US3727650A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Transfer arrangements
Assignee: The General Electric Company PLC
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Filing: 1971-02-22
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Granted: 1973-04-17
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Expires: 1991-02-22
Abstract
Abstract A transfer arrangement for transferring articles between two relatively moving stations such as ships under way in which a support cable extending between the stationsprovides a support for an article carrier, in which one of the stations carries a plurality of trolleys each supporting spaced regions of a flexible hose, and means are provided for feeding the trolleys on to the support cable until the leading trolley reaches the other station to permit the transfer of fluids between the stations, the movement of the intermediate trolleys being thereafter controlled in dependence upon variations in the distance between the stations to maintain a substantially uniform spacing between them.
Inventors
- 👤 D Ingram
- 👤 K Mitchell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 20:48
CPC Classifications
B; B63; B63B; B63B27/00; B63B27/18; B63B22/00; B63B22/02; B63B22/021
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
219 words
A transfer arrangement for transferring articles between two stations which are capable of moving relatively to each other during such transfer so as to vary their distance apart, including an article carrier, a winch, a support cable carried by the winch on one of the two stations and extendable to a connecting member on the other station to provide a support for the article carrier, the article carrier being movable across the cable between the two stations, means for controlling the operation of the winch to enable the support cable to be paid-out or hauled-in in dependence upon variations in the distance between the two stations, a flexible hose, a plurality of trolleys each capable of supporting a respective one of a plurality of spaced regions of said flexible hose, there being provided on said one station a support rail for said plurality of trolleys, means for driving at least some of the trolleys from the support rail to the cable when the latter is connected between the two stations to enable the leading trolley to be fed along the cable to said other station to carry an end of the hose thereto, and means for feeding trailing trolleys supporting the intermediate regions of the hose along the support cable at controlled rates to spaced positions along the cable.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
219 words
A transfer arrangement for transferring articles between two stations which are capable of moving relatively to each other during such transfer so as to vary their distance apart, including an article carrier, a winch, a support cable carried by the winch on one of the two stations and extendable to a connecting member on the other station to provide a support for the article carrier, the article carrier being movable across the cable between the two stations, means for controlling the operation of the winch to enable the support cable to be paid-out or hauled-in in dependence upon variations in the distance between the two stations, a flexible hose, a plurality of trolleys each capable of supporting a respective one of a plurality of spaced regions of said flexible hose, there being provided on said one station a support rail for said plurality of trolleys, means for driving at least some of the trolleys from the support rail to the cable when the latter is connected between the two stations to enable the leading trolley to be fed along the cable to said other station to carry an end of the hose thereto, and means for feeding trailing trolleys supporting the intermediate regions of the hose along the support cable at controlled rates to spaced positions along the cable.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
92 words
A transfer arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the second trolley incorporates means for engagement with the article carrier such that traversal of the latter across the cable effects the feeding of this trolley and the leading trolley along the cable, and the means for feeding said trailing trolleys along the cable comprises traction sheaves carried by the trolleys for engagement with the support cable, and gearing means controlling the rotation of the sheaves and selected for each of the trolleys to effect the required spacing of the trolleys along the cable.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
46 words
A transfer arrangement according to claim 2 wherein the said other station is provided with means for engaging and supporting the leading trolley, and the second trolley being subsequently withdrawable from the leading trolley to a position on the support cable spaced from said other station.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
44 words
A transfer arrangement according to claim 3 wherein catch means are provided for releasably securing together the leading and second trolleys to enable the leading trolley to be withdrawn across the support cable with the second trolley at the end of a transfer operation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
109 words
A transfer arrangement according to claim 3 including control means associated with the winch for maintaining the article carrier and hence the second trolley at a distance from said other station which is a substantially constant proportion of the total distance between the two stations, despite relative movement of the stations, whilst the hose extends between them, the gearing means of the trailing trolleys being such as to produce a movement of these trolleys along the support cable in response to changes in the distance of the second trolley from the other station by amounts such as to maintain an approximately uniform spacing of the trolleys along the cable.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
146 words
A transfer arrangement according to claim 5 wherein the said winch is located on said one station and has a plurality of winch drums, the support cable is in the form of a loop with the two sections of the loop each carried by a respective one of the winch drums, the loop passing around a pulley on the other station, and the carrier member being fixed into one of the two loop sections so that it can be traversed between the two stations by appropriate operation of the winch drums, the control means being operable to cause the winch drums to pay-out or haul-in the two sections of the cable as required, following the positioning of the second trolley, in order to maintain the trolley at a distance from the second station which is substantially a constant proportion of the total distance between the stations.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
95 words
A transfer arrangement according to claim 6 wherein each of said trailing trolleys on the support cable is provided with a pair of said traction sheaves each engageable with a respective one of the two loop sections, the gearing means coupling the pair of sheaves in such a manner that differential movement of the two loop sections to maintain the said second trolley at a required spacing from the second station on relative movement of the two stations produces said movement of the trolleys along the cable to maintain said approximately uniform spacing between them.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
58 words
A transfer arrangement according to claim 1 wherein at least the said one station, is provided with a support arm capable of up-and-down pivoting movement from which the support cable is arranged to extend to the second station, the support arm carrying an auxiliary support rail on to which trolleys can be fed on to the support cable.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
57 words
A transfer arrangement according to claim 8 wherein at least one of the trolleys is retained by the main support rail, and at least one other by the auxiliary support rail when the hose is extended between the two stations, in order to provide supports for regions of the hose at the end adjacent the first station.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
69 words
A transfer arrangement according to claim 8 wherein the second station is also provided with a support arm which is capable of up-and-down pivoting movement, the support cable being arranged to extend between the pivoted support arms of both stations, and the support arm of the second station has associated with it means for securing the leading trolley thereto after the trolley has been traversed across the support cable.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
186 words
A supply ship carrying a flexible hose and means for feeding an end of the hose to another ship so that the hose extends between the ships, and for supporting the part of the hose between the ships, said means incorporating a winch, a support cable carried by the winch and arranged to extend to a connecting member on said other ship, means for controlling the operation of the winch to enable the support cable to be paid-out or hauled in in dependence upon variations in the distance between the ships, a support rail for a plurality of trolleys arranged to support a respective one of a plurality of spaced regions of said flexible hose, means for driving at least some of the trolleys from the support rail to the support cable when the latter is connected between the two ships, means for feeding the leading trolley along the cable to said other ship to carry an end of the hose thereto, and means for feeding trolleys supporting intermediate regions of the hose along the support cable at controlled rates to spaced positions along the cable.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
186 words
A supply ship carrying a flexible hose and means for feeding an end of the hose to another ship so that the hose extends between the ships, and for supporting the part of the hose between the ships, said means incorporating a winch, a support cable carried by the winch and arranged to extend to a connecting member on said other ship, means for controlling the operation of the winch to enable the support cable to be paid-out or hauled in in dependence upon variations in the distance between the ships, a support rail for a plurality of trolleys arranged to support a respective one of a plurality of spaced regions of said flexible hose, means for driving at least some of the trolleys from the support rail to the support cable when the latter is connected between the two ships, means for feeding the leading trolley along the cable to said other ship to carry an end of the hose thereto, and means for feeding trolleys supporting intermediate regions of the hose along the support cable at controlled rates to spaced positions along the cable.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
39 words
A supply ship according to claim 11 including at least two flexible hoses capable of being fed to respective other ships lying on opposite sides of the supply ship and each associated with a respective feeding and supporting means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-04-16 | 1976-10-16 | 1977-04-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-04-16 | 1980-10-16 | 1981-04-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-04-16 | 1984-10-16 | 1985-04-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |