracing assembly.