Material or article handling – Self-loading or unloading vehicles – Loading or unloading by other carrier or mover means – and...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-16
2001-05-08
Keenan, James W. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Self-loading or unloading vehicles
Loading or unloading by other carrier or mover means, and...
C414S477000, C414S549000, C414S911000, C280S079600
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227791
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an assist mechanism to facilitate the loading and unloading of cargo into vehicles such as vans, pickups and paneled trucks, and in particular for lifting irregularly shaped items such as cylindrical containers, particularly bottles of compressed gas.
2. Background of the Art
Gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, acetylene, carbon dioxide and the like, are typically transported in steel bottles in a compressed state. The bottles are generally cylindrical in shape and can weigh 130 pounds or more.
Generally, the gas bottles are moved from a storage facility to a vehicle such as a truck or van, which transports one or more of the gas bottles to the site where they are intended to be used. The gas bottles can be moved along level ground by means of wheeled dollies or hand trucks. However, loading a bottle into a truck or van presents a difficulty since the bottle generally has to be lifted and moved within a tight space.
Workers responsible for transporting the gas bottles often have to bend over to lift or move the gas bottle. This puts a great deal of stress on the musculoskeletal system of the body and can lead to injury, especially to the back, shoulders, and wrists of the worker.
Conventional hydraulic lifts used for loading cargo onto trucks and vans, such as typical lift gates, are often costly, bulky, and not well adapted for handling irregularly shaped items such as gas bottles and other cylinders. These lifts generally move only in a vertical manner and require the operator to lift or carry the cargo into the vehicle once the vertical lift has completed its path of travel. Accordingly, there is a need for an effective, inexpensive assist mechanism for loading/unloading cargo, such as gas bottles and drums, which can also be retrofitted to conventional trucks and vans.
SUMMARY
An assist mechanism for loading and unloading irregularly shaped cargo, such as for example, containers of compressed gas, includes a frame assembly and a handling assembly slidably engageable and movable with respect to the frame assembly. For purposes of this discussion, the assist mechanism will be described with respect to loading and unloading cylindrical canisters such as gas containers. However, it is recognized that the principles of the present lift assist mechanism may be applied for use with any type of cargo. In the preferred embodiment, the handling assembly is movable along at least two axes to facilitate loading and unloading cargo, and includes a slide assembly having a powered pivotable support arm, a cuff assembly pivotably attached to the support arm, and optionally a handle assembly attached to the cuff assembly.
To load the gas bottle into, for example, a van or truck, the cuff assembly is adjusted to engage the gas bottle at about the center of gravity of the gas bottle. A drive mechanism is provided to lift or drop the assembly, and may comprise a pneumatic lift, a hydraulic lift, or other type of mechanical drive mechanism such as a motorized device, screw drive mechanism, gear mechanism or the like. The device may also include levers and pulleys for manual operation. The device may also be a combination of both automatic and manual mechanisms.
By the application of lifting power, the support arm is pivoted upwardly in a generally vertical direction to lift the gas bottle until the gas bottle is high enough to be loaded into the truck by being pivoted in a horizontal direction. The slide assembly and gas bottle are then pushed forward along the frame assembly, after which the gas bottle can be secured by means of safety braces. The pivoting of the bottle to the horizontal position can be accomplished manually or automatically through the provision of linkage assembly and drive assembly. Likewise, the slide assembly may also be manual or automatic.
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Cassar Thomas
Jarvinen Jari
Dilworth & Barrese LLP
Keenan James W.
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
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