Work-handling apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED, COMPRISING: A BASE; A CARRIER HAVING AN UPPER SUPPORT INCLUDING A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL PIVOT SPACED ABOVE THE BASE; MEANS MOUNTING THE CARRIER ON THE BASE FOR ELEVATION FROM AND DOWNWARD RETURN TO A DOWN POSITION; WORK-SUPPORTING MEANS HAVING A TOP SURFACE UPWARDLY OFFSET FROM SAID PIVOT TO OCCUPY A NORMAL POSITION AT A CERTAIN LEVEL WHEN THE CARRIER IS IN ITS DOWN POSITION, SAID WORK-SUPPORTING MEANS HAVING HOLDING MEANS FOR MOUNTING WORK ON SAID SURFACE AND SAID WORK-SUPPORTING MEANS FURTHER HAVING A DEPENDING MOUNTING PORTION CONNECTED TO SAID PIVOT TO MOUNT THE WORK-SUPPORTING MEANS FOR SWINGING THROUGH SUBSTANTIALLY 180* TO AN INVERTED POSITION IN WHICH SAID SURFACE IS OFFSET BELOW THE PIVOT TO THEREBY INVERT THE WORK; AND MECHANISM CONNECTED TO THE CARRIER AND OPERATIVE TO ELEVATE SAID CARRIER FROM ITS DOWN POSITION IN AN AMOUNT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO TWICE THE OFFSET BETWEEN SAID PIVOT AND SAID SURFACE SO THAT WHEN THE WORKSUPPORTING MEANS IS SWUNG TO ITS INVERTED POSITION SAID SURFACE WILL OCCUPY SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME LEVEL OCCUPIED THEREBY IN ITS AFORESAID NORMAL POSITION, AND SAID WORKSUPPORTING MEANS HAVING A THROUGH OPENING THEREIN IN ADDITION TO SAID HOLDING MEANS FOR ENABLING ACCESS THROUGH SAID SURFACE TO THE INVERTED WORK.