Pivotal and longitudinally movable attachment for a lift truck

Claim 1

AN ATTACHMENT FOR LOAD-HANDLING VEHICLE OF THE LIFT-TRUCK TYPE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL MAST, MEANS GUIDED BY AND MOVABLE VERTICALLY ALONG SAID MAST, AND MECHANICAL MEANS OPERABLE FROM SAID VEHICLE FOR IMPARTING SAID MOVEMENT OF SAID VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEANS, SAID ATTACHMENT COMPRISING: (A) BED MEANS DETACHABLY CONNECTED TO SAID VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEANS FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH, SAID BED MEANS EXTENDING FORWARDLY OF SAID VEHICLE AND BEING AT ALL TIMES APPROXIMATELY CENTERED RELATIVE TO THE LONGITUDINAL CENTER LINE OF SAID VEHICLE; (B) CARRIAGE MEANS MOUNTED UPON SAID BED MEANS IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID VEHICLE FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE THROUGH AN ARC OF AT LEAST 90* ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL AXIS EXTENDING AT ALL TIMES THROUGH APPROXIMATELY THE LONGITUDINAL CENTER LINE OF SAID VEHICLE; (C) ELONGATE FRAME MEANS MOUNTED UPON SAID CARRIAGE MEANS IN AN NORMAL CENTRAL POSITION RELATIVE THERETO FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT THEREWITH AND FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID CARRIAGE MEANS IN BOTH ALTERNATIVE DIRECTIONS FROM SAID NORMAL CENTRAL POSITION THEREOF AND TO OFFSET POSITIONS WHEREIN SAID FRAME MEANS PROJECTS OUTWARDLY BEYOND SAID CARRIAGE MEANS; (D) AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR BEL CARRIED BY SAID ELONGATE FRAME MEANS FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH AND FOR ROTATIVE MOVEMENT IN BOTH DIRECTIONS RELATIVE THERETO, SAID BELT HAVING UPPER AND LOWER FLIGHTS EXTENDING OVER THE ENTIRE LENGTH AND OVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF SAID ELONGATE FRAME MEANS, THE UPPER FLIGHT OF SAID BELT EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY ADJACENT THE UPPERMOST SURFACE OF SAID FRAME MEANS AND BEING ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A LOAD AND UPON ROTATION OF SAID BELT TO MOVE THE LOAD LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID ELONGATE FRAME MEANS; AND (E) POWER MEANS OPERABLE FROM SAID VEHICLE FOR IMPARTING SAID PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE MEANS AND SAID LONGITUDINAL MOVEDMENT TO SAID ELONGATE FRAME MEANS AND SAID ROTARY MOVEMENT TO SAID CONVEYOR BELT.