Material handler
A material handler for use by a self-propelled machines to handle elongate panels of sheet material comprises a support adapted to receive and support the elongate panels. A base mounts the support for pivotal movement of the support relative to the base about a tilt axis which is transverse to the length of the elongate panels when held on the support. The base is adapted for connection to the self-propelled machine. A mover drives the pivotal movement of the support relative to the base to selectively tilt the support about the tilt axis so that when the elongate sheets are held by the support the elongate sheets assumes a desired slope along their lengths.
This invention relates to material handlers, and in particular to material handlers for use by self-propelled machines to handle elongate panels of sheet material.
In the roofing industry, as well as other industries, it is common to use elongate panels of sheet material at elevated heights. For example, many industrial and commercial buildings have roofs constructed of corrugated roofing panels. These panels, which are commonly made from steel, aluminum, or copper, can be made into any shape and size to accommodate the dimensions and configuration of the roof. Typically, roofing panels are made relatively large to reduce the number of panels that need to manufactured, purchased, transported, and installed. As a result, it is common for metal roofing panels to have widths ranging from about 2 feet to about 4 feet and length ranging from about 3 feet and about 50 feet. It is also common for each panel to weigh between about 1 pound and about 3 pounds per square foot. By way of example, a panel being 3 foot wide by 20 foot long and weighing 2 pounds per square foot would weigh about 120 pounds.
Commonly, roofing panels are packaged during the manufacturing process in bundled stacks containing numerous panels. As can be appreciated, these bundles weigh a considerable amount. Accordingly, machinery (e.g., forklifts, trucks), is typically used to move the bundle of panels from the manufacturer to any intermediate locations (i.e., warehouse, retail store) and finally to a job site, were the panels can be used. At the job site, the bundle (or numerous bundles) of panels is typically placed on the ground. Individual panels are then separated from the bundle and manually transported to the roof of the building were they can be secured to framing members (e.g., roof trusses) of the building. Manually transporting each panel to the roof is both time consuming and labor intensive because of the weight and size of each panel, and the height to which the panel needs to be transported.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA material handler of the present invention is for use by a self-propelled machine to handle elongate panels of sheet material. The material handler generally comprises a support adapted to receive and support the elongate panels. A base mounts the support for pivotal movement of the support relative to the base about a tilt axis which is transverse to the length of the elongate panels when held on the support. The base is adapted for connection to the self-propelled machine. A mover drives the pivotal movement of the support relative to the base to selectively tilt the support about the tilt axis so that when the elongate sheets are held by the support, the elongate sheets assume a desired slope along their lengths.
Another aspect of the present invention is a method of sheathing a pitched roof on a structure using elongate panels of sheet material having a length and a width. The method generally comprises loading a plurality of elongate sheet material panels onto a support. The panels lie in a stack on the support. The method also includes raising the support to a height corresponding to that of the pitched roof to be sheathed, and tilting the support to an angle such that the sheet material panels held by the support are inclined along their lengths. In addition, the method includes sliding sheet material panels lengthwise from the stack on the tilted support onto the structure and securing them to the structure for sheathing the pitched roof.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a material handler can be used by a self-propelled machine to handle elongate panels of sheet material. Each elongate sheet has a length and a width. The material handler generally comprises a base adapted for connection to the self-propelled machine and a support adapted to receive and support the elongate panels. The support is adjustable relative to the base in a direction to accommodate elongate panels of different widths.
Other objects and features of the present invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring now to the drawings and in particular to
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As mentioned above, the support 3 also comprises a number of support arms 9, which are attached to the longitudinally extending beams 7 by brackets 19. As shown in
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Each of the support arms 9 further comprises upwardly extending flanges 29 attached to each end of the support arms. The flanges 29, which are generally rectangular shaped pieces of metal, are adapted to engage opposite side edges of the panels positioned on the support 3 to thereby prevent the panels from sliding off of the support. It is understood that the support arms 9 may be selectively positionable between lengths different from those provided herein or have a fixed length without departing from the scope of this invention. It is also understood that the support 3 could have more or fewer support arms 9 than disclosed herein.
A retainer 32 is located at one end of the support 3 for holding the elongate panels, when positioned on the support in a tilted position, from sliding off of the support. The retainer is pivotally mounted on the central portion 23 of the support arm 9 for movement between a retaining position and a non-retaining position. It is understood that the support arms 9 positioned at the end of both beams 7 could have retainers. It is also understood that the retainer may be fixed in the retaining position.
Referring to
Two spacer members 37, made of square steel tubing are welded to and span between the fork tubes 33, 35. One of the spacer members 37 is aligned generally with rear edge margins of the fork tubes 33, 35 while another spacer member is aligned generally with the front edge margins of the fork tubes. Four frame members 39 are securely attached (i.e., by welding) to the top of the fork tubes 33, 35 and spacer members 37 to form a rectangular frame, indicated generally at 41. The outwardly facing surfaces of the frame members 39 are generally coplanar with the outwardly facing surfaces of the fork tubes 33, 35 and the spacer members 37. It is understood that the base 5 can have more or fewer spacer members 37, or the fork tubes 33, 35 and the spacer members can be formed from as one piece.
A platform, indicated generally at 43, is pivotally mounted on the frame 41 of the base 5. The platform 43 includes three rigid, structural tubes 45, such as steel tubing having a square cross section. Two of the tubes 45 extend generally parallel to the longitudinal axis LA of the material handler 1 and are spaced outwardly an equidistance from the axis in a forward and a rearward direction. The other tube 45 extends between and is attached to the two parallel tubes such that the three attached tubes from a generally U-shaped structure. The platform 43 further comprises a rod 49 extending between and attached to the two parallel tubes 45. The rod 49 is positioned adjacent the ends of the parallel tubes, spaced from the transverse tube. It is contemplated that the platform 43 can have other configurations, such as being a unitary structure or comprising more or fewer structural tubes 45.
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The hydraulic cylinder 61 is pivotally secured to the frame 41 of the base 5 and the piston rod 65 is pivotally secured to a plate 47 mounted, such as by welding, to the underside of the beam elements 11A (
In operation, the material handler 1 can be used to sheath a pitched roof on a structure using elongate panels of sheet material having a length and a width. The material handler 1 is placed on a smooth, firm surface. Each of the support arms 9 and telescopic beams 7 are adjusted as needed for accommodating the length and width of the selected panel. The support arms 9 are adjusted to accommodate the width of the panels by moving the forward and rearward portions 25, 27 of the support arm with respect to the central portion 23. The length of the panels is accommodated by adjusting the length of the telescopic beams 7. To change the length of the beam 7, the pin 15 is removed and the beam elements 11B-11D with smaller cross sections are slid in a longitudinal direction to the desired length. To secure the beam elements 11B-11D at the desired length, the holes 13 of adjacent beam elements are aligned and the pins are inserted therethrough. Using the telehandler T (or other suitable machinery), a plurality of elongate sheet material panels, such as a bundle, are picked up and loaded onto a support. The panels are positioned on the support such that they lie in a stack.
The forks of the telehandler T are then inserted into two fork tubes 33, 35 thereby connecting the material handler 1 to the telehandler T. Pins are inserted into apertures adjacent the distal ends of the forks to secure the handler to the telehandler. Hydraulic hoses from the hydraulic cylinder are connected to the telehandler. After the panels have been positioned on the material handler 1 and the material handler has been securely attached to the telehandler, the telehandler operator uses the controls to actuate the extensible boom of the telehandler to raise the material handler and move it and stack of panels to a desired location. The panels on the support 3 are positioned so that the support is next to the structure and the longitudinal axis LA of the sheet material panels extends transversely to the structure. The operator of the telehandler can use the telescoping boom of the telehandler to raise the material handler 1 to a height corresponding to that of the pitched roof to be sheathed. Next, the operator can tilt the support 3 of the material handler 1 to an angle corresponding to a pitch angle of the pitched roof to be constructed such that the sheet material panels are inclined along their lengths. As a result, the panels can be easily slid lengthwise from the stack on the tilted support onto the structure by roofers on the roof. The roofers can then securing the panels to the structure thereby sheathing the pitched roof.
When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferred embodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.
As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
Claims
1. A material handler for use by a self-propelled machines to handle elongate panels of sheet material, the material handler comprising:
- a support adapted to receive and support the elongate panels;
- a base mounting the support for pivotal movement of the support relative to the base about a tilt axis which is transverse to the length of the elongate panels when held on the support, the base being adapted for connection to the self-propelled machine;
- a mover for driving the pivotal movement of the support relative to the base to selectively tilt the support about the tilt axis so that when the elongate sheets are held by the support the elongate sheets assumes a desired slope along their lengths.
2. A material handler as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a pivot connecting the support to the base.
3. A material handler as set forth in claim 2 wherein the pivot comprises a hinge connecting the support to the base for pivoting about the tilt axis.
4. A material handler as set forth in claim 3 further comprising a linkage connecting the support to the base, the linkage being adapted to extend and retract to permit the pivotal movement of the support on the hinge.
5. A material handler as set forth in claim 4 wherein the base comprises a platform underlying the support, the hinge connecting the support to the platform along a first side thereof and the linkage connecting the support to a second side of the platform opposite the first side.
6. A material handler as set forth in claim 4 wherein the support is adjustable for receiving the elongate sheets of different widths.
7. A material handler as set forth in claim 6 wherein the support comprises plural support arms spaced apart from each other, each support arm having an adjustable length for accommodating elongate panels of different widths.
8. A material handler as set forth in claim 7 wherein the support is adjustable for receiving elongate panels of different lengths.
9. A material handler as set forth in claim 8 wherein the base comprises a platform and the support comprises a telescoping member mounted on the platform for extending and retracting relative to the platform to adjust the support for receiving elongate panels of different lengths.
10. A material handler as set forth in claim 9 wherein the base further comprises another telescoping member mounted on the platform for extending and retracting relative to the platform to adjust the support for receiving elongate panels of different lengths, the telescoping members being arranged on the platform to extend in different directions.
11. A material handler as set forth in claim 10 wherein each telescoping member mounts a plurality of the support arms thereon.
12. A material handler as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a retainer located at an end of the support for holding the elongate panels, when held by the support in a tilted position, from sliding in one direction off of the support.
13. A material handler as set forth in claim 12 wherein the retainer is pivotally mounted on the support for movement between a retaining position and a non-retaining position.
14. A material handler as set forth in claim 1 wherein the mover comprises a hydraulic cylinder.
15. A material handler as set forth in claim 1 wherein the base is adapted for releasable connection to the self-propelled machine.
16. A material handler as set forth in claim 1 in combination with the self-propelled machine.
17. A method of sheathing a pitched roof on a structure using elongate panels of sheet material having a length and a width, the method comprising:
- loading a plurality of elongate sheet material panels onto a support, the panels lying in a stack on the support;
- raising the support to a height corresponding to that of the pitched roof to be sheathed;
- tilting the support to an angle such that the sheet material panels held by the support are inclined along their lengths;
- sliding sheet material panels lengthwise from the stack on the tilted support onto the structure and securing them to the structure for sheathing the pitched roof.
18. A method as set forth in claim 17 wherein tilting the support comprises tilting the support to an angle corresponding to a pitch angle of the pitched roof to be constructed.
19. A method as set forth in claim 18 further comprising arranging the support so that the support is next to the structure and a longitudinal axis of the sheet material panels extends transversely to the structure.
20. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein the support is attached to a forklift, and wherein raising the support comprises extending a telescoping boom of the forklift.
21. A method as set forth in claim 18 further comprising attaching the support to a forklift.
22. A method as set forth in claim 17 further comprising adjusting the width of the support for holding sheet material panels of different widths.
23. A method as set forth in claim 22 further comprising adjusting the length of the support for holding sheet material panels of different lengths.
24. A material handler for use by a self-propelled machine to handle elongate panels of sheet material, each elongate sheet having a length and a width, the material handler comprising a base adapted for connection to the self-propelled machine and a support adapted to receive and support the elongate panels, the support being adjustable relative to the base in a direction to accommodate elongate panels of different widths.
25. A material handler as set forth in claim 24 the support comprises plural support arms spaced apart from each other, each support arm having an adjustable length for accommodating elongate panels of different widths.
26. A material handler as set forth in claim 25 wherein the support is adjustable for receiving elongate panels of different lengths.
27. A material handler as set forth in claim 26 wherein the base comprises a platform and the support comprises a telescoping member mounted on the platform for extending and retracting relative to the platform to adjust the support for receiving elongate panels of different lengths.
28. A material handler as set forth in claim 27 wherein the base further comprises another telescoping member mounted on the platform for extending and retracting relative to the platform to adjust the support for receiving elongate panels of different lengths, the telescoping members being arranged on the platform to extend in different directions.
29. A material handler as set forth in claim 28 wherein each telescoping member mounts a plurality of the support arms thereon.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 16, 2004
Publication Date: May 18, 2006
Inventor: Michael Sanders (Edwardsville, IL)
Application Number: 10/990,027
International Classification: E04F 21/00 (20060101);