Side shift raise climbing system
First Claim
1. A transfer assembly for laterally transferring a raise climber out of an access drift, said access drift extending away from a lower end of a raise, said transfer assembly comprising:
- a length of rail being sized to fit in series with, and in between, a pair of existing rails supported in said access drift and spaced from each other, to provide continuity between the existing rails and said length of rail and thereby permit said raise climber to drive from said length of rail onto either of said existing rails;
one or more supports attached to and extending upwardly from said length of rail and positioned along said length of rail to be aligned with corresponding transfer rails extending away from said access drift and into a recess in said access drift; and
a trolley at an upper end of each support, each support being sized to provide vertical alignment of a respective trolley with a corresponding transfer rail when said transfer assembly is aligned with said existing rails, each trolley being configured to suspend from, and be moveable along, said corresponding transfer rail, to permit movement of said transfer assembly laterally with respect to said existing rail and into said recess.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A side-shift raise climbing system is provided that utilizes a side-cut excavated into the wall of the access drift for a raise in a mine. A transfer section is incorporated into the existing length of rail servicing the raise. The transfer section includes a laterally transferable rail that can be detached from the existing rail and shifted along a set of monorails that extend into the side-cut. The transfer section enables a raise climber, when parked thereon, to be shifted out of the access drift without requiring additional access drifts or parking/nesting areas to accommodate the use of muck removal equipment.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A transfer assembly for laterally transferring a raise climber out of an access drift, said access drift extending away from a lower end of a raise, said transfer assembly comprising:
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a length of rail being sized to fit in series with, and in between, a pair of existing rails supported in said access drift and spaced from each other, to provide continuity between the existing rails and said length of rail and thereby permit said raise climber to drive from said length of rail onto either of said existing rails; one or more supports attached to and extending upwardly from said length of rail and positioned along said length of rail to be aligned with corresponding transfer rails extending away from said access drift and into a recess in said access drift; and a trolley at an upper end of each support, each support being sized to provide vertical alignment of a respective trolley with a corresponding transfer rail when said transfer assembly is aligned with said existing rails, each trolley being configured to suspend from, and be moveable along, said corresponding transfer rail, to permit movement of said transfer assembly laterally with respect to said existing rail and into said recess. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for modifying an access drift in a mine to incorporate a parking area for a raise climber, said access drift extending away from a lower end of a raise, said method comprising:
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installing in a recess in said access drift, one or more transfer rails extending from a discontinuity between a pair of existing rails supported in said access drift, and away from said access drift and into said recess, said pair of existing rails being spaced end to end from one another to provide said discontinuity; providing a length of rail sized to fit in series with, and in between said pair of existing rails in said discontinuity, to provide continuity between said existing rails and said length of rail, and thereby permit said raise climber to drive from said length rail onto either of said existing rails; providing one or more supports extending upwardly from said length of rail and positioned along said length of rail to be aligned with corresponding transfer rails; providing a trolley on each support, each trolley configured to suspend from and be moveable along said corresponding transfer rail; and suspending said length of rail from said transfer rails by suspending each trolley from a corresponding transfer rail. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification