The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 28, 2006
Filed:
Dec. 09, 2004
Yoshiteru Ikehata, Shiga-ken, JP;
Takayoshi Ono, Shiga-ken, JP;
Yuichi Morimoto, Shiga-ken, JP;
Daifuku Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
The invention discloses a transporting apparatus having a transport member provided with a air-supplying-type support portion for supplying purified air toward a lower surface of a transported object to contactlessly support the transported object, and a drive force application portion for contacting a lower surface of the transported object that is supported by the air-supplying-type support means and applying a drive force in the transporting direction to the transported object. The transporting apparatus, by raising and lowering the drive force application portion and the air-supplying-type support portion relative to one another, can be switched between a transport state where the drive force application portion is brought into contact with the lower surface of the transported object, and a transfer state where the drive force application portion is moved downward away from the transported object that is supported by the air-supplying-type support portion. The transporting apparatus is provided with a loading portion that can receive and support the transported object and that can be moved in a horizontal direction that intersects the transporting direction and in the vertical direction. The loading portion, in the transfer state, can be inserted in the horizontal direction into the space below the transported object.