Containerizing and decontainerizing a load

• US 5,044,866 A
• Filed: 11/15/1988
• Issued: 09/03/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Management Marketing Services, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Commodity Handling Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Harp, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bucci, David A.
• Application Number:
  US07/271,422
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 414/495, 414/498, 414/664, 414/341, 414/391-393, 414/347, 180/125, 280/43.12, 254/93 HP, 254/2 R, 254/2 B, 211/13, 410/3, 410/4, 410/7, 410/13, 410/24, 410/26, 206/355
• US Class Current: 414/495
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/02 with parallel up-and-down movement of load supporting or containing element in combination with tipping B60P1/34; devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes, movable on wheels or the like, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/06 ; suspensions with electronic levelling control during loading or unloading B60G17/0157
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 7/06 using fluid at high pressure supplied from an independent source to provide a cushion between load and ground conveying articles over a flat surface by jets located in the surface B65G51/00

Abstract

Load-lifting apparatus includes a pair of elements moveable on air bearings laterally toward and away from one another. Each element carries an inflatable bladder for lifting a load. A rack is also provided for receiving various loads, for example, automotive vehicles. The elements have cutouts at longitudinally spaced positions such that, upon disposition of the elements below the rack, the elements can be moved laterally away from one another with the cutouts registering with the wheel wells. The bladders may be inflated to lift the rack and load carried thereby for movement into a container. The process may be reversed to remove the rack and load from the container.

Claims

1. An assembly for lifting a load comprising:

first and second elongated support elements in side-by-side relation one to the other;

air-bearing means disposed along the underside of each of said elements, including connections for receiving air under pressure whereby said elements are displaceable for movement under a load;

an inflatable member carried by each of said elements, including connections for receiving air under pressure whereby, upon inflation, the load may be lifted;

means interconnecting said elements one to the other for movement toward and away from one another; and

means for moving said elements toward and away from one another;

said assembly in combination with a rack for supporting the load, said rack including a plurality of interconnected longitudinally and laterally and upright extending structural elements for supporting the load thereon, means carried by said rack for supporting portions of said rack at elevated positions for supporting a load thereon above the rest of the rack, and most other portions of the rack above ground level sufficiently to enable movement of said air bearing means underneath said rack portions, with said inflatable members in an un-inflated condition so that upon inflation thereof, said support elements with air bearing means lift said rack with the load thereon.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein said interconnecting means includes at least two pairs of pivoted links interconnecting said elements one to the other at longitudinally spaced positions therealong and said moving means includes means connecting said pairs of links and being movable to displace said pairs of links between extended positions for moving said elements into a first position spaced one from the other for lifting the load and collapsed positions for moving said elements into a second non-load lifting position.

3. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein said connecting means includes an elongated bar connected to said links at the pivot juncture of each said pair thereof.

4. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein said rack is specifically configured for the transport of automotive vehicles and includes a pair of laterally spaced ramps for receiving the vehicles.

5. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein said elements have cutouts at longitudinally spaced positions therealong for receiving portions of the load.

6. An assembly according to claim 4 wherein each of said ramps includes a pair of longitudinally spaced wheel wells for receiving the wheels of the vehicles thereby reducing the overall height of the vehicle in transport on the rack, said elements having cutouts at longitudinally spaced positions therealong for receiving the wheels of the vehicles.

7. An assembly according to claim 6 wherein said rack and said ramps carried thereby extend longitudinally a distance sufficient to transport two automotive vehicles one behind the other on said ramps, a second pair of ramps elevated above the first-mentioned pair for carrying at least one additional auto vehicle in superposed relation above at least a portion of the vehicle carried by the first-mentioned ramps.

8. An assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for interconnecting said elements one to the other for movement toward and away from one another, and means for moving said elements toward and away from one another comprise gear racks formed at one end of each of said first and second elongated support elements, and pinions rotatable about vertical axes operatively engaging said gear racks.

9. An assembly as recited in claim 8 wherein said means for interconnecting said elements one to the other and means for moving said elements toward and away from one another further comprise a center element disposed between said support elements, and reciprocal in the dimension of elongation of said support elements;

and a pair of links, each link pivotally mounted at one end thereof to said central element and pivotally mounted at the other element thereof to one of said support elements so that upon reciprocation of said central element said support elements move toward and away from each other.

10. An assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for interconnecting said elements one to the other and means for moving said elements toward and away from one another comprise a center element disposed between said support elements, and reciprocal in the dimension of elongated of said support elements;

and a pair of links, each link pivotally mounted at one end thereof to said central element and pivotally mounted at the other element thereof to one of said support elements so that upon reciprocation of said central element said support elements move toward and away from each other.

11. An assembly according to claim 4 wherein said elements have cutouts at longitudinally spaced positions therealong for receiving portions of the load.

12. A rack distinct from other structures and transportable by itself and with its supported load, and for supporting a plurality of automotive vehicles, comprising:

a plurality of interconnected longitudinally, vertically and laterally extending structural elements carrying pairs of laterally spaced ramps for supporting the vehicles thereon;

means carried by said rack including said vertically extending elements for supporting at least a first pair of ramps at an elevated position above ground level and disposed at least in part over a second pair of ramps;

a third pair of ramps carried by said rack and extending longitudinally a distance relative to said first pair of ramps sufficient to dispose two automotive vehicles one behind the other on said first and third pairs of ramps;

said rack, with supported vehicles, dimensioned to fit into a standard overseas transport type container with at least three automotive vehicles supported thereby; and

wherein certain of said longitudinal elements provides additional storage space for loads distinct from said vehicles, including horizontally extending platforms disposed above said second pair of ramps; and

wherein wheel wells extend below the associated ramps such that the underside of the vehicle lies closer to the ramps than otherwise in the absence of said wheel wells.

13. An assembly for lifting a load comprising:

first and second elongated support elements in side-by-side relation one to the other;

air-bearing means disposed along the underside of each of said elements, including connections for receiving air under pressure whereby said elements are displaceable for movement under a load;

an inflatable member carried by each of said elements, including connections for receiving air under pressure whereby, upon inflation, the load may be lifted;

means interconnecting said elements one to the other for movement toward and away from one another; and

means for moving said elements toward and away from one another;

wherein said means for interconnecting said elements one to the other for movement toward and away from one another, and means for moving said elements toward and away from one another, comprise gear racks formed at one end of each of said first and second elongated support elements, and pinions rotatable about vertical axes operatively engaging said gear racks.

14. An assembly as recited in claim 13 wherein said means for interconnecting said elements one to the other and means for moving said elements toward and away from one another further comprise a center element disposed between said support elements, and reciprocal in the dimension of elongation of said support elements;

and a pair of links, each link pivotally mounted at one end thereof to said central element and pivotally mounted at the other element thereof to one of said support elements so that upon reciprocation of said central element said support elements move toward and away from each other.