US3002639A

US3002639A - Stacked bricks lifter

Info

Publication number: US3002639A
Application number: US18110A
Authority: US
Inventors: Cavanagh John
Original assignee: LAWRENCE TOOTILL Pty Ltd
Current assignee: LAWRENCE TOOTILL Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1959-03-31
Filing date: 1960-03-28
Publication date: 1961-10-03
Anticipated expiration: 1978-10-03

Description

Oct. 3, 1961 J. CAVANAGH STACKED BRICKS LIFTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 28, 1960 J. CAVANAGH STACKED BRICKS LIFTER Oct. 3, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 28, 1960 FIG. '2

Oct. 3, 1961 J. CAVANAGH STACKED BRICKS LIFTER Filed March 28, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.3

F l G. 5

94 A 36 295 Nl/E/V To Q 32 JOHN 6/9 1/9 A/HGW United States Patent 3,002,639 STACKED BRICKS LIFTER John Cavauagh, Croydon, near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, assignor to Lawrence Tootill Pty. Limited, Auburn, near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, a company of Australia Filed Mar. 28, 1960, Ser. No. 18,110 Claims priority, application Australia Mar. 31, 1959 3 Claims. (Cl. 214-655) This invention has been devised to provide a lifter for stacked bricks which is mounted upon and actuated from a prime mover known generally as a fork lift truck. The lifter is substituted for the conventional forks of such a truck. The lifter is capable of gripping the lowermost layer of a designed stack of bricks without the use of pallets and without damage to the bricks, for elevation and transport.

Lifters of the above type are known but the disadvantage inherent in them is that they frequency damage the bottom layer of bricks during elevation and transport.

According to this invention, a stacked bricks lifter consists of a frame assembly mounted on a fork-lift truck and adapted to be raised and lowered thereby. Arms are mounted on the lower end of the frame assembly and comprise a pair of outer arms and a number of intermediate arms in spaced relationship to the outer arms. Gripper shoes are pivotally and laterally slidably mounted on each side of the intermediate arms and on the inside of the outer arms. Hydraulic means on the prime mover are connected to the gripper shoes for actuating the gripper shoes, and spring means are connected to the gripper shoes and to the arms for retracting the gripper shoes.

Reference will now be made to the annexed drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a stacked bricks lifter and showing in broken lines the relevant parts of a fork lift truck on which it is to be mounted.

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the frame assembly of the invention and includes the base frame for mounting on a fork lift truck.

FIGURE 3 is an elevation of a portion of one of the outer arms.

FIGURE 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG- URE 3.

FIGURE 5 is an elevation of a portion of one of the intermediate arms.

FIGURE 6 is a section taken on the line 66 of FIG- URE 5.

The base frame 1 is adapted to be mounted on and slide upon the post slide guides 2 of a fork lift truck 3.

The means for mounting the base frame 1 upon the truck 3 and the means for raising and lowering it upon the truck 3 are well known, and do not form part of this invention.

The base frame has rollers 4 mounted thereon adjacent the upper end thereof. It also has a main frame mounting axle 5 fixed medially thereto adjacent the lower edge thereof and a journal pin 6 adjacent an upper corner thereof. The journal pin 6 is adapted to have a crosshead 7 connected thereto, the crosshead 7 being mounted upon the outer end of the plunger of a hydraulic cylinder 9 which latter is pivotally mounted as at 10 on the main frame 11.

The main frame 11 has a mounting plate 12 fixed to the lower end thereof and this plate 12 is bored as at 13 whereby the main frame can be rotatably mounted upon axle 5 on the base frame 1. There is a retaining plate 14 fixed to the upper end of the main frame 11 which is adapted to be held in face to face sliding engagement with the base frame 1, by the rollers 4. The top edge 15 of the retaining plate 14 is arcuate to allow it to remain clear of the mounting brackets of the rollers 4 when the main frame 11 is rotated relative to the base frame. The main frame 11 has a compartment 16 formed in each upper corner thereof in which transverse shafts 17 are removably mounted and are retained by end plates 18. These shafts 17 are adapted to slidably support the saddle 19. There is a mounting 20 on the main frame 11 for a hydraulic cylinder 21, the plunger of which has a crosshead 22 on its outer end which is connected as at 23 to the saddle 19, whereby the saddle 19 can be moved laterally with relation to the main frame 11. j

The saddle 19 has aligned sleeves 24 projecting from the back thereof whereby it is mounted upon the shafts 17 in the main frame 11, and rollers 24a mounted on the lower part of the saddle 19 are adapted to bear against the main frame and provide a rolling support for the lower end of the saddle. Stack supporting arms 25 are fixed to the lower end 26 of the saddle and project outwardly therefrom in a horizontal plane and there is a connecting point 27 in the said lower end 26 to which is coupled a hydraulic fluid line 28 from a conventional source of fluid supply on the truck 3. The outer arms 25a have gripper shoes 29 pivotally and laterally slidably mountedon the inside thereof and the inner arms 25b have like gripper shoes similarly mounted on each side thereof, and the hydraulic line 28 is provided for actuating the gripper shoes 29 through the branch lines 28a as indicated by the broken lines in FIGURE 2.

The arms 25 may be fabricated, cast or machined from the solid, and as illustrated, they are cast or machined from the solid. FIGURES 3, 5 and 6 illustrate a portion of an outer arm 25a which is bored as at 30 and there is a hydraulic cylinder 31 fixed in the bore 30. The bore 30 is counter-bored at its outer end and a shoulder on the cylinder 31 abuts the face of the counterbore. The hydraulic cylinder 31 is held in place by locking screws 33. There is a plunger 34 slidable in the cylinder 31 and the cylinder 31 is connected to a branch 28a of the hydraulic pipe line 28 previously referred to. The plunger 34 has rounded ends and its outer end is in engagement with a part spherical recess 35 formed in the inner face of the gripper shoe 29a. Conventional sealing rings are provided for the cylinder 31 and the plunger 34.

The gripper shoes 29a are mounted upon the outer arm 25a by mounting bolts 36. The bolts 36 pass through the gripper shoes 29a and have heads which are rounded on the inner face and engage part spherical counterbores 37 formed in the gripper shoes 29a, whereby the gripper shoes 29a can pivot on their mountings. The mounting bolts 36 each has a nut 38 on its inner end slidable in bores 39 formed in the arm. 25a, and there is a spring 40 on each bolt 36 within the bore 39 to normally draw or retract the gripper shoes 29a towards the arm 25a.

FIGURES 5 and 6 illustrate a portion of an inner arm 25b. The mounting for the gripper shoes 2% on each side thereof is substantially similar to that described with reference to the outer arm 25a. Twin cylinders 32 are formed to accommodate a pair of plungers 34 which operate in opposite directions, and the cylinders 32 are connected to a branch 28a of the hydraulic pipe line.

I claim:

1. In a stacked bricks lifter for mounting on and actuation by a fork lift truck having a source of fluid supply, the combination comprising a base frame secured to said truck, a main frame, means rotatably mounting said main frame on said base frame, said means including a fluid operated cylinder mounted on said main frame and connected with said base frame, a saddle, means slidably supponting said saddle on said main frame, means for moving said saddle laterally relative to said main frame, a plurality of stack supporting arms fixed to the lower end of said saddle and extending horizontally outwardly therefrom, a plurality of gripper shoes pivotally and laterally slidably mounted on the opposed faces of'said arms to provide full face contact with the bricks engaged therebetween, hydraulic fluid lines associated with each of said arms, means connecting said lines with the source of fluid supply of said truck, at least one cylinder in said arms and connected to said hydraulic fluid lines, a plunger slidable in said cylinder and engaging a related gripper shoe to move said shoe laterally of said arm When fluid pressure is applied to said cylinder, and retracting means carried by said arms and connected to each of said gripper shoes to normally retract said shoe toward its related arm.

2. A stacked bricks lifter according to claim 1 wherein the means for moving said saddle laterally relative tosaid main frame includes a fluid operated cylinder having one end secured to said main frame, a plunger within said cylinder, a rod connected to said plunger the outer end of said rod pivotally connected to said saddle.

3. A stacked bricks lifter according to claim 1 wherein said retracting means comprises at least one bolt slid able within a bore disposed transversely of said arm, said bolt secured at its outer end to a related gripper shoe, and spring means on each bolt and within said bore, said spring means normally retracting said shoe towards its related arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS