Patent US3612073A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US3833139A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3833139A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cargo transporting and handling vehicle
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1972-10-30
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Granted: 1974-09-03
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Expires: 1992-10-30
Abstract
Abstract A cargo transporting and handling vehicle is disclosed, which facilitates unloading of cargo elements from and loading of cargo elements onto the vehicle at the various stops along a route. The vehicle has a body having a plurality of elongated guide members mounted on the floor thereof so as to provide a plurality of longitudinally extending paths for guiding the direction of movement of cargo elements on the floor. When the cargo elements are standard sized, fifty-five gallon drums, four, closely adjacent paths are provided. A lift gate at the rear of the body serves to facilitate the loading of filled drums onto the rear ends of the paths, and doors are provided on the sides of the body, adjacent the front end thereof, through which empty drums on the paths are unloaded. A gate is provided at the front end of each pair of paths to control the movement of drums on the paths and onto an unloading station adjacent each side door. Movement of the drums along the paths as the vehicle proceeds along its route is achieved by slanting the paths downwardly from the rear end toward the front end of the vehicle body. A diverting abutment at the front end of the inner pair of paths serves to channel drums moving forwardly on the paths laterally outwardly toward the unloading stations. A novel side wall construction is disclosed, wherein portions of the side walls are laterally outwardly displaced at particular locations so that the side walls can be positioned close to the drums and the overall width of the vehicle body minimized. The laterally outwardly displaced portions of the side walls also serve to increase their strength. A novel method of loading and unloading the drums from the vehicle body is also disclosed, whereby the driver of the vehicle does not have to get into the vehicle body during a loading or unloading operation.
Inventors
- 👤 J Mahoney
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 09:04
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60P; B60P1/00; B60P1/36; B60P1/38
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
225 words
A cargo transporting and handling vehicle comprising a frame, a vehicle body mounted on said frame and having an elongated load supporting surface having front and rear ends, said vehicle body also having upstanding side walls and an upstanding front wall, means providing a loading station at the rear end of said body, means providing an unloading station at the front end of said body adjacent to said front wall, guide means carried by said load supporting surface and defining at least one path thereon for guiding cargo elements moving on said surface between said loading and unloading stations, at least one opening in one of said side walls providing access to said unloading station, means for proventing a cargo element on said unloading station from prematurely moving through said opening in said side wall, and shim means interposed between said frame and the underside of said load supporting surface, said shim means causing said load supporting surface and said path to be inclined downwardly toward said unloading station, whereby an operator of said vehicle may load cargo elements onto said loading station and remove cargo elements from said unloading station through said opening without getting into said vehicle body and the inertia forces acting on said cargo elements from acceleration and deceleration of said vehicle cause said cargo elements to advance along said path.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
225 words
A cargo transporting and handling vehicle comprising a frame, a vehicle body mounted on said frame and having an elongated load supporting surface having front and rear ends, said vehicle body also having upstanding side walls and an upstanding front wall, means providing a loading station at the rear end of said body, means providing an unloading station at the front end of said body adjacent to said front wall, guide means carried by said load supporting surface and defining at least one path thereon for guiding cargo elements moving on said surface between said loading and unloading stations, at least one opening in one of said side walls providing access to said unloading station, means for proventing a cargo element on said unloading station from prematurely moving through said opening in said side wall, and shim means interposed between said frame and the underside of said load supporting surface, said shim means causing said load supporting surface and said path to be inclined downwardly toward said unloading station, whereby an operator of said vehicle may load cargo elements onto said loading station and remove cargo elements from said unloading station through said opening without getting into said vehicle body and the inertia forces acting on said cargo elements from acceleration and deceleration of said vehicle cause said cargo elements to advance along said path.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
The cargo transporting and handling vehicle of claim 1, in which said shim means comprises at least one elongated, vertically tapered member arranged with its thickest portion at the rear of said body.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
232 words
A vehicle adapted to transport a plurality of cargo elements and effect movement thereof in said vehicle to facilitate loading and unloading of the same, said vehicle comprising a vehicle body having an elongated cargo supporting surface having longitudinally spaced ends and laterally spaced sides, guide means carried by said surface and providing at least two parallel paths thereon extending longitudinally of said surface, each of said paths having a cargo receiving end and a cargo discharging end, means providing an unloading station at the discharge end of one of said paths for sequentially receiving cargo elements moving onto said unloading station from said paths, and stop means for controlling movement of cargo elements through the discharge ends of said paths onto said unloading station, said stop means having a first position adapted to prevent cargo elements on one of said paths from moving out of the discharge end thereof and onto said unloading station while permitting cargo elements on the other of said paths to successively move out of the discharge end thereof and onto said unloading station, said stop means having a second position adapted to permit cargo elements on said one path to successively move out of the discharge end thereof and onto said unloading station while preventing cargo elements on the other of said paths from moving out of the discharge end thereof and onto said unloading station.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
232 words
A vehicle adapted to transport a plurality of cargo elements and effect movement thereof in said vehicle to facilitate loading and unloading of the same, said vehicle comprising a vehicle body having an elongated cargo supporting surface having longitudinally spaced ends and laterally spaced sides, guide means carried by said surface and providing at least two parallel paths thereon extending longitudinally of said surface, each of said paths having a cargo receiving end and a cargo discharging end, means providing an unloading station at the discharge end of one of said paths for sequentially receiving cargo elements moving onto said unloading station from said paths, and stop means for controlling movement of cargo elements through the discharge ends of said paths onto said unloading station, said stop means having a first position adapted to prevent cargo elements on one of said paths from moving out of the discharge end thereof and onto said unloading station while permitting cargo elements on the other of said paths to successively move out of the discharge end thereof and onto said unloading station, said stop means having a second position adapted to permit cargo elements on said one path to successively move out of the discharge end thereof and onto said unloading station while preventing cargo elements on the other of said paths from moving out of the discharge end thereof and onto said unloading station.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
The cargo transporting and handling vehicle of claim 3, in which Said stop means comprises a gate swingable between said first and second positions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
72 words
The cargo transporting and handling vehicle of claim 3, in which said surface includes a cargo transfer zone at the discharge end of the other of said paths and adjoining said unloading station, and diverting means is provided for diverting cargo elements moving out of the discharge end of the other of said paths and over said transfer zone onto said unloading station when said stop means is in said first position.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
60 words
The cargo transporting and handling vehicle of claim 5, in which said diverting means comprises an abutment disposed at the discharge end of the other of said paths, said abutment having a wall portion forming an extension of one of the boundaries of said other path, said wall portion also defining one of the boundaries of said cargeo transfer zone.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
41 words
The cargo transporting and handling vehicle of claim 6, in which a wall is provided at the end of said surface adjacent to the discharge ends of said paths, and said abutment extends upwardly from said surface and engages said wall.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
48 words
The cargo transporting and handling vehicle of claim 3, in which said paths are arranged in juxtaposed relation, and one of said paths is elevated above the other of said paths, whereby the possibility of contact between cargo elements on said paths and protruding structure thereon is reduced.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
The cargo transporting and handling vehicle of claim 8, in which said cargo elements comprise standard size 55 gallon drums.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
63 words
The cargo transporting and handling vehicle of claim 8, including means providing a loading station at the receiving ends of said paths, said loading station having a pair of surface portions, one of said surface portions being substantially coplanar with the level of said one path and the other of said surface portions being substantially coplanar with the level of said other path.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
67 words
The cargo transporting and handling vehicle of claim 10, in which a ramp member is provided to facilitate movement of cargo elements into said loading station from said other path and off of said body, said ramp member having one end positioned at substantially the same level as said other surface portion and the other end thereof positioned substantially at the same elevation as said one path.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
57 words
The cargo transporting and handling vehicle of claim 11, in which said ramp member comprises a length of channel having an upper surface and tapered flanges and extending longitudinally of said other path, whereby the upper surface of said ramp member slants downwardly from the level of said one path to the level of said other path.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
87 words
The cargo transporting and handling vehicle of claim 5, in which said guide means provides two pairs of longitudinally extending, juxtaposed paths on said cargo supporting surface, each of said paths having a cargo receiving end and a cargo discharging end, an unloading station is provided at the discharge end of the laterally outer one of the paths of each pair, and a pair of said stop means is provided for controlling movement of cargo elements through the discharge ends of the respective pairs of said paths.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
93 words
The cargo transporting and handling vehicle of claim 13, in which a cargo transfer zone is provided at the discharge end of the laterally inner one of the paths of each pair, and said diverting means has a pair of wall portions forming extensions of the boundaries of said laterally inner paths, said wall portions being adapted to divert cargo elements from the discharge ends of the laterally inner paths of each pair over their respective transfer zones and onto their respective unloading stations when said stop means are in said second position.
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) | 1977-09-02 | 1978-03-04 | 1978-09-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-09-02 | 1982-03-04 | 1982-09-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-09-02 | 1986-03-04 | 1986-09-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |