WO2002036463A1

WO2002036463A1 - Cover for vertical spiral chute

Info

Publication number: WO2002036463A1
Application number: PCT/AU2001/001298
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stanley George Reynolds
Original assignee: BRANITA Pty Ltd T/AS REYNOLDS ENGINEERING SERVICES
Current assignee: BRANITA Pty Ltd T/AS REYNOLDS ENGINEERING SERVICES
Priority date: 2000-10-31
Filing date: 2001-10-16
Publication date: 2002-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 2003-04-30
Also published as: AU2002210241A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a cover for a spiral chute (1) for articles, the chute having a chute entry (4) at its top for receiving articles at an elevated point and a helical slide extending to a delivery point (5) below the elevated point. The cover includes a roof (7) adapted to be mounted to the top of the chute (1), the lateral periphery of the roof extending beyond the lateral periphery of the helical slide (3). Preferably a translucent skirt (12) extends downwardly from the roof so as to enclose the spirals of the helical slide. The skirt may be supported by a helical brace (16) located intermediate to the spirals of the slide.

Description

COVER FOR VERTICAL SPIRAL CHUTE

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a cover for an article chute. In particular, the invention relates to a cover for a spiral baggage chute used at airports and the like. Background of the invention

Chutes have long been known as a convenient means of conveying articles between points of different elevation. Gravity feeds the artilces along the chute from an elevated position to a lower position.

Chutes are particularly useful at airports for conveying the baggage of late check-in passengers. Late passengers take their luggage directly to the Departure Gate where it is fed into a chute leading down to the tarmac for loading into the aircraft. To control the rate of decent of the baggage, the chutes are formed in a carefully configured spiral which limits the sliding speed.

Typically, these chutes are installed on the exterior of the airport terminal where they are exposed to the weather. hi inclement weather the chute acts as a funnel capturing rainwater and funnelling it down to the luggage discharge point. This water can cause considerable damage to the baggage travelling down the chute, and also tends to change the coefficient of friction within the chute, causing baggage to either speed up or slow down, depending on the material from which the baggage is made. Clearly this is undesirable.

To protect the baggage and the chute from the elements it has been known to cover the chute with an inverted channel formed in a spiral corresponding to that of the chute.

Unfortunately, the manufacture and installation of the helical cover is relatively expensive and time consuming. Furthermore, if any baggage becomes stuck within the chute, it is inconvenient for staff to crawl into the chute to locate the blockage and dislodge the baggage.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a cover for a spiral chute for articles, the chute having a chute entry at its top for receiving articles at an elevated point and a helical slide down which articles travel to a discharge point located at an elevation below the chute entry, the cover including: a roof portion adapted to mount to the top of the chute; wherein the lateral periphery of the roof portion extends beyond the lateral periphery of the helical slide.

Preferably, the roof portion further includes an access opening for permitting the delivery of articles to the chute entry. In a particularly preferred form, the cover further includes a skirt portion depending from the lateral periphery of the roof portion and extending at least partially along the length of the article chute to enclose the corresponding section of the lateral periphery of the helical slide.

The roof portion may be formed in at least two parts, connectable together. Preferably the roof portion is formed in two generally semi circular shaped parts connectable together along their respective diameters, one of said semi circular parts including said access opening.

In further preferred form, an inverted channel formation extends at least partially around the lateral periphery of the roof portion for receiving a top edge of the depending skirt. According to this embodiment, the inverted channel formation includes a downwardly extending inner wall spaced from a downwardly extending outer wall wherein the inner wall is longer than the outer wall such that the skirt can be fixed to the inner wall using fixing elements in order to retain the top edge in the channel formation. It may be convenient to fix the skirt directly to the lateral periphery of the chute. The chute may also be provided with vertically extending fixing members mounted to the lateral periphery of the helical slide to provide a convenient fixing point for the depending skirt.

In some embodiments, the spiral chute is supported on a central newel post and the roof portion has a mounting formation to receive the top of the newel post. Preferably, the mounting formation is a central tube sized for a close sliding fit with the top of the newel post and held in place with hexagon head set screws or the like. In this embodiment it is further preferred to provide a button cap to close the upper open end of the central tube.

The skirt portion may be supported intermediate the lateral peripheral edges of the slide by a helically configured support brace mounted to the chute. Where the slide is supported on a newel pole the helical brace may be mounted to the newel pole via connecting brackets. The support braces and the lateral peripheral edge of the chute are preferably no more than 900 mm apart, and more preferably no more than 750 mm apart. The skirt portion may be affixed to the lateral peripheral edges of the chute and to the helical braces by screw fasteners. In a particularly commercial form, it is envisaged that the roof portion shall be formed from fibreglass and the skirt portion is formed from separate sheets of translucent corrugated polycarbonate sheeting. The helical braces may be formed of glass fibre laminate, optionally encapsulating a metal strip.

Brief description of the drawings Preferred embodiments of the present invention, will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective of a typical spiral chute for late baggage;

Figure 2 shows an elevation of a late baggage chute with an inverted spiral cover;

Figure 3 shows an enlarged partial perspective view of the covered chute shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows a perspective of the underside of a chute cover in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 5 shows a lateral side view of the chute cover shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 shows a perspective of the top of the button cap; Figure 7 shows an enlarged perspective of the top side of the chute cover shown in

Figure 4;

Figure 8 shows a partial cross section of the chute cover shown in Figure 4;

Figure 9 shows a chute cover according to the present invention incorporating a peripheral skirt. Figure 10 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of chute cover with the skirt thereof removed;

Figure 11 shows a side view of the chute shown in Figure 10; Figure 12 shows a plan view of a helical brace used in constructing the support frame for the chute cover shown in figures 10 and 11;

Figure 13 shows a perspective view of the brace shown in Figure 12;

Figure 14 shows a perspective view of one half of a chute cover according to a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 15 shows a perspective view of the other half of a chute cover adapted to be used with the cover part shown in Figure 14 for an anti-clockwise chute; and

Figure 16 shows a perspective view the other half of a chute cover for a clockwise chute configuration. Detailed description of the embodiments

It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention. The foregoing describes embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art can be made thereto, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the spiral chute 1 has a 25cm diameter newel post 2 supporting the helical slide 3. Late baggage at the Departure Gate is delivered to the chute entry 4 where it slides down to the delivery point 5 at tarmac level. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the spiral chute can be provided with a cover 6 formed in a helix corresponding to that of the slide 3. It will be appreciated that because of the complex geometries involved, the manufacture and installation of this cover is relatively costly and time consuming. Furthermore, if a baggage blockage forms part way along the slide, it is difficult for staff to determine where the blockage is and inconvenient for them to enter the chute to dislodge the blockage.

The chute cover shown in Figure 4 includes a roof portion 7 with a central mounting tube 8 sized for a close sliding fit over the top of the newel post 2. Hexagon head set screws or other suitable fixing elements (not shown) secure the roof to the post. The roof portion has an access opening 9 to allow baggage to be fed into the chute entry 4. By ensuring that the roof portion 7 has a lateral periphery 10 that extends beyond the lateral periphery 11 of the helical slide 3, the spiral chute can be provided with weather protection in a relatively low cost and easily installed cover.

As best shown in Figure 9, the cover can incorporate a skirt 12 depending from the lateral periphery 10 of the roof portion 7. This allows the lateral dimensions of the roof portion can be minimised while maintaining the required degree of weather protection using the added coverage provided by the skirt. Sheets of translucent corrugated polycarbonate are particularly suitable for this because of their resilience and flexibility.

As best seen Figures 4, 5 and 8, an inverted channel 13 extends along the lateral periphery 10 of the roof portion 7. The inverted channel 13 is formed from two spaced walls 14 and 15 extending downwardly from beneath the roof 7. The inner wall 15 extends below the outer wall 14 to receive fixing elements for holding the top edge of the skirt 12 in the channel 13.

The skirt 12 may also be fixed directly to the lateral periphery 11 of the slide or if the pitch of the spiral is such that some sheets will not have a convenient fixing point on the lateral periphery 11 of the slide, vertically extending mounting strips (not shown) may be fixed to the lateral periphery of the slide to provide convenient fixing points for the polycarbonate sheeting.

An alternative mounting arrangement is shown in Figures 10 to 16.

It will be appreciated that the roof portion can be easily and cheaply formed from moulded fibreglass and quickly mounted over the newel post 2 of an existing spiral chute 1. To protect the top of the newel post from the weather, a simple button style cap as shown in Fig. 6 can be used to cover the upper open end of the central mounting tube 8. The use of translucent corrugated polycarbonate sheeting to form the skirt 12 allows staff to identify where any baggage blockages have occurred and thereby assess whether to enter the chute from the top or the bottom in order to dislodge the blockage.

Furthermore, the chute cover provided by the present invention provides more space for anyone needing to access blockages compared to the relatively cramped space provided by the prior art cover arrangements

Turning now to Figures 10 and 11 of the drawings, a second embodiment of chute cover is shown in which a helical brace arrangement is provided for supporting the skirt in position. The intention is that the skirt is adequately supported for the weather conditions in which the chute will be used and the embodiment shown depicts an arrangement suitable for a location where high winds, up to hurricane speeds, can be experienced. As shown, the chute has a series of helical braces 16 mounted thereto which acts as support for the translucent skirt 12 shown in Figure 9. The helical braces 16 are themselves mounted to the newel post by means of suitably shaped steel brackets which connect to both the inside of the brace 16 and the outside of the newel post 12. The steel brackets will be located adjacent to the underslide of the helical slide to ensure the brackets do not obstruct downwardly travelling luggage.

Preferably two helical braces 16 are located between each spiral of the helical slide. In the preferred form of the invention the skirt spans approximately 750mm between supports, but this may increase to 900 mm in low wind areas.

The lateral peripheral edge 17 of the chute 3 also serves to provide a mounting point for the skirt 12. Accordingly, the helical braces 16 are at the same pitch and diameter as the lateral peripheral edge 17 of the slide so that the skirt 12 is supported at least two intermediate points between each lateral peripheral edge of the slide.

The support that is provided will, of course, depend on the material from which the skirt

12 is manufactured and, as mentioned above, on the likely maximum windspeed in the area where the chute is to be erected. In hurricane free areas it is possible that a single helical brace located intermediate adjacent spirals of the chute will be sufficient to adequately support the skirt 12.

As shown in Figure 10, towards the lower end of the chute a short additional section of helical brace, numbered 18 has been included since the lower portion of the chute changes in angle as it nears the discharge point 19 of the chute and therefore this extra section 18 of helical brace is provided to provide additional bracing and support for the cover 12 in this lowermost region.

As shown in Figures 12 and 13, each brace 16 is pre-formed in a helical configuration and has a channel shape in cross section. In the preferred form of the invention the helical brace is formed of a glass fibre laminate which is moulded around a steel strip which runs down the length of the web of the brace. A brace of this nature is of sufficient strength to properly support the skirt 12 but it is relatively inexpensive to manufacture. A steel strip having a thickness of 1.5 mm will be suitable to ensure that the cover 12 can be affixed to the helical braces by means of suitable screw fasteners or the like. It is envisaged that each brace section will extend for one quarter (90°) of a full spiral.

As shown by dotted lines 21 in Figure 10, the helical braces 16 are supported by vertically extending bars which are axially aligned with the length of the chute. Those bars 21 are themselves supported off the newel post 2 by the aforementioned specially constructed brackets. Thus, the bars 21 and the helical braces 16 are all mounted to the newel post to thereby provide stability and strength for the entire construction.

Turning now to Figures 14 to 16, an alternative arrangement of the chute cover 7 is shown, h this arrangement, the chute cover is formed in two semi-circular halves, one half including the entry or access opening 9. Clearly the chute may be constructed so as to have either a clockwise or anticlockwise spiral. The selection of spiral direction depends on the configuration of the airport with which the chute will be used. Figure 14 shows a semi-circular shaped and closed first roof cover part 23 which can be used with either a clockwise or anticlockwise chute. Figure 15 depicts the other part 24 of the roof portion which includes the access opening 9 for an anticlockwise spiral. Figure 16 depicts the other roof 25 part for a clockwise spiral. In use the closed and access parts of the two part roof will be connected together, typically by bolting and having a sealant located therebetween around the newel post. It will be noted that the roof parts have a central recess 26 for receiving the newel post. One advantage of providing the roof cover in two parts is that the roof formed in two parts is much easier to handle. Also, the moulds for manufacturing the roof cover parts are less expensive and are smaller.

The present invention has been described herein, by way of example only. Ordinary workers in this field will readily recognise many variations and modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the broad inventive concept.

Claims

1 A cover for a spiral chute for articles, the chute having a chute entry at its top for receiving articles at an elevated point and a helical slide extending to a delivery point at an elevation below the chute entry, the cover including: a roof portion adapted to mount to the top of the chute; wherein the lateral periphery of the roof portion extends beyond the lateral periphery of the helical slide.

2 A chute cover according to claim 1 wherein the roof portion further includes an access opening for permitting the delivery of articles to the chute entry. 3 A chute cover according to claim 2 wherein the cover further includes a generally cylindrical skirt adapted to extending downwardly from the lateral periphery of the roof portion and extend at least partially down the length of the helical slide to enclose the corresponding section of the lateral helical slide.

4 A chute cover according to claim 3 wherein an inverted channel formation extends at least partially around the lateral periphery of the roof portion for receiving a top edge of the skirt.

5 A chute cover according to claim 4 wherein the inverted channel formation includes a downwardly extending inner wall spaced from a downwardly extending outer wall wherein the inner wall is longer than the outer wall such that the skirt can be fixed to the inner wall in order to retain the top edge of the skirt in the channel formation.

6 A chute cover according to claim 5 wherein the skirt is adapted to be fixed directly to the lateral periphery of the helical slide.

7 A chute cover according to claim 6 wherein the cover is provided with vertically extending fixing members adapted to be mounted to the lateral periphery of the helical slide to provide a convenient fixing point for the skirt.

8 A chute cover according to any one of claims 3 to 7 which includes at least one helical brace adapted to be mounted to the chute intermediate spirals of the helical slide, the skirt in use being mounted to the helical brace. A chute cover according to claim 8 which includes a pair of helical braces adapted to be mounted to the chute intermediate spirals of the helical slide. A chute cover according to either of claims 8 or 9 wherein the helical brace or braces are channel shaped in cross-section. A chute cover according to claim 10 wherein the helical brace or braces are formed of a fibre reinforced resin material. A chute cover according to any preceeding claim wherein the helical slide is supported on a central newel post and the roof portion has a mounting formation adapted to receive the top of the newel post. A chute cover according to claim 12 wherein the mounting formation is a cylinderally shaped tube sized for a close sliding fit with the top of the newel post and held in place with screws fasteners or the like. A chute cover according to any preceeding claim wherein the roof portion comprises at least two parts connectable together. A chute cover according to claim 14 wherein the roof portion is formed in two generally semi-circular parts, one of which parts includes an access opening. A chute cover according to claim 3 wherein the roof portion is formed from glass fibre reinforced resin and the skirt is formed from separate sheets of translucent corrugated polycarbonate sheeting. A chute cover substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings.