Abstract: An apparatus to assist people and minimize back strain/sprain when people are placing items into the vehicle's trunk and when people are removing items from the vehicle's trunk. The apparatus is installed in the vehicle's trunk so that the apparatus when activated, can both lift items above the location where the lowest portion of the vehicle's trunk lid rests when the vehicle's trunk lid is closed and also rearward of the location/position where the lowest portion of the vehicle's trunk lid rests when the vehicle's trunk lid is closed. The result is an easier and more convenient location/position to remove packages/items from the vehicle's trunk or to load packages/items into the vehicle's trunk to help prevent back injuries caused by bending forward to pick up packages/items from the vehicle's trunk or to place packages/items into the vehicle's trunk.

Abstract: Described herein is an apparatus for transporting and reorienting an object on a base surface includes a first header coupled to a first side of the object, and a second header coupled to a second side of the object. The object is between the first and second headers. Each of the first and second headers includes a first flat surface that is contactable with the base surface for supporting the object in a first orientation, a second flat surface that is contactable with the base surface for supporting the object in a second orientation, and a curved surface that couples the first and second flat surfaces. The curved surface is contactable with the base surface as the object transitions between the first and second orientations. A radius of curvature of the curved surface is based on a position of a center of gravity of the object.

Abstract: A packaging bag feeder in a packaging machine includes a bag magazine capable of accommodating a number of packaging bags in a stacked state, a separating mechanism which is configured to separate one of the packaging bags stacked on the bag magazine and a bag placement section on which the separated bag is placed. Every time one bag is placed on the bag placement section, the bag is held and fed to a subsequent packaging step.

Abstract: The present document describes a ladder rack system for displacing a ladder between a loading/unloading position on one of a side, a front and a rear of a vehicle and a stored position on a roof top of a vehicle, the ladder having a first ladder end and a second ladder end, the ladder rack system comprising: a first assembly to be mounted on a first end of the roof top for receiving the first ladder end; and a second assembly to be mounted on a second end of the roof top at a distance from the first end for receiving the second ladder end, the second assembly comprising: a pivoting rail to be pivoted between the loading/unloading position in which the pivoting rail extends substantially vertically or at an angle on the one of a side, a front and a rear of the vehicle and the stored position in which the pivoting rail extends longitudinally along the roof top; and a carriage slidably mounted on the pivoting rail for receiving the second ladder end and for sliding along the pivoting rail when the pivoting rail

Abstract: A balanced vertical moving apparatus for moving a body having a first weight toward, or from, a selected elevation includes a loading device, on which the body is designed to be loaded; a moving system powered by a power source; a first detection unit detecting the first weight, which is interposed between the loading device and the moving system; a storage system storing a reference weight in a storage device; and a drive system driving the moving system, which is connected to the first detection unit and the storage system and is designed to actuate the moving system, the drive system having at least two alternately selectable operating states, a first lifted state and a second lowered state, which are both designed to be selected by an external control system, a third automatic actuation state being selectable when an additional external force is applied to the loading device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and device for transferring cutouts (6), for manufacturing packaging boxes having polygonal cross-sections, from a magazine (3) from a vertical stack, consisting of at least one stack (4, 5) of cutouts made of a cardboard or corrugated cardboard sheet material comprising notches. The method and device of the invention involve locating the top cutout of the stack using a camera (10), preliminarily detaching the cutout from the remainder of the stack, gripping, by means of suction, the thus-located top cutout, moving said cutout by means of a robotic arm (17) and releasing same to a next station, for or prior to subsequent shaping, and repeating the above cycle of steps with the next top cutout.

Abstract: The present invention provides a rapid rig-up and rig-down pipe stand building and racking system that is capable of being retrofit to an existing drilling rig. In particular, the invention relates to a horizontal to vertical pipe delivery machine that is mountable to a drilling rig. The horizontal to vertical machine delivers sections of pipe to a pair of drilling rig mounted elevators. The elevators receive and vertically translate the sections of pipe. A power tong may be used to make connections between the sections of pipe to form a pipe stand, and may also break the connections of the pipe stand. A drill floor mounted pipe racking system receives the connected drill pipe from the elevators. A pipe racking system that may be used in conjunction with the stand building system is capable of controlled, rapid, and precise movement of multiple connected sections of pipe.

Abstract: A turning mechanism for turning over workpieces includes a supporting bracket, a turning assembly, and a suction assembly. The turning assembly includes a first driving member mounted on the supporting bracket and a turning member connected to the first driving member. The suction assembly includes a plurality of suction members and a second driving member connected to the plurality of suction members. The plurality of suction members is separately mounted on the turning member. The second driving member is mounted on the supporting bracket and is capable of generating negative air pressure in the plurality of suction members to enable the plurality of suction members to suction adhere to the workpiece, thereby holding the workpiece on the turning member. The first driving member is capable of rotating the turning member to turn over the workpiece.

Abstract: Provided is a card raising/lowering device capable of appropriately raising and lowering cards by a simple configuration. In concrete, a card raising/lowering device (6) is provided with a card housing section (3) in which cards (2) are housed in a stacked state, and a raising/lowering mechanism (11) for raising and lowering the cards (2) housed in the card housing section (3). The raising/lowering mechanism (11) is provided with a mounting table (12) on which the cards (2) housed in the card housing section (3) are mounted, and a biasing member (13) for biasing the mounting table (12) upward. The spring constant of the biasing member (13) is approximately equal to the weight per unit thickness of the card (2).

Abstract: A pallet dispenser includes a frame adapted to support a stack of pallets. The frame includes four screws with spiral flights. The pallets rest on the top edge of the spiral flights of the screws. Rotation of the screws then lowers the stack and allows the bottom pallet to drop to a support below the screws.

Abstract: A lift assembly connects to a receiver hitch and utilizes a plurality of parallel arms connecting a vertical mounting post to a center support in a lift frame that is raised and lowered by the lift assembly. The lift assembly is configured so that the parallel arms rotate from vertical to an inclined angle as the lift frame is lowered, but the arms do not extend below the horizontal as they extend rearward from the mounting post.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a flipping module operable to flip a workpiece delivered by a robot in a vacuum transfer chamber (VTC) includes a gripper disposed outside a working envelope of the robot in a parked position in a vacuum environment of the VTC, and an actuator operable to move the gripper from the parked position to a receiving position, and to rotate the gripper and workpiece to thereby flip the workpiece.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for use in subterranean exploration, and provides a rapid rig-up and rig-down pipe racking system that is capable of being retrofit to an existing drilling rig. In particular, the invention relates to a pipe drill floor mounted pipe racking system that is capable of controlled movement of pipe in three dimensions, and most importantly, capable of rapid and precise movement of multiple connected sections of pipe. The invention is capable of moving stands of connected pipe from a racked position on the drill floor to an accurate stabbing position directly above a drill string component held in a rotary table.

Abstract: An optical disk retrieval device separates and retrieves a plurality of loaded optical disks one by one in order from top. The device includes: a base that loads the plurality of optical disks; A pulling-up unit for pulling up the top optical disk of the plurality of loaded optical disks; a separation member that can cause a force to act on an inner wall of an inner hole of a plate-like member having the inner hole; and A separation member elevating unit for moving the separation member in a vertical direction. The pulling-up unit lifts the top optical disk upward, and the separation member elevating unit passes the separation member through an inner circumferential hole of the top optical disk lifted by the pulling-up unit from an upper side to a lower side. The separation member causes the force to act on the inner wall of the inner hole of the plate-like member adhering directly beneath the top optical disk to thereby separate the plate-like member.

Abstract: A pipe handling system reduces the amount of physical effort required for an operator to transfer steel rotary drilling pipe sections from a storage location to and from a rotary drive unit. The system utilizes an indexing arm which removes or adds the pipe sections from the storage location, placing them in the correct position to be attached to or removed from the rotary drive unit. The index arm, unlike other systems, can remove individual pipe sections to and from the storage location directly to the rotary drive unit's centerline of drilling position. This reduces both the number of physical moves required to complete the task and the amount of weight being transferred. The indexing arm is able to lift a pipe section from the storage location and place it below the rotary drive unit's centerline, then lower away from it without additional movement of the rotary drive unit itself.

Abstract: A wall jack includes a center elongated section, a lower elongated section having a distal end portion pivotally connected to a proximal end portion of the center section and an upper elongated section having a proximal end portion pivotally connected to a distal end portion of the center section. The wall jack is movable between an extended and collapsed position. In the extended position, the lower section is releasably locked to the proximal end portion of the center section and the upper section is releasably locked to the distal end portion of the center section such that the center, lower and upper sections form a longitudinally extending wall jack. In the collapsed position, the upper section is rotated in a first direction into the center section, and the lower section is rotated in a second direction that is opposite the first direction into the center section.

Abstract: Crane arm, preferably to be employed on pillars, comprising a plurality of connecting links, each connecting link exhibiting a predetermined height, preferably being oriented in the direction of the force of gravity, whereby each connecting link in a longitudinal direction, preferably rectangular to the direction of the force of gravity, exhibits a first end portion and a second end portion, and at the first end portion provided with at least one first means for providing a rotary connection with a successive connecting link and at the second end portion provided with at least one second means for the receiving of the first means for providing a (the) rotary connection with the preceding connecting link enabling rotation in a direction around the pillar preferably being oriented rectangular to the direction of the force of gravity.

Abstract: The present invention extends to a conveyor system that allows the spacing between slabs on a conveyor to be controlled. Because the spacing can be controlled, a single stacking head can be used to pick up and stack multiple slabs at the same time. In this manner, a harvesting machine employing the conveyor system of the present invention can utilize a single stacking head while still harvesting sod at least as quickly as harvesting machines employing multiple stacking heads.

Abstract: The invention relates in general to pipe handling apparatus to position pipe through a range of horizontal and vertical positions. In one embodiment a pipe handling apparatus comprises a longitudinal base having a longitudinal axis, a boom carrying member slidably mounted to the longitudinal base for axial movement there-along, member actuating means operable to move the boom carrying member axially relative to the longitudinal base, a boom supported by the boom carrying member, the boom having a trough adapted for receiving at least one section of pipe therein and boom actuating means operable to raise and lower the boom.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for feeding histology specimen slides from a stack of the slides in a slide printer. The stack of slides includes first, next-to-be removed and second slides having adjacent surfaces. A flow of gas is applied to a location that the adjacent surfaces of the first and second slides meet when removing the first slide from the stack. The flow of gas, which may be a jet or blast of air applied through a nozzle, and which may be applied before and/or during the removal of the slide from the stack, helps un-stick the slides to enhance the feeding action.