AU2003100801A4 - A Support Pad - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Name of Applicant: Address for Service: Invention Title: Gough Industries Pty Ltd (ACN: 010028547) CULLEN CO.

Level 26 239 George Street Brisbane Qld 4000 Australia A Support Pad The following statement is a full description of the invention, including the best method of performing it known to the applicant: TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to an article for supporting the outriggers of cranes or the like or the legs or wheels of transportable equipment. In particular, the invention relates to an article for the foregoing purposes which is manufactured in a single piece from inexpensive material such as polyethylene.

BACKGROUND ART Mobile cranes typically have extendable supports ("outriggers") which are used to stabilise the crane during operation. The supports themselves usually require support, particularly when the crane must be operated on a soft surface or when damage to the surface has to be avoided.

The supports for crane outriggers are commonly referred to as "dunnage" and take many different forms. The most usual dunnage is timber. A problem with dunnage typically used for supporting crane outriggers is that it is not easy to handle due to its weight and/or the lack of any adaptations for gripping the article comprising the dunnage.

Support articles are also used for many other pieces of transportable equipment that has legs or wheels. The articles arc required to prevent the equipment sinking into the ground or floor on which it is being used by placing the articles under the legs or wheels.

It would be convenient to have available an article for supporting cranes or other transportable equipment that overcomes the disadvantages of material presently used as dunnage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a broad format, the invention provides a portable support pad comprising spacedapart planar faces with walls between the edges of said faces to enclose said pad, wherein said faces have a plurality of rigid spacers therebetween.

It can be appreciated from the foregoing definition that the pad is essentially a flat member that can be placed under a leg, outrigger, wheel or the like that has to be supported by virtue of the surface on which the equipment associated with the leg, outrigger, wheel or the like is being used.

To facilitate retention of the member being supported by a pad on a face thereof, the face can have a lipped edge or at least a plurality of protrusions at the edge of the face. This feature will be readily apparent from the example of a pad given below.

The pad advantageously includes at least one handle at an edge thereof to aid handling of the pad.

Pads according to the invention can be of any shape including circular, ovoid and rectangular. A preferred shape is square.

Pads can be manufactured from any suitable material including metals and plastics materials. Advantageously, pads comprise a plastics material and are produced by rotational moulding. A preferred plastics material is polyethylene.

When manufactured by a moulding process, the spacers between the faces of pads advantageously comprise moulded-in frusto-conical members.

The particular size of a pad and the strength of the material used for fabricating the pad can be readily determined by one of skill in the art on consideration of the intended use of the pad.

Having broadly described the invention, a support pad will now be exemplified with reference to the accompanying drawings briefly described hereafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figures 1 to 3 are isometric, plan and elevational views, respectively, of a pad according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION With reference to Figures 1 to 3, there is shown pad 1 which is manufactured from polyethylene by rotational moulding. The pad has upper and lower faces 2 and 3, respectively, and walled edges, one of which is item 4. A handle 5 is provided on one edge and a plurality of protrusions are provided about upper face 2, one of which protrusions is item 6.

Pad 1 has a plurality of inverted frustrums of cones extending between faces 2 and 3.

One such frustrum is item 7 of Figures 1 and 2. These frustra act as spacers between the faces into which they are moulded. The frusto-conical members are open at the end moulded into face 2 but closed at the other end.

Pad 1 had dimensions of 550 mm by 610 mm by 96 mm thick. The faces and walls have thicknesses of about 8 mm. The pad can be used to support a crane of up to about 20,000 kg in weight with a pad under each of 4 outriggers.

It will be appreciated that many changes can be made to the support pad as exemplified above without departing from the broad ambit and scope of the invention.

4 The term "comprise" and variants of the term such as "comprises" or "comprising" are used herein to denote the inclusion of a stated integer or stated integers but not to exclude any other integer or any other integers, unless in the context or usage an exclusive interpretation of the term is required.

Claims (4)

1. A portable support pad comprising spaced-apart planar faces with walls between the edges of said faces to enclose said pad, wherein said faces have a plurality of rigid spacers therebetween.

2. The support pad of claim 1, wherein one said face has a lipped edge or has a plurality of protrusions at the edge thereof to form a lip at said edge.

3. The support pad of any one of the preceding claims which further includes at least one handle at an edge thereof.

4. The support pad of any one of the preceding claims wherein said pad is manufactured from a plastics material and said spacers comprise frusto-conical members moulded into the faces of said pad. A support pad substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this nineteenth day of September 2003 GOUGH INDUSTRIES PTY LTD By their patent attorneys CULLEN CO.