Land vehicles – Wheeled – Running gear
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-03
2001-11-27
Rice, Kenneth R. (Department: 2167)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Running gear
C280S407100, C074S470000, C180S209000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322091
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus for use with semi-trailers, and more particularly to apparatus for retracting bogie-locking coupling pins to facilitate positioning of bogies under the bed of a semitrailer. More particularly, this invention relates to an operator for a pin retractor mounted on a bogie included in a tractor trailer rig. This invention also relates to mechanisms including a threaded shaft and a partial nut which allows lineal movement between the shaft and partial nut through rotational motion of the shaft or an axial pulling motion exerted on the shaft.
Tractor trailer rigs include trailer beds that are supported above a roadway by a tandem-wheeled “bogie”. Truck drivers find that it is necessary to move the trailer bed forward and backward relative to the bogie to support the load that they intend to carry on the trailer bed properly. Pins are used to lock a trailer bed in a fixed position relative to an underlying bogie. These pins must be dislodged, oftentimes not an easy task, to enable a truck driver to move or reposition the trailer bed relative to the underlying bogie.
Drivers dislodge the pins by operating the tractor to rock the trailer bed forward and backward while someone, or some device, pulls on a handle of a pin retractor mounted to the bogie to retract the pins and decouple the trailer bed from the bogie. Drivers would welcome a detachable pin retractor operator that is attached to the bogie to pull on the handle of the pin retractor while the driver operates the tractor to rock the trailer bed until the pins coupling the trailer bed to the bogie are retracted and which does not need to be removed prior to repositioning the trailer bed over the bogie.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, a pin retractor operator is provided with a case containing a handle engager adapted to be coupled to a handle of a pin retractor, a spring coupled at one end to the handle engager, and a tensioner coupled to another end of the spring and arranged to extend out of the case. Movement of the tensioner relative to the case can be selectively blocked by a movement regulator included in the pin retractor operator.
In preferred embodiments, when the handle of the pin retractor is coupled to the handle engager and the case contacts the frame of the bogie, the tensioner is pulled and/or rotated by a truck driver to stretch the spring and then movement of the tensioner relative to the case is blocked by the movement regulator so that the stretched spring pulls against the handle of the pin retractor and urges the case against the frame of the bogie. Once the spring has been sufficiently stretched, the pin retractor operator may be left unattended thereby freeing the driver to climb into the cab and to operate the tractor to rock the trailer bed so as to induce retraction of the pins. The truck driver can then drive the tractor to reposition the trailer bed relative to the bogie while the pin retractor operator remains unattended and secured to the bogie.
One combination of tensioner and movement regulator which may be used in the pin retractor includes a threaded shaft which is engaged by a partial nut including partial threads biased by a biasing spring against the thread of the shaft. During a pulling action, the partial threads of the nut ride over the thread of the shaft urging the partial nut away from the shaft and compressing the biasing spring. After the shaft has moved a distance approximately equal to the pitch of the thread, the biasing spring partially decompresses to urge the partial threads of the partial nut into the next thread channel of the shaft. Once the spring has been partially stretched by the pulling force, the bias spring seats the partial threads of the partial nut within the thread channel of the shaft The shaft may then be rotated to move the shaft further axially with respect to the partial nut. Thus, threaded shaft and partial nut biased against the threaded shaft is adapted for use as a positioning mechanism which allows rough positioning to be accomplished by pulling on the shaft and fine positioning to be accomplished by rotating the shaft.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.
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Quality Products advertisement, The Rod Jumper™ “Axle Slider Tool”, Jan. 1998, 1 page.
Barnes & Thornburg
Jasmin Lynda
Rice Kenneth R.
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