Carriage for handling and displacing cable reels

Claim 1

A CARRIAGE, FOR LIFTING, TRANSPORTING AND ROTATING CABLE REELS, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A CHASSIS USHAPE IN PLAN AND INCLUDING A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED AND RELATIVELY ELONGATED SIDE MEMBERS INTERCONNECTED AT ONE END BY A CROSS MEMBER, SAID SIDE MEMBERS BEING ARRANGED TO HAVE A CABLE REEL SUPPORTED THEREBETWEEN WITH ITS AXIS TRANSVERSE TO SAID SIDE MEMBERS; A STEERING PLATFORM SUPPORTING SAID CROSS MEMBER AND ROTATABLE RELATIVE THERETO ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL AXIS; A STEERING AND DRIVING WHEEL ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON AND SUPPORTING SAID PLATFORM; DRIVING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID STEERING AND DRIVING WHEEL TO ROTATE THE LATTER; A PAIR OF FREELY ROTATABLE SUPPORT WHEELS EACH ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN A RESPECTIVE SUPPORT; MEANS MOUNTING EACH SUPPORT ON A RESPECTIVE SIDE MEMBER ADJACENT THE FREE END OF THE LATTER FOR VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT OF EACH SUPPORT WHEEL RELATIVE TO ITS ASSOCIATED SIDE MEMBER; A PAIR OF FIRST REEL SUPPORT ROLLERS EACH MOUNTED ON THE FREE END OF A RESPECTIVE SIDE MEMBER ON THE INNER SIDE THEREOF FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A REELENGAGING POSITION IN WHICH SAID FIRST ROLLERS ARE AXIALLY ALIGNED TRANSVERSELY OF THE SIDE MEMBERS TO ENGAGE THE RIMS OF A REEL BETWEEN SAID SIDE MEMBERS, AND A RETRACTED POSITION IN WHICH SAID FIRST ROLLERS ARE SWUNG OUT OF THE WAY TO PROVIDE FOR ENTRY OF A REEL BETWEEN SAID SIDE MEMBERS; A PAIR OF SECOND REEL SUPPORT ROLLERS SECURED IN AXIALLY SPACED RELATION TO AN AXLE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID SIDE MEMBER INWARDLY OF SADI FIRST ROLLERS; AND MEANS SELECTIVELY OPERABLE TO ADJUST SAID AXLE LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID SIDE MEMBERS; WHEREBY, WHEN A REEL HAS BEEN ENTERED BETWEEN SAID SIDE MEMBERS WITH SAID FIRST ROOLERS IN A RETRACTED POSITION AND SAID FIRST ROLLERS THEREAFTER MOVED TO THE REEL-ENGAGING POSITION, SAID SECOND ROLLERS MAY BE MOVED TOWARDS SAID FIRST ROLLERS TO ENGAGE THE RIMS OF THE REEL AND, ACTING CONJOINTLY WITH SAID FIRST ROLLERS ENGAGED WITH THE REEL RIMS, TO LIFT THE REEL.