Means of lifting containers or vessels

Claim 1

A MEANS, FOR LIFTING A VESSEL HAVING AN OUTER AND AN INNER SURFACE AND A SUBSTANTIALLY-SMALL OPENING, SAID MEANS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION A LONGITUDINAL RECTANGULAR TUBULAR POSITION HAVING AN OUTER AND AN INNER EXTREMITY AND A LONGITUDINAL AXIS, AND ADAPTED TO FREELY ENTER SAID OPENING, THE INNER EXTERMITY FIRST, A TRANSVERSE MEMBER INTEGRAL WITH SAID TUBULAR PORTION AT SAID OUTER EXTERMITY, A RECTANGULAR PLUNGER SLIDABLY-EXTENDING AXIALLY INTO SAID TUBULAR PORTION AND HAVING AN UPPER AND A LOWER END, SAID PLUNGER HAVING AN AXIALLY-EXTENDING BIFURCATION ADJACENT SAID LOWER END, SAID BIFURCATION TERMINATING IN AN ABUTMENT SURFACE ADJACENT SAID LOWER END, A PAIR OF DOGS HAVING A COMMON PIVOT IN SAID BIFURCATION NORMAL TO THE WALLS OF SAID BIFURCATION, SAID DOGS HAVING UPPER AND LOWER EDGES, SAID PIVOT SO POSITIONED RELATIVE TO THE MASS OF SAID DOGS THAT THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF THE DOGS WILL TEND TO PIVOT AWAY FROM SAID AXIS IN MUTUALLY-OPPOSED DIRECTIONS, AND LONGITUDINAL APERTURES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID TUBULAR PORTION ALIGNED WITH SAID BIFURCATION TO PERMIT SAID DOGS TO PIVOT FREELY THROUGH SAID APERTURES, SAID APERTURES HAVING UPPER AND LOWER FACES, SAID PLUNGER TERMINATING AT SAID UPPER END IN A LIFT-ENGAGING MEANS, WHEN SAID LIFT-ENGAGING MEANS IS ENGAGED BY AN UPWARDLY DIRECTED LIFTING DEVICE AND SAID LIFTING DEVICE PROCEEDS TO LIFT SAID VESSEL, SAID PLUNGER IS DISPLACED AXIALLY AND UPWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID TUBULAR PORTION, PERMITTING PIVOTING OF SAID DOGS OUTWARDLY THROUGH SAID APERTURES RELATIVE TO SAID AXIS UNTIL SAID PIVOTING CAUSES THE SAID UPPER EDGES OF SAID DOGS TO ENGAGE SAID INNER SURFACE RESULTING IN SAID TUBULAR PORTION SHIFTING AXIALLY INWARDLY SO THAT SAID UPPER FACES ENGAGE SAID UPPER EDGES, AND WHEN SAID VESSEL IS TO RELEASED FROM SAID LIFTING MEANS, SAID HOOKENGAGING MEANS IS DISENGAGED SO AS TO GRAVITATIONALLY SHIFT SAID TUBULAR PORTION AXIALLY INWARDLY TO CAUSE SAID OUTER SURFACE TO ENGAGE SAID TRANSVERSE PORTION AND ALSO PERMIT SIMULTANEOUS AXIAL DISPLACEMENT OF SAID PLUNGER UNIT SAID LOWER FACES ENGAGE SAID LOWER EDGES OF SAID DOGS AND PIVOT THE LATTER UPWARDLY AND INTO SAID BIFURCATION, AND MEANS IN SAID BIFURCATION TO LIMIT THE INWARD TRAVEL OF SAID DOGS TOWARD SAID AXIS AND INTO SAID BIFURCATION TO PERMIT REMOVAL OF SAID MEANS FROM SAID OPENING.