US3291261A

US3291261A - Truck elevator

Info

Publication number: US3291261A
Application number: US489204A
Authority: US
Inventors: Morrison L Robb
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-09-22
Filing date: 1965-09-22
Publication date: 1966-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-13

Description

M. L. ROBB TRUCK ELEVATOR Dec. 13, 1966 2 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed Sept. 22, 1965 I/VVE'IVTOI? MORE/SON L. R0198 ATTORNEYS.

United States PatentO Filed Sept. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 489,204 4 Claims. (Cl. 1879) This invention relates to a truck elevator, and more particularly, to an elevator adapted to be mounted in the rear end of a truck to facilitate loading and unloading material.

from the floor of the body of the truck to ground level and vice versa.

A large number of truck elevators have been proposed heretofore. The truck elevator of the present invention is substantially simpler than those proposed heretofore, easier to install, is more inexpensive, and requires less maintenance.

The truck elevator of the present invention is structurally interrelated in a novel manner whereby a casing is reciprocally supported with respect to a piston rod supported by the truck body. The length of the casing or cylinder is slightly greater than the distance between the upper surface of the floor on the. truck body and the reference surface such as the ground or the like. The elevator means is mounted for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the cylinder or casing. In one embodiment of the present invention, the cylinder is mounted for rotation with respect to the piston rod. In another embodiment of the present invention, the piston rod is supported for rotation about its longitudinal axis.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel truck elevator.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a truck elevator which is simple, reliable, inexpensive, and comprised of a minimum number of components.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a truck elevator having a cylinder mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings forms which are presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGURE 1 is a rear elevation view of a truck incorporating the elevator means of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 2-2 in Figure 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation view of the truck in FIG- URE 1 partly broken away to illustrate the elevator means of the present invention.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line 4-4 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale similar to FIGURE 4 but illustrating another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIGURE 1 a portion of a truck designated generally as 10.

The truck includes a body designated generally as 16 mounted on wheels 12 which in turn are supported by a reference surface 14 such as the ground or the like. The truck body 16 includes floor 18,

side walls

20 and 22 and a top wall 24. The floor 18 has a rear face designated as 26.

The elevator means of the present invention is designated generally as 28. The elevator means 28 is structurallv interrelated in a novel manner so that it occupies a minimum amount of space while at the same time being simple, reliable and inexpensive to construct. The elevator means 28 may be supplied with new trucks or added to existing trucks.

The elevator means 28 includes an upright stationary piston rod 32 having a mounting bracket 34 at its upper end and a mounting bracket 36 at its lower end. The

brackets

34 and 36 are releasably secured to the top wall 24 and floor 18 respectively adjacent one of the side walls 20 and the face 26. Thus, see FIGURE 2.

A cylinder 38 having a length slightly greater than the distance between the upper surface of floor 18 and the surface 14 is reciprocally supported by the piston rod 32 for reciprocating along its longitudinal axis. Cylinder 38 is concentric with piston rod 32 and provided at its upper end with a bearing seal 40. A comparable bearing seal 42 is provided at the lower end of cylinder 38. A piston 44 is fixedly secured to the piston rod 32 intermediate the ends of rod 32.

The piston rod 32 is provided with a motive fluid passage 46 communicating with the cylinder 38 below piston 44. A comparable motive fluid passage 48 is provided in the piston rod 32 and communicates with the chamber in cylinder 38 above piston 44. The

passages

46 and 48 are adapted to be in communication with each other by way of a conduit 50. The conduit 50 communicates with the

passages

46 and 48 at the ends of the piston rod 32 within or adjacent to the

mounting brackets

34 and 36.

In FIGURE 1, the cylinder 38 is adjacent its uppermost position. In FIGURE 3, the cylinder 38 is adjacent its lowermost position. In order to move the cylinder 38 between its uppermost and lowermost positions, the conduit 50 is provided with a pump 52 which may be a motor operated pump. As illustrated, pump 52 is a manually operable pump having a manually actuable handle 54. Pump 52 may be of the hydraulic or pneumatic type commercially available and utilized in connection with bumper jacks. Handle 54 may be removed or disconnected by unthreading the same.

In order that the cylinder 38 may support a load designated generally as 30 and move the same from the phantom position illustrated in FIGURE 1 to a position wherein it is supported by the ground 14, a load support means is fixedly secured to the outer periphery of cylinder 38. The load support means may include in its simplest form a channel member 56 having its free ends welded or otherwise fixedly secured to the periphery of cylinder 38. A mounting plate 58 is secured to the channel 56 adjacent its lowermost end in any convenient manner such as by welding. A pair of

support plates

60 and 62 are fixedly secured to the mounting plate 58 in any convenient manner such as by welding. It will be noted that the

support plates

60 and 62 are spaced from one another and have a horizontally disposed portion and a vertically disposed portion. The horizontally disposed portions of the

plates

60 and 62 are adapted to be in the same horizontal plane resting on the upper surface of floor 18. The vertically disposed portions of the

plates

60 and 62 are connected to the mounting plate 58. As shown more clearly in FIGURES 2 and 3, the radius of cylinder 38 is sufficiently large so that the channel member 56 may reciprocate toward and away from the ground 14 without contacting the upper surface of floor 18. It will be noted that the horizontal portion of the

plates

60 and 62 is longer than the vertical portion.

The operation of the elevator means 28 in connection with transferring a load from the floor 18 to the ground 14 is as follows:

The cylinder 38 will be rotated from its storage position to the position illustrated in solid lines in FIG- URE 2. Such rotation may be manually accomplished by pulling on the plate 62. Thereafter, the load 30 may be positioned so as to be supported by the

plates

60 and 62. The handle 54 is then actuated to pump some of the fluid above piston 44 through passage 46, conduit 50, passage 48 into the casing 38 above piston 44. Such pumping action need only be sufficient to raise the load 3 30 and

plates

60 and 62 to an elevation several inches above the floor 18.

The elevator means 28 together with the load 30 is then manually rotated 90 to the phantom position in FIGURE 2. Thereafter, the handle 54 is actuated to permit the motive fluid to bleed from the chamber within cylinder 38 above piston 44 to the chamber within the cylinder below piston 44 by way of said passages and conduit 50. No pumping action is required due to the fact thatthe weight of the load will force the motive fluid through conduit 50. The operator will of course control handle 54 so as to cease permitting bleeding of the motive fluid when the

plates

60 and 62 contact the ground 14.

As soon as the load 30 is transferred to the solid line position in FIGURE 1 wherein it is supoprted by a reference surface 14', the operator may then reverse the above sequence wherein the handle 54 will be actuated to pump the fluid from within the casing 30 and below piston 44 to a position above the piston 44 within the casing 38. This will raise the

support plates

60 and 62 until they can clear the upper surface of the floor 18. Thereafter, the process is repeated.

In FIGURE 5, there is partially illustrated another embodiment of the present invention wherein the elevator means is designated as 28. The elevator means 28 is identical with the elevator 28 except as will be made clear hereinafter. Hence, corresponding elements are provided with corresponding primed numerals.

In the elevator means 28', the piston rod 32' is mounted for rotation with the casing 38. Thus, there is no rela tive rotative movement between cylinder 38' and the piston disposed therewithin and secured to the piston rod 32'.

The mounting brackets 34' and 36' for the piston rod 32' are identical. Hence, only the mounting bracket 34 removably secured to the top wall 24 will be described in detail. The bracket 34' includes a cup-shaped housing through which the piston rod 32' extends and terminates in a removable head 68. The head 68 is provided with a semi-spherical bearing 66 integral with a plate threadedly coupled to the cup-shaped housing. Roller bearings may be provided beneath the head 68 and above the juxtaposed portion of the cup-shaped housing. In view of the ability of the piston rod 32 to rotate through an arc of approximately 180, the conduit 50' is flexible and of suflicient length so as to permit such rotation. The elevator means 28' is otherwise identical with that described above and therefore need not be described in detail. In view of the above description, a more detailed description of the elevator means 28 is not deemed necessary.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

I claim: I

1. A truck elevator comprising a cylinder surrounding a piston rod, said piston rod extending through and beyond the ends of said cylinder, a piston fixed to said rod within said cylinder, whereby said cylinder may be reciprocated along said rod, said piston defining end walls of an upper and lower chamber in said cylinder, conduit means connected to the upper chamber in said cylinder, conduit means connected to the lower chamber in said cylinder, means associated with each of said conduit means for controlling the flow of hydraulic fiuid through said conduit means, a first passage extending through said rod and opening into said upper chamber on one side of said piston, a second passage extending through said rod and opening into said lower chamber on the other side of said piston, said passages being in communication with said conduit means, mounting brackets securing the ends of said rod in an upright disposition, said cylinder being mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis, load support means secured to said cylinder for movement with said cylinder, and said load support means including at least one support plate extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said cylinder.

2. A truck elevator means in accordance with claim 1 including bearing means at the ends of said piston rod rotatively supporting said rod for movement about its longitudinal axis, and said load support means including at least one support plate extending in a direction substan tially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said cylinder.

3. Elevator means in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for controlling flow through said conduit means includes a manually operable pump.

4. Elevator means in accordance with claim 1 wherein said load support means includes a channel member extending parallel to said cylinder and secured to the outer periphery of said cylinder, said channel member being longer than said cylinder, and at least one support plate fixedly secured to an end portion of said channel member remote from said cylinder, said support plate extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said cylinder.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,540,569 2/1951 Crise. 2,930,499 3/1960 Landen 214- 3,134,231 5/1964 McCreery' 92-1l7 3,174,634 3/1965 Peck 1879 FOREIGN PATENTS 136,275 11/ 1902 Germany.

1,054,018 3/ 1959 Germany.

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

H. C. HORNSBY, Assistant Examiner.

Notice of Adverse Decision in Interference In Interference No. 96,226 involving Patent No. 3,291,261, M. L. Robb, TRUCK ELEVATOR, final judgment adverse to the patentee was rendered Apr. 20, 1970, as to claim 1.

[Oyfioial Gazette September 8, 1970.]

Claims

1. A TRUCK ELEVATOR COMPRISING A CYLINDER SURROUNDING A PISTON ROD, SAID PISTON ROD EXTENDING THROUGH AND BEYOND THE ENDS OF SAID CYLINDER, A PISTON FIXED TO SAID ROD WITHIN SAID CYLINDER, WHEREBY SAID CYLINDER MAY BE RECIPROCATED ALONG SAID ROD, SAID PISTON DEFINING END WALLS OF AN UPPER AND LOWR CHAMBER IN SAID CYLINDER, CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO THE UPPER CHAMBER IN SAID CYLINDER, CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO THE LOWER CHAMBER IN SAID CYLINDER, MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID CONDUIT MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW FO HYDRAULIC FLUID THROUGH SAID CONDUIT MEANS, A FIRST PASSAGE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID ROD AND OPENING INTO SAID UPPER CHAMBER ON ONE SIDE OF SAID PISTON, A SECOND PASSAGE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID ROD AND OPENING INTO SAID LOWR CHAMBER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID PISTON, SAID PASSAGES BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CONDUIT MEANS, MOUNTING BRACKETS SECURING THE ENDS OF SAID ROD IN AN UPRIGHT DISPOSITION, SAID CYLINDER BEING MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS, LOAD SUPPORT MEANS SECURED TO SAID CYLINDER FOR MOVEMENT WITH SAID CYLINDER, AND SAID LOAD SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE SUPPORT PLATE EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID CYLINDER.