Ernest P Winski

59716991, Oct 26, 1999

Jul 17, 1997

8/895533

Ernest P. Winski - Oshkosh WI

B65G 5722

4147916

This invention pertains to load forming systems, especially those designed to place cased product on e. g. a pallet. The invention contemplates receiving cases at a high rate of input, and fragmenting the input, sending it to parallel processing elements of the load forming system. A layer creating subsystem has parallel processing elements, and preferably has sufficient designed throughput capacity to continue processing cases at the overall rated capacity of the case loading system when any one of the parallel processing elements in the layer creating subsystem fails. The case loading subsystem also can incoroporate parallel layer transfer elements and load forming elements.

52696456, Dec 14, 1993

Apr 24, 1991

7/690345

Ernest P. Winski - Oshkosh WI

Kinetic Robotics Inc. - Menasha WI

B65G 5902

414786

This invention pertains to handling of material on a supporting surface, preferably a pallet (74). It is addressed especially to the handling of material in pallet loads. The invention provides material handling systems and methods for placing material on a supporting surface by a palletizer (10) and removing it from that supporting surface by a depalletizer (210); and wherein the common element necessary to make the system function resides in the use of a special spacing sheet under each layer (178) of material in the load. Supporting members include spacing sheets (161) and (166) having novel characteristics in their top and bottom surfaces, and novel tacky spacing sheets (300) which are lightly and temporarily bonded to the underlying layer or pallet.

49882643, Jan 29, 1991

Feb 8, 1989

7/309044

Ernest P. Winski - Oshkosh WI

Kinetic Robotics, Inc. - Menasha WI

B65G 5902

414196

Material handling apparatus and methods, especially for use with loose stacks of paper and the like in pallets. The invention includes depalletizing apparatus, distributing apparatus, and hopper loading apparatus; and material handling apparatus for transporting material between the depalletizing apparatus, the distributing apparatus, and the hopper loading apparatus. The depalletizing operation includes lateral sliding of layers of a pallet load onto a removal conveyor and then away from the pallet. Significant advantages are achieved by using a special spacing sheet in the pallet load instead of slip sheets and tie sheets. Fingers on the pusher extend below individual layers of the load and into the channels in a spacing sheet, effecting the removal of even the bottom layer of papers in a stack. Similar use of fingers and channels applies to operation of the hopper loader and its control of the bottom papers in the stack. Accumulator apparatus is used as desired for staging appropriate materials throughout the system.

55624030, Oct 8, 1996

Jun 7, 1995

8/480517

Ernest P. Winski - Oshkosh WI

B65G 5720

414799

This invention is a novel load forming system, including a layer forming station, a load forming station, and a transfer vehicle for transferring to a load forming station, a layer at a time, units of material which have been formed into layers at a layer forming station. The transfer vehicle, including transfer plate and support frame, is mounted on underlying support wheels, which are preferably mounted on an underlying track whose length is generally confined within the load forming system.

53724720, Dec 13, 1994

Jan 3, 1994

8/177203

Ernest P. Winski - Oshkosh WI
David R. Rastall - Appleton WI

Kinetic Robotics Inc. - Menasha WI

B65G 5700

414786

Palletizers and methods of palletizing are disclosed. The palletizers are adapted to receive and arrange units of material and to concurrently fabricate first and second layers therefrom; or to place them in layers at either of first and second delivery support areas; or both. A plurality of layer forming stations can be vertically spaced, horizontally spaced, or both. Plural load forming stations can be horizontally spaced, vertically spaced, or both. Pallets can be sequenced into the load forming stations when empty or partially empty; and can be sequenced out of the load forming stations when empty, partially empty, or full. A given layer may be a hybrid layer comprised of the sum of partial layers fabricated separately. In some embodiments, the transfer apparatus can transfer layers to more than one of more than one load forming stations. In some embodiments, rows of units of material are advanced transversely onto and across an in-feed conveyor to thereby define, on the in-feed conveyor, the full width of the layer being formed.

50963678, Mar 17, 1992

Dec 21, 1990

7/631829

Ernest P. Winski - Oshkosh WI

Kinetic Robotics Inc. - Menasha WI

B65G 5902

414786

Material handling apparatus and methods, especially for use with loose stacks of paper and the like in pallets. The invention includes depalletizing apparatus, distributing apparatus, and hopper loading apparatus; and material handling apparatus for transporting material between the depalletizing apparatus, the distributing apparatus, and the hopper loading apparatus. The depalletizing operation includes lateral sliding of layers of a pallet load onto a removal conveyor and then away from the pallet. Significant advantages are achieved by using a special spacing sheet in the pallet load instead of slip sheets and tie sheets. Fingers on the pusher extend below individual layers of the load and into the channels in a spacing sheet, effecting the removal of even the bottom layer of papers in a stack. Similar use of fingers and channels applies to operation of the hopper loader and its control of the bottom papers in the stack. Accumulator apparatus is used as desired for staging appropriate materials throughout the system.

52560287, Oct 26, 1993

Dec 6, 1989

7/449235

Ernest P. Winski - Oshkosh WI
Clifton B. McMurry - Fond du Lac WI

B65G 5902

414786

This invention pertains to handling of material on a supporting surface, preferably a pallet 74. It is addressed especially to the handling of thin-sectioned sheet material such as loose newspaper and magazine products in pallet loads. The invention provides material handling system and method for placing the material on a supporting surface by means of a palletizer 10 and removing it from that supporting surface by means of a depalletizer 180; and wherein the common element necessary to make the system function resides in the use of a special supporting member under each layer 178 of material in the load. Supporting members include spacing sheets 166 having novel characteristics in their top and bottom surfaces and novel pallets 216 having novel characteristics in their top surfaces.

54472210, Sep 5, 1995

Oct 25, 1993

8/141788

Ernest P. Winski - Oshkosh WI

Kinetic Robotics, Inc. - Menasha WI

B65G 4752

19846811

Material handling equipment includes an in-feed conveyor having a sweep arm for traversing across the in-feed conveyor to thus sweep off the conveyor units of material disposed thereon. The sweep arm includes a brush, having bristles extending downwardly into spaces between the carrying elements of the conveyor, whereby thin-section materials on the conveyor are engaged by the bristles and swept off the conveyor. The sweep arm can optionally also sweep the materials onto and across the in-feed station of a palletizer positioned adjacent the in-feed conveyor. The in-feed station can have channels in its upper surface, extending in the direction of sweep of the sweep arm. For reaching into the spaces on the in-feed conveyor, and into channels on the in-feed station of the palletizer, no indexing is required between the spaces on the conveyor and the channels on the in-feed station; nor is any indexing required between the push arm and either the spaces on the in-feed conveyor or the channels on the in-feed station of the palletizer.