Patents Examined by B. Johnson
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Patent number: 5807060Abstract: A removable side shifter attachment attachable to the carriage bar of a lift truck has a frame shiftable with respect to the truck. The frame includes a shifter carriage bar for receiving a lift fork. A hydraulic cylinder attached to the truck carriage bar having rods contacting the frame at its sides is positioned horizontally forwardly of the truck carriage bar and between the truck carriage bar and the shifter carriage bar. The cylinder is positioned generally within a J-shaped portion of the shifter carriage bar so that the cylinder does not extend substantially above or below the carriage bar and does not appreciable add to the overall thickness of the apparatus. The cylinder further includes two axially aligned chambers separated by a central partition, each chamber containing a piston in contact with a respective rod, each piston dividing its respective chamber into interior and exterior portions.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 1997Date of Patent: September 15, 1998Assignee: Rightline Equipment, Inc.Inventor: Jim D. Hamlik
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Patent number: 5806870Abstract: A vehicle chassis having a front section and a rear section pivotably joined together at their common ends to allow the two chassis to pivot or swivel providing better traction for off-road travel. Limiting structure is provided to limit the amount of degrees the two chassis can swivel in relation to each other as well as locking structure between them for on road travel.Type: GrantFiled: February 5, 1996Date of Patent: September 15, 1998Inventors: Harold L. Hull, Allen J. Bollet, Michael David Olinger, Cathy D. Santa Cruz
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Patent number: 5788096Abstract: A material-handling machine includes a substantially horizontal girder having an end, a supporting flanged wheel at the end, a truck having rail-riding wheels on a rail and a girder mid-portion extending from the end and connected to a support leg extending between the mid-portion and the truck. The leg and the mid-portion are connected by a pin permitting relative movement between the mid-portion and the leg. Such pinned connection reduces wear of the rail and the rail-riding wheels and reduces bending stress in the support leg.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 1995Date of Patent: August 4, 1998Assignee: Harnischfeger CorporationInventor: Ronald D. Wilcox
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Patent number: 5788256Abstract: A modular boat rack consisting of aluminum castings attached to an aluminum tubular beam of length dependant upon boat length and having nylon webbing of same width as casting pinned at and suspended from the top corners of said castings. The webbing is adjustable of length and tension to suit different hull or deck design configurations. Legs are attached to the ends of each case.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 1996Date of Patent: August 4, 1998Inventor: Steven Thomas Kerr
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Patent number: 5749696Abstract: A tilt and height indicator for a forklift truck including a tape reel connected to the forks of the forklift to sense their relative height. An indicator panel includes plural sets of indicators, with each set indicating when the forks are in a proper pre-programmed position, just above, or just below this position, or well above or well below this position. The plural indicators may each be programmed to independent heights which are within the range of indicated heights for another indicator, such that infinitesimal differences in shelf heights may be accounted for. All indicators may be active at the same time, or the operator may change to a separate mode in which only a chosen indicator set is active. The present invention also includes a tilt sensor in the form of a rod connected to the piston of the tilt cylinder and adjustably mounting a magnet. A sensor box is mounted on the cylinder and includes a plurality of spaced Hall-effect transistors.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 1996Date of Patent: May 12, 1998Assignee: Scott WestlakeInventor: Marc Johnson
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Patent number: 5730305Abstract: A crane safety apparatus for displaying a schematic diagram of a part of a crane mechanism on a two-dimensional screen dynamically as the crane mechanism is operated, and displaying on the same screen a predetermined operation zone as a visually discriminative zone pattern. The operation zone pattern is displayed on the screen in response to the key command by an operator during a selected crane operation mode, while referring to the schematic crane mechanism diagram currently displayed on the screen.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 1994Date of Patent: March 24, 1998Assignee: Kato Works Co., Ltd.Inventors: Akinori Ichiba, Yukio Tsutsumi
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Patent number: 5722809Abstract: A trailer adapted to carry in piggy-back fashion, a removable, replaceable dolly onto which small or personal watercraft is to be loaded or off-loaded. The trailer is provided with higher pressure tires capable of withstanding such impacts and jarring as are associated with highway usage, while the dolly is provided with lower pressure tires for travel over sand, dirt, gravel, or other off-the road use. A first stop, on the trailer, limits movement of the dolly once secured; and a second stop, on the dolly, limits the movement of the watercraft. A plurality of rollers are employed to ease the dolly loading with the trailer, and the watercraft loading with the dolly.Type: GrantFiled: April 7, 1995Date of Patent: March 3, 1998Inventor: Vincent A. Urbank
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Patent number: 5707201Abstract: A removable side shifter attachment attachable to the carriage bar of a lift truck has a frame shiftable with respect to the truck. The frame includes a shifter carriage bar for receiving a lift fork. A hydraulic cylinder attached to the truck carriage bar having rods contacting the frame at its sides is positioned horizontally forwardly of the truck carriage bar and between the truck carriage bar and the shifter carriage bar. The cylinder is positioned generally within a J-shaped portion of the shifter carriage bar so that the cylinder does not extend substantially above or below the carriage bar and does not appreciable add to the overall thickness of the apparatus. The cylinder further includes two axially aligned chambers separated by a central partition, each chamber containing a piston in contact with a respective rod, each piston dividing its respective chamber into interior and exterior portions.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 1996Date of Patent: January 13, 1998Assignee: Rightline Equipment, Inc.Inventor: Jim D. Hamlik
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Patent number: 5695315Abstract: A printing plate stand and an apparatus for positioning the printing plate stand are provided. The printing plate stand is movable and supplies printing plates to a printing plate transfer apparatus. The positioning apparatus includes, at a bottom surface of the printing plate stand, a pair of fixed wheels, movable only forward and backward, free wheels, movable in multi-directions, and leg portions which are located at vicinities of the free wheels and which can project downward further than the free wheels.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 1994Date of Patent: December 9, 1997Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.Inventor: Yoshiyuki Doi
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Patent number: 5690463Abstract: An automated book storage/retrieval apparatus is used in a library or the like storing a large number of books. A designated container is removed from a rack storing a plurality of containers, each having an internal space occupied by a plurality of subcontainers, each subcontainer being capable of storing a plurality of books. The designated container is conveyed to a working station where a selected subcontainer storing a book requested to be borrowed is raised to a position higher than that of the remaining subcontainers. With this operation, the spines of the books in the raised subcontainer can be easily seen by an operator at the working station, thus facilitating a search for and the removal of the desired book from the raised subcontainer.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 1996Date of Patent: November 25, 1997Assignee: Nippon Filing Co., Ltd.Inventor: Jinichi Yoshie
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Patent number: 5655676Abstract: A chord protector employs a resilient covering affixed to an appropriate crane element, extension, lattice structure or headache ball, to protect a chord from damage during a collision with a headache ball or other weighty object. The chord protector can be constructed of a variety of materials. In one embodiment, the chord protector is constructed of high-impact plastic, and lined with an elastomeric or rubber material which in turn is fastened to a chord of the lattice section using a disengagable hook and loop fastener. Another embodiment includes an elastomeric covering on the headache ball.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 1995Date of Patent: August 12, 1997Inventor: Richard J. Kairis
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Patent number: 5649635Abstract: A crane boom top is disclosed in which a sheave assembly having a number of sheave sets is supported on the crane boom top by boom sheave supports. Each sheave set is mounted on an individual shaft and connectors connect the individual shafts to the boom sheave supports.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 1994Date of Patent: July 22, 1997Assignee: Manitowac Crane Group, Inc.Inventors: Terry S. Casavant, Paul M. Pukita, Michael J. Wanek
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Patent number: 5645181Abstract: Rope extension is detected as a rope shift distance at predetermined time intervals. A rope extension amount is obtained as the accumulated value of the shift distances. The rope shift accumulated value is automatically reset to 0 when a hook structure reaches an overhoist position to renew the reference position of the rope extension amount and to correct any measurement errors of the rope extension amount. From this rope extension amount, a hanging length of the hook structure from a boom or jib top is obtained and used to calculate a hook lifting distance. The calculated hook lifting distance, or hook structure position, is displayed on a display screen relative to a fixed index or pattern. An operator can monitor the state of the hook structure from the display.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 1994Date of Patent: July 8, 1997Assignee: Kato Works Co., Ltd.Inventors: Akinori Ichiba, Yukio Tsutsumi
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Patent number: 5645395Abstract: A building crane apparatus includes: a gantry crane slidably held on a pair of guiding rails longitudinally juxtapositionally mounted on two side walls of a building, and an elevating device secured on the building side walls for lifting the gantry crane from on the building walls to subsequently raise the crane corresponding to the building height under construction to provide a crane climbable on the building walls for eliminating an additional supporting base for erecting the crane in order for unobstructedly moving the crane in the working area.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 1995Date of Patent: July 8, 1997Inventor: Hsin-Tsung Huang
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Patent number: 5624046Abstract: A telescopic rod composed of a plurality of tubular rod sections which are mounted so as to be slidable within each other includes a multistage piston-cylinder unit which is arranged within the telescopic rod and is connected to the outermost rod section of the telescopic rod and to the last inner rod section of the telescopic rod. Locking bars are provided in the areas of the inner end faces of individual sections, wherein the locking bars are displaceable in a direction transversely of the longitudinal direction of the rod sections and wherein the locking bars can be placed in operative engagement with the respectively adjacent outer rod section. When the rod sections of the telescopic rod are in the extended end position, the locking bar of each inner rod section engages in a positively locking manner in an opening of the respectively outer adjacent rod section. Spring-biased clamps are provided on the outer sides of the rod sections located between the outermost rod section and the innermost rod section.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 1995Date of Patent: April 29, 1997Inventor: Horst Zimmermann
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Patent number: 5615784Abstract: A counterweight installation and removal apparatus for a truck-mounted crane includes a counterweight having a bottom surface, a plurality of rollers attached to either the bottom surface of the counterweight or to a crane carrier deck, and at least one inclined surface positioned on the other of the bottom surface of the counterweight or the crane carrier deck to engage the plurality of rollers when the counterweight is installed and removed.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 1994Date of Patent: April 1, 1997Assignee: The Manitowoc Company, Inc.Inventors: David Pech, Larry Schweigl
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Patent number: 5605427Abstract: A level gravity conveyor provides a plurality of individual load-engaging support pads aligned longitudinally along the conveyor. The pads are movably supported on runway segments which extend longitudinally. Each runway segment defines an upper raceway surface which movably supports the pad, which upper surface in the preferred embodiment is defined by a plurality of support rollers. The runway segments are alternately raised and lowered so that, when in a raised position, the upper surfaces slope downward in the forward direction. The pads engage and vertically lift the loads when the runway segments are in the raised position, whereby the weight of the loads causes the pads to move downwardly by gravity along the inclined upper surfaces to forwardly advance the loads through a small distance.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 1993Date of Patent: February 25, 1997Inventor: Theodore A. Hammond
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Patent number: 5605429Abstract: In an apparatus for storing and automatically delivering cassette and/or pallets containing cassettes to a reader. The apparatus includes a plurality of cassette retaining sites. A door assembly is provided adjacent the portal for allowing access to the plurality of cassette retaining sites. The door assembly has at least one door slideably mounted to the apparatus for movement between a closed position and an open position. A door safety system is provided.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 1995Date of Patent: February 25, 1997Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventors: Shahram Hejazi, Gary W. Shope, Jeffrey J. Yaskow, Carl A. Swanson, Michael J. Epner
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Patent number: 5598935Abstract: A lift crane having enhanced lifting capability includes a self-installing counterweight system which utilizes actuators forming part of a counterweight assembly for raising the counterweight to an operative position with respect to the rear of the crane. A pair of slidable counterweight beams are slidably supported within main frame members forming part of the upper works of the crane and have their outer ends attached to the counterweight. Fluid pressure operated actuators within the frame members extend and retract the beams in order to move the counterweight rearwardly with respect to the rear of the crane. The upperworks also includes spaced-apart, parallel frame members each having a pair of spaced-apart vertical side plates with integral flange sections extending upwardly. The flanged sections include mounting locations for hoist machinery which utilize pins for easily mounting and dismounting the equipment.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 1993Date of Patent: February 4, 1997Assignee: American Crane CorporationInventors: Don R. Harrison, Clyde B. Mabry, III, Walter A. Beer, Keith H. Childers
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Patent number: 5535573Abstract: An apparatus (blank unit) for feeding blanks to an article to be wrapped is disclosed. In the feeding of blanks (13) or of a web of material (14) made from critical packaging materials (thin foils), suction conveyors (32 . . . 37) are used which transport, guide and retain the web of material (14). An optimum guidance of the web of material (14) is ensured when lateral elongated suction conveyors (32, 33) reach below a pack track (15). Additionally, shorter suction conveyors (34 . . . 37) are disposed above the pack track (15) in the region of the web of material (14). To adjust the blank unit to different widths of the web of material (14), the lateral elongated suction conveyors (32, 33) can be displaced transversely relative to one another. Moreover, individual shorter suction conveyors (34 . . . 37) can be removed.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 1993Date of Patent: July 16, 1996Assignee: Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.)Inventors: Heinz Focke, Oskar Balmer