Apparatus for the conveyance of standard size objects

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH LOAD CARRIERS OF A COMMON SIZE AND SHAPE, APPARATUS FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING THE LOAD CARRIERS INDIVIDUALLY, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A FIXED STORAGE PLATFORM HAVING A FREE EDGE, A VEHICLE ADAPTED FOR BEING PLACED ADJACENT SAID FREE EDGE OF THE PLATFORM TO LOAD AND UNLOAD THE LOAD CARRIERS BETWEEN SAID VEHICLE AND SAID PLATFORM, SAID VEHICLE INCLUDING A BODY, WHEELS SUPPORTING SAID BODY, SAID BODY HAVING A FLAT UPPER LOADING PLATFORM, SAID BODY INCLUDING A DRIVER''S CABIN BENEATH THE LOADING PLATFORM, SAID PLATFORM EXTENDING THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE VEHICLE, LONGITUDINAL SLIDE RAILS ON AND EXTENDING THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE LOADING PLATFORM, SAID SLIDE RAILS HAVING A LATERAL SPACING TO SUPPORT LOAD CARRIERS INDIVIDUALLY FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE VEHICLE WHILE RESTRICTING LATERAL MOVEMENT OF THE LOAD CARRIERS, SLIDE RAILS ON SAID STORAGE PLATFORM HAVING THE SAME SPACING AS THE SLIDE RAILS ON THE PLATFORM OF THE VEHICLE WHEREBY THE VEHICLE CAN BE DRIVEN FORWARDLY AND REARWARDLY TOWARDS THE FIXED PLATFORM TO ALIGN THE SLIDE RAILS ON THE VEHICLE WITH THE SLIDE RAILS ON THE STORAGE PLATFORM FOR THE LOADING AND UNLOADING OF THE LOAD CARRIERS INDIVIDUALLY BETWEEN THE VEHICLE AND THE FIXED PLATFORM, SAID LOAD CARRIERS INCLUDING FEET AT THE MARGINS THEREOF, AND LATERALLY PROJECTING SKIDS ON EACH FOOT EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AND ENGAGEABLE IN SLIDING RELATION IN THE SLIDE RAILS ON THE VEHICLE, THE LATTER SLIDE RAILS HAVING A CHANNEL CROSS-SECTION WITH UPPER AND LOWER FLANGES, THE SKIDS ON THE LOAD CARRIERS PROJECTING BETWEEN THE FLANGES OF THE SLIDE RAILS ON THE VEHICLE AND BEING SUPPORTED ON THE LOWER FLANGES THEREOF, THE SLIDE RAILS BEING SUPPORTED ON THE VEHICLE WITH THE LOWER FLANGES THEREOF LOCATED AT A HEIGHT WHICH EXCEEDS THE DISTANCE OF THE SKIDS FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE LOAD CARRIERS WHEREBY THE FEET OF THE LOAD CARRIERS WILL BE LIFTED ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THE LOAD CARRIERS ARE SLIDABLY ADVANCED IN THE SLIDE RAILS, THE UPPER FLANGES OF THE SLIDE RAILS PREVENTING TILTING OF THE SKIDS IN THE SLIDE RAILS, SAID SLIDE RAILS ON THE STORAGE PLATFORM COMPRISING A LOWER FLANGE, A BEARING MEMBER AND A ROLLER ROTATABLY SUPPORTED IN THE BEARING MEMBER, SAID ROLLER BEING AT A HEIGHT TO ENGAGE AND SUPPORT THE LOAD CARRIERS AT THE LOWER SURFACE THEREOF SUCH THAT THE FEED AND SKIDS ARE FREELY SUSPENDED AT A LEVEL WHEREBY THE LOAD CARRIERS MAY BE TRANSFERRED TO AND FROM THE SLIDE RAILS ON THE VEHICLE IN A MANNER SUCH THAT THE SKIDS WILL REST ON THE LOWER FLANGES OF THE SLIDE RAILS WHEN ON THE VEHICLE.