GB2028248A

GB2028248A - Load transport assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2028248A
Application number: GB7832093A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Bradstreet & Son Ltd W O
Current assignee: Bradstreet & Son Ltd W O
Priority date: 1978-08-03
Filing date: 1978-08-03
Publication date: 1980-03-05

Abstract

An assembly for transporting a load 9 comprises a transfer device which includes an elongate beam unit 1 formed by a single beam or two parallel interconnected beams and carrying a trolley arrangement which includes at least two trolleys 4, 5 and is displaceable along the beam unit. Connection means 8 is situated at one end of the beam unit for connection of the transfer device to a lifting device, such as a crane, and a supporting device 21, is provided for supporting the beam unit at its second end. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A method and an assembly for transporting loads The invention relates to a method and an assembly for transporting loads, which are particularly suitable for lifting a load to the level of an opening, such as a window, in a building, and transporting the lifted load through the opening inside the building.

Various methods and devices for lifting loads are known, but these methods and devices have various disadvantages known to persons skilled in the art.

The aim of the invention is to devise a new method for lifting a load from a low level to a high level and then transporting the lifted load, in a substantially horizontal plane, to a predetermined point of offloading.

The invention provides a method of transporting a load, in which a transport assembly, which comprises a transfer device including an elongate beam unit carrying a trolley arrangement adapted to be displaced along the beam unit, is so arranged that the trolley arrangement is positioned at a first portion of the beam unit and to the trolley arrangement is attached the load, a lifting device is attached at or near said first portion and caused to lift the transfer device with the load, then a second portion of the beam unit, remote from said first portion in the longitudinal direction of the beam unit, is brought to the vicinity of the point where the load is to be off-loaded and is there supported by a support device, whereupon the trolley arrangement with the load is transferred along to the beam unit to said point of off-loading where the load is deposited.

The invention also provides a transport assembly comprising a transfer device including an elongate beam unit carrying a trolley arrangement adapted for displacement along the beam unit and for the attachment of a load thereto, connection means situated at a first portion of the beam unit for the connection of the transfer device to a lifting device, and supporting device for supporting the beam unit at a second portion thereof, remote from the first portion in the longitudinal direction of the beam unit.

In one preferred embodiment the beam unit is formed by a single beam and a trolley arrangement includes two trolleys.

In another preferred embodiment the beam unit includes two spaced apart, interconnected, parallel beams, each of which carries at least one trolley.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows one embodiment of a transport assembly in side view, Figure 2 is a front view to Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a partial front view of a second embodiment of a transport assembly.

Figure 1 shows a transfer device including an elongate beam unit formed by two spaced apart parallel beams 1,2 interconnected at the ends by transverse members 3. Each of the beams 1,2 carries two tol leys interconnected by a connecting bar (not shown). The beam unit carrying the trolleys 4 - 7 forms a structure similar to a gantry, the girders of which are formed by joists or double T-sections the lower flanges of which are used as a rail for supporting and guiding the wheels of the trolleys.

Girder clamps 8 are attached or metal eyes are welded to each of the beams 1,2 near one end of the beam unit. The clamps or eyes are adapted for attachment of lifting cables, e.g. by means of shackles (not shown).

In operation a load, in the illustrated example a box 9, is positioned on two support bars 10, 11 which are arranged parallel to each other at the same spacing as the trolleys 4, 5, and the ends of the support bars 10,11 are connected by straps 12,13 and 15 (the fourth strap is not shown) to the respective trolleys 4, 5 and 7 (the fourth trolley is not shown). The straps 12 to 15 are preferably made of nylon webbing. Suitable packing may be positioned between the straps 12 to 15 and the box 9 if necessary.

Then the whole transfer device with the box 9 attached to it is lifted by a crane (not shown) which is connected to the transfer device by means of lifting cables or chains attached to the girder clamps or eyes.

The whole transfer device is lifted to the required height and then it is directed to pass through an opening, in the illustrated example through a window, in the wall 16 of a building. Inside the building the opposite end ofthe beam unit is connected to a dismountable support 20.

In the illustrated example the support 20 comprises two trussed side members 21, each of which is carried by two height-adjustable legs 22. The side members 21 are at their upper ends connected to a cross-beam 23. The cross-beam 23 carries a clamp 24 carrying a tackle 25 to which is connected the said opposite end of the beam unit by means of a girder clamp 26 carried by the transverse member 3.

To at least one of the trolleys 4 to 7 is attached a rope 27 by means of which the trolleys 4 to 7 carrying the box 9 may be pulled through the window in the wall 16 inside the room. Naturally the rope may be guided e.g. as shown in the drawing or over a roller (not shown) which may be carried el.g.

by the cross-beam 23. The rope 27 may be attached to a further tackle which may be attached to the support 20. A suitable tackle for this purpose is e.g. a lever-operated tackle sold under the trade name "Turfa". The support 20 may be for this purpose provided with a further cross-beam (not shown) at the bottom part thereof.

When the box 9 is inside the room in the building the whole transfer device is lowered and together with it is lowered also the box 9 so that it can be positioned on the floor whereupon the straps are disconnected from the trolleys 4 to 7, the transfer device is withdrawn through the window and the support 20 is removed, whereupon the box 9, if necessary, is further transported inside the room by conventional means.

Naturally a suitable tackle may be interpositioned e.g. between each of the straps 12 to 15 and the associated trolleys 4 to 7, so that when the load is inside the room instead of lowering the transfer device only the load is lowered. In that case the tackle 25 need not be used, unless the combination of lowering of the transfer device and separate lowering of the load is desirable.

When these separate tackles between the straps and trolleys are used and the tackle 25 is not used the above-mentioned tackle for pulling the trolleys along the beam unit may be attached to the crossbeam 23.

The advantage of the embodiment having a beam unit formed by two parallel beams 1,2 is that the box 9 can protrude above the beams and consequently the box 9 can be transported through a window the height of which is only slightly larger than the height of the box.

In the second embodiment, illustrated in Figure 3, the beam unit is formed by a single beam 1 carrying two trolleys (only trolley 5 shown) which may also be interconnected by a connection bar (not shown).

The single beam 1 of this embodiment is also provided with girder clamps or eyes for its lifting.

When the embodiment illustrated in Figure 3 is used some additional support element is generally needed on top of the box 9 transported. This additional support may be formed e.g. by two upper support bars (only the upper support bar 11' is shown), each of the other support bars being connected to a respective one of the lower support bars (only the lower support bar 11 shown), e.g. by straps 13, 15or by other suitable means.

Claims

1. A method of transporting a load, in which a transport assembly, which comprises a transfer device including an elongate beam unit carrying a trolley arrangement adapted to be displaced along the beam unit, is so arranged that the trolley arrangement is positioned at a first portion of the beam unit and to the trolley arrangement is attached the load, a lifting device is attached at or near said first portion and caused to lift the transfer device with the load, then a second portion of the beam unit, remote from the said first portion in the longitudinal direction of the beam unit, is brought to the vicinity of the point where the load is to be off-loaded and is there supported by a device, whereupon the trolley arrangement with the load is transferred along the beam unit to said point of off-loading where the load is deposited.

2. A method of transporting a load substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3. A transport assembly comprising atransfer device including an elongate beam unit carrying a trolley arrangement adapted for displacement along the beam unit and for the attachment of a load thereto, connection means situated at a first portion of the beam unit for the connection of the transfer device to a lifting device, and supporting device for supporting the beam unit at a second portion thereof, remote from the first portion in the longitudinal direction of the beam unit.

4. An assembly according to Claim 3 wherein the beam unit is formed by a single beam and the trolley arrangement includes two trolleys.

5. An assembly according to Claim 3 wherein the beam unit includes two spaced apart, intercon nected, parallel beams each of which carries at least one trolley.

6. An assembly according to any one of Claims 3 to 5 including means for displacing the trolley arrangement along the beam unit.

7. An assembly according to Claims 6 wherein the means for displacing the trolley arrangement includes an elongate strand, such as a rope.

8. An assembly according to Claim 7 wherein the strand is guided in guide means.

9. An assembly according to Claim 8 wherein the guide means include a rotatable guide element, such as a pulley.

10. An assembly according to Claim 9 wherein the rotatable guide element is carried by a crossmember at the top of the supporting device.

11. An assembly according to any one of Claims 7 to 10 including a tackle for pulling the strand so as to displace the trolley arrangement.

12. An assembly according to Claim 11 wherein the tackle is a lever-operated tackle.

13. An assembly according to Claim 11 or 12 wherein the tackle is carried by the supporting device.

14. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the lowermost part of the supporting device includes support means.

15. An assembly according to Claim 14 wherein the support means is slidably displaceable relative to the rest of the support into a selected position.

16. A transport assembly constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

16. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims including a tackle arrangement for the connection of the transfer device to the support device.

17. An assembly according to Claim 16 wherein the tackle arrangement is connected to a crossmember of the support device.

18. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the support device is dismountable.

19. An assembly according to Claim 4 or 5 and any claim dependent thereto wherein each of the trolleys is connected to the load via a tackle unit.

20. A transport assembly constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

New claims or amendments to claims filed on 7 Nov 1979 Superseded claims All New or amended claims:

1. A transport assembly comprising a transfer device including an elongate beam unit carrying a trolley arrangement adapted for displacement along the beam unit and for the attachment of a load thereto, connection means situated at a first portion of the beam unit for the connection of the transfer device to a lifting device, and a supporting device for supporting the beam unit at a second portion thereof, remote from the first portion in the longitudinal direction of the beam unit, wherein the sup porting device is gantry-shaped.

2. A transport assembly comprising a transfer device including an elongate beam unit carrying a trolley arrangement adapted for displacement along the beam unit and for the attachment of a load thereto, connection means situated at a first portion of the beam unit for the connection of the transfer device to a lifting device, and a supporting device for supporting the beam unit at a second portion thereof, remote from the first portion in the longitudinal direction of the beam unit, wherein the beam unit includes two spaced apart, interconnected, parallel beams each of which carries at least one trolley.

3. An assembly according to Claim 1 wherein the beam unit is formed by a single beam and the trolley arrangement includes two trolleys.

4. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims including means for displacing the trolley arrangement along the beam unit.

5. An assembly according to Claim 4 wherein the means for displacing the trolley arrangement includes an elongate strand, such as a rope, guided in guide means.

6. An assembly according to Claim 5 wherein the guide means include a rotatable guide element, such as a pulley carried by a cross-member at the top of the supporting device.

7. An assembly according to Claim 5 or 6 including a tackle for pulling the strand so as to displace the trolley arrangement, the tackle being carried by the supporting device.

8. An assembly according to Claim 7 wherein the tackle is a lever-operated tackle.

9. An assembly according to any one ofthe preceding claims wherein the lowermost part of the supporting device includes support means slidably displaceable relative to the rest of the support into a selected position.

10. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims including a tackle arrangement for the connection of the transfer device to the supporting device.

11. An assembly according to Claim 10 wherein the tackle arrangement is connected to a crossmember of the supporting device.

12. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the supporting device is dismountable.

13. An assembly according to Claim 2 or 3 or any claim appended thereto wherein each of the trolleys is connected to the load via a tackle unit.

14. An assembly according to Claim 2 or any claim appended thereto wherein the supporting device is gantry-shaped.

15. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein, the operation, the load rests on substantially horizontal supporting means suspended on substantially vertically extending straps which are in connection with the trolley arrangement.