AU2007100648A4 - Device for Lifting Planar Objects - Google Patents

Description

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SDevice for Lifting Planar Objects Field of the Invention.

The present invention relates to a device for lifting planar objects. In particular, the present invention relates to a device to assist in the manual lifting of large, heavy or 00 bulky planar objects.

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SBackground Art.

SDuring construction, renovation, repair or maintenance of buildings, it is often necessary to move large or heavy planar objects, such as boards, panels, panes of glass, pictures frames and the like.

In the past, the transport or lifting of these objects has been achieved manually.

However, the potential for damage to the object from bumping or dropping the object during transport is quite high. In addition, there is the potential for injury to a worker either from incorrect lifting practices, or from broken pieces of, for instance, glass should the object break or be otherwise damaged during transport.

Some attempts have been made to overcome this problem. US Patent No. 5,540,471 discloses the use of a hook to lift and hold a planar object. However, this device provides only minimal assistance to the user, and still requires the application of a significant degree of stabilization to the object during lifting and transportation.

US Patent No. 5,397,158 discloses a device for holding a planar object during transportation. However, the device disclosed by this patent still requires the user to hold the object in place at the top of the device to prevent it from slipping out during use.

Australian Patent No. 617627 discloses another type of device for holding and retaining a planar object during transportation. This device allows the user to secure the planar object in place using a handle connected to an over-centre camming mechanism. However, the addition of the camming mechanism adds a significant amount of weight and bulk to the device, increasing the difficulty of using this kind of device.

Therefore, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide a device for lifting large planar objects that is able to fully and safely secure the planar object in place during use while still being lightweight and easy to use.

00 \O O It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.

Throughout this specification, the term "comprising" and its grammatical equivalents shall be taken to have an inclusive meaning unless the context of use indicates otherwise.

Object of the Invention.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for lifting planar objects which may overcome at least some of the abovementioned disadvantages, or provide a useful or commercial choice.

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a device for lifting planar objects comprising a first part having at least one base member and adapted to abut and support a lower edge of the planar object during use, and at least one support member against which the planar objects abuts during use, the device further including a removable handle engageable with said first part of the device.

The base member may have any suitable form. However, in some embodiments of the invention, the base member may comprise a plate. The base member may be adapted to rest flat against the ground when the device is not in use, or when loading a planar object onto the device.

In some further embodiments of the invention, the base member may comprise a raised portion. The raised portion may be of any suitable form, although it is preferred that the raised portion comprises a lip. The lip may be positioned at an edge of the 3 base member, and particularly at the front edge of the base member. When the device is in use, the lip is adapted to prevent the planar object from sliding forwards and off the base member. By locating the lip at the front edge of the base member, the planar object may slide forward only until it comes to a stop against the lip.

00 ,I The base member may further be provided with any suitable non-slip finish to prevent Sthe planar object from sliding off during lifting.

SThe support member may comprise any suitable form. In some preferred embodiments of the invention, the support member comprises a planar member. The support member may be connected to and extend upwardly from the base member. The base member and support member may be connected at any suitable angle, although in some embodiments of the invention, the included angle between the base member and the support member is between approximately 45" and 1350, more preferably between 600 and 1200, and even more preferably between 8 0 °and 1000.

The base member and the support member may be connected together using any suitable technique. However, in some embodiments of the invention, the base member and the support member may be welded, brazed or soldered together or attached using fasteners or adhesives. The connection between the base member and the support member may be reinforced with reinforcement means such as struts, blocks, wedges and the like.

When the base member and the support member are connected together, the resulting first part of the device may have a substantially L-shaped configuration when viewed from the side. In use, the planar object to be lifted will normally be angled from the upper surface of the at least one base member and the at least one support member.

While the support member may be fabricated to any suitable shape, it is preferred that the support member comprises a rolled section. The rolled section may have any cross-sectional shape, although in some preferred embodiments of the invention, the rolled section may be substantially u-shaped. A u-shaped section provides a number of distinct advantages. The most important of these advantages is that a u-shaped section increases the rigidity and durability of the device without a corresponding increase in the weight of the device. The channel formed by the u-shaped section may be left open in use, or may have an insert placed within the channel. The insert may be of any suitable form, such as, but not limited to, a foam block.

00 ,I In some preferred embodiments of the invention, the uppermost edge of the support member may be provided with a lip, land or the like. In use, the planar object may abut against this lip, thereby providing additional support for the planar object during lifting. Alternatively, the lip may be provided to give the user an additional handle when using the device.

The handle of the present invention is adapted to be removable. Removing the handle may be achieved using any known technique. However, in some embodiments of the present invention, the handle may be adapted to be removed by sliding it over a top edge of the support member. In some preferred embodiments, the support member may be adapted to facilitate the removal of the handle. The support member may be shaped so as to facilitate the removal of the handle. In some embodiments of the invention, an upper part of the support member may be provided with a narrowed neck region to allow the removable handle to be maneuvered off the support member.

The handle may comprise any suitable form. However, in some preferred embodiments of the invention the handle may be adapted to slide along the support member. The handle may comprise a grip portion, adapted to be held by the user when the device is in use, and an engagement portion. In some preferred embodiment of the invention, the engagement portion is adapted to engage both the front and back surfaces of the support member simultaneously when the device is in use. By engaging both the front and back surfaces of the support member simultaneously, the device is prevented from slipping when in use, making the present invention much more stable and less likely to be subject to unexpected or unwanted movement when the device is in use.

To engage the handle, the user may apply an upwards force to the grip portion of the handle. This upwards force causes the engagement portion to clamp to both the front and back surfaces of the support member under a torsional force imposed by the rotation of the handle, generally on the support member.

The device may be fabricated from any suitable material, such as metal, plastic, fiberglass and the like. However, it is preferred that the device is manufactured from steel or aluminium.

The device of the present invention provides a number of distinct advantages over the prior art. The present invention allows the adjustment of the handle to any height, making the device simple and comfortable to use for people of any height. The device comprises no moving parts, reducing the need for any routine maintenance. The removable handle of the present invention allows the user to quickly and easily change handles should a different handle be required for a particular job, or should a handle become damaged. The ability of the handle to clamp against both the front and back surfaces of the support member reduces the likelihood of the device to slip or move while in use. Finally, the simplicity of the device, as well as its lightweight construction, make it cheaper to produce and easier to use than prior art devices.

Brief Description of the Drawings.

An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings in which: Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 illustrates a front view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention; illustrates a side view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention; illustrates a perspective view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention; illustrates a bottom view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention; illustrates a perspective view of a handle for a device according to an embodiment of the present invention; illustrates a plan view of a handle for a device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 illustrates the handle when connected to the device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 illustrates the handle when connected to the device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 illustrates the handle when being connected to, or removed from, the ,I device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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Detailed Description of the Drawings.

It will be appreciated that the drawings have been provided for the purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention and that the invention should not be considered to be limited solely to the features as shown in the drawings.

In Figure 1 there is shown a device 10 for lifting planar objects according to an embodiment of the present invention. The device 10 comprises a base member 11 and a support member 12 extending upwardly from the base member 11. Jointly, the base member 11 and the support member 12 form the first part of the device. An upper portion 13 of the support member 12 is shaped so as to facilitate the easy removal of a handle (not shown).

In Figure 2, a side view of the device 10 according to one embodiment of the invention is shown. The base member 11 of the device 10 comprises a raised lip 14 towards the front edge 15 of the base member 11. The raised lip 14 prevents a planar object (not shown) being carried on the device 10 from slipping forwards and off the base member 11. The support member 12 is formed from a u-shaped rolled section and thus the support member 12 comprises a pair of side walls 16. The side walls 16 add rigidity to the device 10 without a corresponding increase in the mass of the device 10. When in use a handle (not shown) slides along the support member 11 and locks against both the front and back surfaces of the support member 11 (or against the side walls 16 when these are present) when the device 10 is in use. The uppermost edge 17 of the support member 11 is provided with a lip or land 18 which may be used to either accommodate a top edge of a planar object (not shown) being carried by the device 10, or may be used as an additional handle by the user. The device further comprises reinforcement means 19 in the form of a pair of wedges at the point at which the base member 11 and the support member 12 meet.

In Figure 3 there is shown a perspective view of the device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The device comprises a base member 11 in the 5 form of a flat plate, and a support member 12 extending upwardly from the base 00 ,member 11. The upper portion of the support member 13 is shaped so as to facilitate the easy removal of a handle (not shown) from the device 10. The shaping of the upper portion consists of a narrowed neck 20 and a cut out portion 21 over which the handle (not shown) may be maneuvered to facilitate its removal. The support member 12 is u-shaped and comprises a pair of side walls 16. The point at which the base member 11 and the support member 12 meet to give the first part of the device 10 a substantially L-shaped configuration is reinforced by the use of reinforcing wedges 19.

The uppermost edge 17 of the device 10 comprises a lip or land 18 which may be used as an additional handle, or against which a large planar object (not shown) may abut when the device 10 is in use.

Figure 4 shows a bottom view of the device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The base member 11 of the device 10 comprises a raised lip 14 located toward the front edge 15 of the base member 11. This lip 14 retains a planar object (not shown) on the base member 11 and prevents it from sliding off during use.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrates a removable handle 22 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The handle 22 comprises a grip portion 23 designed to be held by the user when the device (not shown) of the present invention is in use. The grip portion 23 is adapted to be positioned at the rear of the support member (not shown) when in use. The handle 22 further comprises an engagement portion 24. When upward pressure is applied to the grip portion 23, the engagement portion 24 of the handle pivots downwards. The inside front edge 25 of the engagement portion 24 engages with the front surface of the support member (not shown), while the inside rear edge 26 of the engagement portion 24 engages with the rear surface or side walls of the support member (not shown). In this way, the handle 22 engages with both front and back surfaces of the support member (not shown) when the device (not shown) is in use, thereby reducing the likelihood of the handle 22 slipping or disengaging.

The handle 22 is shaped so as to provide an opening 27 through which the support member (not shown) passes as the handle 22 slides up and down the support member (not shown) when adjusting the height of the handle 22.

00 ,In Figure 7 there is shown a handle 22 when connected to a device 10 of the present O invention. When the height of the handle 22 is being adjusted, the grip portion 23 of Sthe handle 22 is angled downwards, allowing the handle 22 to slide freely up and Sdown the support member 12 of the device In Figure 8, an upwards force has been applied to the grip portion 23 of the handle 22, meaning that the engagement portion 24 of the handle 22 now engages with the support member 12 of the device 10. The inside front edge 25 of the engagement portion 24 grips the front surface of the support member 12, while the inside rear edge 26 of the engagement portion 24 grips the side walls 16 of the support member 12. By gripping both the front and rear (or side) surfaces of the support member 12, the handle 22 is prevented from coming loose or slipping during use. Thus, through the rotation of the handle 22, a torsional force is applied to the support member 12, which is engaged between, and retained by, portions of the handle 22.

In Figure 9 there is illustrated a handle 22 during engagement with the first part of the device 10. The handle 22 may be maneuvered over the cut out portion 21 and narrowed neck 20 of the support member 12. Once the handle 22 has been moved into position, the height of the handle 22 may be adjusted by sliding the handle 22 up and down the support member 12.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. It will be understood that the present invention encompasses all such variations and modifications that fall within its spirit and scope.

Claims (1)

1. 5.