Material or article handling – Elevator or hoist and loading or unloading means therefor – Tilting carrier
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-01
2001-01-16
Olszewski, Robert P. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Elevator or hoist and loading or unloading means therefor
Tilting carrier
C414S643000, C182S148000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06174124
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to electric powered personnel carrying vehicles that are particularly useful in transporting items retrieved from shelves in a warehouse, or as a work platform which allows an operator to be raised approximately six feet or more into the air, for example to retrieve or place items of merchandise on shelves of a retail store and, more particularly, to load trays which can be utilized on such vehicles to support items to be handled by operators utilizing such vehicles.
Small parts picking is commonly done by personnel manually pushing carts equipped with several shelves and a low level ladder which the operator climbs for reaching stock items up to nine feet high. Higher elevation picking, up to 12 feet, is accomplished with large manual push-in-place mobile ladder stands. Both the carts and mobile ladder stands require the operator to climb up and down while manually holding the goods.
A compact aerial lift vehicle which can be used for parts picking is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,132. The vehicle is separable into several parts for storage and can be controlled by an operator supported upon a platform which can be elevated along a vertical post member removably mounted upon a body of the vehicle. Unfortunately, the aerial lift vehicle of the '132 patent is of limited utility since only a small-sized basket is provided for the operator such that the operator must still manually hold items too large to fit into the basket. Further, there is no provision for supporting items on the body of the vehicle for transportation of those items utilizing the vehicle.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved personnel carrying vehicle which includes a load tray mounted on and movable with an expandable mast of the vehicle so that an operator of the vehicle does not need to manually hold any items which can be handled by the operator utilizing the vehicle. Alternately, or preferably in addition to the mast mounted load tray, the vehicle would include a load deck or load platform for carrying items on the vehicle for transportation of the items.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The need is met by the invention of the present application wherein a multi-task capable work assist vehicle is designed for transporting an operator and items to be handled by the operator and for elevating the operator with such items supported upon a load tray elevated with the operator so that the operator does not have to manually hold items during travel, elevation or descent. Preferably, the load tray is mounted for positioning along a telescoping mast which supports and elevates the operator. A load deck or load platform may be provided on a body of the vehicle in addition to the load tray or alone so that items such as packages, tools, parts, merchandise and the like can be carried by the vehicle. Load shelves may also be provided adjacent the load deck to add flexibility and capacity to the load carrying capability of the vehicle. The utility of the vehicle is optimized by providing both a load tray and a load deck and/or load shelves on the vehicle which form preferred configurations of the vehicle. Uses of the vehicle include order picking, in-house service maintenance, stock management, cargo delivery and the like. It is designed to be compact in size and highly maneuverable for use in narrow storage aisles and tight quarters.
It is, thus, an object of the present invention to provide a personnel carrying vehicle comprising a self propelled, steerable body, a mast attached to and extending upwardly from the body, a personnel compartment attached to the mast and a load tray mounted to the mast for supporting items during travel of the vehicle and elevation or descent of the operator; to provide a personnel carrying vehicle comprising a self propelled, steerable body, a mast attached to and extending upwardly from the body, a personnel compartment attached to the mast and a load deck on the body of the vehicle for supporting items during travel of the vehicle; to provide a personnel carrying vehicle comprising a self propelled, steerable body, a mast attached to and extending upwardly from the body, a personnel compartment attached to the mast and a vertically movable load tray mounted to the mast for supporting items during travel of the vehicle and elevation or descent of the operator; and, to provide a personnel carrying vehicle comprising a self propelled, steerable body, a mast attached to and extending upwardly from the body, a personnel compartment attached to the mast, a load tray mounted to the mast for supporting items during travel of the vehicle and elevation or descent of the operator and a load deck on the body of the vehicle for supporting items during travel of the vehicle.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 347720 (1994-06-01), Tamura et al.
patent: 2035294 (1936-03-01), Black
patent: 2938595 (1960-05-01), Miller
patent: 2989140 (1961-06-01), Hill et al.
patent: 3172500 (1965-03-01), Dolphin et al.
patent: 3236329 (1966-02-01), Price
patent: 3452837 (1969-07-01), Herrell et al.
patent: 3556249 (1971-01-01), Jackson
patent: 3817346 (1974-06-01), Wehmeyer
patent: 3844382 (1974-10-01), Mecklenburg
patent: 3882964 (1975-05-01), Schellenberg
patent: 3934681 (1976-01-01), Herrell
patent: 3963096 (1976-06-01), Jones
patent: 4015686 (1977-04-01), Bushnell
patent: 4059170 (1977-11-01), Young
patent: 4101005 (1978-07-01), Fewkes
patent: 4258825 (1981-03-01), Collins
patent: 4378658 (1983-04-01), DeLorean
patent: 4427094 (1984-01-01), Winkelblech
patent: 4529063 (1985-07-01), Kishi
patent: 4657112 (1987-04-01), Ream et al.
patent: 5082085 (1992-01-01), Ream et al.
patent: 5174415 (1992-12-01), Neagle et al.
patent: 5203425 (1993-04-01), Wehmeyer
patent: 5273132 (1993-12-01), Sasaki et al.
patent: 5544718 (1996-08-01), Schumacher
patent: 5755306 (1998-05-01), Kraemer et al.
patent: 0 557 685 (1993-09-01), None
patent: 885 824 (1961-12-01), None
patent: 1 358 384 (1974-07-01), None
patent: WO 98 09910 (1998-03-01), None
Bidwell Thomas L.
Gallagher Michael P.
Gilliland Kevin A.
Haverfield Forrest A.
Heidemann William J.
Crown Equipment Corporation
King & Schickli PLLC
O'Connor Gerald J.
Olszewski Robert P.
LandOfFree
Load trays for personnel carrying vehicles does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Load trays for personnel carrying vehicles, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Load trays for personnel carrying vehicles will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2435378