Material handling apparatus

Claim 1

Material handling equipment including a platform with a luffing boom pivotally connected thereto and extending outwardly therefrom, a second boom pivotally connected to the free end of said first boom, means carried by said platform and connected to said second boom to maintain said second boom horizontal during variations of the inclination of the first boom to the horizontal, conveyor means mounted on the first and second booms by which material may be moved along said booms, a depending elevator unit carried by the free end of said second boom, means on said elevator whereby material may be fed to said elevator from a location displaced laterally of the elevator so as to be conveyed by the elevator to the second boom, coupling means carried by the free end of said second boom and including a member for connecting the elevator unit to said second boom for swivel movement about a vertical axis passing through said conveyor means on said second boom, said coupling means being pivotally connected to said elevator unit with said axis of pivot intersecting the vertical axis of movement of said coupling means in order to maintain the elevator unit in a constant orientation relatively to the vertical throughout movement of the boom, and means whereby, for any orientation within a range of the elevator unit relative to the boom, material discharging from the elevator passes to the conveyor means.