Claims
- 1. An apparatus for transporting at least one workpiece comprising:
a trolley supporting a carrier for movement between a raised position and a lowered position relative to the trolley; a releasable latch for holding the carrier in the raised position with respect to the trolley when in an engaged position; and means for locking the latch in the engaged position.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the locking means further comprises:
a pin operably engagable with the latch for holding the latch in the engaged position when in a locked position, and for allowing movement of the latch to a disengaged position when the pin is in an unlocked position.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the locking means further comprises:
a catch operably engagable with the pin and movable between a trapped position and a released position, where the catch retains the pin in the locked position when the catch is in the trapped position, and allows movement of the pin from the locked position to the unlocked position when the catch is in the released position.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the locking means further comprises:
the catch operable to passively move the pin from the unlocked position to the locked position in response to the catch moving from the released position to the trapped position.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising:
the catch supported by the trolley for pivoting movement about an axis for rotation between the trapped position and the released position in response to engagement with a stationary member located at the workstation, such that the catch is rotated to the released position when the trolley comes to a stop at the workstation.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:
the pin mounted for reciprocating passive movement within an aperture formed in the carrier from the locked position to the unlocked position in response to the latch moving from the engaged position toward the disengaged position.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a lockout pin operable with respect to the latch for preventing movement of the latch from the engaged position until the lockout pin is removed.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising:
the carrier having a pair of coaxial apertures associated therewith for receiving the lockout pin in a position obstructing free movement of the latch from the engaged position.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:
a member engagable between the lockout pin and the latch for obstructing movement of the latch when the lockout pin is located within the coaxial apertures.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a guide member operably associated with the carrier; and a guide channel located at the workstation for receiving the guide member when the carrier is being moved and for guiding vertical movement of the carrier between the raised and lowered positions at the workstation.
- 11. An apparatus for transporting at least one workpiece comprising:
a carrier connectible with respect to a trolley for supporting at least one workpiece for movement along a rail with respect to a workstation, the carrier moveable between a raised position and a lowered position when positioned at the workstation; at least one latch moveable between a disengaged position and an engaged position, the latch holding the carrier in the raised position with respect to the trolley when in the engaged position and allowing movement of the carrier with respect to the trolley when in the disengaged position; and a lock operably engagable with the latch for preventing unintentional movement of the latch from the engaged position to the disengaged position.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein lock further comprises:
a pin operably engagable with the latch for holding the latch in the engaged position when in a locked position, and for allowing movement of the latch to the disengaged position when in an unlocked position.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the lock further comprises:
a catch supported by the trolley for movement between a trapped position and a released position, where the catch retains the pin in the locked position when the catch is in the trapped position, and allows movement of the pin from the locked position to the unlocked position when the catch is in the released position.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the lock further comprises:
the catch operable to passively move the pin from the unlocked position to the locked position in response to the catch moving from the released position to the trapped position.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising:
the catch supported by the trolley for pivoting movement about an axis for rotation between the trapped position and the released position in response to engagement with a stationary member located at the workstation, such that the catch is rotated to the released position when the trolley comes to a stop at the workstation.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:
the pin mounted for reciprocating passive movement within an aperture formed in the carrier from the locked position to the unlocked position in response to the latch moving from the engaged position toward the disengaged position.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:
a lockout pin operable with respect to the latch for preventing movement of the latch from the engaged position until the lockout pin is removed.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising:
the carrier having a pair of coaxial apertures associated therewith for receiving the lockout pin in a position obstructing free movement of the latch from the engaged position.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising:
a member engagable between the lockout pin and the latch for obstructing movement of the latch when the lockout pin is located within the coaxial apertures.
- 20. An apparatus for transporting at least one workpiece comprising:
a trolley supporting a carrier for movement between a raised position and a lowered position relative to the trolley; a guide member operably associated with the carrier; and a guide channel located at the workstation for receiving the guide member when the carrier is being moved and for guiding vertical movement of the carrier between the raised and lowered positions at the workstation.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/407,318 for A LOWERATOR HAVING AN ACTUATOR CAPABLE OF COMBINED LATCH ACTUATION AND CARRIER MOVEMENT filed on Sep. 28, 1999, which claimed the benefit of provisional patent application No. 60/120,949 for A LOWERATOR HAVING AN ACTUATOR CAPABLE OF COMBINED LATCH ACTUATION AND CARRIER MOVEMENT filed on Jun. 24, 1999, and provisional patent application No. 60/140,759 for a LOWERATOR MECHANISM filed on Feb. 19, 1999.
Provisional Applications (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60120949 |
Feb 1999 |
US |
|
60140759 |
Jun 1999 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09407318 |
Sep 1999 |
US |
Child |
10192235 |
Jul 2002 |
US |