US3435973A

US3435973A - Lift truck paper roll handling attachment

Info

Publication number: US3435973A
Application number: US629508A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sidney Earl Dickey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1967-04-10
Filing date: 1967-04-10
Publication date: 1969-04-01
Anticipated expiration: 1986-04-01

Description

April 1, 1969 S ELDIC-KEYH 3,435 973- v I LIFT TRUCK PAPER ROLL HANb ING ATTACHMENT I Filed April 10-, 1967 A {W i 24' I A -34 A Sidney E. Dickeg I I 0 2 20 r I BY I INVENTOR 1 J @Z A Fig. 5. I A [1 United States Patent Office 3,435,973 Patented Apr. 1, 1969 US. Cl. 214-620 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A paper roll handling attachment for lift trucks equipped with a pair of outwardly projecting forks comprises a pair of sleeves sized to slip over the ends of the forks and a pair of concavely arcuate lift pads. Pivotal mounting means mount the pads on the ends of the sleeves, with the curved surfaces of the pads arranged opposite each other in an arc corresponding to the curvature of the outer surface of the paper roll. Limit means interconnect the pads and the sleeves for limiting the pivotal movement of the pads between substantially horizontal and substantially vertical positions.

This invention relates to a lift truck paper roll handling attachment. It relates further to a method for upending large, heavy rolls of paper.

In the transportation, storage and use of newsprint and other large rolls of paper, which may weigh upwardly of a ton, it frequently is necessary to change the position of the rolls from a horizontal position to a vertical position. This is true, for instance, in loading the rolls into the holds of ships.

In this operation the rolls normally are stored in a horizontal position in the warehouse adjacent the pier. When the ship is to be loaded, the rolls must be upended one at a time, placed singly on pallets, and then carried into the holds of the ship by means of lift trucks, the forks of which are inserted beneath the pallet.

This is a difficult procedure and presently requires a roll over grab. As the name implies, this device grabs the roll centrally, lifts it, twists it 90, and sets it down. Such apparatus is not always available at the pier when needed, resulting in delays. Furthermore, it is costly and its use frequently damages the paper rolls, causing additional loss.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a simple attachment for use on a conventional lift truck which enables picking up the rolls one at a time, transporting them to the desired location, and contemporaneously upending them and depositing them on pallets or other supporting surfaces.

The foregoing sequence of method operations is effectuated by an attachment which, basically considered, comprises a pair of sleeves dimensioned to be slipped over the ends of the forks of a conventional lift truck, and a pair of concavely arcuate lift pads having a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the paper roll to be handled. Pivotal mounting means mount the pads on top of the sleeves, at the ends thereof, with the curved surfaces of the pads arranged opposite each other. Limit means associated with the pads limit their pivotal angular movement between horizontal and vertical positions.

Thus by inserting the pads beneath opposite sides of the roll, to a point beyond its center of gravity, it is possible to lift the roll with the lift truck, and transport it to the desired location. The forks then may be tilted to deposit the lower, leading edge of the roll on the near margin of the pallet.

Raising the forks tilts the roll until it topples forwardly onto the pallet. During this operation the pads slide along the surfaec of the roll and tilt to their vertical position where they are restrained by the limit means. They then may be shifted to the horizontal position and the truck returned to pick up another roll.

Considering the foregoing in greater detail and with particular reference to the drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are views in plan, side elevation, and front elevation, respectively of the herein described lift truck paper roll handling attachment; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic views illustrating the application of the attachment to the upending of a large roll of paper.

As indicated hereinabove, and as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings, the presently described attachment is designed for use with a conventional lift truck 10 provided with forks 12 mounted in the usual manner on a vertical hoist 14. The hoist is pivotally mounted near its lower end and hence can be tilted forwardly and rearwardly by means of an hydraulic cylinder 16 or other suitable actuating device.

The presently described attachment comprises a pair of sleeves 20 made, for example, from welded metal plates and adapted to be slipped over the outer ends of the forks. They releasably may be secured in position by suitable means such, as for example, set screws 22.

Also provided are a pair of lift pads 24, one for each sleeve. These comprise arcuate plates having a smooth outer surface and a curvature which rather closely corresponds to the curvature of the outer surface of the roll which they are to lift. They are of substantially length, being nearly as long as sleeves 20, and arranged so that they normally extend in a plane parallel to the plane of the sleeves a sufficient distance to project beyond the forward ends of the latter.

Pivotal mounting means are provided for mounting the pads on top of the sleeves, on the forward ends thereof.

In the illustrated form of the invention, the pivotal mounting means comprise clevises 26 extending outwardly from the forward ends of the sleeves substantially in the planes thereof to permit lowering the forks completely to the ground. Cooperating with the clevises are plates 28 extending downwardly from the pads when the pads are in their horizontal position. The plate are interleaved with the clevises and are penetrated with pivot pins 30, thus permitting angular movement of the pads between lowered and raised positions, i.e., between the dotted line and full line positions of FIG. 2.

It is to be noted that the pivotal mounting means are offset inwardly from the medial longitudinal line of the pads in the manner particularly apparent in FIG. 1.

Limit means are provided for limiting the angular movement of the pads so that they do not progress substantially beyond their vertical positions. The limit means may comprise flexible connecting means, such as chains 32. One end of the chains is fastened to the rearward ends of the pads; the other to the central portions of the sleeves. The two points of attachment thus are offset laterally from each other. This is of importance in the operation of the attachment since it prevents overlapping of the chain links and hence insures that the pads will lie flat on the sleeves when they are in their horizontal position.

Brace means are present for bracing the pads and supporting them in their predetermined positions, facing each other and with their concave surfaces arranged as segments of an are which corresponds to the arc of the peripheral surface of the paper roll. The means employed for this purpose comprise vertical support plates 34 welded to the undersides of the lift pads and extending substantially at right angles thereto.

The manner of use of the paper roll handling attachment of my invention is illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.

Assuming that it is wished to lift a heavy roll of paper 36, the sleeves 20 are slipped over forks 12 of the lift truck and releasably anchored in place by set screws 22.

With the forks in their lowered horizontal position, and with the lift pads 24 also in their lowered horizontal position, the forks and lift pads are slipped beneath the roll on opposite sides until the lift pads are placed forwardly of the center of gravity of the roll, indicated by dashed line 38 of FIG. 4.

The forks then are raised to give sufiicient clearance and, with the roll still in its horizontal position, or tilted slightly rearwardly, transported to the desired location. Assuming that the roll is to be deposited on a pallet 40, the lift truck is maneuvered until the leadin lower edge of the roll overlies the near upper margin of the pallet. The forks then are tilted forwardly and downwardly until contact is made. This is the position of FIG. 4.

The forks then slowly are levelled and elevated, with the result that the roll tilts, in a clockwise direction, until it becomes overbalanced and drops a short distance to its vertical rest position of FIG. 5. During this movement, lift pads 24 move angularly about pivot pin 30, also in a clockwise direction, as required to apply controlling pressure to the side of the roll. Upon conclusion of this sequence the lift truck is backed off, and the pads dropped to their horizontal position, ready to move another roll.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and described is to be taken as an illustrative example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A paper roll handling attachment for lift trucks equipped with a pair of laterally spaced, outwardly projecting forks, the attachment comprising:

(a) a pair of separate sleeves dimensioned for slipping over the ends of the forks,

(b) releasable lock means for releasably securing each sleeve to its associated fork,

(c) a pair of concavely arcuate lift pads one associated with each sleeve and having a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the roll to be handled, and

(d) pivotal mounting means mounting each pad on the outer end of its associated sleeve for pivotal movement of the pads on a horizontal axis between a horizontal position overlying the sleeves for supporting a paper roll horizontally between the laterally spaced pads and a vertical position forwardly of and substantially normal to the sleeves for depositing the paper roll vertically, the curved surfaces of the pad being arranged facing each other and forming laterally spaced arcuate segments substantially corresponding to the arc of the paper roll.

2. The paper roll handling attachment of claim 1 wherein the pivotal mounting means comprise tongue and clevis means mounted respectively on the sleeves and the undersides of the pads in the plane of the sleeves, and pivot pin means penetrating the tongue and clevis means.

3. The paper roll handling attachment of claim 1 including limit means interengaging the sleeves and pads for limiting the pivotal movement of the pads between substantially horizontal and substantially vertical positions.

4. The paper roll handling attachment of claim 1 wherein the pads are spaced apart laterally a distance substantially less than the diameter described by their arcuate curvature.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,833,764 11/1931 Tremblay et al.

2,011,656 8/1935 Sill 214704 2,803,363 8/1957 Hutchinson.

2,827,189 3/1958 Knudstrup 214620 3,071,268 1/1963 Wales 21462O 3,307,724 3/1967 Miller 21462O X 3,319,815 5/1967 Vik 214-620 GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.