Automated container unloader

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12325601-B2
Application number	US-202418643841-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2024
Priority date	Apr 29, 2021
Publication date	Jun 10, 2025
Grant date	Jun 10, 2025

Abstract

Various embodiments illustrated herein disclose a container unloader device. The container unloader device comprises a platform to receive a container, wherein the container comprises a package. The container unloader device also comprises a front panel configured to move between a raised orientation and a lowered orientation, wherein when the front panel being is in the raised orientation, the front panel is orthogonal with respect to the platform, and when the front panel is in the lowered orientation, the front panel and the platform form a continuous surface. The platform can be pivoted from a first angle to a second angle, that is greater than the first angle. The package leans against the front panel the front panel is in the raised orientation. The package is released on a surface of a conveyor when the front panel is in the lowered orientation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
moving a front panel of a device between a raised orientation and a lowered orientation with respect to a platform, wherein:
in response to the front panel being in the raised orientation, the front panel is orthogonal with respect to the platform, and
in response to the front panel being in the lowered orientation, the front panel and the platform form a continuous surface;
pivoting the platform from a first angle to a second angle with respect to a ground surface that is larger than the first angle, wherein pivoting the platform to the second angle comprises at least one or more of:
rotating a container around a rotational axis which is normal with respect to the platform to configure an item in the container to lean against a surface of the front panel when the front panel is in the raised orientation, wherein the platform is at the first angle with respect to the ground surface when the platform receives the container; and
rotating the container around the rotational axis which is normal with respect to the platform to configure the item to be released onto a surface of a conveyor when the front panel is in the lowered orientation; wherein the method further comprises configuring a rotary joint to be placed between the platform of the device and the container to rotate the container around the rotational axis which is normal with respect to the platform.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising configuring a first side panel and a second side panel of the front panel of the device to be placed in an upright position with respect to the surface of the front panel.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the front panel of the device is composed of a friction reducing material.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising configuring a roller bed to receive the container, wherein the roller bed is positioned on the platform of the device.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising latching the container to a surface of the platform of the device using a locking mechanism.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the locking mechanism comprises one or more latches.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rotary joint is configured to rotate up to 90 degrees around the rotational axis.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transporting the container to the device using at least one of a robotic device or a fork-lift truck.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising transferring the container from at least one of the robotic device or the fork-lift truck to the platform of the device.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising configuring the container to be transported from the platform of the device to at least one of the robotic device or the fork-lift truck after the item is released on the surface of the conveyor.

Assignees

• Intelligrated Headquarters Llc

Inventors

• Krishnamoorthy Sai Prasanth
• Pai Ramdas
• Pepley David
• Scott Darius

Classifications

• B65G13/00

  Roller-ways (storage devices comprising roller-ways B65G1/02; endless-chain conveyors comprising load-supporting rollers B65G17/00; rollers or arrangements thereof B65G39/00) · CPC title

• B65G13/11

  Roller frames · CPC title

• B65G41/002

  Pivotably mounted · CPC title

• B65G37/00

  Combinations of mechanical conveyors of the same kind, or of different kinds, of interest apart from their application in particular machines or use in particular manufacturing processes (series of co-operating belt conveyor units B65G15/22; series of co-operating chain conveyor units B65G17/26; sequence control of combined conveyors B65G43/10) · CPC title

• B65G65/23 Primary

  Devices for tilting and emptying of containers · CPC title