Implements or apparatus for applying pushing or pulling force – Apparatus for hauling or hoisting load – including driven... – Device includes rotatably driven – cable contacting drum
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-31
2001-08-14
Matecki, Katherine A. (Department: 3653)
Implements or apparatus for applying pushing or pulling force
Apparatus for hauling or hoisting load, including driven...
Device includes rotatably driven, cable contacting drum
C212S166000, C254S286000, C254S295000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273401
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention generally relates to covering large containers. More specifically, this invention relates to the process of covering loaded trailer trucks with tarps or related coverings.
BACKGROUND ART
Due to the nature of truck design for carrying certain materials, (i.e. gravel, garbage, large odd shaped objects and the like) there is a need to cover these materials to prevent damage to the materials and to prevent their release onto the highway. These loads, that are placed upon the beds of trailers, require a protective covering. Typically, this protective covering takes the form of sheets of plastic material and/or a canvas material, such as a tarp that are secured to the load and the trailer bed so as to prevent exposure of the load to the elements. The tarp and plastic are secured to the trailer bed so as to prevent flapping or tearing of the plastic from the excessive wind forces that most trailer beds undergo during the course of transporting loads on highway systems.
The tarps and plastic are typically folded or rolled up to conserve space when the tarps and plastic are not in use. The tarps used are generally heavy and quite bulky, making it difficult to cover the load, especially if one person is working alone. Even when multiple people are covering the load it is still a hazardous activity. Generally, the method of tarping has been to place a person on top of the load and to lift the tarp up to the person. The person on top of the load must unfold the tarp and evenly cover the load all while perched on top of the load. This is very dangerous and many accidents have occurred because people have lost their footing and fallen off the load that they were trying to cover.
The trucking industry has responded with three partial solutions to the aforementioned problems. The first is to place fall supports in the places where tarping of the loads is to occur. Fall supports are expensive and should be individualized to each tarper. Further, fall supports do not adequately protect the tarper from being hurt. Although the fall support prevents the person from hitting the ground, when a person strapped to a fall support falls, he falls into free space with no method of controlling his direction or speed. Instances have occurred where a person, strapped to a fall support, has fallen off the load he was tarping and swung into free space. The person then swung back and slammed into the load of the truck that he was tarping and was seriously injured.
The second solution is a mechanized tarp loader. This device hooks to the grommets that are found in typical commercial tarps. The device then pulls the tarp from the ground over the load to the other side of the load. This device does not work for many different kinds of materials, such as sheets of plastic, since the hooks will rip the plastic or the plastic must possess grommets for the hooks to engage. In addition, if the load has sharp edges of any sort, dragging the tarp along the sharp edges will tear the tarp, thereby exposing the load to the elements.
The third solution is the attachment of a crane-like device to the truck to assist with lifting the covering over the load. Two problems still exist with these devices. First, the covering material must be dragged across the load, resulting in damage to the load being covered or the covering itself depending on the nature of these materials. Second, the added expense and added weight to the truck load make these devices less desirable.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The apparatus of the instant invention is comprised of one fundamental unit. The fundamental unit comprises a plurality of vertical support members made of any sound and strong structural material, a top rectangular support frame, arms made of any sound and strong structural material, a plurality of quick release hangers fixedly secured to the first arm, a plurality of u-hooks fixedly secured to the second arm, a first set of a plurality of truck straps operatively engaging the u-hooks and the quick release hangers, a plurality of rollers fixedly attached to the arms of the apparatus and operatively engaging the vertical support members of the apparatus, a plurality of gear motors operatively engaging the spools and shafts, a plurality of lifter u-hooks, a second set of a plurality of truck straps operatively engaging the spool and the lifter u-hooks, and a plurality of spools driven by the gear motors.
The method of the instant invention comprises the following steps: lowering the arms of the apparatus to the ground, attaching the first set of truck straps to the quick release hangers of the first arm and the u-hooks of the second arm so that the straps stretch across the apparatus to connect the arms, unfolding a sheet of plastic and/or a tarp over the straps, raising the arms of the apparatus thereby raising the straps and the tarp or plastic above the height of the load of the truck trailer, positioning the truck trailer directly underneath the raised arms, and lowering the arms of the apparatus so that the tarp lays flat upon the load of the truck trailer.
In a preferred embodiment, each quick release hanger comprises two sides, each side comprising a horizontal member and a rounded L-shaped member integral with the horizontal member and fixedly secured with an attachment member and operatively arranged so as to permit movement about the axis of the attachment member with respect to an arm of the truck tarping apparatus, and a plurality of guiding members integral with the sides. Of course, one skilled in the art could envision a number of different hanger variations that would not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosed invention.
In a preferred embodiment, each spool comprises a substantially cylindrical member with a keyed access hole for receiving a keyed shaft and a flat side, a strap attachment member wherein a truck strap is placed between the strap attachment member and the flat side of the cylindrical member, and a plurality of attachment members that fixedly secure the strap attachment member to the flat side of the cylindrical member without piercing the truck strap. As one skilled in the art would appreciate, a number of attachment means to secure the strap could be utilized.
Each roller assembly comprises an angle with a vertical support attachment member and a roller attachment member with an outside face wherein the vertical support attachment member and the roller attachment member form a ninety (90) degree angle with respect to each other and the vertical support attachment member is fixedly secured to an end of an arm of the truck tarp loading apparatus, a plurality of extenders fixedly secured to the roller attachment member on the outside face such that the extenders are diagonally opposite one another, and a plurality of rollers fixedly secured to the extenders. This preferred embodiment could be adapted to use a variety of roller type devices currently known to those skilled in the art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for covering a load on a trailer bed that allows personnel to remain on the ground.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for covering a load on a trailer bed that does not require dragging the tarp across the load.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for improving the efficiency in terms of time and safety of tarping a load on a trailer bed.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a relatively inexpensive method and apparatus for tarping a load on a trailer bed.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2529948 (1950-11-01), Jones
patent: 3397009 (1968-08-01), Landenberger
patent: 3614154 (1971-10-01), Evans
patent: 4236859 (1980-12-01), Stearn et al.
patent: 5692534 (1997-12-01), Brumfield
patent: 5743515 (1998-04-01), Wodell
patent: 5743700 (1998-04-01), Wood, Jr. et al.
patent: 5964236 (1999-10-01), Berke
patent: 6003929 (1999-12-01), Birdsell
Load Protection: A Case Study in Ergonomics and Safety; W.S. Green et al. no da
Matecki Katherine A.
The Bilicki Law Firm P.C.
LandOfFree
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