FORKLIFT SCALE
First Claim
1. A forklift scale comprising:
- a rear frame adapted for attachment to a lifting carriage of a forklift;
a front frame associated with said rear frame, said front frame being vertically displaceable with respect to said rear frame and adapted to receive and retain at least one lifting fork;
a pair of load cells interposed between said rear frame and said front frame, a first end of each load cell connected to said rear frame, a second end of each load cell connected to said front frame;
at least one upper flexure assembly connecting a top portion of said front frame to a top portion of said rear frame; and
at least one lower flexure assembly connecting a bottom portion of said front frame to a bottom portion of said rear frame;
wherein said rear frame is adapted to contact said lifting carriage at only three points.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A 3-point suspension forklift scale adapted for quick and easy attachment/detachment to/from a forklift—without the need for leveling or other pre-operation setup procedures. Further, due to the single lower reaction point of the forklift scale, there is no concern that the initially installed position of the forklift scale will change during use as a result of a loose adjuster, repositioning due to impact, etc. The forklift scale is designed to accurately determine the weight of a load placed on the forks or other lifting elements of the forklift, regardless of the position of the load thereon. Preferably, a forklift scale of the present invention includes a central viewing window that allows an operator see through the forklift scale when operating an associated forklift.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A forklift scale comprising:
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a rear frame adapted for attachment to a lifting carriage of a forklift; a front frame associated with said rear frame, said front frame being vertically displaceable with respect to said rear frame and adapted to receive and retain at least one lifting fork; a pair of load cells interposed between said rear frame and said front frame, a first end of each load cell connected to said rear frame, a second end of each load cell connected to said front frame; at least one upper flexure assembly connecting a top portion of said front frame to a top portion of said rear frame; and at least one lower flexure assembly connecting a bottom portion of said front frame to a bottom portion of said rear frame; wherein said rear frame is adapted to contact said lifting carriage at only three points. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A forklift scale comprising:
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a frame assembly, said frame assembly further comprising; a rear frame adapted for attachment to a lifting carriage, a front frame associated with and substantially parallel to said rear frame, said front frame being vertically displaceable with respect to said rear frame and adapted to receive and retain at least one lifting fork, at least one upper flexure assembly connecting a top portion of said front frame to a top portion of said rear frame, and at least one lower flexure assembly connecting a bottom portion of said front frame to a bottom portion of said rear frame, a pair of load cells interposed between said rear frame and said front frame, a first end of each load cell connected to said rear frame, a second end of each load cell connected to said front frame; wherein said rear frame is adapted to contact said lifting carriage at only three points. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A three-point suspension forklift scale comprising:
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a rear frame; a front frame associated with and substantially parallel to said rear frame, said front frame being vertically displaceable with respect to said rear frame and adapted to receive and retain at least one fork; a pair of load cells interposed between and connecting said rear frame and said front frame, an upper end of each load cell connected to said rear frame, a lower end of each load cell connected to said front frame; at least one upper flexure assembly connecting an upper flexure member of said front frame to a top portion of said rear frame, and at least one lower flexure assembly connecting a lower flexure member of said front frame to a bottom portion of said rear frame, at least said lower flexure assemblies offering greater resistance to tensile and compressive deformation than to torsional deformation; at least one hard stop for limiting the vertical displacement of said front frame; a pair of mounting hooks located on a back surface of said rear frame, said mounting hooks for engaging an upper fork carrier on said lifting carriage and suspending said rear frame therefrom, said mounting hooks comprising two of three points of contact between said rear frame and said lifting carriage; and a standoff extending rearward from a lower back portion of said rear frame, said standoff comprising a third of three points of contact between said rear frame and said lifting carriage. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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29. A three-point suspension forklift scale comprising:
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a frame assembly, said frame assembly further comprising; a rear frame having at least two spaced apart and substantially parallel upper and lower horizontal frame members connected by at least two spaced apart and substantially parallel vertical frame members, a front frame having at least two spaced apart and substantially parallel upper and lower horizontal frame members connected by at least two spaced apart and substantially parallel vertical frame members, said front frame substantially parallel to said rear frame and vertically displaceable with respect thereto, said front frame adapted to receive and retain at least one lifting fork, at least one hard stop for limiting the vertical displacement of said front frame, at least one safety restraint for preventing removal of said forklift scale from said forklift carriage and for inhibiting separation of a bottom portion of said rear frame from said lifting carriage, and a centrally-located viewing window passing through said front frame and said rear frame, a pair of load cells interposed between and connecting said rear frame and said front frame, an upper end of each load cell connected to said rear frame, a lower end of each load cell connected to said front frame; a pair of spaced apart upper flexure assemblies connecting an upper flexure member of said front frame to a top portion of said rear frame, and a pair of spaced apart lower flexure assemblies connecting a lower flexure member of said front frame to a bottom portion of said rear frame, said flexure assemblies offering greater resistance to tensile and compressive deformation than to torsional deformation; a pair of mounting hooks located on a back surface of said rear frame, said mounting hooks for engaging an upper fork carrier on said lifting carriage and suspending said rear frame therefrom, said mounting hooks comprising two of three points of contact between said rear frame and said lifting carriage; and a standoff extending rearward from a lower back portion of said rear frame, said standoff comprising a third of three points of contact between said rear frame and said lifting carriage. - View Dependent Claims (30)
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Specification