US3315764A

US3315764A - Automobile lift

Info

Publication number: US3315764A
Application number: US507125A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jesse E Clarke
Original assignee: Autoquip Corp
Current assignee: Autoquip Corp
Priority date: 1965-11-10
Filing date: 1965-11-10
Publication date: 1967-04-25
Anticipated expiration: 1984-04-25

Description

April 25, 1967 J. E. CLARKE Q 3, I

AUTOMOBILE LIFT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 10, 1965 flz/ezzzor (/axs'e Clarke 3/ 3%; 470M &

H /%W a April 25, 1967 J. E. CLARKE AUTOMOBILE LIFT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 10, 1965 kfli/ezzior Jaswejf? CZczrfe United States Patent 3,315,764 AUTOMOBILE LIFT Jesse E. Clarke, Hinsdale, Ill., assignor to Autoquip Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 10, 1965, Ser. No. 507,125 4 Claims. (Cl. 1878.75)

The present invention relates to an automobile lift having jointed arms to facilitate access to the underside of a vehicle being serviced, and the following disclosure thereof is offered for public dissemination upon the grant of a patent therefor.

The increasing variety of styles, sizes, etc., of automobiles poses a problem for those who must work on the underside of these various cars. Some cars will have a frame, others a unitized body with no separate frame. The cars with a unitized body often have special lift points, and damage to the body will result if one attempts to lift by supports placed at other than the lift points. Furthermore, with all the varieties and sizes, there are innumerable variations in the location of particular parts on the underside of the car to which access must be had during the course of repair or servicing. The principal object of the present invention is to provide an automobile lift for use in garages, service stations, and the like which will simplify the task of the service or repair man in raising the variety of automobiles on which he is called upon to work.

Embodiments of the present invention have the further advantage that they have a low profile when the hoist is down. This, plus the fact that the support arms may be folded in, reduces the extent of the obstruction occasioned by the lift when it is not in use. Furthermore, the low profile enables a low slung vehicle to move over the lift without portions of the lift being recessed in the floor. It is also important that embodiments of the invention have adequate strength to support the commonly used automobiles.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the invention employing two hydraulic cylinders or lifts;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment using only one hydraulic cylinder or lift;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the embodiment of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a partial section as viewed at line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

Although the following disclosure offered for public dissemination is detailed to ensure adequacy and aid understanding, this is not intended to prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to cover each new inventive concept therein no matter how others may later disguise it by variations in form or additions or further improvements. The claims at the end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward this purpose; as it is these that meet the requirement of pointing out the parts, improvements, or combinations in which the inventive concepts are found.

The embodiment of FIGURE 1 has a pair of lifting rams and 11. Secured to the top of ram 10 is a bolster 12. Ram 11 has a bolster 13. Pivotally secured to each bolster is a pair of jointed arm assemblies generally 14. As will hereinafter be described, the outer end of each arm assembly 14 has a car engaging member. The rams 10 and 11 are positioned a distance apart such as the supporting members of two of the arm assemblies contact the car adjacent the front thereof, while another pair engages the car adjacent the rear thereof. Thus, the car will be suspended (when the rams are raised) mainly between the two rams 10 and 11.

ice

In the embodiments of FIGURE 2 there is but a single ram 16 with a bolster 17 afiixed to the top thereof. Pivotally secured to bolster 17 adjacent the four corners thereof are four of the jointed arm assemblies 14.

The structure of the arm assemblies is best seen in FIGURES 3 and 4. It comprises an inner arm having an upper part 18v and a lower part 19. The proximal ends of

parts

18 and 19 extend above and below bolster 17 respectively and are connected by a pin in the form of bolt 20. The head of bolt 20 is partially recessed in upper part 18. The lower end of bolt 20.is threaded into lower part 19 of the inner arm. Bolt 20 is journaled in bolster 17. The distal ends of

parts

18 and 19 similarly are connected by a bolt 21. Bolt 21 is journaled in the proximal end of outer arm 22. Intermediate the ends of upper and

lower parts

18 and 19 is a spacer block 23. Spacer block 23 is welded to

parts

18 and 19 and serves to give added rigidity to the inner arm of which it is a part.

At the distal end of outer arm 22 is pivotally mounted a car engaging member generally 24. This member is of the type disclosed and claimed in Patent 3,149,700. It has a pin 25 about which it can be pivoted. It has two alternate car supporting portions 26 and 27 which may be alternately used to contact the bottom or some other portion of the auto. The

disance beween pins

20 and 21 is approximately equal to the distance between

pins

21 and 25.

A few of the innumerable variations in the positioning of jointed arm assemblies 14 are illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2. This provides the operator in the service station or garage with a practically unlimited choice of arrangements for engaging the underside of an auto when it is to be raised by the lift(s). If, upon raising the vehicle, he finds that one of the arm assemblies is blocking access (or convenient access) to the portion of the auto upon which he intends to work, he can lower the car to the floor, change the positioning of the offending arm assembly and again raise the auto to be worked on. For example, if it were the arm assembly in the top left side of FIGURE 2 that was impeding access, the car engaging member 24 on that assembly could be left in the same spot while the inner and outer arms at their connection, as represented by pin 21, swung outwardly (upwardly on the sheet in FIGURE 2) so that the arm assembly was bent in the opposite direction of that illustrated.

The invention claimed is:

1. In an automobile lift having bolster means movable vertically by hydraulic ram means and four car supports secured to said bolster means to engage parts of the auto to trnasmit the load of the auto to the bolster means, said lift being of the type wherein the bolster means in the lowered position is above the floor, the improvement in which each of said supports comprises: a first arm pivotally attached to the bolster means, a second arm pivotally attached to the distal end of the first arm, a car engaging member on the distal end of the second arm, each of said pivotal connections having a vertical axis, said first arm including an upper part and a lower part positioned below the upper part, said upper and lower parts being on the upper and lower sides respectively of the bolster means, and a spacer afiixed to and extending between the parts intermediate the ends thereof, the proximal end of said second arm being received between the upper and lower parts.

2. In an automobile lift as set forth in claim 1, where said car engaging member is pivotally connected to the second arm for movement about a vertical axis with respect to the second arm and having an auto contacting portion spaced horizontally from the pivotal connection.

3. In a lift as set forth in claim 1, wherein two of said supports are affixed to one bolster means and two of said supports are affixed to a second bolster means, said bolster means being spaced horizontally from each other.

4. In an automobile lift having bolster means movable vertically by hydraulic ram means and four car supports secured to said bolster means to engage parts of the auto to transmit the load of the auto to the bolster means, said lift being of the type wherein the bolster means in the lowered position is above the floor, the improvement in which each of said supports comprises: a first arm comprising spaced upper and lower parts, said parts having proximal ends above and below, respectively, said bolster means, a vertical pin connecting said proximal ends, extending through said bolster means and pivotally securing said arm to said bolster means, a spacer affixed to both of said parts intermediate the ends thereof, a second arm in the form of a generally flat plate having a proximal end between the distal ends of said parts, a vertical pin connecting the distal ends of said parts, extending through the proximal end of the second arm and pivotally securing said arms to each other, a car engaging member having an auto contacting portion and a vertical pin spaced horizontally from each other, the latter pin being connected to the distal end of the second arm with the contacting portion being pivotal with respect to the second arm about the latter pin, the distance between the two pins first identified being approximately equal to the distance between the two pins last identified.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

H. C. HORNSBY, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN AN AUTOMOBILE LIFT HAVING BOLSTER MEANS MOVABLE VERTICALLY BY HYDRAULIC RAM MEANS AND FOUR CAR SUPPORTS SECURED TO SAID BOLSTER MEANS TO ENGAGE PARTS OF THE AUTO TO TRANSMIT THE LOAD OF THE AUTO TO THE BOLSTER MEANS, SAID LIFT BEING OF THE TYPE WHEREIN THE BOLSTER MEANS IN THE LOWERED POSITION IS ABOVE THE FLOOR, THE IMPROVEMENT IN WHICH EACH OF SAID SUPPORTS COMPRISES: A FIRST ARM PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO THE BOLSTER MEANS, A SECOND ARM PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO THE DISTAL END OF THE FIRST ARM, A CAR ENGAGING MEMBER ON THE DISTAL END OF THE SECOND ARM, EACH OF SAID PIVOTAL CONNECTIONS HAVING A VERTICAL AXIS, SAID FIRST ARM INCLUDING AN UPPER PART AND A LOWER PART POSITIONED BELOW THE UPPER PART, SAID UPPER AND LOWER PARTS BEING ON THE UPPER AND LOWER SIDES RESPECTIVELY OF THE BOLSTER MEANS, AND A SPACER AFFIXED TO AND EXTENDING BETWEEN THE PARTS INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF, THE PROXIMAL END OF SAID SECOND ARM BEING RECEIVED BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER PARTS.