Panel handling and transporting machines

Claim 1

A MOTORIZED VEHICLE FOR TRANSPORTING PANEL CARGO COMPRISING AN ELONGATED CHASSIS, INDEPENDENTLY STEERABLE AND DRIVEN PAIRS OF WHEELS A THE FORWARD AND REAR ENDS OF SAID CHASSIS, PANEL RACK MEANS VERTICALLY SLIDABLY SUPPORTED ON THE ELONGATED EDGES OF SAID CHASSIS AND ADAPTED TO BE LOWERED TO PICK UP CARGO WHEN SAID CHASSIS IS MOVED LATERALLY, AND TO TRANSPORT SAID CARGO WHEN SAID RACK IS ELEVATED AND THE CHASSIS IS PROPELLED IN A LONGITUDINAL OR CURVED PATH, EACH OF THE WHEELS BEING JOURNALED IN THE END OF A VERTICAL CYLINDRICAL COLUMN, BEARING MEANS ATTACHING THE COLUMN FOR HORIZONTAL ROTATION TO A CORNER OF THE CHASSIS, A SHAFT SUPPORTED IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT IN THE COLUMN, A RADIAL SHAFT SUPPORTED IN THE COLUMN IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE WHEEL JOURNAL, RIGHT ANGLE GEAR MEANS COOPERATIVELY ENGAGING THE LOWER END OF THE AXIAL SHAFT WITH THE INNER END OF THE RADIAL SHAFT, A SPROCKET MOUNTED ON THE EXTERIOR END OF THE RADIAL SHAFT, A SPROCKET NONROTATABLY AFFIXED TO THE WHEEL IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE RADIAL SHAFT SPROCKET, WHEREBY ROTATIONAL POWER APPLIED TO THE UPPER END OF THE AXIAL SHAFT ROTATES THE RADIAL SHAFT SPROCKET REGARDLESS OF THE STEERING ORIENTATION OF THE WHEEL, A DRIVE CHAIN CONNECTING THE RADIAL SHAFT SPROCKET WITH THE WHEEL SPROCKET, A TRACTION DRIVE MOTOR AND A STEERING DRIVE MOTOR PROVIDED FOR AND SUPPORTED ON EACH END OF THE CHASSIS, MEANS MECHANICALLY CONNECTING THE AXIAL SHAFTS OF THE TWO WHEEL AND COLUMN ASSEMBLIES AT EACH END OF THE VEHICLE FOR SYNCHRONIZED ROTATION, MECHANICAL COUPLING MEANS CONNECTING THE TRACTION DRIVE MOTOR TO SAID AXIAL SHAFTS FOR TORQUE DELIVERY THERETO, MEANS MECHANICALLY COUPLING THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID