MXPA05003485A - A cap for palletised loads. - Google Patents

Abstract

A cap for use on a palletized load has a main moulding (4) providing housings (11) at a pair or two pairs of opposite sides (5) for a cassette (12) in which a strap (13) passes through a slotted crossbar (37) between a drum (79) and a hook (14) having two prongs (15) for engaging the underside of the platform of a pallet (e.g. at each side of a middle spacer), the strap then being tensioned by a linkage (39) between the slotted crossbar (37) and a lever (19) within a slot (91) for swinging between an inoperative position (A) and an operative position (B) (e.g. up to 90¦ thereto) to rotate the crossbar (37) to wind the strap (13) thereon.

Description

COVER FOR LOADS IN LAPTOP PLATFORM This invention relates to a cover for use in loads placed, stored or transported on a portable platform, more particularly the type of cover that has at least two straps or support braces retractable in housings through openings in opposite sides (at least) of the cover. Spring means inside the housings for retracting the support belts, hooks on the free ends of the support belts, for coupling with the underside of the platform of a mobile platform (for example a two or four-way mobile platform) tensioning means within the housing for tightening the support belts between the cover and the movable platform, after placing a load between the cover and the movable platform, and stop means for limiting the retraction of the hooks within the housings, when they are not coupled with a mobile platform. This cover can be used without need for modifying existing mobile platforms, particularly though not exclusively - those made of wood. The preferred form of the hook has two spikes spaced apart to fit one on each side of a middle spacer of a movable platform, without being in danger of damage or detachment by the forks of a forklift. Two of these covers are found in WO-A-01/96203. In one of these covers, each support strap is a wire or non-metal cord that is spirally retractable in a "thin" reel within the respective housing and which has a short cylindrical core between annular flanges spaced in shape. negligible over the total diameter of the rope, in such a way that the rope is coiled spirally in the core, the axis of the reel is perpendicular to the general plane of the cover, the core is in an arrow or shaft rotatably mounted inside the housing, also a rewinding spring is provided, wound around the arrow or shaft along the spool, stop means limiting the extent to which the hook can be withdrawn into the housing by the action of the rewinding spring, a ratchet concentric with the spool and rotating with the spool and the shaft, with a retainer for coupling teeth in the ratchet to stop or prevent the extraction of the rope from the and manually operable means for tensioning the rope when the retainer has engaged with a tooth in the ratchet, particularly characterized in that each ratchet tooth has a face that engages detent inclined forward from its radially inner end with respect to a radial line of the ratchet. arrow shaft through the radially inner end of the face and with respect to the unwinding direction of the rope from the spool, the retainer has a complementary face or face for mutual engagement with the face of any ratchet tooth, the detent it is provided with spring loaded means with manually operable means for changing the effect of the spring load between moving the detent in engagement with the pawl and to a position which keeps the gear separate from the pawl, and because the driving means is they operate manually by means of a separate key that engages with one end of the arrow. While the reel can allow an adequate stretch of rope; and a separate key can have said handling section to allow adequate tension to be applied to each wire or rope, the application of the key to the cover when it is placed on a load at a height of say two meters, it is very difficult, even for a person on the average height. Likewise, access to the manually operable means of change for the ratchet is very difficult, especially since the change can not be made without the use of the key for slight additional tensioning of the wire or rope to release the ratchet catch. In the other cover each support strap is a strap or strap, with parallel guides inside the respective housing between ends of the housing, at one end of which is the opening; a crosshead sliding on the guides towards and away from the opening, the crosspiece is constituted primarily by transverse bars with graduated diameters; a fixed set of graduated transverse bars adjacent to the opposite end of the housing from the crosshead, the axes of the crossbars in the crosshead and the fixed assembly are all in a common plane with the smaller diameter cross bars that are closer together , the strap or strap has its inner end secured to one of the smaller diameter crossbars and is superimposed in a multi-purpose assembly around the other smaller diameter crossbar and each crossbar of successively larger diameter in the crosspiece and a fixed assembly in turn, and with the final return of the belt emerging from the opening in the housing, and spring means for moving the crosspiece away from the fixed assembly; The total length of the belt can allow it to be mainly dependent on the number and length of turns between the crosshead and the fixed set, and the number of turns is determined by the number of crossbars in the crosshead, and in the fixed set (by example, three spreaders in one and two in the other give five turns), the diameters of the crossarms can be a few millimeters each, consistent with being strong enough to carry the loads on the belt generated by the spring means, the means of tensioning are a lever with an interlocking action on the center that rotate a slotted cross bar, through which the belt passes. The length of the strap you can afford is very limited; and the length of the lever and the extent to which the slotted crossbar can rotate are so limited that adequate tension in the belts is difficult to achieve, especially in view of the elasticity / stretchability of the belts. Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a cover for loads on a portable platform, with which suitable tension can be applied to the adjustment belts by means accessible at all times from the sides of the cover. According to the present invention, a cover of the initially defined type has each tensioning means comprising a slotted transverse bar, through which the adjustment strap passes, a lever pivoted within the respective side of the cover and movable in a plane parallel to the general plane of the cover between operative and non-operative positions and articulation between the lever and the slotted transverse bar, in such a way that the movement of the lever from the non-operative position to the operative position causes rotation of the slotted transverse bar for winding the adjusting strap or adjusting strap around the slotted crossbar, thereby allowing tension to develop on the adjusting strap, after its hook has been coupled with a portable platform together with bolt loaded means manually releasable spring to hold the support belt in tension. In this way, the lever is accessible from the respective side of the cover, independently of the height at which the belt is placed on a load on a portable platform. The bolt means can also hold the lever in a non-operative position; alternatively, a return spring may be provided to move the lever to a non-operative position. The axis of rotation of the slotted transverse bar may be in the middle of the slot or displaced therefrom. The slotted transverse bar may be formed by a pair of parallel bars rigidly connected at both ends, and the axis of rotation may be in the middle of one of the bars, whereby the other bar orbits around. The rate of rotation of the slotted cross bar and therefore the tension in the support belt can be determined by the mechanical advantage of the lever and the manner of articulation between the lever and the slotted cross bar. In this way, the hinge may comprise at least one wire or preferably wire rope for its strength, flexibility and durability, or a braided or single stranded non-metallic wire, substantially non-extensible (hereinafter referred to simply as "wire", but "rope"). wire "in the particular embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings (held at one end of the lever and fastened at another end to a pulley clamped for rotation with the slotted crossbar, movement of the lever from the inoperative position to the operative position effecting unwinding of the wire from the pulley to cause winding of the adjustment belt around the slotted cross bar; the diameter ratio of the pulley to the crossbar, in this way achieves a high mechanical advantage able to develop the tension in the wire (and therefore in the adjustment strap after its hook has been coupled with a moving platform ); with a spring return to rewind the wire on the pulley, when the lever moves to effect the release of tension in the wire. The wire (or cable) can be formed of metal or any other substantially inelastic / non-extensible material. A ratchet mechanism is preferably incorporated in the joint between the lever and the slotted cross bar, to allow repeated oscillation of the lever in both directions to perform as many turns of the support belt around the slotted cross bar as may be required for adequate tensioning of the support belt without maintaining this tension. The lever and ratchet mechanism can be based on a device of the well-known type, for tensioning a strap for securing a load in a trolley or a belt on a side sheet to protect a load in a trolley, in this device the belt is wound around of a spool between two arms of a forked lever, a ratchet is provided between each end of the spool and the respective adjacent arm, the lever and spool and ratchet arms are mounted on a common pivot in a mounting frame, with the ratchets attached for rotation with the spool and the rotary lever with respect to the spool and ratchets, a pulse plate mounted slidably on the lever, a first spring that moves the impulse plate from the coupling with the pawl, to allow oscillation in both directions of the lever for wind the belt around the spool and tension it, a second spring that moves the interlocking plate, in engagement with the ratchet to interlock the ratchet at times when it is not rotated by the action of moving the lever through the impulse plate, the impulse plate is operated manually against the first spring to release it from the ratchet, and a cam on the lever to detach the latch plate of the ratchet after the impulse plate has found and travels over a fixed radius plate in the mount to hold the free impulse plate of the ratchet when it is required to unwind the reel belt. Usually this device is totally op-metallic in construction, with coil compression springs for the drive plate and the interlock plate and can be adapted to be incorporated in a cover as described above, instead of the belt wound on the spool, by a circumferential groove provided in the spool, where one end of the wire (or cable) is passed and coiled the other end of which is attached to the pulley to effect the rotation of the slotted cross bar in which the belt is wound of adjustment. However, the lever and ratchet mechanism is preferably formed totally or mainly with molded parts of plastic material, with the resulting potential of reducing costs and weight and also the number of components. Therefore, a bifurcated lever is preferably provided, a spool with a ratchet extending from one end to a circumferential groove adjacent to the extreme end in which the wire (or cable) is passed, the lever and the spool are rotatable with respect to a fixed common shaft in the housing and the lever is rotatable with respect to a reel, a ratchet impulse retainer on a first resilient arm mounted on the lever, a latch retainer on a second resilient arm mounted on the latch housing the ratchet in times when it is not rotated by the driving action of the lever through the impulse detent, a fixed stop in the housing to limit the oscillation of the lever (for example to 90 degrees), from the non-operative position, manually operable means for detaching the ratchet impulse detent, and a cam on the lever for detaching the detent detent from the pawl after the impulse detent has been found and traversed on a platen. fixed radio in the housing, beyond the stop means. Preferably a spring is provided to return the lever automatically to the inoperative position, this spring conveniently being a twisted spring wound with respect to the spool lever and pivot and with end arms abutting projections on the lever and within the housing, respectively; in this way, this spring together with the wire passed on the spool in the circumferential groove, one of the only two metal parts required in the lever and ratchet mechanism. Manually operable means for detaching the ratchet impulse detent may comprise a moving slider on the lever towards and away from the impulse detent, with a head on a neck passing through a slot in the first resilient arm, the head having lateral projections that connect ramps on each side of the slot, when the slide moves towards the impulse stop; preferably there is also a fixed stop confinement in the housing spaced from the fixed stop to be coupled by the slide, to move it back to its inoperative position, as the impulse stop travels over the radio plate. It is preferable to ensure that the interlocking detent can not be accidentally detached from the pawl (e.g. through vibration during transport of a covered load on a moving platform) and this can be effected by supplying a spaced plate or confinements in the lever disposed at along the second resilient arm, when the lever moves in an inoperative position. Torque limiting means can be incorporated in the lever to ensure that the wire (or cable) can not be overloaded). Each adjustment strap, preferably, is a strap having its remote end of the hook attached to the barrel of a drum, with a spring inside the drum to retract the strap, when it is free to traverse through the slotted cross bar. The drum may be on an axis perpendicular to the general plane of the cover, in which case the belt is twisted 90 degrees between the drum and the slotted cross bar. In this way, each housing requires a depth a little greater than the height of the drum, which preferably has thin flanges at the ends of its barrel.

Each hook preferably has two spaced prongs in order to fit one on each side of a middle spacer of a portable platform. Each opening is preferably provided at the rear of a recess on the respective side of the cover of a front-to-back depth, to fully receive the respective hook and the bottom of the recess is provided with ramp surfaces to effect automatic parking of the hook in the recess when retracting the strap inside the housing and retaining the hook against detachment, if the cover is overturned; and the lever is located within a slot in the respective side of the cover extending from the recess. To accommodate different widths of medium spacers on portable platforms, for example, standard portable wooden platforms, European portable platforms and user-specific portable platforms, hooks of different sizes can be made available with different spacings between the tines, to be located close to each side of the spacer of respective width, each tine is turned with crank outward from a middle portion of the hook proportional to the width of the strap fastened around. Alternatively, a single hook size can be provided with a spacing between the prongs, for placement near each side of the widest spacer in use. Each hook of preference is provided with a support bar parallel to the middle portion, to assist placement on a portable platform by the heel of a user's footwear. The support bar can be detached with the fingers of a user to effect the removal of the hook from its recess; alternatively, the strap may extend beyond the support bar, to hold a user's hand, or the strap may end in the middle portion of the hook and a separate tab be provided on the support bar. The volume of the cover is conveniently formed of plastic materials, with a main molded part forming a lower portion, vertical sides and depending or hanging skirt, one or more molded parts forming an upper portion and with integral wall formations on the side of the lower portion, which define the housings and provide axes for the drums and guides for the belts from the drums to the slotted cross bars. The skirt is preferably stepped outwardly from side portions of the cover, to allow similar covers to fit together and / or with the portable platforms during return transport, as well as to assist in securing a load on the portable platform when fastening The upper sides of the load. The lower side of the cover, preferably has a slightly domed shape, ie it is slightly lower (for example by 6.0 mm) at the corners than at the center, or is provided with cushions (for example 120.0 mm squares and with thickness of 6.0 mm) adjacent to the corners, so that with the support straps in the middle part of the sides of the cover under tension, tends to cause arcing, the formation of the dome or cushions will distribute the load of the cover more evenly through the top of the load on the portable platform to which the cover is applied and the straps are attached respectively. Each set of lever, spool, slotted crossbar, etc. together with the ramp and recess surfaces, they can be provided in a cartridge having a chassis and a cover, with vertical formations in the chassis and dependent formations in the cover, which couple to form supports for the slotted transverse bar and pulley. The center of the upper portion of the cover can be provided with an opening that extends through a bar handle, to facilitate manual handling of the cover with one hand of the operator, particularly on and off loads on portable platforms, the central opening it is preferably located on a continuous wall that rises from the lower position, to prevent water or dirt from entering the space between the molded parts occupied by the support mechanisms; alternatively or in addition, one or more handles may be provided on each side of the cover, or on top of each corner, to allow the other hand of the operator to fix or control the handling movement of the cover, e.g. each side of the skirt, or the skirt around all sides of the cover, may be sufficient as a handle at any convenient point. While a cover with two support straps may be sufficient for use with a portable two-way platform or a portable four-way platform, a cover according to the present invention may have four support straps especially for use with a portable platform Four-way but able to be used with a portable two-way platform, using only two opposite support belts or all four.

One embodiment of the invention and a modification thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a top view of a cover according to the invention; Figure 2 is a bottom view of the cover of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows the cover of Figures 1 and 2 in use holding a load on a portable platform; Figure 4 is a fragmentary view showing in more detail one of the hooks seen in Figure 3 coupled with the pallet of the portable platform; Figure 5 is a top view of the main molded part forming the lower portion of the cover; Figure 6 is a bottom view of one of the two molded pieces that form the upper portion of the cover; Figure 7 is a view below the handle member seen in Figures 1 and 3 held between the molded parts forming the upper and lower portions of the cover; Figure 8 is a fragmentary view showing the handle member in place in the main molding; Figure 9 is a top view of a cartridge form fitting in two (or more) opposing housings in the main molded part seen in Figure 5; Figure 10 corresponds to Figure 9 but with the cartridge cover removed and the mechanism in operative condition; Figure 11 is a top view of the chassis of the cartridge of Figures 9 and 10; Figure 12 is a bottom view of the cartridge cover; Figure 13 is a view through the upper part of the drum seen in Figures 9 and 10; Figure 14 is a fragmentary view showing part of the drum with a portion of its cover blown away to show a connected and partially coiled belt, and also showing a rewinding spring for the drum; Figure 15 is a view of the spindle that is seen in Figures 9 and 10, as seen in an opposite direction; Figure 16 is a view of the rewind spring for the spindle; Figure 17 is a view of a front and a lever seen in Figures 1 to 3 and Figures 9 and 10; Figure 18 is a bottom view of the lever; Figure 19 is a view of the front and the bottom of the release slide seen in the previews of the lever; Figure 20 is an opposite view of the release slide; Figure 21 is a view of the back and below an impulse retainer for incorporation into the lever; Figure 22 is a view of the back of the lever with the release slider and the impulse retainer incorporated; Figure 23 corresponds to Figure 22, but shows the slide in its detent release position; Figure 24 is a view below a spool with a ratchet for incorporation into the lever; Figure 25 is a view of a return spring for the lever; Figure 26 is a view of a cable with dowels to connect to the spindle and spool, respectively; Figure 27 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the lever, showing the lever and ratchet mechanism in non-operative condition; Figure 28 corresponds to Figure 27 but showing the lever and ratchet mechanism in operative condition; Figure 29 corresponds to Figures 27 and 28 but showing the lever and ratchet mechanism in a pulse catch release condition; and Figure 30 corresponds to Figure 29 but showing the lever and ratchet mechanism in an interlock condition; The cover 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is for use in securing loads placed, transported, stored or handled on portable platforms, such as a load 2 illustrated in Figure 3, held on a portable platform 3 by the cover, having a lower portion 4 with erect or vertical sides 5 and dependent skirt 6 (to embrace the upper sides of the load) (and also allowing the cover to be fitted one into another or with the portable platforms) formed in a molded part of primary plastic (see also Figure 5) and an upper portion 7, which is illustrated formed by two molded pieces of plastic 8 (see also Figure 6) but which can be formed as a single molded part, in which case there would be no mating edges on the lines 9. Integral wall formations 10 on the upper side of the lower portion 4 of the cover, define housings 11 for cartridges 12 (see Figures 9 to 12) containing retractable straps 13 on free ends of which are hooks 14 (see also Figure 4) each having two barbs 15 spaced apart to adjust one on each side of the middle spacer 17 of a portable platform (see particularly Figure 4) with the tines that couple the underside of the platform 18 of the portable platform, so that the belts 13 can be tensioned by mechanisms within the cartridges (to be described in detail at present) before operation of the levers 19 that can be seen, together with the retracted hooks 14, in Figures 1 and 2 in spaces 20 on the sides 5 of the main molded part / lower portion 4. The hook 14 is provided with a support bar 16 parallel to a middle portion 14M of the hook to which the belt is attached, to assist in placing on a portable platform by the heel of a user's footwear , and a tongue 13A formed with a strap portion is attached to the support bar to extend beyond the side 5 of the cover 1, to be held by the hand of a user, to remove the strap hook from the cover. Figures 1 to 3 indicate the inclusion of belts 13 and levers 19 (in the cartridges 12) on all four sides 5, but two belts, etc., on opposite sides may be sufficient, in which case the spaces 20 in the other two opposite sides can be closed by blocking strips, not shown. A central cavity 21 (see Figure 5) is formed in the main molding 4 by two vertical wall formations 22 between the portions 10A of the wall formations 10 and notches 23 are provided in the wall formations 22 to receive a handle in I-shape 24 (also see Figures 7 and 8) which is accessible through the opening 25 formed between the molded pieces 8. Additional cavities 26 are made with more vertical wall formations 27 near the corners 28 of the main molding 4 for registering with openings 29 in the molded parts 8, to provide additional handles for stabilizing or holding the cover 1 when it is placed on or detached from a load by hand grip of the handle 24. The molded parts 8 are fastened by screws 30. , 31 in pairs of pillars 32, 33, respectively within the housings 11 in the molding 4 and the pairs of pillars 32 also serve to locate the cartridges 12, as will be described hereinbelow. nte. Dependent formations 34 on the underside of the molded parts 8 interweave with additional vertical formations 35 within the housings 11 to reinforce the assembled cover. Elevated areas 36 are provided in the molded parts 8 for placement within the base of another portable platform (not shown) placed on the cover. Tensioning means for each belt 13 comprise a transverse bar 37 (see Figures 9 and 15) with a slot 38 through which the belt 13 passes, and the linkage 39 with the lever 19, whereby the movement of the lever from the non-operative position (TA) (Figures 9 and 27) to the operative position 19 (B) (Figures 10 and 28) cause rotation of the slotted cross bar, to effect winding of the belt around the crossbar, as is evident at 13W in Figure 10, thereby allowing tension to develop on the belt after the prongs 15 of its hook 14 have engaged with a portable platform. The joint 38 will now be described in detail. The slotted cross bar 37 is provided at one end of a spindle 40 having hinged contacts 41, one adjacent to each end of the slot 38 and a third at the other end of the spindle, adjacent to a pulley 42. A chassis 43 of each cartridge 12 (see particularly Figure 11) is provided with vertical semi-bearings 44 for the articulated contacts 41 and the cover 45 of the cartridge (see particularly Figure 12) has the other halves 46 of the bearings there dependent. The chassis 43 has hollow vertical formations 47 for location on the pillars 32 in the main castings 4 of the cover 1. A coil spring 48 (Figures 9, 10 and 16) encloses a rib portion 49 (Figure 15) of the spindle and has a limb or extremity 50 at one end for coupling a small hook type projection 51 on the pulley, while a bent limb 52 at the other end engages a recess (not visible) on the handle of the chassis, spring 48 is effective for moving the slotted transverse bar 37 to the position shown in Figure 9, when the tension on the belt 13 is to be released.

A wire cable 53 (Figures 10 and 26) has a bushing 54 at one end for engagement in a socket or cavity 55 in the pulley 42, and the wire rope has a cavity of windings wound on the pulley (as indicated in FIG. Figures 9 and 10) while the other end of the wire rope is provided with a bushing 56 for engagement in a bore hole 57 in a bore 57A opening to a slot 58 adjacent an end of a spool 59 (Figure 24) ) having a ratchet 60 extending from the other end to the slot. The spool is rotatable along and with respect to the lever 19 in a fixed common shaft 61 which is supplied by pivot portions 62A, 62B in the chassis 43 and the cover 45, respectively, the lever is bifurcated to provide upper and lower flanks 63, 64 respectively (see in particular Figures 17, 18, 22 and 23) between which the spool 59 is placed. The upper flank 63 of the lever 19 has a projection 65 for coupling a member or end 66 at one end of a helical spring 67 (see Figure 25) while the underside of the cover 45 of the cartridge has a projection 68 for engagement by a limb 69 at the other end of the spring 67, the spring in this manner is effective to move the lever 19 towards the non-operative position, in this position a bar 70 on the underside of the lever 19, abuts a bar 61 on the chassis base 43. The lever 19 contains an impulse retainer 72 (see Figures 21 to 23 and 27). to 30) pair the ratchet 60 in a first resilient arm 73, while the chassis 43 carries a locking catch 74 (see also Figures 10 and 11) in a second resilient arm 75, such that when the lever 19 oscillates between the positions shown in Figures 9 and 10 (or Figures 27 and 28) the impulse stop rotates the ratchet / spool 59 to wind the wire rope 53 inside the groove 58 in the spool, thereby embedding the wire rope from the pulley 42 and therefore rotating the spindle 40 to wind the belt 13 on the slotted transverse bar 37 (as seen at 13W in Figure 10) and the interlocking detent 74 maintains the pawl / spool while the lever 19 returns , under the spring thrust 30 to the position shown in Figure 9. The lever 19 has two spaced-apart butt confinement portions 76, to be arranged along the second resilient arm 75, when a lever is moved to the position shown in Figure 9, to ensure that the locking pawl 74 can not be accidentally detached from the pawl 60 through vibration during transport of a covered load on a portable platform. Further details of the lever 19 and its purpose will be described below with particular reference to Figures 27 to 30 in addition to Figures 17 to 23. Each strap 13 has its remote end 77 of the hook 14 attached to the barrel 78 of a drum 79 (see Figures 9 to 11, 13 and 14) on an axis 80 perpendicular to the general plane of the cover 1, with a locking spring 81 inside the drum, for retracting the belt when it is free to traverse through the slotted transverse bar 37, that is when it is in the position shown in Figure 9, and the belt is twisted 90 degrees between the drum and the slotted cross bar, after rotating around a guide post 82. In this way, each housing 11 has a depth of slightly larger than the height of the drum 79, which has thin flanges 83A, 83B, the first one is formed integrally with the drum while the latter is formed by a peripheral margin of a cover 84 with coupling by actuation r I ask (immiscible) to the barrel drum, a cut 85 is formed in the cover for insertion or removal of the strap end 77 or an anchor post 86 within the barrel 78.

From the slotted crossbar 37, the strap 13 passes through an opening 87 which is provided in the rear part of a recess of a depth from front to back on the side 5 of the cover 1 to fully receive the respective hook 14 and the bottom of the recess is provided with ramp surfaces 8990 for automatic parking of the hook inside the recess before retraction of the belt inside the housing and retention of the hook against detachment of the belt 1 is rotated and the lever 19 is located, when in the non-operative position, within a slot 91 on the respective side 5 of the cover extending from the recess. It will be apparent that the recess 88 constitutes stop means for limiting the retraction of the hook 14 within the housing 11, when it is not coupled with a portable platform. Dependent V-shaped spring fingers 92 (see Figures 9 and 12) of the cover 45 of the cartridge 12 perform rapid actuation engagement with projections 93 on a chassis 43 and an inverted V-shaped spring finger 94 vertical from the chassis 43 performs quick action coupling with a projection that is not visible on the side away from an L-shaped post 95 (Figure 12) dependent on the cover, to secure the cover on the chassis after the lever and ratchet mechanism has been inserted Spring fingers 96 of the chassis 43 perform quick engagement with notches 97 in the walls 10 of the main molding 4 of the cover 1 at the ends of the spaces 20 (see particularly Figure 5). Turning now to Figures 17 to 23, the first resilient arm 63 that carries the impulse retainer 72, is divided by a long slot 98 and the divided ends 99 are coupled by rapid actuation in a block 100 formed integrally within the lever 19, but only after insertion of a slide 101 through an opening 102 in the outer face 103 of the lever, the slide has an angled corner 104 that engages a side 105 at a V-shaped end with the opening 102 to facilitate insertion of the slide. The slider is provided with a head 106 on a neck 107 that passes through the slot 98 in the arm 73. The split ends 99 of the arm 73 inserted on either side of the neck into the slider already inserted and then into the block 100. The head 106 has side projections 108 which engage ramps 109 on each side of the slot 98, when the slider moves towards the impulse stop 72 for releasing the impulse detent from the pawl 60.

With the slider in the position shown in Figures 17 and 22 and also in Figures 27 and 28, the impulse stop 72 is in engagement with the pawl, thereby allowing the lever 19 to oscillate repeatedly between positions 19 ( A), 19 (B) to rotate the reel 59, the position 19 (B) is determined by the impulse retainer that meets a fixed stop 110 (see also Figure 11) at the base of the chassis that projects upwards through an arcuate groove 111, on the lower flank 64 of the lever, the actual contact is between the stop and a small bead 112 projecting downwardly from the pulse detent 72. The stop 110 is at one end of a radio plate 113 on which the shoe travels when with the slide 101 moves to the position shown in Figures 23 and 29, the lateral projections 108 of the head 109 engage the ramp 109 in the resilient arm 73 to flex it and release the Ratcheting impulse catch 72 60 and the lever moves to a position 19 (C) shown in Figure 30, causing two things to happen. First, the leading edge 114 of the slide 101 encounters a fixed stop confinement 115, based on the chassis spaced from the fixed stop 110 to move the slide back to its inoperative position, and second, cam surfaces 116. of lever 19, flex the second resilient arm 75 to release the detent catch 74 from the pawl. The consequence of this last interaction is that the helical spring 48 around the spindle 40 rotates the spindle to rewire the wire rope 53 in the pulley 42 and therefore unseat it from the ratchet reel 59 and also rotate the slotted cross bar 37 to release the tension in the strip 13, thereby allowing the hook 14 to be released free of the pallet 18 of the portable platform 3. When the slotted crossbar has returned to the position shown in Figure 9, and the strap it has been completely unwound from it, the belt is free to re-wind itself in the drum 79 by the locking spring 81 and the hook 14 is retracted back into the recess 88, guided by the ramp surfaces 89, 90. Finally, when the lever 19 is released by the user, the coil spring 67 returns the lever to the position shown in Figures 9 and 27. The mechanism shown in the cartridge 12 is capable of generating on the belt 13, t In the order of 175 kg with only a few oscillations of the lever 19, the applied force when moving from the non-operative position 19 (A) to the operative position 19 (B), will initially be light according to the first rotation of the the slotted cross bar 37 takes up slack in the belt 13. The return spring 81 in the drum 79 plays no role in generating tension in the belt 13, and its load is so light that it offers little resistance to winding the belt around the belt. slotted crossbar. Because the winding of the belt around the slotted crossbar occurs in both directions, as indicated by the arrows on the belt in Figure 10, the accumulation of turns in the slotted crossbar is rapid and the effort required to move the lever from the inoperative position to the operative position increases with each swing, until that the resistance to greater impulse movement indicates that adequate tension has been generated in the belt. The lower side 117 (see Figure 2) of the lower portion 4 of the cover 1 is preferably slightly dome-shaped, that is to say it is slightly lower (for example in 6.0 mm) at the corners than at the center, so that with the straps 13 in the middle part of the sides 5 of the under tension cover tends to cause buckling, the formation of the dome will distribute the load of the cover more evenly across the top of the load 2 on the platform portable 3 to which the cover is applied and the straps are attached respectively. However, because the dome formation is so light it can not be illustrated, but a cushion alternative 118 is illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 2, these cushions can be say 120.0 mm squares and 6.0 m thick. Although, as previously mentioned, providing fastening straps, hooks and tensioning mechanisms in cartridges, it produces the option of incorporating a pair or two pairs of cartridges in a cover for use in portable platforms, say 1000.0 mm by 800.0 mm for use with smaller portable platforms, the deck may be of a size unable to allow tensioning mechanisms for more than two straps and fastening hooks, on a single pair of opposite sides of the deck, in this case formations previously described as vertical from the chassis 43 of the cartridge 12 can be directly upright from each of only two housings in the lower portion (or main molded part) of the smaller cover, and previously described formations depending on the cover 45 of the cartridge can directly depend on a higher portion unit of the cover, with consequent savings in quantity, weight and cost of the co molded components CLAIMS 1. A cover for use in portable platform loads, the cover is of the type that has at least two retractable fastening straps inside housings through openings on opposite sides of the cover, spring means inside the housings to retract the fixing straps, hooks on the free ends of the fixing straps, for coupling with the underside of a pallet of a portable platform, tensioning means within the housing for tightening the fixing straps between the cover and the mobile platform afterwards of inserting a load between the cover and the portable platform, and stop means for limited retraction of the hooks in the housings when they are not coupled with a portable platform, characterized in that each tensioning means comprises a slotted transverse bar through which passes the fixing strap, the pivoted lever inside the respective side of the cover and moving in a plane parallel to the general plane of the cover between operative and non-operative positions, and articulation between the lever and the slotted transverse bar, such that the movement of the lever from the inoperative position to the operative position causes rotation of the lever. the slotted crossbar for winding the fastening strap around the slotted cross bar, thereby allowing tension to develop on the fastening strap after its hook has been coupled with a portable platform together with spring-loaded interlocking means , manually releasable, to hold the tension fixing strap. A cover according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking means also hold the lever in a non-operative position. 3. A cover according to claim 1, characterized in that a return spring moves the lever to the inoperative position. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the axis of rotation of the slotted cross bar is in the middle of the slot. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the slotted cross bar is formed by a pair of parallel bars rigidly connected at both ends. 6. A cover according to claim 5, characterized in that the axis of rotation

Claims (1)

1. Is in the middle of one of the bars, so the other bar orbits around it. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the articulation comprises at least one wire fastened at one end to the lever and fastened at another end with a pulley clamped for rotation with the slotted cross bar, the movement of the lever from the non-operative position to the operative position, effecting unwinding of the wire from the pulley to cause winding of the fastening strap around the slotted cross bar, and with a return spring to re-wind the wire in the pulley , when the lever moves to effect the release of tension in the wire. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a ratchet mechanism is incorporated in the articulation between the lever and the slotted cross bar, to allow repeated oscillation of the lever in both directions to effect so many turns. of the fastening strap around the slotted cross bar as may be required for adequate tensioning of the fastening strap and sustain the tension. 9. A cover according to claim 8, characterized in that the lever and ratchet mechanism is in the form of a well-known type of devices for tensioning a belt, for securing a load in a trolley or a belt on a side sheet to protect a loading on a trolley, in this device the belt is wound around a spool between two arms of a forked lever, a ratchet is provided between each end of the spool and the respective adjacent arm, the lever arms and the spool and ratchet are assembled in a common pivot in a mounting frame, with the ratchets held for rotation with the spool and the pivoting lever with respect to the spool and ratchet, a sliding plate mounted slidably on the lever, a first spring that displaces the displacement plate in coupling with the ratchet, to allow oscillation in both directions of the lever to wind the belt around the spool and tension it a, a second spring displaces the interlocking plate in engagement with the pawl to latch the pawl at times when it is not rotated by the action of movement of the lever through the pulse plate, the pulse plate is manually operable against the first spring for releasing the ratchet and a cam on the lever for detaching the ratchet interlock plate after the driving plate has found and travels over a fixed radio plate in the mounting to hold the ratchet free impulse plate when required unwinding the spool belt, further characterized in that instead of the belt being wound off the spool, a circumferential reel slot is provided where one end of the wire is passed and wound, the other end of which is attached to the pulley to effect rotation of the slotted cross bar in which the fixing strap is wound. A cover according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the lever and ratchet mechanism is made entirely or mainly of metal. A cover according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that a lever and ratchet mechanism made entirely or mainly of plastic material is provided. A cover according to claim 8 or 11, characterized in that a bifurcated lever is provided, a spool with a ratchet extending from one end to a circumferential groove adjacent to the other end in which the wire is passed, the lever and the spool are rotatable relative to a fixed common shaft in the housing and the lever rotates relative to the spool, a ratchet-driven detent on a first resilient arm mounted on the lever, a latching retainer on a second resilient arm, mounted in the housing to lock the ratchet in times when it is not rotated by the driving action of the lever through the impulse stop, a fixed stop in the housing to limit the oscillation of the lever from a non-operative position, manually means operable to detach the impulse detent from the pawl, and a cam on the lever to detach the detent detent from the pawl, after the impulse detent has found and travels over a fixed radius plate in the housing beyond the stop means. 13. A cover according to claim 12, in combination with claim 3, characterized in that the return spring is a torsion spring wound with respect to the lever and a reel pivot and with end arms that confine butt projections in the lever and with the housing respectively. A cover according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the manually operable means for detaching the ratchet impulse detent comprise a moving slider on the lever towards and away from the impulse detent, with a head on a neck that passes through a slot in the first resilient arm, the head has side projections that engage ramps on each side of the slot, when the slide moves towards the impulse stop. A cover according to claim 14, characterized in that a confinement is provided to a fixed stop in the housing spaced from the fixed stop to be coupled by the slide to move it back to its non-operative position, forms the impulse seal runs over the radio plate. A cover according to any of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that a spaced-apart plate or confinements are provided on the lever to be disposed along the second resilient arm when the lever moves in a non-operative position, for ensure that the interlock retainer can not accidentally detach from the ratchet. 17. A cover according to any of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that means for limiting torque are incorporated in the lever, to ensure that the wire can not be overloaded. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that each fastening strap is a strap having its remote end of the hook attached to the barrel of a drum, with a spring inside the drum to retract the strap when it is free to go through the slotted cross bar. A cover according to claim 18, characterized in that the drum is on an axis perpendicular to the general plane of the cover and the belt is twisted 90 degrees between the drum and the slotted cross bar. 20. A cover according to claim 18, characterized in that each housing has a depth a little greater than the height of the drum. 21. A cover according to claim 20, characterized in that the drum has thin flanges at the ends of its barrel. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that each hook has two spikes spaced to fit on each side of a middle spacer of a portable platform. 23. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that each opening is provided in the rear part of a recess on the respective side of the cover of a front-to-back depth to fully receive the respective hook and the bottom of the recess that is provided with ramp surfaces, to effect automatic parking of the hook in the recess upon retraction of the belt in the housing and retention of the hook against detachment, when the cover is overturned, and the lever is located within a groove in the respective side of the cover extending from the recess. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 23, characterized in that to be used at different widths of average spacers on portable platforms can be made of different sizes of hook available with different spacings between the tines, for location close to each side of the spacer of respective width, each tine is rotated with a crank out of a middle portion of the hook, of a width proportional to the width of the strap fastened around it. 25. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 23, characterized in that to accommodate different widths of half spacers on portable platforms, a single hook size is provided, with a spacing between the tines for location near each side of the spacer medium widest in use. A cover according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that each hook is provided with a support bar parallel to the middle portion to assist in placing on a portable platform by the heel of a user's footwear. A cover according to claim 26, characterized in that the strap extends beyond the support bar to be held by the hand of a user, to effect withdrawal of the hook from its recess. A cover according to claim 26, characterized in that the strap ends in the middle portion of the hook and a separate tongue, are provided in the support bar, to be held by the hand of a user for effective removal of the hook from his recess. 29. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 28, characterized in that the volume of the cover is formed of plastic materials with a main molded part forming a lower portion, sides and a skirt, one or more molded parts that form an upper portion and with integral wall formations on the upper side of the lower portion that defines the alloys. A cover according to claim 29, characterized in that the skirt is stepped out from side portions of the cover, to allow similar covers to be fitted together and / or with portable platforms during the return transport as well as to assist to secure a load on a portable platform by hugging the upper sides of the load. A cover according to claim 29 or 30, characterized in that the center of the upper portion of the cover is provided with an opening that extends by a bar handle, to facilitate manual handling of the cover, particularly on and Outside loads on portable platforms, the central opening is located on a vertical continuous wall from the lower portion, to prevent water or dirt entering the space between the molded parts occupied by the fixing mechanisms. 32. A cover according to claim 30 or 31, characterized in that one or more handholds or supports are provided on each side of the cover. 33. A cover according to claim 32, characterized in that a handle is provided adjacent to each corner. 34. A cover according to any of claims 29 to 31, characterized in that a groove is provided on each side of the skirt. 35. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 34, characterized in that two fixing straps are provided for use with a portable two-way or four-way platform. 36. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 34, characterized in that four fastening straps are specially provided for use with a portable four-way platform but capable of being used in a portable two-way platform, by employing only two belts. of opposing fixation in all four. 37. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 36, characterized in that the lower side of the cover is slightly dome-shaped, it is slightly smaller in the corners than in the center, in such a way that with the fixing straps Half of the sides of the roof under tension tend to cause buckling, the dome formation will distribute the load of the roof more evenly through the top of the load on the portable platform to which the roof is applied and the straps are hooked respectively. 38. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 36, characterized in that the lower side of the cover is provided with cushions adjacent to the corners, so that with fixing straps at half of the sides of the cover under Tension that tend to cause buckling, the cushions will distribute the load of the cover more evenly across the top of the load on the portable platform to which the cover is applied and the straps are attached respectively. 39. A cartridge for incorporating in a cover for use in portable platform loads, the cartridge comprises a chassis and a cover, a retractable fastening strap within the cartridge through an opening in the cartridge, spring means inside the cartridge for retracting the fastening strap, a hook at the free end of the fastening strap for coupling to the underside of the platform of a portable platform, stop means for limiting the retraction of the hook inside the cartridge when not engaging with a platform portable and tensioning means inside the cartridge for tightening the fixing strap, after inserting a load between a portable platform and a cover that incorporates the cartridge, the tensioning means comprise a slotted crossbar, through which passes the belt of fixation, a lever pivoted inside one side of the cartridge and movable in a plane parallel to the general plane of the cartridge or between operative and non-operative positions and a joint between the lever and the slotted transverse bar, in such a way that the movement of the lever from the inoperative position to the operative position, causes rotation of the slotted transverse bar to wind the belt. fastening around the slotted crossbar, together with manually releasable spring-loaded locking means for clamping the tension fastening strap. 40. A cartridge according to claim 39, characterized in that a return spring is provided to move the lever to the inoperative position. 41. A cartridge according to claim 39 or 40, characterized in that the axis of rotation of the slotted cross bar is in the middle of the slot. 42. A cartridge according to claim 41, characterized in that the slotted cross bar is part of a spindle having articulated contacts for rotating in bearings formed between vertical formations in the chassis and dependent formations in the cover. 43. A cartridge according to claim 42, characterized in that a pulley is also provided as part of the spindle and a wire is attached at one end to the lever and at the other end to the pulley, with respect to which the wire is wound movement of the lever from the inoperative position to the operative position by winding the pulley wire, to cause winding of the fastening strap around the slotted cross bar, together with a return spring to re-wind the wire in the pulley when the spring-loaded interlocking means are released manually to release the tension in the wire. 44. A cartridge according to any of claims 39 to 43, characterized in that a ratchet mechanism is incorporated in the articulation between the lever and the slotted cross bar, to allow repeated oscillation of the lever in both directions to effect so many turns of the fastening strap around the slotted cross bar as required for proper tensioning of the fastening strap. 45. A cartridge according to claim 44, in combination with claim 43, characterized in that the lever bifurcates and a spool is provided with a pawl extending from one end to a circumferential groove adjacent to the other end in which it is the pulley wire passes, the lever and the spool are rotatable about a fixed common axis in the cartridge and the lever is rotatable with respect to the spool, a ratchet impulse retainer on a first resilient arm mounted on the lever, a interlocking detent in a second resilient arm mounted on the chassis, to interlock the ratchet on occasions when it is not rotated by the driving action of the lever through the impulse retainer, a fixed stop on the chassis to limit the oscillation of the lever from the non-operative position, manually operable means on the lever to detach the impulse detent from a ratchet and a cam on the lever to detach the detent of locking from the pawl after the impulse detent has found and travels over a fixed radio plate in the chassis beyond the stopping means. 46. A cartridge according to claim 45, characterized in that a return spring for the lever is in the form of a twisted spring wound with respect to the lever and the spool pivot and with end arms that confine butt projections on the lever and cover, respectively. 47. A cartridge according to claim 45 or 46, characterized in that manually operable means for detaching the impulse detent from the pawl comprise a movable slider on the lever toward and away from the impulse detent, with a head on a neck that passes through a slot in the first resilient arm, the head has side projections which couple the ramps on each side of the slot when the slide moves towards the impulse stop. 48. A cartridge according to claim 47, characterized in that a fixed stop confinement is provided in the chassis spaced from the fixed stop to be engaged by the slide to move it back to its non-operative position as the impulse stop travels over the radio plate. 49. A cartridge according to any of claims 39 to 48, characterized in that the fixing strap is a strap having its remote end on the hook attached to the barrel of a drum, with a spring inside the drum to retract the strap when is free to travel through the slotted crossbar. 50. A cartridge according to claim 49, characterized in that the drum is on an axis perpendicular to the general plane of the cartridge and the belt is twisted 90 ° between the drum and the slotted cross bar. 51. A cartridge according to claim 50, characterized in that the drum has thin flanges at the ends of its barrel. 52. A cartridge according to any of claims 39 to 51, characterized in that the opening in the cartridge for passage of the fixing strap is in the rear part of the cartridge recessed in a depth of front-to-bottom, to fully receiving the respective hook, and the bottom of the recess is provided with ramp surfaces to effect an automatic parking of the hook within the recess upon retraction of the fixing strap in the cartridge. 53. A cartridge according to any of claims 39 to 52, characterized in that the hook has two spaced prongs for location on each side of an intermediate spacer of a portable platform and rotated with crank out of a middle portion of the hook proportional to the width of the fastening strap fastened around. 54. A cartridge according to claim 53, characterized in that the hook is provided with a support bar parallel to the middle portion to assist in positioning on a portable platform by the heel of a user's shoe. 55. A cartridge according to claim 54, characterized in that the fixing strap extends beyond the support bar to be held by the hand of a user. 56. A cartridge according to claim 54, characterized in that the fixing strap terminates in the middle portion of the hook and a separate tongue is provided on the support bar to be held by the hand of a user. 57. A cover for use in loads on portable platforms, substantially as previously described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 58. A cartridge substantially as previously described with reference to Figures 9 to 30 of the accompanying drawings. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A cover for use in a portable platform load, has a main molded part (4) that provides housing (12) in one or two pairs of opposite sides (5) for a cartridge (15) in which a belt (13) passes through a slotted cross bar (37) between a drum (39) and a hook (14) having two tines (15) for coupling the underside of the platform of a portable platform (for example to each side of a middle spacer), the belt is then tensioned with a hinge (39) between the slotted crossbar (37) and a lever (19) within a slot (91) to oscillate between a non-operative position (A) and an operative position (B) (for example up to 90 ° with respect to this) to rotate the transverse bar (37) to wind the belt (13) thereon. 24287-F