Abstract: A carrier attachment conformed to engage the trailer hitch tail stock of a motor vehicle includes a tube segment supporting an electrical motor at the upper end engaged to a screw jack extending therethrough at the lower end. The exposed section of the screw jack is pivotally engaged to a platform deployed beneath a pivoted arm extending from the tube segment. The screw jack is of a length sufficent to raise the tube segment above ground for attachment to the tail stock.

Abstract: A load handling vehicle having a load handling device disposed in front of the vehicle body and tiltable by a pair of opposite tilting cylinders. A main frame extends longitudinally of the vehicle and is fixed to each side of the vehicle body at a plurality of locations spaced apart longitudinally thereof. Each tilting cylinder extends longitudinally of the vehicle and is positioned above and close to the corresponding main frame in the vicinity of the front wheel fender inside thereof. The tilting cylinder is connected to a bracket on the main frame in the vicinity of and above the front axle and terminates at a position below the steering assembly of the vehicle. The arrangement of the cylinders permits the device to be positioned close to the vehicle body, enabling the driver to obtain a good forward view. The vehicle body is reinforced by the main frames against fracture.

Abstract: A pipe positioner for holding an end of a drill pipe in an earth drilling machine which is especially suited for use during blast hole drilling. The pipe positioner is connected to the mast of the earth drilling machine in a tubular guide frame arrangement which will allow movement of the pipe positioner inwardly and outwardly with respect to the mast. The pipe positioner includes jaws provided by slide bar members positioned in the guide frame of the pipe positioner. A double acting hydraulic cylinder connected to a pivoted linkage moves the slide bars to engage or disengage the pipe. In a preferred manner, the frame member for the jaws is provided by telescoping tubular members and the mast is of the tilting type for angle drilling.

Abstract: An apparatus for loading a wheelchair or similar object into a vehicle. When in a stored position, the apparatus and wheelchair are fully contained within said vehicle. A first embodiment illustrates use of the apparatus in a rear compartment of a station wagon, van or similar vehicle in which a pair of motor-driven drive links and a pair of drag links are utilized to lift and rotate a chair rack and wheelchair mounted thereon into said vehicle rear compartment. The drive and drag links connect the rack to a carriage which may then be rolled from a rearwardmost to a forwardmost position for final storage of the apparatus and chair in the vehicle. Latching means is provided to latch the carriage in either its forwardmost or rearwardmost positions. A remote control switch and limit switches are used to control power to the electric motor. A second embodiment of the apparatus is designed for use in the trunk of a typical passenger automobile.

Abstract: A semitrailer (20) with improvements providing for increased use of available floor space is disclosed. The trailer (20) includes two sidewalls (22), a front end wall (24), a top wall (26) interconnecting said sidewalls (22) and front end wall (24) to enclose the semitrailer (20), and a back end (30) including hinged doors (32) providing for access to the inside of the semitrailer (20). A floor (28) interconnecting the sidewalls (22), is arched upward between the sidewalls (22) to provide a raised floor surface near a mid-portion of the floor (28) generally along the longitudinal extent thereof. Furthermore, the trailer includes a support structure (34) for supporting the floor (28) and the sidewalls (22, 24, 30), and the top wall (26). The arched floor (28) causes articles or pallets (48) loaded onto the trailer to tip outwardly toward the sidewalls (22) of the trailer (20) such that the top of the pallets ( 48) are spaced further apart.

Abstract: A portable unloader for a truck bed includes a gate entrained on a pair of cables so that it can be pivoted to and from a first raised position in which it is inclined with respect to the truck bed as it moves toward the rear of the truck bed, and a second position in which it lies substantially parallel to the truck bed as it moves through the load along the truck bed. In one form of the invention, the cables pass through slots near the lower edge of the plate, and the gate is secured near its opposite edge by restraining chains attached to the cable to limit the angle at which the gate is inclined with respect to the truck bed. Such a gate can also include a pair of wedge-shaped runners for initially orienting the gate at a slight angle to the truck bed so that a portion of the load of granular material is forced under the gate to lift it to its raised position as movement toward the rear of the truck is initiated.

Abstract: A stacker assembly for a conveyor system. The conveyor system includes a belt conveyor to convey a plurality of articles having a size such that the sides of the articles overhang the side edges of the conveyor. A pair of lift blocks are disposed beneath and on opposite sides of the conveyor and can be moved from an outer retracted position to an inner lifting position. In the lifting position the inner edges of the lift blocks are located beneath the overhanging sides of an article stopped on the conveyor. The lift blocks are elevated by means of a fluid cylinder to raise the article above the conveyor and into a storage rack. As the article is elevated, cams on the lift blocks engage cam surfaces on spaced support members to wedge the support members apart and enable the articles to be elevated above the support members. The support members automatically return to the supporting position to hold the article in the storage rack.

Abstract: A frictionless supporting apparatus comprising a horizontally plane working table having magnet portions on its peripheries. Pairs of stationary magnets define therebetween a vertical space into which the working table is inserted. Magnetic repulsion between the magnet portions of the working table and the pairs of stationary magnets frictionlessly hold the working table between the pairs of stationary magnets. The working table also has vertical guide portions made of magnets extending along a predetermined one horizontal direction. A plane auxiliary table is arranged substantially in parallel to the working table. A motor is mounted on the auxiliary table for moving the working table in the predetermined one horizontal direction with respect to the auxiliary table. Pairs of guide magnets are provided on the auxiliary table, defining therebetween a horizontal space into which the guide portions of the working table are inserted.

Abstract: An arrangement for handling conical thread packages includes a sensing device which senses the orientation in which the package arrives on a main conveyor to a juncture with an accumulating auxiliary conveyor, and a manipulating device capable of gripping the package and reorienting it if needed to obtain the desired orientation of the package on the auxiliary conveyor. A removing device may be provided to engage a group of the packages accumulated with the desired orientation on the auxiliary conveyor and to transfer such group to a receiving conveyor in such a manner that the packages are deposited in the container in respective layers with orientations which are the same in each layer but opposite in directly superimposed layers.

Abstract: A nozzle construction has an end of a spout member threaded into an opening of an adaptor member until the members are disposed in a predetermined threaded condition thereof. One of the members then has a portion thereof deformed into a locking position with the other of the members to tend to prevent relative threading movement between the members from the predetermined threaded condition.

Abstract: A device for taking out sheet rolls and mounting sheet roll cores comprises a wheeled roll holder support capable of being advanced and retracted with respect to the sheet rolls, a sheet roll holder provided on the sheet roll holder support for vertical movement thereon and capable of receiving the sheet rolls, and core holding means provided on the sheet roll holder support or the sheet roll holder. This device is adapted to be used for a sheet winder which has a mechanism for discharging sheet rolls by withdrawal of a take-up shaft in the axial direction thereof from the sheet rolls. With this device, the withdrawn take-up shaft is returned to the take-up position after the sheet rolls have been discharged.

Abstract: A machine is described for accurately elevating and aligning large ceiling panels for placement in an overhead ceiling. The machine includes a frame supported by wheels which permit horizontal transport of the machine between panel receiving and panel placing positions. Elevating outriggers are provided to elevate the frame and wheels at the panel placing location and to partially advance the panel vertically toward placement. A series of elevating stages which are slidably mounted upon guides fixed to the frame elevate the panel to its final elevation for placement. Hydraulic cylinders are provided to elevate the stages. A pair of carriages are provided, mounted on the elevating stages, slidably adjustable along stage frame members, for shifting the panel into transverse and longitudinal alignment for placement. An upper carriage includes a turntable bearing upon which is mounted a base for supporting the panel.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for transferring articles, preferably extruded aluminium sections from a first station to a second station, comprising a conveyor for receiving such articles from the first station, the conveyor being extendible and retractable in the direction of conveyance and being movable, from a first position to a second position, the second position being above the location of the second station. Displacement of the conveyor is effected by an air cylinder arrangement and displacement the conveyor is effected by an appropriate motor.

Abstract: A stacker having platforms movable along a path by chains. Cam followers on the platforms engage a cam surface which controls the platform path. The chains are driven by a motor in a closed-loop system which monitors the platforms and controls their speed. The closed-loop system first decelerates the platforms and thereafter stops one platform in the intercept-ready position. The platform cam follower enters a claw which moves the end of the platform through the stream to collect signatures when the downstream platform reaches a predetermined count and deposits the stack on a turntable. A piston assembly rotates the turntable one-half turn after each deposit. Different pressure values are selectively applied to the piston assembly to slow the turntable before it is halted.

Abstract: Mechanism for feeding a container cover out of a hopper and on to a conveyor for subsequent application to a filled container includes a pivotally mounted oscillatable support arranged to move toward and away from the hopper, suction means rotatably mounted on the oscillatable support and engageable with a container cover for withdrawing the cover from the hopper together with control means interconnected with the suction means for imparting rotation to the suction means relative to the oscillatable support so as to position the suction means adjacent the conveyor for convenient deposit of the conveyor lid on to the conveyor.

Abstract: A load toting vehicle apparatus includes a vehicle such as a pick up truck having a special cylindrical bumper, rotably mounted to the rear thereof, with special bumper mounting brackets. The bumper mounting brackets have sleeves for the cylindrical bumper to rotate in, and a pair of spears are removably attachable to the cylindrical bumper for spearing a load of hay, or the like. The bumper has a rotating mechanism for rotating the bumper in the sleeves so as to lift the spears and any load mounted on the spears. The vehicle can be driven to spear a load of hay, or the like, then the load lifted and moved with the vehicle to a different location. The spears can be removed from their operating position and stored inside the hollow cylindrical bumper and locked in the bumper with a threaded clamp. The actuating mechanism includes a leverage bracket attached to the cylindrical bumper and connected with a hydraulic cylinder for rotating the cylindrical bumper.

Abstract: A tippling installation for the discharge of bulk goods from large barges comprises a dry basin in which a trough-shaped cradle can have its ends sealed against opposite end walls of the basin in which there are lock gates. The cradle provides a holding vessel into which the barges are floated through the lock gates. After closing the gates and draining the cradle, the barge is tipped by rolling the cradle sideways along guide and support tracks which provide positive location while the barge is held clamped in the cradle. The contents of the barge are discharged into a receiving space from which any liquid is drained to separate it from the discharged solids that are then collected. The arrangement is able to prevent pollution of the waterway by the escape of any of the barge contents during discharge. Because they roll on fixed supports relatively little lifting efforts needs to be expanded and very large barges can be handled.

Abstract: An apparatus for loading a scooter-type wheelchair or similar object into a vehicle compartment such that the apparatus and wheelchair loaded thereon are fully contained within the vehicle when in a storage position. The apparatus includes a frame attachable to a lower surface of the vehicle compartment and a platform upon which the wheelchair may be rolled. A pair of upper links and a pair of lower links interconnect the frame and platform. A drive shaft interconnects the lower links, and the shaft may be rotated by an electric motor. Each upper link has a drive shaft which is connected to the first link drive shaft by a chain and sprocket assembly. Thus, as the motor rotates the lower link drive shaft, all links are rotated which raises the platform and wheelchair upwardly, traversing toward the vehicle compartment and lowering the platform and wheelchair into the compartment for storage. During this cycle, the platform passes through a vertical plane defining a maximum elevation.

Abstract: An arrangement for the automatic positioning of axial lead electronic components upon a walking beam includes a tray positioning mechanism and a tray removal mechanism. The tray positioning mechanism in positioned above the walking beam and includes a pair of facing end guides for receiving a plurality of component positioning trays in a stacked arrangement whereon are positioned a plurality of aligned electronic components. The tray positioning mechanism further includes a pair of vertically displaceable support rails for engaging each tray in turn and lowering it beneath the walking beam whereupon all of the components positioned on the tray are removed from the tray and are deposited upon the walking beam. The thus empty tray is then removed from a position adjacent to and straddling the walking beam by a roller assembly which sequentially displaces each emptied tray onto the tray removal mechanism.

Abstract: A multi-beam structure clip for transporting and dispensing I-beams includes two legs which stradle a stack of I-beams and which include at their lower ends dogs which extend under the upper flange of the bottom I-beam in the stack to support the stack within the clip. Each dog includes a lobe located so as to contact the upper surface of the lower flange of the bottom I-beam as the clip is lowered with the bottom I-beam being supported. Contact of the lobe against that surface pivots the dog to a retracted position so that the tip of the dog clears the upper flange of the bottom beam when the clip is raised, thereby freeing the bottom I-beam. However, as the clip is raised, the lobes of the dogs contact the lower surface of the upper flange of the bottom I-beam causing the dogs to pivot inwardly to an extended position so that as the clip is further raised, the tips of the dogs engage the lower surface of the upper flange of the next-to-bottom I-beam.