Method and Apparatus for Storing and Dispensing Bagged Ice

摘要

An article storage and dispensing apparatus and method in which articles made by series production are distributed from an article supplier into a storage compartment of predetermined dimensions for storage of articles in front and rear rows of article storage positions. An article distributor in an upper portion of the storage compartment has a carriage, a carriage drive which is configured to drive the carriage in a reversible horizontal carriage drive direction across at least part of the width of the storage compartment, and an article support mounted on the carriage and configured to receive articles from the article supplier above the support when the carriage is in a start position. An article dispenser is associated with the article support to dispense articles selectively in opposite horizontal dispensing directions transverse to the carriage drive direction off the front and rear ends of the support to drop into front and rear article rows.

主权项

1. A method of operating a system for distributing a plurality of articles into a storage unit, comprising:
distributing an article onto an article support on a transport carriage of an article distributing apparatus positioned in a start position above a storage area within a storage unit, the storage area having opposite sides, a front, and a rear, and the article support having a front end and a rear end; selecting a storage position in the storage area from at least two adjacent article storage positions in front and rear rows beneath the article support; driving the carriage in a reversible horizontal carriage transport direction to a location above the selected storage position; actuating an article distributor to transport the article in a first horizontal article transport direction towards the front of the storage area and transverse to the carriage transport direction off the front end of the article support if the selected storage position is in the front row and in a second horizontal article transport direction opposite to the first horizontal article transport direction off the rear end of the article support if the selected storage position is in the rear row; driving the transport carriage back to the start position to receive a subsequent article to be distributed into the storage area; and repeating the foregoing steps to distribute a plurality of articles one by one to selected storage positions in the storage area.