A Cart and a Method for Transport and Storage of Items

Abstract

A cart for transport and storage of items, including odd-size or over-size luggage of airline passengers, comprises a chassis comprising a plurality of wheels, and a storage section comprising at least one shelf. A drawer is provided below the storage section, the drawer comprising a compartment, which is inaccessible when the drawer is in a closed state, in which the drawer is overlapped by a bottom portion of the storage section. The compartment is accessible when the drawer is in an open state, in which the drawer is extracted from and extends beyond the bottom portion of the storage section.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A cart for transport and storage of items, comprising: a chassis comprising a plurality of wheels; a storage section comprising at least one shelf; wherein: a drawer below the storage section, the drawer comprising a compartment which is inaccessible when the drawer is in a closed state, in which the drawer is overlapped by a bottom portion of the storage section, and wherein the compartment is accessible when the drawer is in an open state, in which the drawer is extracted from and extends beyond the bottom portion of the storage section.

17. A cart according to claim 16, wherein the storage section and the at least one shelf are sized and configured to accommodate items having a dimension or volume not exceeding a first maximum dimension or a first maximum volume, and wherein the compartment is sized and configured to accommodate odd-size items having a dimension or volume exceeding the first maximum dimension or the first maximum volume.

18. A cart according to claim 16, comprising structure for releasably locking the drawer in a selected one of a partly extracted position and a fully extracted position.

19. A cart according to claim 16, further comprising a connecting element, the free end of which is configured to connect the cart to another cart, the connecting element extending from the chassis of the cart below the drawer in the direction of extraction of the drawer, wherein the free end of the connecting element extends beyond the drawer when the drawer is in an extracted position.

20. A cart according to claim 18, wherein the free end of the connecting element extends beyond the drawer when the drawer in the partly extracted position, and wherein the free end of the connecting element does not extend beyond the drawer when the drawer is in the fully extracted position.

21. A cart according to claim 16, wherein the bottom portion of the storage section comprises a planer bottom surface, which is inclined relative to horizontal, and wherein the drawer comprises correspondingly tapering side structures.

22. A cart according to claim 16, wherein the at least one shelf comprises a plurality of shelves arranged in rows and columns.

23. A cart according to claim 16, wherein each of said shelves is inclined relative to horizontal, so as to thereby define an upper end and a lower end, the upper end of each shelf being arranged at a loading end of the cart, and the lower end of each shelf being arranged at an unloading end of the cart.

24. A method for transport and storage of items by means of at least one cart comprising a chassis comprising a plurality of wheels; a storage section comprising at least one shelf; a drawer below the storage section, the drawer comprising a compartment which is inaccessible when the drawer is in a closed state, in which the drawer is overlapped by a bottom portion of the storage section, and wherein the compartment is accessible when the drawer is in an open state, in which the drawer is extracted from and extends beyond the bottom portion of the storage section; said method comprising the steps of: loading a first group of said items onto the at least one shelf of the storage section; loading at least one further item into the compartment of the drawer when the drawer is in the open state, said at least one further item being sized and shaped so that it does not fit into the compartment when the drawer is in the closed state; and transporting the items by means of said cart while the drawer remains in the open state.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein said first group of items comprises air passenger luggage, and wherein said at least one further item comprises an odd-size air passenger luggage.

26. A method according to claim 24, wherein the items are transported by means of said cart from an aircraft site to a luggage conveyor site of an airport, or from a luggage sorting conveyor site of the airport to the aircraft site.

27. A method according to claim 24, wherein the at least one cart comprises at least two identical carts, each of which comprises: a structure for releasably locking the drawer in a selected one of a partly extracted position and a fully extracted position, and a connecting element, the free end of which is configured to connect the cart to another cart, the connecting element extending from the chassis of the cart below the drawer in the direction of extraction of the drawer, wherein the free end of the connecting element is able to connect to another one of the carts when the drawer is in the partly extracted position, and wherein the free end of the connecting element is unable to connect to the other one of the carts when the drawer is in the fully extracted position; the method comprising the step of selectively: transporting said at least one further item in the compartment of the drawer of a first one of the carts, when the drawer is in the partly extracted position, and while the first cart is coupled to a second one of the carts by means of the connecting element with the drawer of the first cart facing the second cart; transporting said at least one further item in the compartment of the drawer of a first one of the carts, when the drawer is in the fully extracted position, and while the first cart is not coupled to the second one of the carts or the first cart is coupled to the second one of the carts by means of the connecting element with the drawer of the first cart facing away from the second cart.

28. A system comprising at least one cart and an accumulation unit for loading items on to the cart or for accepting items offloaded from the at least one cart, the at least one cart comprising: a chassis comprising a plurality of wheels; a storage section comprising at a plurality of shelves arranged in rows and/or columns to form a first matrix pattern; wherein the accumulation unit comprises a plurality of shelves arranged in rows and/or columns forming a second matrix pattern, and in that each one of the shelves the first and second matrix patterns forms a continuation of one of the shelves of the other one of the first and second patterns when the at least one cart is in a predetermined parking position relative to the accumulation unit.

29. A system according to claim 28, wherein the at least one cart is a cart for transport and storage of items, comprising: a chassis comprising a plurality of wheels; a storage section comprising at least one shelf; wherein: a drawer below the storage section, the drawer comprising a compartment which is inaccessible when the drawer is in a closed state, in which the drawer is overlapped by a bottom portion of the storage section, and wherein the compartment is accessible when the drawer is in an open state, in which the drawer is extracted from and extends beyond the bottom portion of the storage section.

30. Use of a system according to claim 28 for transport and accumulation of airport luggage, parcels or dairy products.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] Embodiments of the invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0044] FIGS. 1-6 illustrate various embodiments, features and operating principles of a cart according to the invention;

[0045] FIG. 7 illustrates modular assembly of an embodiment of the cart according to the invention;

[0046] FIG. 8 illustrates various uses of and interface for embodiments of the cart according to the invention, and a system according to the third aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] FIGS. 1-8 illustrate various embodiments of the cart 102 for use in the system 100 of the present invention. The cart 102 comprises a storage section 201 comprising a plurality of cart shelves 202, each of which is inclined relative to horizontal for automatically conveying items from an upper loading end 203 of the cart 102 towards a lower unloading end 205 thereof. The cart comprises a chassis 211 and a plurality of ground-engaging wheels 208, and a drawer 206 below the storage section 201. The drawer 206 comprises a compartment 207 (see FIG. 4) for accepting odd-size items when the drawer is in the open state as shown in FIG. 4. In the non-retracted, i.e. closed state of the drawer 206 shown in FIGS. 1-3, the compartment 207 is inaccessible, and the drawer is overlapped by a bottom portion 204 of the storage section 201. In the retracted, i.e. open configuration shown in FIG. 4, the compartment is accessible.

[0048] In use, the cart may be selectively operated with the drawer 206 in its open or in its closed state. Typically, ordinary items, such as suitcases and ordinary bags are loaded onto the shelves 202. If no odd-size or over-size items are to be transferred by the cart 102, it is normally operated with the drawer 206 in the closed state. For the transfer of odd-size or over-size items by means of the cart 102, it is operated with the drawer 206 in the open, i.e. retracted state as shown in FIG. 4 with the odd-size or over-size items resting in and extending upwardly from the compartment 207.

[0049] The drawer 206 has inclined side structures 209 which are configured to essentially correspond and extend in parallel to the inclined bottom surface 204 of the storage section 201.

[0050] A connecting element 210a is provided for coupling a first end of the cart 102 to a suitably configured connecting element 210b of the opposite end of an identical cart 102 to form a train of carts. As illustrated by arrow 214. At the unloading end 205, each of the shelves 202 is provided with a releasable and re-closable closing structure 212 for releasing the items supported by the respective shelves when the items are to be offloaded from the cart 102.

[0051] The storage section is preferably rotatable relative to the chassis 211 around an upright axis as shown by arc-shaped arrow 214 in FIG. 2 in order to orient the shelves and the transport direction of items within the cart relative to an external conveyor or accumulation means, such as an accumulation unit, belt loader or the like.

[0052] At least two carts 102 may be coupled or connected together to form a train of carts. A structure (not shown) for releasably locking the drawer in a selected one of a partly extracted position and a fully extracted position may be provided. For coupling the carts together to form a train of carts, the connecting element 210a, 210b may be provided, the free end of which is configured to connect the cart to another cart, the connecting element extending from the chassis 211 of the cart 102 below the drawer 206 in the direction of extraction of the drawer. The free end of the connecting element 210a, 210b is able to connect to another one of the carts when the drawer 206 is in the partly extracted position, whereas the free end of the connecting element 210a, 210b is unable to connect to the other one of the carts when the drawer 206 is in the fully extracted position. In operation, items may be selectively transported with the drawer in the fully or in the partly extracted position. When the drawer is in the partly extracted position, the first cart may be coupled to a second one of the carts by means of the connecting element with the drawer of the first cart facing the second cart. When the drawer is in the fully extracted position, items may be transported therein when the cart is not coupled to a further cart, or when the cart constitutes a first cart, which is coupled to a second cart by means of the connecting element with the drawer of the first cart facing away from the second cart. The length of the drawer, which may be as long as the cart or nearly as long as the cart may hence be fully utilized when the cart is the last one in a train of carts of is used as a stand-alone device, whereas the full length of the drawer does not occupy excessive space between neighbouring carts in a train of carts and hence does not unnecessarily limit the radius of curvature of the train.

[0053] FIGS. 5 and 6 show two embodiments of the cart 102. In a first configuration shown in FIG. 5, the cart comprises two columns each comprising three rows of cart shelves 202, and in the embodiment of FIG. 6, the cart comprises three columns of cart shelves 202, each comprising three rows. In order to conveniently adapt the number of rows and columns to match any desired need, the cart may—as shown in FIG. 7—be assembled from a number of modules which may be configured and sized to match the need as given by a particular application.

[0054] FIG. 8 shows the cart in a parking position in front of an accumulation unit 118 or other item storage or conveyor facility of loading of items onto the cart. The system of FIG. 8 embodies the third aspect of the invention, with the accumulation 118 constituting a matrix-pattern conveyor system matching the matrix patterns of the cart.