US3872984A — Material transport

Claim 1

Independent Claim 186 words

A material transport vehicle having a longitudinal axis and comprising; a vehicle chassis having an elongated frame disposed along said longitudinal axis; an elongated material receiving body carried on said frame and having a loading end and an ejection end; a loading bin having an open end disposed forwardly adjacent to said loading end of the body; powered material stuffing means movable through said loading bin for transferring material therefrom through said open end; pusher means disposed transversely of and reciprocably mounted within said material receiving body and having a pair of members which are relatively movable with respect to each other when disposed adjacent said loading end of the material receiving body between a first position providing an opening therebetween communicating with said open end of the loading bin for receiving material therethrough and into said body and a second position forming a substantially continuous wall; and power actuating means operatively associated with said pusher means for selectively moving said members between said first and second positions and for selectively reciprocating said pusher means between said loading and ejection ends of said material receiving body.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 186 words

A material transport vehicle having a longitudinal axis and comprising; a vehicle chassis having an elongated frame disposed along said longitudinal axis; an elongated material receiving body carried on said frame and having a loading end and an ejection end; a loading bin having an open end disposed forwardly adjacent to said loading end of the body; powered material stuffing means movable through said loading bin for transferring material therefrom through said open end; pusher means disposed transversely of and reciprocably mounted within said material receiving body and having a pair of members which are relatively movable with respect to each other when disposed adjacent said loading end of the material receiving body between a first position providing an opening therebetween communicating with said open end of the loading bin for receiving material therethrough and into said body and a second position forming a substantially continuous wall; and power actuating means operatively associated with said pusher means for selectively moving said members between said first and second positions and for selectively reciprocating said pusher means between said loading and ejection ends of said material receiving body.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 99 words

The vehicle of claim 1 wherein said frame includes; an open-topped material loading box integrally formed therein and having forward and rearward ends, a floor, and substantially vertical sidewalls positioned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle at opposite sides of said floor, said loading end of the body being disposed in partially covering relation to said loading box intermediate the forward and rearward ends thereof, said loading box being divided into a forward portion defining said loading bin and a rearward portion defining a material directing channel disposed beneath the loading end of said material receiving body.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 52 words

The vehicle of claim 2 wherein one of said pair of members of said pusher means is a generally upright pusher blade having opposite upper and lower ends and a rearward wall, and the other of said pair of members is a ramp having a pivot end and an opposite free end.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 124 words

The vehicle of claim 3 wherein said material receiving body includes a pair of opposite, parallel sidewalls and a bottom wall having an opening formed therein coinciding with said material directing channel, said pusher means includes a carrier frame having a pair of interconnected laterally spaced upstanding side plates individually disposed adjacent to said opposite sidewalls of the body and each having a forward end, a lower rearward corner, and a pivot connection mounted adjacent said lower rearward corner whereby said pusher blade is adapted to be supported by said carrier frame in interconnecting relation therebetween adjacent the forward ends of said side plates, and said pivot connections pivotally mounting the pivot end of said ramp to said side plates of the carrier frame.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 82 words

The vehicle of claim 4 wherein the lateral spacing of said sidewalls of the loading box are substantially equidistant to the lateral spacing of said side plates of the carrier frame whereby said ramp is permitted to move in an arcuate path between a lower position in which the free end of said ramp is disposed adjacent the floor of the loading box and a raised position in which said free end is disposed adjacent said rearward wall of the pusher blade.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 126 words

The vehicle of claim 5 wherein said power actuating means includes; a pair of levers individually rotatably mounted to said side plates of the carrier frame and having opposite ends with one end thereof nonrotatably mounted to said pivot end of the ramp; and a pair of hydraulic jacks individually longitudinally disposed adjacent to said side plates of the carrier frame and having one end pivotally connected to the other end of said levers and the other end of said jacks connected to said body whereby initial extension of said hydraulic jacks causes the pivotal movement of said ramp from said lower position to said raised position and further extension of said jacks causes movement of said pusher means toward the ejection end of said body.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 70 words

The vehicle of claim 6 wherein said pusher means includes; a pair of laterally spaced horizontal guide means longitudinally extended within and attached to said material receiving body; and a pair of roller means attached to each of said side plates of said carrier frame and individually rollably engaging said guide means whereby said carrier frame is mounted for longitudinal movement between said loading and ejection ends of said body.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 98 words

The vehicle of claim 7 wherein said side plates of the carrier frame are generally triangularly shaped and are disposed in substantially parallel spaced relationship to their respectively associated sidewalls of said body and have substantially vertically disposed front edges at their forward ends and generally inclined rearward edges sloping upwardly and forwardly from their lower rearward corners to form an apex with their respective front edges; and outwardly extending end plates connected to said inclined rearward edges and having outwardly disposed edges disposed in closely spaced material scraping relationship to their respectively adjacent sidewalls of said body.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 167 words

The vehicle of claim 8 wherein said pusher means includes; pivot means pivotally connecting the upper end of said pusher blade to the carrier frame adjacent to the apexes of the carrier side plates; and control means including a link having a first pivot connection pivotally connecting one end thereof to the ramp intermediate its pivot and free ends, and a second pivot connection pivotally connecting the other end of the link to the pusher blade adjacent to its lower end for coupling the pusher blade to the ramp whereby initial upward pivotal movement of said ramp from said lower position positions said pusher blade so as to allow the free end of the ramp to move into material scraping relationship with the rearward wall of said pusher blade adjacent its lower end and thereafter continued pivotal movement of said ramp toward said raised position is operative through said link to maintain said material scraping relationship of the free end of the ramp with said rearward wall.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 139 words

The vehicle of claim 9 wherein said second pivot connection is disposed forwardly of and elevationally higher than said first pivot connection when the ramp is in its lower position forwardly of and substantially level therewith when the free end of the ramp is raised adjacent the lower end of the pusher blade and rearwardly of and elevaTionally lower than the first pivot connection when the ramp is in its raised position to induce forward pivotal movement of the pusher blade during initial upward pivotal movement of the ramp to permit clearance of the free end of the ramp with the lower end of the pusher blade and thereafter to induce rearward pivotal movement of the pusher blade in relatively closely spaced following relationship with the ramp during continued upward pivotal movement of the ramp toward the raised position.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 69 words

The vehicle of claim 9 wherein said control means includes a contoured lower surface formed on the rearward wall of said pusher blade to cooperate with said link in maintaining said material scraping relationship of the free end of the ramp with the rearward wall and permit substantially linear alignment of the pusher blade with the ramp when disposed in its raised position to minimize entrapment of material therebetween.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 59 words

The vehicle of claim 7 wherein said pusher blade is formed integrally with said carrier frame and said rearward wall thereof includes; a rearwardly disposed peak formed thereon intermediate the upper and lower ends of said pusher blade and having a relatively steep forwardly sloping surface extending upwardly therefrom and an arcuately shaped surface extending downwardly and forwardly therefrom.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 48 words

The vehicle of claim 12 wherein said arcuately shaped surface substantially coincides with the arcuate path of said ramp so that the free end thereof is continually relatively closely disposed adjacent to said arcuately shaped surface throughout the entire pivotal movement of the free end along said surface.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 59 words

The vehicle of claim 13 wherein said continuous wall is formed when said ramp is disposed in said raised position with said free end of the ramp is disposed adjacent to said peak, said continuous wall having a rearward surface sloping forwardly and upwardly from the pivot end of said ramp to the upper end of said pusher blade.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 61 words

The vehicle of claim 14 wherein said material receiving body includes; a tailgate pivotally connected to an upper edge of said ejection end of the body in normally closing relation; and hydraulic means connected between said tailgate and said body for selectively raising said tailgate for permitting the ejection of material from said body during rearward movement of said pusher means.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 97 words

The vehicle of claim 15 wherein said material stuffing means includes; extensible and retractable cover means for covering said loading bin when said material stuffing means is disposed adjacent said open end of said loading bin; and an upright arcuately shaped stuffer blade disposable coincident to the arcuate path of the free end of said ramp between the floor of said loading box and the lower end of said pusher blade so that said free end of the ramp is disposed in relatively closely spaced relation to said stuffer blade throughout its movement along said arcuate path.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 71 words

The vehicle of claim 16 wherein said stuffer blade includes an upper edge; said cover means includes a pair of cover plates, one of said cover plates having one end rigidly connected to the upper edge of said stuffer blade; and lost motion means coupling the other end of said one cover plate to the other cover plate to provide overlapping compact storage of the cover means in its retracted position.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 81 words

The vehicle of claim 17 including an operator cab carried on the forward end of said frame, said cab having a rear wall disposed adjacent the forward end of the loading box, and a recess formed therein opening through said rear wall for accommodating said cover means therein when disposed in its retracted position so that material upon said cover means is automatically removed therefrom into said loading bin upon engagement of such material with said rear wall of the cab.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1978-03-24	1978-09-23	1979-03-25	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1982-03-24	1982-09-23	1983-03-25	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1986-03-24	1986-09-23	1987-03-25	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Material transport

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