US2488826A - Lifting device - Google Patents

Description

C. A. PEEBLES Nov. 22, 1949 LIFTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 25,' 194s 3 Sheets-Sheet l ,n0 A I/ ./:S/ F, 1

lNvENToR CHAD A. PEEBLES Avrosznevs I Il -TlG-Z.

Nov. 22, 1949 c. A. PEEBLr-:s 2,488,826

LIFTING DEVICE v l Filed Aug. 2z, 1948 I s sheets-sheet 2 Nvr-.NTQR @551A PEEBLES AT'roRNEvs NOV. 22, 1949 C, A, PEEBLES 2,488,826

LIFTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 23, 1948 s sheets-sheet s INvENToP. -er CMAQ A. Pess A'roNEvs Patented Nov. 22, 1949 UNITE-D STATES PATENT -oFFlcE 9 Claims.

A1 This invention relates to a liftingdevice which has been primarily designedv for use in lifting pins and replacing them in bowling games,

`though said device is adaptable for use in lifting and carrying other articles.

It is a primary object and purpose of the present invention to produce a novel, relatively simple and very effective lifting device which may be lowered to the pins remaining, which have not been overturned upon a casting of the ball, vso that those which have been upset or overturned may be swept from the bowling alley and the pins remaining returned to the same positions which they occupied before lifted and removed therefrom. Inthe operation the lifting device of my invention will be mounted for vertical guid- -ance so that when it is lowered to engage with any upright pins and the pins thereafter, lifted, on the return, as it follows the identical path of movement that it followed in lifting, the pins will be returned to their initial positions. The present invention is not concerned with the vertical guidance of the device when used in conjunction with lifting and replacing such pins as remain upright during a stage of the progress of the game, but is concerned with the lifting structure for either such use-or other analogous uses, and discloses such novel structure, vas described in the following description, taken in lconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

1 Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the lifting device -of my invention, the section being substantially on the plane of line l-I of Fig. 3, showing the lifting device when it isv engaged with the upper end portions of bowling pins.

Fig. 2 is a similar vertical section, substantially on the plane of line 2-2 of Fig. 4, with the lifting device in position above the upper ends of upright bowling pins immediately prior to 'lowering into engagement therewith,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section, substantially on the lplane of line .3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section substantially on the plane of line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and Fig. .5 is an elevation, partly in vertical section,

of the lifting device of my invention, showing a modification and betterment of structure for positively forcing the .articles lifted from disengagement.

. vLike reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings, and the sections are taken looking in the directions indicated by the arrows.

. In the structure-of the lifting device, an fopen rectangular frame, which `may be :of wood or 2` other suitable materiaL-is provided-.having spaced sides and ends l', covering vwhichfis a horizontal plate 2 which similarly maybe made of suitable material, and which. is permanently :secured at and over the upper -edges of the frame. At the outer sidesof the frame thinmembers 3 are permanently secured, the upper edges being iiush with the upper side of the plate .2 and the lower edges extending a distancebelow the lower yedges of :the frame members l. To the' under edges of said side members 3 horizontal ystrips 4 are Vpermanently connected :and spaced .downwardly from the frame members I a distance, :thus providing a continuous groove 5 around the structure, as .best shown ,in Fig. 2..

Within the grooveV an `.expansilale and contractable tubular member 6 is located, which in :its contracted form (Fig. 2l :is loosely located in the groove and at its inner sides is located a short distance inwardly .from the plane `of ythe .inner sides of the framemembers l `and the inner yedges of the parts 4. Thistube adaptedto be expanded by theintrodnctionof ypneumatic pres.- sure, such as compressed air or the like through .an `entrance nipple l, and `under such pressure expands to lill the grooyesat. 5 and `at its vinner sides .project beyond the innerropen entrance of the grooves.

In the upper plate 2 av large number iof 'vertical openings are made Awhich are .close rtogether vbut 1spaced from :each other .and :through each of which a vertical rod 8:'s1idably passes. Each lrod atlitsupper end has ahead which, when it comes .against the upper :side of theplate 2, stops Ithe rod :8 from furtherdownward movement. Each of the rods :8 at its lower .end provided with Aa .cylindrical 4head 9, the ydiameterv of which is greater than its attached rod', and all of 4said heads '9 when the rodsare .all :in their lowermost position, as inFig. A2, 'substantia'llyl ll the open lower `side :of the structure and have theirlower Y ends :substantially in the sameVr plane with the lower sides-of the members l4. Coiled compression springs I0 of light weightand strength are-located onearoundeach of the rodsll;y between the upper -ends of the heads 9 and the. .flower side of the plate 2. The. openings through the plate .2 and through which the rods il :pass are slightly larger in diameter than the exteriorY diameter .of the rods, sol that va limitedg'latera'l play .of the heads 9 is permitted.

When .theliftinggstructure as described .is abover the :alleyfin whichfthepins in fil-bowling game are located, a lowering of the device vertically v10TH-lgs thefupper endsgof the laowlinsminsJ- againstathe pins which have not been elevated. The introduction of pneumatic pressure into the tube 6 expands such tube so that at its inner vertical sides it presses against the outermost heads 9 along the inner sides of the frame and forces those heads next adjacent the pins I I into a pressure engagement therewith. The lifting device may then be elevated vertically and the pins will be lifted because of the connection of the pins with the device which has thus been made.V

The pins which remain upright after a ball has beencast, may thus be lifted and elevated out of the way of -the pins which have been knocked over. The overturned pins are swept or otherwise removed, and the vertical pins previously lifted are returned by lowering the lifting device and exhausting the pneumatic pressurein the tube 6. This frees the pins so that when the lifting device is again elevated those heads 9, which have engaged with the upper ends of the pins, and their attached rods, are lowered by the compressed springs IIJ to their initial positions and the pins are left at the end of the bowling alley in the identical positions which they occupied before they were removed.

In Fig. 5, the frame structure which carried the rods 8, having heads 9 at their lower ends is shown as guided for vertical movements between two spaced vertical posts I2, grooved at their inner sides. The vertical side bars I3 of the frame structure extend above the upper side of the plate 2 as shown, and are connected at their upper ends by a horizontal cross bar I4 to which cables I5 are connected, which may lead to a suitable lifting or elevating means` to pull the cables I5 upwardly and raise the lifting device simultaneously with the upward movement of the cablesl I5.

A horizontal transverse plate I6 extends between the vertical sides I3 of the frame and is guided at opposite ends in grooves I'I at the inner side of the bars I3.` The lower ends of the grooves Il reach substantially to theV upper side of the plate 2. Plate I6 is normally heldin an upper position by coiled tension-springs I8 Vconnected at the upper sideof the plate and to the lower side of the bar or plate I4 at opposite ends of the springs. Vertical cylinders I9 are secured at the lower side of the plate or bar I4 and are suspended therefrom. Into the lower end of each cylinder a piston rod 20 enters, having a suitable piston at its upper end within its associated cylinder. The rods 26 are secured to the upper side of the vertical movable plate I6.

Pneumatic pressure as compressed air or equivalent, is conducted through a conduit or hose 2I to two flexible conduits 22and 23, the former of which leads to the tubular member 6, located around the heads 9. The other'conduit `23 leads to and connectswith two branch conduits 24,' o ne' leading to the upper end of each cylinder I9. v The ow of the pneumatic pressure through Vthe flexible conduits 22 and 23 is controlled by valves 25 and 26, respectively. 'y

i With this structural onv lowering the iramelby lowering the cables I5, the upper end portion of the articles IIa which are to be lifted, engaging at their upper ends with heads 9 directly above, push such heads upwardly (Fig. 5) and the upper portions of the members IIa are surrounded by other of the heads 9. Then by turning on the fluid pressure to the conduit 22 and expanding the tube 6, the articles Ila are gripped and on upward movement of the cables will bev lifted to an elevated position. On return of the elevated frame the articles IIa are lowered thereby to a lower position. After closing the valve 25 to release pressure from the tube 6, operation of the valve indicated at 26 for fluid pressure to enter the upper ends of cylinders I9, causes the transverse plate I6 to be moved downward relative to Ythe frame thus engaging the headed upper ends of the rods 8, and pushing them down and disconnecting articles IIa from the apparatus. Upon operating the valve at 26 for exhaust of fluid pressure from cylinders I9, springs I8 move the transverse plate I6 to its normal upper position.

The detail of the valves at 25 and 26 is not entered into. Such valves may be manually operated, or operated automatically through electric or other control at the proper times and in accordance with the position of the frame relative to its guides I2 and of the plate I6 relative to the side members I3 of the frame with respect to which it is vertically movable. With this structure the large number of light strength coiled springs I9 is eliminated and the positive disconnection of pins, bottles or other generally similar articles from the lifting device is obtained. Any need to replace the springs I8 is readily taken care of instead of the much more difficult replacing one or more of the springs I0.

The structure described is of a practical, economical and readily simple construction, and one which may be readily and easily manufactured and assembled. It is to be understood that various modifications in detail of structure as to the size, shape and form' of the surrounding frame, and the means for applying pressure against the outer heads 9 by the use of equivalents doing the same thing in substantially the same manner and effecting the same result, may be resorted to without affecting or changing the invention.

The invention is dened in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described'comprising, an open frame having vertical sides and ends, a horizontal plate across said frame, said plate having a plurality of closely spaced openings therethrough, a plurality of rods slidably extending through said openings one for each opening, each of said rods at its lower end having a head of greater cross sectional area than the cross sectional area of its rod, said heads substantially filling the open frame at the lower portion thereof, and means mounted on said frame at the lower portion thereof around the outermost heads adapted to selectively press toward said heads or retract therefrom, each of said rods having limiting means for stopping the rods in downward movement at preselected positions such that all of the heads at the lower ends of the rods at their under ends are substantially flush and in the same horizontal plane.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1, each of said rods between the upper end of the head attached thereto, and the under side of said top plate having a light strength compression spring around it which is compressed upon vertical upward movement of a rod and attached head.

3. In a lifting and pickup device of the character described, an open frame having vertical sides and ends, a plate across said frame, a plurality of vertical rods slidably passing through said plate within the area inside of said open frame, a head at the lower end of each rod of a greater cross sectional area than the cross sectional area of the rod to which attached, said heads substantially llling the open frame at the lower side thereof and adapted to have side con, tact engagement with adjacent heads and said heads in lower position having lower ends in generally the same horizontal plane, each of said rods and its attached head being independently vertically movable, and releasable means for exerting pressure against the outer sides of the outermost heads within the frame.

4. A construction as defined in claim 3, and yielding means of light strength operatively associated with each rod and its connected head for normally moving the rods and heads into their lowermost position, combined with means for limiting the downward movement thereof.

5. A construction as defined in claim 3, said releasable pressure means comprising a hollow expansible tube located around the outermost heads, means for mounting said tube on the frame around said outermost heads, and means for conducting pneumatic pressure into the tube to expand it to exert pressure against the outermost heads in the frame and for releasing said pneumatic pressure for release of said tube from pressing against said outermost heads.

6. In a structure of the class described, an open frame having vertical sides, a plate extending across the frame, a plurality of vertical members slidably passing through said plate, each having an enlarged lower end portion, said members being in number and the enlarged lower end portions thereof being of dimensions that said open frame at its lower side is substantially lled by said enlarged lower end portions of said members, said members being in substantial contact engagement at adjacent sides, means for limiting the downward movement of said members to normally maintain their lower end portions at the lower ends thereof in substantially the same horizontal plane, and means adapted to be selectively operated for exerting pressure against the outer sides of the enlarged lower end portions of said members at opposite sides of the frame and for releasing said pressure.

7. In a lifting and pick-up device, an open frame, a horizontal plate across and above the open lower side of the frame secured in xed relation thereto, said plate having a plurality of closely spaced openings therethrough, a vertical rod Yslidable through each of said openings, each of said rods at their lower ends having heads of greater cross-section area than the cross-section area of its rod, said heads substantially lling the frame at the lower portion thereto, means mounted on the frame around the outermost of said heads for releasably pressing said heads together, said heads in lowermost position having their lower ends in substantially the same horizontal plane, a second plate movably mounted for vertical movements above the first horizontal plate, means normally elevating said second plate above the rst plate, and means for releasably forcing said second horizontal plate downward.

8. A structure as defined in claim 7, said open frame at opposite sides thereof having vertical extensions above the rst horizontal plate between and upon which said second horizontal plate is slidably mounted, a horizontal member between and connected to the upper portions of said vertical extensions, tension springs between and connected at their ends to said second horizontal plate and said horizontal member providing the means for elevating said second plate, cylinders secured at the under side of said horizontal member extending toward said second plate, and piston rods connected at the upper side of said second horizontal plate extending into said cylinders, and means for conducting fluid under pressure into the upper ends of the cylinders, thereby providing the means for forcing said second plate downwardly.

9. A structure as defined in claim 8, said means for forcing the heads on the rods against each other comprising a pneumatic tube surrounding said heads and carried by said frame, and means for conducting fluid under pressure to the upper ends of the cylinders comprising a conduit having branches connected one to each cylinder, said conduit extending to and connecting with said pneumatic tube, an additional conduit for carrying fluid under pressure connected with the rst conduit between its ends, and valve control means in said first conduit, one at each side of the place of connection of the additional conduit to said rst conduit.

CHAD A. PEEBLES.

No references cited.

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