US3583586A

US3583586A - Lift truck apparatus for manipulating storage drums

Info

Publication number: US3583586A
Application number: US797186A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jerry Fred Burton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-02-06
Filing date: 1969-02-06
Publication date: 1971-06-08
Anticipated expiration: 1988-06-08

Abstract

An apparatus for use on lift trucks to handle cylindrical loads, such as barrels or storage drums, which apparatus is capable of gripping and lifting one drum or one or more pairs of drums at a time and of executing a wrist-type action which permits rotating the entire load through 360* about a horizontal axis and orienting each pair of drums through 120* with respect to each other. The apparatus embodies on or more sets of clamping means comprising two cooperating gripping jaws pivoted to the end of an arm on a support member. A first actuating means is fixed to the support member for pivoting one jaw of the set relative to the support member and a second actuating means is fixed to the first jaw for pivoting the other jaw relative to the first. The second actuating means control the gripping motion of the apparatus and the first actuating means rotates each pair of drums through 120* about the line of tangency. This rotation is permitted by spacing the end of the arm at least a drum width from the support member. The support member is mounted for vertical translation and complete rotation on the mast of the lift truck to provide the other manipulative capabilities.

Description

United States Patent 172] lnventor Jerry Fred Burton Box 198-A, Route #8, Lexington, N.C. 27292 121] Appl. No. 797,186

[22] Filed Feb. 6, 1969 [45] Patented June 8, 1971 [54] LIFT TRUCK APPARATUS FOR MANIPULATING 655,149,147, 674, 673, 672, 701, 701 R, 653, 654, l RCM, l P, 1 PL,3, 1 B3, 1 B4; 294/8722,

Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-George F. Abraham Attorneys-Robert S. Dunham, P. E. Henninger, Lester W. Clark, Gerald W. Griffin, Thomas F. Moran, Howard J. Churchill, R. Bradlee Boal, Christopher C. Dunham and Thomas P. Dowd ABSTRACT: An apparatus for use on lift trucks to handle cylindrical loads, such as barrels or storage drums, which apparatus is capable of gripping and lifting one drum or one or more pairs of drums at a time and of executing a wrist-type action which permits rotating the entire load through 360about a horizontal axis and orienting each pair of drums through 120 with respect to each other. The apparatus embodies on 8724, 106 or more sets of clamping means comprising two cooperating gripping aws pivoted to the end of an arm on a support [56] References Cited member. A first actuating means is fixed to the support UNITED STATES PATENTS member for pivoting one jaw of the set relative to the support member and a second actuating means is fixed to the first jaw 322: for pivoting the other jaw relative to the first. The second ac- 3322456 5/1967 294/88 tuating means control the gripping motion of the apparatus 3460329 8/1969 294/88) and the first actuating means rotates each pair of drums 2706060 4/1955 Femmo 214/652 through 120 about the line of tangency. This rotation is permitted by spacing the end of the arm at least a drum width 3,295,882 1/1967 Wallberg 214/654 from the pp member. The pp member is mounted FOREIGN PATENTS for vertical translation and complete rotation on the mast of 1,076,562 2/1960 Germany 214/653 the lift truck to provide the other manipulative capabilities.

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sum 3 OF 4 LIFT TRUCK APPARATUS FOR MANIPULATING STORAGE DRUMS CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The apparatus of the present invention may be used in connection with the method and apparatus disclosed in my copending application, Ser. No. 802,775 filed Feb. 27, I969, entitled Method and Apparatus for Assembling Cylinders in a Minimum Space, and Product of That Method and Apparatus, and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of handling and transporting heavy loads and more particularly to means for lifting and manipulating large cylinders such as storage drums.

In the handling oflarge cylindrical objects such as barrels or storage drums, it is quite desirable when large numbers of such drums are to be stored that a maximum utilization of the storage space available be attained. Also, ease and rapidity of moving and stacking such drums or conversely removing them from a stack is desirable and can be of significant economic importance. Various devices have been designed to facilitate the lifting, transporting, and manipulation of such cylindrical loads, the most common of which is the conventional lift truck. This type of truck is equipped with an elevator or mast on which the load engaging apparatus is mounted. For example, in US. Pat. No. 2,815,878 issued to R. G. Vance on Dec. 10, 1957, a cylinder or roll handling mechanism is disclosed, which is adapted to be attached to a lift truck to clamp, lift and lower and by angular or rotational displacement, change the position of a heavy cylindrical object which is being taken in or out of a storage facility. The disclosed load handling mechanism comprises a clamping means, mounted on an upright elevator or mast, and constructed of two jaws that are capable of gripping a large cylinder and elevating it to any given position along the track of the elevator structure. The clamping means is hydraulically actuated and is attached to a turntable which rides on the elevator column. When the cylinder is lifted from a rest position, the turntable is capable of rotating it from a vertical to a horizontal orientation or of completely inverting it. The clamping means provides a firm grip on the cylinder between its grippingjaws without the need for physical contact or assistance on the part of the operator. However, this particular type of cylinder-handling mechanism is limited in its design and function to gripping and moving an individual cylinder into and out of a stacking arrangement, and to reorienting it only about the turntable axis, so that generally the cylinder is simply transferred from one area of the storage facility to another area singly and without regard for specific positioning within a given stack.

By contrast, a later US. Fat. to E. K. Hanson, No. 3,172,693, dated Mar. 9, I965, discloses a prior art assembly for handling cylindrical loads which is capable of lifting and transporting more than one cylinder at a time. In the Hanson embodiment, a barrel grab assembly is mounted on the can riage ofa forklift vehicle. The assembly has a pair of cylinderengaging jaw units which are pivotally mounted on mutually inclined axes and are axially adjustable to accommodate barrels of various sizes. It is thus possible with the Hanson assembly to lift more than one cylinderto a selected height while it is firmly held between the jaws. The lifting movement of the assembly is controlled by the upward or downward movement of a hydraulic actuator contained within the elevator. A pair of actuators is provided to transmit the compressive gripping force to the jaws which encircle the cylinders and are capable of lifting or changing the cylinders to any position or to a selected height or angle with respect to a horizontal axis.

In neither of the aforesaid assemblies, however, or in any other prior art apparatus are means presented which enable the operator to grip one or more pairs of cylinders, elevate or lower them, and also rotate them about their line of tangency as well as a horizontal axis. An apparatus with such capabilities is the subject of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The apparatus of the present invention embodies a means for lifting cylindrical objects such as barrels or storage drums singly or in one or more pairs and manipulating each pair with a wrist type action which permits rotation through 360 about a horizontal axis and through as much as [20 about their line of tangency. The apparatus comprises one or more sets of clamping means, each having two cooperating gripping jaws pivoted to a support member. A first actuating means such as a hydraulic cylinder is fixed to the support member and pivots one jaw of the set relative to the support member. A second actuating means is fixed to this first jaw and pivots the other jaw relative to either the first jaw or the support member. The second actuating means produce the gripping motion of the jaws and the first actuating means produces the rotation of the drums about their line of tangency. The jaws are pivoted to the end of an extension on the support member, the pivot point being spaced at least a drum width from the support member. The support member is mounted for vertical translation and complete rotation on the elevator or mast of a lift truck to provide the other manipulative capabilities. The truck mast may also be made pivotable about a horizontal axis.

The apparatus is particularly useful for stacking and rearranging large numbers of storage drums such as when it is desired to transfer such drums from a regular to a staggered configuration or from a horizontal to a vertical orientation or into any of the various combinations thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The apparatus of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus of the present invention mounted on a conventional lift truck and being used to load or unload storage drums on a transporting truck;

FIG. 2 is a view as in FIG. I with the apparatus lowered and rotated about a horizontal axis;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one form of the apparatus showing the details of the clamping means with hydraulic actuating means closing the grippingjaws on four drums;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the gripping jaws in FIG. 3 holding only one drum;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternate form of the apparatus wherein additional holding plate means are interposed between the drums being held;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation partially broken away of the apparatus of FIG. 5 showing the movement of the added holding plates in an unloading operation;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the apparatus of FIG. 5 showing the sequential positioning of two pairs of drums adjacent a group of drums stored in a staggered configuration by pivoting the pairs of drums about their line of tangency and with respect to the longitudinal axis of the lift truck;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 5 shown gripping a single drum; and

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of another embodiment of the apparatus having discontinuous grippingjaws.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 shows the apparatus of the present invention in a normal operational environment. A lift truck 1, having a mast 2 upon which the apparatus 3 is mounted, is shown in position for removing some upper drums from a number of storage drums 4a, 4b4m, 4n stacked on the rear bed 5 ofa transport truck 6. The drums 4a--4n are stacked on their sides, end to end, in a regular configuration. A clamping means 7, which is part of the apparatus 3, and comprises the

gripping jaws

8 and 9, is positioned above the

upper drums

4a and 4b and these drums are gripped by the jaws, 8 and 9, through the action of hydraulic actuating cylinders and 11. When the drums 4a and 3b have been gripped, they may be lifted from the truck 6 by raising the support frame 12 to which the gripping jaws, 8 and 9, are attached. The raising of the support frame 12 is accomplished by the elevator 13 on the lift truck mast 2, on which elevator 1.3 the support frame 12 is rotatably mounted. The support frame mounting is in the form of a baseplate 15 on a turntable 16 which permits the support frame 12 and thus the attached gripping jaws, 8 and 9, to be rotated through a full 360 about the turntable axis. The mast 2 may be pivotally mounted on the lift truck I and its position adjusted by a hydraulic cylinder 60.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the

drums

4a and 4b have been lifted from the truck E, they may be stacked in a vertical position with their ends on the ground by rotating the turntable 16 through an arc of 90 and lowering the support frame 12 by means of the elevator 13 on the lift truck mast 2. It is also seen in this figure that another set of gripping jaws, 8a and 9a, may be provided on the support frame 12 so that two additional drums, 4c and 4d or a total of four drums may be handled at the same time.

The details of construction of the clamping means 7 shown in FIG. 2 are better seen with reference to FIG. 3. The support frame 12 is constructed of the backplate 15 with two

arms

17 and 18, on its opposite ends. The outer ends of the arms, 17 and 18, are connected by a crossbar 19 which contains a pivot shaft 20 for mounting the set of clamping means 7. Two sets of clamping means 7 and 7a are shown and each comprises two jaws, 8, 9 and 8a, 90, respectively, which are pivoted on the ends of the pivot shaft 20 which extend from the

support frame arms

17 and 18. An arcuate gripping plate or pad 21 is provided on each of the jaws to partially surround and engage the drums 4a-4d which are to be handled.

The inner or

proxial jaws

9 and 9a of the two clamping means 7 and 7a are connected by means of a crossbar or yoke 22 which is attached to respective tabs, 23 and 23a, fixed on the gripping pads 21. The hydraulic cylinder 11 is mounted on a crossbar 24 fixed to the support frame arms 17 and I8 and has its piston rod 25 operatively connected to the yoke 22. Each of the clamping means 7 and 7a is also provided with an

hydraulic cylinder

10 and 10a which is fixed to a pivot 28 on the

inner jaws

9 and 9a and has a

piston rod

26 and 26a connected to the outer or distal jaws 3 and 8a by pivot 29.

In operating the clamping means, 7 and 7a, the

cylinders

10 and 10a are used to open and close the jaws in the gripping action and the cylinder 11 acts to pivot the cooperating jaws with respect to the support frame arms, 17 and 18. The cylinder 11 is connected to the inner jaws, 9 and 9a, in such manner as to pivot the clamping means 7 and 7a through as much as 120 about the axis defined by the support frame crossbar 19. This is accomplished by spacing the pivot axis at least a drum width from the backplate l5 and cutting out

portions

90 and 80 of the

support arms

17 and 13 to accommodate the gripping pads and drums.

Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the jaws of either of the clamping means 7 or 7a may be pivoted by the

rods

26 or 26a of

cylinders

10 and 10a to an extent to grip a single drum, such as 4a, when desired, instead of two drums as shown in the prior figure. Thus, one through four, or more, drums may be handled by the present clamping means as will be clear upon considering obvious variations in operation and construction of the apparatus, such as by individual operation of the

cylinders

10 and 10a and by increasing the number of clamping means.

A modification of the clamping means of the present invention is shown in FIG. 5. The gripping pads 31 in this embodiment may be of a smaller arcuate size, as compared with the former pads, 21, by the use of an additional structure comprising a tongue 32 connecting two

arcuate holding plates

33 and 34. The tongue 32 is mounted for pivoting on the support arm by pivot pin 50 along with the respective gripping jaws. In this embodiment, pivot pins 50 are used by in either case both pins 50 or shaft 20 are suitable for mounting thejaws and tongue. Also, the plates 31 and

plates

33 and 34 are shown as integral units but it will be seen that they may be constructed in disconnected pairs in the manner of the pads 21 in FIG. 3.

As seen in FIG. 6 when the gripping jaws, 8 and 9, are placed about two

juxtaposed drums

4m and 4n, the junction point 35 of the holding

plates

33 and 34 will engage and ride along the upper surface of one of the drums pivoting the tongue 32 so that the holding

plates

33 and 34 fall into place engaging the adjacent surfaces of the drums. The gripping action of the two

jaws

8 and 9 force the

drums

4m and 4n against the holding

plates

33 and 34 achieving a tight and secure grip on the drums.

The illustration of the gripping operation in FIG. 6 when taken with that of FIG. 7 will give a clear understanding of the manipulative capabilities of the clamping means of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows the transport truck 6 of FIG. 1 partially unloaded and with two

juxtaposed drums

4m and 4n lying on their sides on the rear bed 5. It will be understood, of course, that other drums may be lying end to end with these drums as previously described. When the drums are to be unloaded, the lift truck 1 fitted with the improved clamping means 7 is brought alongside the truck 6. By lowering the elevator 13 on the truck mast 2, the pads 31 on the gripping jaws, 8 and 9, are placed about the outer sides of the two drums, 41m and 4n, with the holding plates, 33 and 34, riding into engagement with the inner sides. Again, it will be understood that four drums may be gripped simultaneously as shown in FIG. 5.

The gripped drums, 4m and 4n, are then removed from the truck bed 5 by raising the elevator 13. They may be transported in the horizontal position or if preferred in the vertical position by rotating the clamping means 7, through an arc of 90 about the horizontal. This rotation is achieved by means of the turntable 16 mounted on the elevator 13. Before and after the desired rotation, a line A joining the centers of the

drums

4m and 4n, and perpendicular to their line of tangency C, will be aligned with the longitudinal axis B of the lift truck 1. Upon arriving at the area where the

drums

4m and 4n are to be stored, the elevator 13 may be lowered and the

drums

4m and 4n placed in a regular configuration with those that have been already stacked for storage. However, it is frequently desirable to stagger the stacking configuration for greater space utilization. In such event, the rod 25 of cylinder 11 may be extended to pivot the

gripping jaws

8 and 9 about pivot 50 and reorient the line A joining the center of

drums

4m and 4n, by a desired amount such as 60 with respect to the longitudinal axis B of the lift truck 1 as shown in FIG. 7. However, it will be seen, as in the case of the previously positioned

drums

4a and 4b, that the drums may be pivoted by as much as l20 about their line of tangency C and respectively seat at the ends of the arcuate path in the cutout portions and in the support arm 17.

Now, the manipulative capabilities of the improved clamping means 7 may be fully appreciated if in considering the arrangement shown in FIG. 7, the turntable 16 is rotated through 180 while the

drums

4a and 4b are being gripped. The

drums

4a and 4b would then be turned over and oriented at a 60 angle on the opposite side of the lift truck longitudinal axis B in the respective positions of

drums

4n and 4m. Thus, a pair of drums, such as the

drums

4a and 4b, while held in the clamping means 7 may be rotated through 360 about a horizontal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis B of the lift truck 1 and oriented about their line of tangency, that is, with respect to each other through an arc of or if turned over, through as much as 240. Pivoting of the mast 2 by the cylinder 60, shown in FIG. 1, adds a further manipulative capability.

It will be seen in FIG. 7 that a pair of drums may be placed on either side of the stacking pattern by pivoting them through either 60 or 120, with respect to the axis B without the need for turning them over. This feature is of importance when handling drums which have a definite top and bottom and cannot be stored upside down.

It also should be noted that the sequence of stacking the drums in a staggered pattern is important to avoid interference between the clamping means 7 and the previously stacked drums. [f in FIG. 7

drums

4m and 4n are put in place before

drums

4a and 4b, the outer pair 8 of the clamping means 7 will be interposed between drums 4n and 40 when it is attempted to place

drums

4a and 4b in the stack. A method for properly and efficiently stacking the drums with the apparatus of the present invention is disclosed in my copending application, Ser. No. 802,775 filed Feb. 27, 1969 and assigned the same assignee as the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows the embodiment of the clamping means of FIG 5 gripping a single drum 4n. Since the tongue 32 is free to pivot on the pivot pin 50, the holding

surface

33 or 34, which first contacts the drum surface will ride on and engage the upper surface of the gripped drum 4n providing three point gripping contact.

FIG. 9 shows a further modified embodiment of the clamping means of the present invention wherein dual gripping pads 41a and 41b are used on each of the

grippingjaws

8 and 9. The pads 4111 at the outer ends of the jaws grip two

cylinders

4a and 4b between them through the action of hydraulic cylinder 10 and the two inner pads 41b act somewhat in the manner of the holding

plates

33 and 34 in the prior embodiment.

It will thus be seen that in improved apparatus for use on lift trucks to handle one or more pairs of generally cylindrical loads, such as barrels or drums, is provided with improved load manipulating capabilities which permit the load to be rotated through 360 about a horizontal axis, and each pair of drums to be oriented through 120 or more with respect to each other, thereby enabling the drums to be stacked in various space-saving configurations. ln addition, since more than one drum may be handled at a time, the time and number of operations required for unloading and storing cylindrical loads is significantly reduced over that which can be achieved by the prior art load handling means.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for lifting and manipulating storage cylinders comprising:

a. a support means;

b. first and second cylinder-engaging means pivotable with respect to said support means and comprising arcuate members which cooperate to engage the surfaces of two juxtaposed cylinders opposite their line of tangency;

c. third cylinder-engaging means pivotable with respect to said support means and comprising arcuate members which cooperate to engage the surfaces of said juxtaposed cylinders adjacent their line of tangency;

d. first actuator means connected between said support means and said first cylinder-engaging means for controllably pivoting said first cylinder-engaging means relative to said support means;

e. second actuator means connected between said first cylinder-engaging means and said second cylinder-engaging means for controllably pivoting said second cylinderengaging means relative to said first cylinder-engaging means; and

f. an extension on said support means having pivot means on which said first, second and third cylinder-engaging means are each pivoted, said pivot means being spaced from said support means by at least the width of a cylinder to be manipulated to permit a cylinder adjacent said support means to be grasped by said first and second cylinder-engaging means and pivoted through an are greater than about the axis of said pivot means.

2. An apparatus for use on a lift truck elevator to lift and manipulate one or more pairs of drums about two transverse axes comprising:

a. a turntable mounted on the elevator;

b. a support mounted on said turntable for rotation therewith through at least 90;

c. an extension on said support having pivot means thereon spaced at least a drum width from said support;

d first and second gripping jaws each pivoted on said pivot means; drum gripping members on each of said aws, having portions spaced at least a drum width from said pivot means and cooperating to respectively engage the outer surfaces of twojuxtaposed drums;

f. means pivoted on said pivot means for engaging the surfaces of said juxtaposed cylinders adjacent their line of tangency',

g. a first actuator connected to said support for pivoting said first gripping jaw relative to said support through at least 30; and

. a second actuator connected between said first gripping jaw and said second gripping jaw for pivoting said second gripping jaw relative to said first gripping jaw to cooperatively engage two juxtaposed cylinders between said gripping members.

Claims

1. Apparatus for lifting and manipulating storage cylinders comprising: a. a support means; b. first and second cylinder-engaging means pivotable with respect to said support means and comprising arcuate members which cooperate to engage the surfaces of two juxtaposed cylinders opposite their line of tangency; c. third cylinder-engaging means pivotable with respect to said support means and comprising arcuate members which cooperate to engage the surfaces of said juxtaposed cylinders adjacent their line of tangency; d. first actuator means connected between said support means and said first cylinder-engaging means for controllably pivoting said first cylinder-engaging means relative to said support means; e. second actuator means connected between said first cylinderengaging means and said second cylinder-engaging means for controllably pivoting said second cylinder-engaging means relative to said first cylinder-engaging means; and f. an extension on said support means having pivot means on which said first, second and third cylinder-engaging means are each pivoted, said pivot means being spaced from said support means by at least the width of a cylinder to be manipulated to permit a cylinder adjacent said support means to be grasped by said first and second cylinder-engaging means and pivoted through an arc greater than 90* about the axis of said pivot means.

2. An apparatus for use on a lift truck elevator to lift and manipulate one or more pairs of drums about two transverse axes comprising: a. a turntable mounted on the elevator; b. a support mounted on said turntable for rotation therewith through at least 90*; c. an extension on said support having pivot means thereon spaced at least a drum width from said support; d. first and second gripping jaws each pivoted on said pivot means; e. drum gripping members on each of said jaws, having portions spaced at least a drum width from said pivot means and cooperating to respectively engage the outer surfaces of two juxtaposed drums; f. means pivoted on said pivot means for engaging the surfaces of said juxtaposed cylinders adjacent their line of tangency; g. a first actuator connected to said support for pivoting said first gripping jaw relative to said support through at least 30*; and h. a second actuator connected between said first gripping jaw and said second gripping jaw for pivoting said second gripping jaw relative to said first gripping jaw to cooperatively engage two juxtaposed cylinders between said grippinG members.