Land vehicles: dumping – Elevating and tilting
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-14
2004-06-22
Kramer, Dean J. (Department: 3652)
Land vehicles: dumping
Elevating and tilting
C414S471000, C298S02200C
Reexamination Certificate
active
06752467
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates generally to the field of truck debris collection containers. More specifically, the present invention relates to the field of mounting truck debris collection containers on a movable support platform with the ability to further tilt the truck debris collection container towards the back through the use of pivotal attachments in order to facilitate the emptying of debris from within the truck debris collection container.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Vacuum debris collection trucks are commonly used to vacuum streets and parking lots, curbs and gutters, drainage catch basin, storm water and sanitary systems, or any other area that can be vacuumed and/or cleaned using the combination of a vacuum system and high pressure water. The trucks typically either have a manually operated hose attachment which allows an operator to easily and conveniently direct the vacuum pressure to a desired location, for example in a catch basis, ditch or curb and gutter.
In order to facilitate the vacuum truck collection of vacuumed debris, vacuum trucks commonly have debris collection containers located on the vacuum truck. By attaching the debris collection container to the vacuum truck, the vacuum trucks thus have a mobile operation and can be used anywhere. Once the debris collection container is filled with vacuumed debris, however, the operator must empty his debris payload.
It has been a continuous problem in the vacuum truck debris collection industry to efficiently, conveniently, cleanly and easily empty the collected debris payload in a vacuum truck debris collection container. Inherent with the vacuum pressures associated with a vacuum truck, the debris collection containers are cylindrical in shape and are constructed of heavy-gauge steel. This thick-gauge steel makes the vacuum truck debris collection container extremely heavy and hard to manage. As such, it has been a generally well-known practice in the industry to pivotally mount such a debris collection container to the frame of the vacuum truck wherein allowing the ability to rearwardly tilt the container with a hydraulic lift so that the debris can easily flow out of the container using gravity. When the debris collection container is rearwardly tilted, a hinged door on the back of the debris collection container is opened and the debris exits the container due to gravity.
However, by simply rearwardly tilting the debris collection container on the frame, conventional containers are severely limited by not being able to properly empty their debris payload into an independent, outside collection receptacle. This is due to the fact that the vacuum truck frame is obtrusive and does not permit the operator to position the debris collection container close to the outside collection receptacle. As such, when a conventional debris collection container is tilted, its debris payload quite often misses its exit target, thus creating an undesirable mess.
Another method that has been widely, yet unfavorably, used is fixedly attaching the debris collection container to the vacuum truck frame. In this configuration, the debris collection container does not tilt. As such, in order to facilitate the emptying of the debris collection container, the operator must directly enter the debris collection container and manually empty the container, such as with using a common push broom, shovel, or hydraulically operated ejector plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,159 to Beard, III, issued on Mar. 18, 1980, discloses a mobile cleaning apparatus for removing debris from the surface of parking lots and the like. The '159 patent discloses a fixedly attached debris collection container to a movable frame. The movable frame positions the debris collection container away from a predetermined extension to expose a trap door on the underside of the container. Once the debris collection container is extended, the debris within the container is emptied by using the pivotally attached door located on the underside of the debris collection container. However, unlike the present invention, a limitation of the '159 patent is that the collection container does not disclose the ability to rearwardly tilt the debris collection container, thus not allowing gravity to force all of the debris from the collection container. Furthermore, by placing the emptying door on the underside of the debris collection container, the container is not well suited to accept small particulate or liquid debris due to easy leakage and difficult opening of the underside door. The present invention overcomes these limitations by, for example, pivotally mounting the debris collection container to the support frame, thus allowing the container to tilt in a rearward fashion to facilitate and ease the removal of all debris from within the container by gravitational force. Furthermore, the present invention, for example, provides a door on the rear of the unit, thus being more suited for easy debris evacuation and small particulate and liquid debris handling.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,098 to Smith, issued on Mar. 7, 1972, discloses a dump body pivot system and lock. The '098 patent pivotally attaches a debris collection container to a fixed truck frame. The collection container has the ability to be tilted in a rearward direction by hydraulic cylinders, thus facilitating the emptying of debris within the collection container. However, unlike the present invention, a limitation to the '098 patent is that it does not have the ability to move the container and frame in a vertical or horizontal fashion. As such, the container is extremely limited with the methods of emptying the debris container, such as, for example and as stated earlier, not properly placing the debris exit location over an outside debris receptacle, thus creating an undesirable mess upon emptying the debris from the debris collection container. The present invention overcomes this limitation by, for example, allowing the pivotally mounted debris collection container to be moved in both a vertical and horizontal direction prior to rearwardly titling the container to empty its debris payload. This allows the present invention's debris exit location to be properly aligned above an outside debris collection container prior to facilitating the emptying process.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,138 to Arvidsson, issued on Aug. 16, 1977, discloses a garbage container carrier configured in a towable trailer. The '138 patent has a debris container pivotally mounted on a trailer which allows the container to be rearwardly titled when it is desired to empty the container. Furthermore, the '138 patent discloses lockable legs which lock the container in a rearwardly tilted position to facilitate the safe entry of a person into the container in order to speed clean up. A limitation in the '138 patent, as within the previously discussed '098 patent, is that, unlike the present invention, it does not have the ability to manipulate the vertical and horizontal placement of the exit location of the debris container. The present invention overcomes this limitation by, for example, allowing the pivotally mounted debris container to move in a vertical and horizontal plane prior to rearwardly tilting the container to facilitate debris removal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,780 to Boczkiewicz, issued on Jul. 20, 1985, discloses a lift mechanism for a dump truck. The '780 patent uses a conventional debris container pivotally mounted on a truck frame. A hydraulic lift mechanism is used to either rearwardly or forwardly tilt the debris container, depending upon the circumstance. However, unlike the present invention, a limitation to the '780 patent is that it does not have the ability to move the debris container in either a vertical or horizontal manner prior to tilting the container. The present invention overcomes this limitation by, for example, allowing the pivotally mounted debris container to move in a vertical and horizontal plane prior to rearwardly tilting the container to facilitate debris removal.
U.S.
Armstrong Thomas W.
Palrose Peter Oliver
Kramer Dean J.
Schiff & Hardin LLP
Vac-Con, Inc.
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