Patent US4090623A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4090623A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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System for handling a container
Assignee: Internationale d'Investissements et de Participations par abreviation Interpar Ste
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Filing: 1977-02-22
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Granted: 1978-05-23
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Expires: 1997-02-22
Abstract
Abstract The system for handling a container comprises a vehicle on which the container may bear in the transporting position and which comprises at least one jack for raising or lowering the container by pivoting it about an axis of pivotal connection between the container and the vehicle, and a fixed installation for receiving the container in the position of use, which comprises a device for locking the vehicle, after the vehicle has moved rearwardly. The position of use of the container is an inclined position in which the lower end part of the container is set in position in a frame of the fixed installation. The axis of the pivotal connection between the container and the vehicle is embodied by two articulations, each of which articulations comprises a male element having a surface of revolution about a horizontal axis and connected to the container and a female element connected to the vehicle and comprising a conjugate surface of revolution to which surface of revolution there are connected divergent surfaces. The frame of the fixed installation comprises two fixed cradles disposed symmetrically with respect to a median longitudinal plane. Each of the cradles comprises two longitudinally spaced spaced bearing surfaces which are conjugate to faces of the corresponding container corner.
Inventors
- 👤 Gustave Maurice Noyon
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 08:05
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G65/00; B65G65/23; B60; B60P; B60P1/00; B60P1/64; B60P1/6418
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
491 words
In a system for handling a container which is usable as storage means, for example as a silo, and has at an end of the container two lower rear corners which are disposed symmetrically with respect to a median longitudinal plane of the container containing a longitudinal axis of the container, each of which corners defines three faces, said system comprising a vehicle on which the container may bear in a transporting position of the vehicle in which transporting position a pivotal connection between the container and the vehicle enables the vehicle to pivot about an axis and said longitudinal plane is coincident with a median longitudinal plane of the vehicle, jack means combined with support means carried by the vehicle and cooperative with the container for selectively raising and lowering the container by pivoting the container about said axis of pivotal connection, and a fixed installation for receiving the container in a position of use of the container, and comprising means for locking a central region of a rear end of the vehicle, after the vehicle has moved rearwardly toward the installation, the improvement comprising the following features: the fixed installation comprises a frame contained in a median longitudinal plane of the installation and the position of use of the container is an inclined position in which inclined position a lower end portion of the container is set in position in the frame by said corners; the axis of the pivotal connection between the container and the vehicle is embodied by two articulations, each of which articulations comprises a male element having a surface of revolution about a horizontal axis and a female element comprising a conjugate surface of revolution and divergent surfaces connected to the surface of revolution of the female element, said elements being laterally mounted symmetrically relative to said longitudinal plane of the vehicle, one element being mounted on the container and the other element on the vehicle, and being, under the effect of the force of gravity in mutual supporting relation by their surfaces of revolution for the transporting position and in the course of the pivoting corresponding to the start of the raising operation, while being disengageable from each other in the course of said raising operation; the frame of the fixed installation comprises two fixed cradles disposed symmetrically with respect to said median longitudinal plane of the installation, each of the cradles comprising a front bearing surface and a rear bearing surface which are offset longitudinally of the installation and are conjugate to a corresponding one of said two corners of the container to ensure, after the locking of the central region of the rear of the vehicle and during the raising, the angular movement of the container, the self-centering of the container, that is to say the putting of said median longitudinal planes of the container and the installation into coincidence, and the setting of the container in the inclined position of use.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
491 words
In a system for handling a container which is usable as storage means, for example as a silo, and has at an end of the container two lower rear corners which are disposed symmetrically with respect to a median longitudinal plane of the container containing a longitudinal axis of the container, each of which corners defines three faces, said system comprising a vehicle on which the container may bear in a transporting position of the vehicle in which transporting position a pivotal connection between the container and the vehicle enables the vehicle to pivot about an axis and said longitudinal plane is coincident with a median longitudinal plane of the vehicle, jack means combined with support means carried by the vehicle and cooperative with the container for selectively raising and lowering the container by pivoting the container about said axis of pivotal connection, and a fixed installation for receiving the container in a position of use of the container, and comprising means for locking a central region of a rear end of the vehicle, after the vehicle has moved rearwardly toward the installation, the improvement comprising the following features: the fixed installation comprises a frame contained in a median longitudinal plane of the installation and the position of use of the container is an inclined position in which inclined position a lower end portion of the container is set in position in the frame by said corners; the axis of the pivotal connection between the container and the vehicle is embodied by two articulations, each of which articulations comprises a male element having a surface of revolution about a horizontal axis and a female element comprising a conjugate surface of revolution and divergent surfaces connected to the surface of revolution of the female element, said elements being laterally mounted symmetrically relative to said longitudinal plane of the vehicle, one element being mounted on the container and the other element on the vehicle, and being, under the effect of the force of gravity in mutual supporting relation by their surfaces of revolution for the transporting position and in the course of the pivoting corresponding to the start of the raising operation, while being disengageable from each other in the course of said raising operation; the frame of the fixed installation comprises two fixed cradles disposed symmetrically with respect to said median longitudinal plane of the installation, each of the cradles comprising a front bearing surface and a rear bearing surface which are offset longitudinally of the installation and are conjugate to a corresponding one of said two corners of the container to ensure, after the locking of the central region of the rear of the vehicle and during the raising, the angular movement of the container, the self-centering of the container, that is to say the putting of said median longitudinal planes of the container and the installation into coincidence, and the setting of the container in the inclined position of use.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
221 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein in each cradle said front bearing surface extends downwardly and rearwardly and said rear bearing surface extends upwardly in a direction away from the front bearing surface, the surfaces of the articulations, the faces of the corners of the container and the surfaces of the cradles, cooperate in such manner that, during the raising, a front part of the container bears on said support means combined with the jack means and, adjacent the rear of the container, the surfaces of revolution of the articulations are first in mutual bearing contact and the bearing subsequently occurs on each side of the container between the male element of the corresponding articulation and one of said divergent surfaces of the female element and also between one of said bearing surfaces of the cradle and the associated corner of the container and, lastly, between said two bearing surfaces of the cradle and corresponding zones of the associated corner of the container, the angular movement of the container after the surfaces of revolution of the articulations have ceased to be in mutual bearing relation being ensured by a relative displacement of surfaces which are in mutual bearing contact until the final inclined position is reached in which position the said median longitudinal planes of the container are coincident.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front bearing surface of each cradle has an upwardly-facing convexity.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
66 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the male elements of the articulations comprise two cylindrical shafts of the same diameter carried by the container and the female elements comprise two bearing means each of which bearing means is carried by the vehicle and comprises a part-cylindrical surface whose diameter corresponds to the diameter of the shafts and is extended by two upwardly divergent ramps.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
65 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the male elements of the articulations comprise cylindrical shafts of the same diameter carried by the vehicle and the female elements comprise two bearing means each of which bearing means is carried by the container and comprises a part-cylindrical surface having a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the shafts and extended by two downwardly divergent ramps.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the male elements of the articulations comprise two spherical heads fixed to the container and the female elements comprise cups disposed on the vehicle, each of which cups includes a concave spherical dome extended by surfaces constituting an upwardly divergent funnel.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
47 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the male elements of the articulations comprise two spherical heads secured to the vehicle and the female elements comprise cups disposed on the container, each cup including a concave spherical dome extended by downwardly divergent surfaces constituting a funnel.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear bearing surface of each cradle is a planar surface perpendicular to the direction in which said longitudinal axis of the container extends in the final inclined position of use of the container.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front bearing surface of each cradle comprises a cylindrical surface whose axis is perpendicular to said median longitudinal plane of the installation.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
A system as claimed in claim 9, comprising, following on the cylindrical surface in a tangential manner, a planar surface parallel to the direction in which said longitudinal axis of the container extends in the final inclined position of use of the container.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
38 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front bearing surface of each cradle comprises a surface formed on a roller which is freely rotatable about an axis perpendicular to said median longitudinal plane of the installation.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the surface of the roller has a convex peripheral crown.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
121 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the face of each one of the corners of the container which, for the transporting position of the container, is a downwardly facing face, defines an orifice and the front bearing surface of each cradle is a cylindrical surface, the generatrices of which cylindrical surface are parallel to the direction in which said longitudinal axis of the container extends in the final inclined position of use of the container, said cylindrical surface being formed on a stud capable of partly entering the orifice of the lower face of the associated corner, the contact with the cylindrical bearing surface of the cradle occurring in the rear region of an entrance edge of said orifice.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame of the fixed installation comprises lateral abutments which are cooperative with said two corners of the container.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, comprising conjugate guiding and lateral abutment means on the vehicle and on the container for centering the container with respect to the vehicle.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
45 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame of the fixed installation comprises buffer means for preventing said lower rear corners of the container from coming into contact with the cradles when the vehicle which carries the container approaches the frame in reverse.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
67 words
A system as claimed in claim 16, wherein said buffer means comprise a central buffer and two lateral buffers which are capable of preventing the vehicle to approach sufficiently to enable said locking means to engage and lock the rear of the vehicle when the angle that said median longitudinal plane of the vehicle makes with said median longitudinal plane of the installation exceeds a given value.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
78 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said jack means comprise, on each side of the vehicle, a jack having a rod and said support means comprise, on each side of the vehicle, an arm which is pivoted to the vehicle and has a free end which carries a roller, and a runway which is carried by an underside of the container, said rod being pivoted to said arm and said roller being cooperative with said runway.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
31 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixed installation further comprises support means for supporting a frong part of the container in the position of use of the container.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
77 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame of the fixed installation comprises, at the rear of the two cradles, locking means and an auxiliary support against which support, in the inclined position of use of the container, two upper corners of the container opposed to said two lower rear corners on a lower end wall of the container bear in a position in which said upper corners can be retained by the locking 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) | 1981-05-22 | 1981-11-21 | 1982-05-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1985-05-22 | 1985-11-21 | 1986-05-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1989-05-22 | 1989-11-21 | 1990-05-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |