ELEVATED WORK PLATFORM VEHICLE ATTACHMENT

Abstract

An elevated work platform vehicle attachment is disclosed that includes a base assembly having primary and secondary connection members to detachably connect to a motor vehicle when a worker requires an elevated work platform. The attachment further includes a working platform operatively connected to the base assembly by a roller assembly that allows for rectilinear movement of the working platform relative to the base assembly. When the working platform is in an extended position, the base assembly provides cantilever support thereto and the roller assembly includes a locking mechanism to prevent movement of the working platform, both of which allow a worker to be safely positioned on the extended working platform.

Description

FIELD

The present non-provisional patent application relates generally to vehicular attachments, and more particularly, to devices and systems for assisting operators in trimming trees, vegetation, and other flora adjacent to roadways.

BACKGROUND

Federal, state, and local government agencies are generally responsible for the construction, maintenance, and operation of roadways within their jurisdiction. One component of roadway maintenance involves pruning and trimming trees, shrubbery, and other flora that grow along roads, streets, and highways and create an unacceptable risk or safety hazard to the motoring public (e.g., those blocking sight distance). Currently, maintenance workers depend on specialized aerial devices (e.g., bucket trucks or vehicles with dedicated scaffolding units) to gain access to roadside trees that are otherwise inaccessible due to their height and distance from the roadway. The availability and cost of purchasing or renting specialized aerial devices is a significant disadvantage for federal, state, and local government agencies with large roadway maintenance operations. A need therefore exists for a low-cost elevated work platform vehicle attachment (i.e., easily connected to, and disconnected from, a vehicle) for roadway maintenance, particularly pruning and trimming roadside trees, shrubbery, and other flora.

SUMMARY

An elevated work platform vehicle attachment is disclosed that includes a base assembly that may be removably attached to a motor vehicle when a worker requires an elevated work platform. The attachment further includes a working platform operatively connected to the base assembly by a roller assembly that allows for rectilinear movement of the working platform relative to the base assembly. When the working platform is in an extended position, the base assembly provides cantilever support thereto and the roller assembly includes a locking mechanism to prevent movement of the working platform, both of which allow a worker to be safely positioned on the extended working platform.

Other aspects of the disclosed elevated work platform vehicle attachment will become apparent from the following description of a presently preferred exemplary embodiment, and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one aspect of the disclosed elevated work platform vehicle attachment, which includes a base assembly and working platform that are operatively connected by a C-shaped roller assembly;

FIG. 2a is a front elevational view of one embodiment of the elevated work platform vehicle attachment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2b is a front elevational view of the elevated work platform vehicle attachment of FIG. 1 showing the working platform thereof extended from one side of the base assembly;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of one aspect of the disclosed elevated work platform vehicle attachment illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the base assembly of the elevated work platform vehicle attachment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5a is a front elevational view of one embodiment of the ladder of the base assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5b is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the ladder of the base assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the working platform of the elevated work platform vehicle attachment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the working platform base of the working platform of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of the working platform base of the working platform of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the railing assembly of the working platform of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the tool rests of the railing assembly of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, an elevated work platform vehicle attachment, generally designated 10, is shown that includes a base assembly 12 and a working platform 14 operatively connected by a C-shaped roller assembly 16. As will be described in greater detail below, elevated work platform vehicle attachment 10 may be detachably connected to a motor vehicle (e.g., the bed of a standard single-axle dump truck). C-shaped roller assembly 16 provides for rectilinear movement of working platform 14 relative to base assembly 12. Specifically, C-shaped roller assembly 16 allows working platform 14 to be in a nested positioned, superjacent to base assembly 12, as shown in FIGS. 2a and 3, and further allows working platform 14 to move laterally relative to the base assembly 12 into an extended position, as shown in FIG. 2b. It is understood that base assembly 12 provides cantilever support to working platform 14.

Now referring to FIG. 4, base assembly 12 of elevated work platform vehicle attachment 10 may include rectangular cuboid framework 18, ladders 20, primary connection members 22, and C-shaped roller tracks 24. Rectangular cuboid framework 18 may include spaced-apart support angles 26, 28, and opposing spaced-apart top angles 30, 32, a first pair of vertical posts 34, 36 extending upward from, and generally perpendicular to, support angle 26 and extending downward from, and generally perpendicular to, top angle 30, and a second pair of vertical posts 38, 40 extending upward from, and generally perpendicular to, support angle 28 and extending downward from, and generally perpendicular to, top angle 32.

Again referring to FIG. 4, a first pair of parallel struts 42, 44 may extend between, and generally perpendicular to, vertical posts 34, 38 and vertical posts 36, 40 and a second pair of parallel struts 46, 48 may extend between, and generally perpendicular to, vertical posts 34, 36 and vertical posts 38, 40. Support brackets 50 may extend between the first pair of parallel struts 42, 44 and the second pair of parallel struts 46, 48.

Referring to FIGS. 1,4, 5a, and 5b, ladders 20 of base assembly 12 allow workers to enter and exit the working platform 14 through an access point 70. Ladders 20 may be permanently attached to parallel strut 42 and C-shaped roller track 24, and comprised of vertical ladder supports 78 and transverse ladder steps 80. In one embodiment, ladders 20 may be positioned such that one ladder aligns with the access point 70 when the working platform 14 is in a nested position, and the other ladder aligns with the access point 70 when the working platform 14 is in an extended position.

Now referring to FIG. 4, C-shaped roller tracks 24 of base assembly 12 may be attached to top angles 30, 32 and configured so that the C-shaped roller tracks 24 can engage a plurality of rolling mechanisms 82 of the working platform 14. C-shaped roller tracks 24 may include an end cap 88 that prevents disengagement of the C-shaped roller track 24 and the rolling mechanisms 82. C-shaped roller tracks may also include a locking mechanism 90 that prevents movement of the working platform 14 from the extended position once the locking mechanism 90 has been engaged.

Now referring to FIGS. 2a and 4, lift brackets 92 may be immovably fixed subjacent to, and generally perpendicular to, the C-shaped roller tracks 24. Lift brackets 92 may be utilized when loading or unloading the elevated work platform vehicle attachment 10.

Now referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, primary connection members 22 may extend outward from, and generally parallel to, vertical posts 36, 40. Further, secondary connection members 52 may be attached to top angles 30, 32. In this embodiment, primary connection members 22 and secondary connection members 52 may be used to removably attach the elevated work platform vehicle attachment 10 to a motor vehicle (e.g., inside the bed of a standard single-axle dump truck) to assist maintenance workers when pruning and trimming roadside vegetation.

Now referring to FIGS. 6-9, working platform 14 of elevated work platform vehicle attachment 10 may include a working platform base 54 and a railing assembly 56. As best seen in FIG. 7, working platform base 54 may include opposing pairs of spaced-apart perimeter frame members 58, 60 joined to one another to form a rectangular area. Cross support frame members 62 may extend between, and generally perpendicular to, lateral perimeter frame members 60 so as to support a working platform deck 64.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 9, working platform 14 may include railing assembly 56 to prevent a worker from falling off thereof. Railing assembly 56 may be permanently attached to working platform base 54 and may be comprised of vertical rail posts 66, horizontal top rails 68, an access point 70, tool rests 72, and handles 74.

As seen in FIG. 6, vertical rail posts 66 extend upward from, and generally perpendicular to, working platform base 54 and attach to horizontal top rails 68. Vertical rail posts 66 and horizontal top rails 68 are positioned so as to form a boundary extending upward from the working platform base 54. Horizontal struts 76 may extend between, and generally perpendicular to, adjacent vertical rail posts 66.

Referring to FIG. 9, railing assembly 56 may include an access point 70 so that a worker may position themselves on the working platform 14. In one embodiment, access point 70 may be a door, as seen in FIG. 6, hingedly connected to the railing assembly 56. In another embodiment, the door may be connected using spring-loaded hinges to provide additional safety for the worker positioned on the working platform 14.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, tool rests 72 extend laterally from the railing assembly 56 of the working platform 14. In one embodiment, tool rests 72 may be positioned to receive and hold a tool (e.g., a pole saw) when not in use by the worker positioned on the working platform 14. Further, handles 74 may be attached to the vertical rail posts 66 of the railing assembly 56, which may be used by the worker when accessing or departing the working platform 14.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2a, and 3, C-shaped roller assembly 16 of elevated work platform vehicle attachment 10 may include a C-shaped roller track 24 (as seen in FIG. 4) and a plurality of rolling mechanisms 82 (as best seen in FIG. 8), each of which may be comprised of rollers 84 connected by a roller axle 86. As previously discussed, C-shaped roller track 24 may be permanently attached to top angles 30, 32 (as shown in FIG. 4), and rolling mechanisms 82 may be permanently attached to working platform base 54 (as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8).

As best seen in FIG. 3, C-shaped roller track 24 and rolling mechanisms 82 may be configured so that C-shaped roller track 24 can engage said rolling mechanisms 82. An end cap 88 prevents rolling mechanisms 82 from disengaging C-shaped roller track 24. Once engaged, C-shaped roller track 24 and rolling mechanisms 84 allow for rectilinear movement of working platform 14 between a nested position (FIG. 2a) and an extended position (FIG. 2b).

Claims

1. An aerial work platform attachment comprising:

a base assembly; and

a working platform comprising: a working platform base; and a railing assembly which bounds the perimeter of the working platform;

wherein the base assembly is designed to be detachably connected to a vehicle; and

wherein the working platform is operatively connected to the base assembly for rectilinear movement between a first position where the working platform is in a nested position, superjacent to the base assembly and a second position where the working platform is extended from the base assembly; and

wherein the base assembly provides cantilever support for the working platform when in the second position.

2. The aerial work platform attachment of claim 1, wherein the working platform is operatively connected to the base assembly by a C-shaped roller assembly.

3. The aerial work platform attachment of claim 2, wherein the C-shaped roller assembly contains a pair of end caps and a pair of locking mechanisms for preventing disconnection of the working platform and the base assembly.

4. The aerial work platform attachment of claim 3, wherein the base assembly includes a pair of primary connection members and a pair of secondary connection members for detachably connecting the base assembly to the vehicle.

5. The aerial work platform attachment of claim 4, wherein the railing assembly includes an access point and at least a pair of tool rests.

6. The aerial work platform attachment of claim 5, wherein the access point is a door hingedly connected to the railing assembly.

7. The aerial work platform attachment of claim 5, wherein the base assembly includes a pair of ladders.

8. The aerial work platform attachment of claim 7, wherein the base assembly includes a first ladder that aligns with the access point when the working platform is in the first position and a second ladder that aligns with the access point when the working platform is in the second position.

9. The aerial work platform attachment of claim 8, wherein the working platform further comprises a pair of handles.

10. The aerial work platform attachment of claim 9, wherein the base assembly includes a pair of lift brackets for loading or unloading the aerial work platform attachment onto a vehicle.