Material or article handling – Self-loading or unloading vehicles – Conveyor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-23
2001-03-13
Werner, Frank E. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Self-loading or unloading vehicles
Conveyor
C198S497000, C239S672000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06200082
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to live bottom trailers and more particularly pertains to a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box for hauling, then unloading objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of live bottom trailers is known in the prior art. More specifically, live bottom trailers heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,317,066; U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,338; U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,244, U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,848; U.S. Pat. No. 2,916,169; U.S. Pat. No. 3,487,905; U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,265; U.S. Pat. No. 3,593,864; U.S. Pat. No. 3,448,876; U.S. Pat. No. 2,507,252; U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,583; U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,647; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,921.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box which uses a continuous one-piece belt, supported by rollers to reduce friction, driven by a wrap-style hydraulic driven traction wheel positioned under the trailer. Rather, the inventions disclosed in the prior art primarily depend upon chain drives or have a plastic floor. The drawbacks of using chain drives include broken chains, chains becoming disattached from the gears, and the risks of injury from clothing and hair becoming caught in the gears. The main drawback of using the plastic floor model is that a heavy load placed on the belt creates immense friction, which could “freeze” the belt to the floor.
In these respects, the rolling floor for a truck or trailer box according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of hauling, then unloading objects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of live bottom trailers now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box construction wherein the same can be utilized for hauling, then unloading objects.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the live bottom trailers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art live bottom trailers, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a floor portion and a pair of wall portions upwardly extending from lateral sides of said floor portion. The floor portion has a plurality of rollers extending thereacross. An endless belt wraps around the floor portion and rests on the rollers of the floor portion. A drive mechanism drives the belt.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the live bottom trailers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art live bottom trailers, either alone or in any combination thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such rolling floor for a truck or trailer box economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box for hauling, then unloading objects.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box which includes a floor portion and a pair of wall portions upwardly extending from lateral sides of said floor portion. The floor portion has a plurality of rollers extending thereacross. An endless belt wraps around the floor portion and rests on the rollers of the floor portion. A drive mechanism drives the belt.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box in which the belt engages about 75% of the surface area of the drive wheel to ensure that no slipping will occur.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new rolling floor for a truck or trailer box that has the drive system positioned under the trailer rather than mounted on the front or rear of the trailer.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying draw
Johnson Jay
Molenaar Mark
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