Claims
- 1. The method of fastening a plate to a cross-tie, comprising the steps of:
a) loading a tie upon a horizontal conveyor, providing a loaded tie; b) providing pre-existing x-y coordinate instructions to a computer control for designating locations upon said tie to be bored, thereby providing borehole data; c) positioning said tie at a boring station; d) utilizing said x-y coordinates to position a numerically controlled drill along a track longitudinally aligned with said loaded tie to a first bore coordinate; e) automatically actuating and lowering said drill to bore a hole at said first bore coordinate; F) utilizing said x-y coordinates to position said numerically drill along said track to a next bore coordinate for said loaded tie; g) automatically actuating and lowering said drill to bore a hole at said next bore coordinate; h) repeating steps f) and g) until all of said pre-existing x-y coordinate borehole data for said loaded tie has been utilized, providing a bored tie; I) loading the next tie to be drilled, providing the next loaded tie; j) repeating steps b-h, while k) conveying said bored tie to a screwing station. c) forming pilot bores into said aligned, loaded tie with said boring apparatus, providing a bored tie; d) conveying said bored tie to a pre-plating apparatus; e) utilizing a template having first and second plate trays formed therein to align said bored tie such that said first and second plate trays are adjacent to the ends of first and second plate conveyors, respectively; f) dispensing first and second plates from said first and second plate trays such that said first and second plates fall into said first and second plate trays, respectively, and rest upon said bored tie such that at least some of apertures formed in said dispensed plates are aligned with said pilot bores formed in said bored tie; g) fastening said dispensed plates to said tie by applying a fastener through said apertures formed in said plates aligned with said pilot bores formed in said tie, providing a pre-plated tie; h) dispensing said pre-plated tie from said horizontal conveyor.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein after step “I” there is included the additional steps of:
I) providing a plate having apertures formed therethrough upon said bored tie ii) aligning said apertures formed through said dispensed plates with said bores formed in said loaded tie; and driving a screw through each of said aligned apertures formed through each of said dispensed plates and said aligned pilot bore formed in said loaded tie thereunder, fastening said plate to said tie.
STATEMENT OF CONTINUING APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a Continuation of Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/328,732 filed Oct. 11, 2001. This application is also a Continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/689,330 filed Oct. 12, 2000, which is a divisional of U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,272 issued Oct. 17, 2000, filed Mar. 22, 1999, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/161,135, filed Sep. 25, 1998, listing as inventors Gerald D. Girouard, Sr., Gerald D. Girouard, Jr., and Donald Darcey, which is a continuation of U.S patent application Ser. No. 08/665,670, U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,103, filed Jun. 20, 1996, entitled “Cross-Tie Pre-Plating System”, listing as inventors Gerald D. Girouard, Sr., Gerald D. Girouard, Jr., and Donald Darcey, which patent is a continuation of Ser. No. 300,749, U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,807, issued Jun. 25, 1996, filed Sep. 6, 1994, entitled “Cross-Tie Pre-Plating System”, listing as inventors Gerald D. Girouard, Sr., Gerald D. Girouard, Jr., and Donald Darcey, which patent is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 207,118, U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,606, issued Sep. 6, 1994, filed Feb. 28, 1994, entitled “Cross-tie Pre-Plating System”, listing as inventors Gerald D. Girouard, Sr., Gerald D. Girouard, Jr., and Donald Darcey, which patent is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/085,400, filed Jun. 30, 1993, now abandoned.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60328732 |
Oct 2001 |
US |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09273600 |
Mar 1999 |
US |
Child |
10254039 |
Sep 2002 |
US |
Continuations (4)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08665670 |
Jun 1996 |
US |
Child |
10254039 |
Sep 2002 |
US |
Parent |
08300749 |
Sep 1994 |
US |
Child |
10254039 |
Sep 2002 |
US |
Parent |
08207118 |
Feb 1994 |
US |
Child |
10254039 |
Sep 2002 |
US |
Parent |
08085400 |
Jun 1993 |
US |
Child |
10254039 |
Sep 2002 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09689330 |
Oct 2000 |
US |
Child |
10254039 |
Sep 2002 |
US |
Parent |
09161135 |
Sep 1998 |
US |
Child |
10254039 |
Sep 2002 |
US |