Combination dolly-pallet
The dolly-pallet of the present invention includes a load bearing deck that may be alternately supported by the retractable support skid or the wheel elements. Initial displacement of the skid during the retraction process is along an upward substantially vertical path. Once the retractable support skid is retracted such that the dolly-pallet is being supported by the wheel elements, the retractable support skid may be further displaced along an upward substantially arcuate path so as to move it away form the wheel elements, allowing them to swivel if they are so configured. In this way, the center of mass of the load is lowered vertically, thereby reducing stress on the displacement mechanism until the load is supported by the wheel elements.
Latest Patents:
- PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITIONS OF AMORPHOUS SOLID DISPERSIONS AND METHODS OF PREPARATION THEREOF
- AEROPONICS CONTAINER AND AEROPONICS SYSTEM
- DISPLAY SUBSTRATE AND DISPLAY DEVICE
- DISPLAY APPARATUS, DISPLAY MODULE, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING DISPLAY APPARATUS
- DISPLAY PANEL, MANUFACTURING METHOD, AND MOBILE TERMINAL
The present invention relates to dollies and pallets and, in particular, it concerns a combination dolly-pallet.
The prior art is replete with wheeled dollies and pallets with retractable wheels. Wheeled dollies, however, are generally not usable on roller conveyer devices, and pallets generally must be lifted off the ground in order to be moved.
One problem with some pallet designs utilizing retractable wheels is that the wheels are fixed to the displacement mechanism rather than directly to the pallet. Therefore, the stresses of moving the loaded pallet are applied to the displacement mechanism rather than to the solid part of the pallet. Reliable devices require heavy displacement mechanisms. Further, the displacement path of the wheel elements includes some degree of lateral displacement while the wheel elements are supporting the full weight of the pallet and its contents. Here again, the stresses of the load are applied to the displacement mechanism rather than to the solid part of the pallet.
There is therefore a need for a combination dolly-pallet with wheels that are fixedly attached and a retractable contact surface that supports the dolly-pallet while in a non-rolling state, wherein the retractable contact surface is displaced along a substantially vertical path. It would be beneficial if the retractable contact surface were configured as a retractable support skid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is a combination dolly-pallet
According to the teachings of the present invention there is provided, a combination dolly-pallet device comprising: a) a load bearing deck portion; b) a plurality of wheel elements attached in fixed relationship to the load bearing deck portion; c) at least one retractable contact surface mechanically linked to the load bearing deck portion; and d) at least one displacement mechanism associated with the retractable contact surface, the displacement mechanism configured to displace the retractable contact surface along a substantially vertical path between a support state in which at least of portion of the combination dolly-pallet device is supported by the retractable contact surface, and a retracted state in which at least a portion of the combination dolly-pallet device is supported by the plurality of wheel elements.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, there is also provided, a fixed leg portion having an internal volume such that the at least one wheel element and the at least one displacement mechanism are at least partially deployed within the internal volume.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the at least one wheel element is configured to swivel.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the displacement mechanism is configured so as to displace the retractable contact surface to a position in which the at least one wheel element is free to swivel.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the displacement mechanism is configured such that after the retractable contact surface is displaced along the substantially vertical path, the retractable contact surface is further displaced along a substantially arcuate path.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the at least one retractable contact surface is configured as at least a first pair of retractable contact surfaces and the at least one displacement mechanism is configured as at least a first pair of displacement mechanisms, and the first pair of displacement mechanisms are mechanically linked so as to be substantially simultaneously actuated by a common actuation linkage.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the first pair of retractable contact surfaces is interconnected so as to form a first retractable contact skid.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, there is also provided, at least a second pair of interconnected retractable contact surfaces and at least a second pair of displacement mechanisms so as to form at least a second retractable contact skid.
There is also provided according to the teachings of the present invention, a method for interchanging a dolly-pallet between a non-rolling pallet state and a rolling dolly state, the method comprising: a) providing a load bearing deck portion; b) providing a plurality of wheel elements attached in fixed relationship to the load bearing deck portion; c) providing at least one retractable contact surface mechanically linked to the load bearing deck portion; d) providing at least one displacement mechanism associated with the retractable contact surface, and e) displacing the retractable contact surface along a substantially vertical path between a support state in which at least of portion of the combination dolly-pallet device is supported by the retractable contact surface, and a retracted state in which at least a portion of the combination dolly-pallet device is supported by the plurality of wheel elements.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, there is also provided, providing a fixed leg portion having an internal volume such that the at least one wheel element and the at least one displacement mechanism are at least partially deployed within the internal volume.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the at least one wheel element is implemented so as to swivel.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the displacement mechanism is implemented so as to displace the retractable contact surface to a position in which the at least one wheel element is free to swivel.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the displacement mechanism is implemented such that after the retractable contact surface is displaced along the substantially vertical path, the retractable contact surface is further displaced along a substantially arcuate path.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the at least one retractable contact surface is implemented as at least a first pair of retractable contact surfaces and the at least one displacement mechanism is configured as at least a first pair of displacement mechanisms, and the first pair of displacement mechanisms are mechanically linked so as to be substantially simultaneously actuated by a common actuation linkage.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, there is also provided, interconnecting the first pair of retractable contact surfaces is so as to form a first retractable contact skid.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, there is also provided, providing at least a second pair of interconnected retractable contact surfaces and at least a second pair of displacement mechanisms so as to form at least a second retractable contact skid.
There is also provided according to the teachings of the present invention, a combination dolly-pallet device comprising: a) a load bearing deck portion; b) a plurality of wheel elements attached in fixed relationship to the load bearing deck portion; c) at least one retractable contact surface mechanically linked to the load bearing deck portion; and d) at least one displacement mechanism associated with the retractable contact surface, the displacement mechanism configured to perform a two-stage displace of the retractable contact surface such that a first stage of the two-stage displacement is a high force/torque motion and a second stage of the two-stage displacement is a low force/torque motion.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the first stage of the two-stage displacement is sufficient to displace the at least one retractable contact surface when the at least one retractable contact surface is under load.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the second stage of the two-stage displacement is sufficient to displace the at least one retractable contact surface away from a region of the plurality of wheels when the at least one retractable contact surface is not under load.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The present invention is a combination dolly-pallet.
The principles and operation of combination dolly-pallet according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description.
By way of introduction,
It will be appreciated that only some of the wheel elements 8 may be configured to swivel. That is, to rotate about a vertical axis such as, but not limited to, a caster. Therefore, only those retractable support skids 6 associated with swivel wheel elements 8s need be displaced further to allow the swivel wheel elements freedom to swivel. This is illustrated in
It will be understood that directional terms such as “up,” “upward,” “down,” “downward,” “top,” “bottom,” “clockwise,” and “counter-clockwise” are used herein in reference to those directions as they appear in the drawings.
Applying the principles of displacing the retractable support skids 6 first along an upward vertical path and then displacing the retractable support skids 6 further along an upward arcuate path to move it away from the wheel elements 8 may be achieved by any number of displacement mechanisms. Discussed herein are five preferred embodiments offered as examples only. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that other displacement mechanisms may be used with equal success. Although the embodiments illustrated herein are directed toward displacement mechanisms and wheel elements that are deployed within an interior volume of a fixed leg portion extending downward from the load bearing deck of the dolly-pallet, this is considered to be a choice of design rather than a limitation, and the principles of the present invention may be applied without such an enclosure.
It should be noted that for ease of understanding, displacement mechanism elements that serve the same or similar function in each of the embodiments herein described are numbered the same even though there may be slight differences in their individual configurations.
Referring now to the drawings,
As illustrated in
It will be appreciated that the retractable support skid 6 may be brought back into contact with the ground surface and the wheel elements 8 lifted, thereby transferring support of the dolly-pallet from the wheel elements 8 back to the retractable support skid 6 (as seen in
A second preferred embodiment of a displacement mechanism 60 is illustrated in
When the lifting projection 64 of the lever 62 engages the edge of support struts 12 (
An optional feature of the displacement mechanism of the present invention, illustrated here in this embodiment of a displacement mechanism, is the resilient snap-lock arrangement 66 associated with the pivotal interconnection of the support struts 12 and the lever 62. In a first snap-locking position, as seen in
It will be appreciated that the retractable support skid 6 may be brought back into contact with the ground surface and the wheel elements 8 lifted, thereby transferring support of the dolly-pallet from the wheel elements 8 back to the retractable support skid 6 (as seen in
A manually operated “knockdown” variation of the second preferred embodiment of a displacement mechanism 260 is illustrated in
Displacement of the retractable support skid 6 along a substantially arcuate path up and away from the wheel elements 8, thereby allowing the wheel elements 8 freedom to swivel (as seen in
It will be appreciated that the retractable support skid 6 may be brought back into contact with the ground surface and the wheel elements 8 lifted, thereby transferring support of the dolly-pallet from the wheel elements 8 back to the retractable support skid 6 (as seen in
It should be noted that
A third preferred embodiment of a displacement mechanism 80 is illustrated in
As illustrated in
It will be appreciated that the retractable support skid 6 may be brought back into contact with the ground surface and the wheel elements 8 lifted, thereby transferring support of the dolly-pallet from the wheel elements 8 back to the retractable support skid 6 (as seen in
It should be noted that load bearing deck 4 may be configured such that the drive elements, such as the drive shaft 24, rotating lifting bars 14, and the associated gears, of these first three embodiments of displacement mechanisms of the present invention may be deployed within the structure of the load bearing deck 4 itself. Alternatively, these drive elements may be attached to the underside of the load bearing deck 4.
Illustrated in
It will be appreciated that the retractable support skid 6 may be brought back into contact with the ground surface and the wheel elements 8 lifted, thereby transferring support of the dolly-pallet from the wheel elements 8 back to the retractable support skid 6 (as seen in
It should be noted that although the embodiments described herein make reference to the retractable support skid 6 as the contact surface when the dolly-pallet of the present invention is deployed in a non-rolling state, this is not intended as a limitation and a dolly-pallet configured with individual retractable contact surfaces associated with each leg is within the scope of the present invention. Further, it will be understood that directions of rotation referred to in the illustrations herein are by way of example only and that actual direction of rotation is considered to be a design consideration. Further, although the displacement mechanisms described herein are directed toward paired displacement mechanisms that are mechanically linked so as to be substantially simultaneously actuated by a common actuation linkage, this need not always be the case and individual actuation of each of the displacement mechanisms is within the scope of the present invention.
It will be appreciated that the displacement mechanism of the present invention may by driven manually or by a drive system, which may be in the form of an onboard drive system, or as a drive system accessory unit. Additionally, an onboard drive system may be activated via a control panel on the dolly-pallet, or remotely via a remote control system.
It will be appreciated that the above descriptions are intended only to serve as examples and that many other embodiments are possible within the spirit and the scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A combination dolly-pallet device comprising:
- (a) a load bearing deck portion;
- (b) a plurality of wheel elements attached in fixed relationship to said load bearing deck portion;
- (c) at least one retractable contact surface mechanically linked to said load bearing deck portion; and
- (d) at least one displacement mechanism associated with said retractable contact surface, said displacement mechanism configured to displace said retractable contact surface along a substantially vertical path between a support state in which at least of portion of the combination dolly-pallet device is supported by said retractable contact surface, and a retracted state in which at least a portion of the combination dolly-pallet device is supported by said plurality of wheel elements.
2. The combination dolly-pallet device of claim 1, further including a fixed leg portion having an internal volume such that said at least one wheel element and said at least one displacement mechanism are at least partially deployed within said internal volume.
3. The combination dolly-pallet device of claim 1, wherein said at least one wheel element is configured to swivel.
4. The combination dolly-pallet device of claim 3, wherein said displacement mechanism is configured so as to displace said retractable contact surface to a position in which said at least one wheel element is free to swivel.
5. The combination dolly-pallet device of claim 4, wherein said displacement mechanism is configured such that after said retractable contact surface is displaced along said substantially vertical path, said retractable contact surface is further displaced along a substantially arcuate path.
6. The combination dolly-pallet device of claim 1, wherein said at least one retractable contact surface is configured as at least a first pair of retractable contact surfaces and said at least one displacement mechanism is configured as at least a first pair of displacement mechanisms, and said first pair of displacement mechanisms are mechanically linked so as to be substantially simultaneously actuated by a common actuation linkage.
7. The combination dolly-pallet device of claim 6, wherein said first pair of retractable contact surfaces is interconnected so as to form a first retractable contact skid.
8. The combination dolly-pallet device of claim 7, further including at least a second pair of interconnected retractable contact surfaces and at least a second pair of displacement mechanisms so as to form at least a second retractable contact skid.
9. A method for interchanging a dolly-pallet between a non-rolling pallet state and a rolling dolly state, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a load bearing deck portion;
- (b) providing a plurality of wheel elements attached in fixed relationship to said load bearing deck portion;
- (c) providing at least one retractable contact surface mechanically linked to said load bearing deck portion;
- (d) providing at least one displacement mechanism associated with said retractable contact surface, and
- (e) displacing said retractable contact surface along a substantially vertical path between a support state in which at least of portion of the combination dolly-pallet device is supported by said retractable contact surface, and a retracted state in which at least a portion of the combination dolly-pallet device is supported by said plurality of wheel elements.
10. The method of claim 9, further including providing a fixed leg portion having an internal volume such that said at least one wheel element and said at least one displacement mechanism are at least partially deployed within said internal volume.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein said at least one wheel element is implemented so as to swivel.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein said displacement mechanism is implemented so as to displace said retractable contact surface to a position in which said at least one wheel element is free to swivel.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein said displacement mechanism is implemented such that after said retractable contact surface is displaced along said substantially vertical path, said retractable contact surface is further displaced along a substantially arcuate path.
14. The method of claim 9, wherein said at least one retractable contact surface is implemented as at least a first pair of retractable contact surfaces and said at least one displacement mechanism is configured as at least a first pair of displacement mechanisms, and said first pair of displacement mechanisms are mechanically linked so as to be substantially simultaneously actuated by a common actuation linkage.
15. The method of claim 14, further including interconnecting said first pair of retractable contact surfaces is so as to form a first retractable contact skid.
16. The method of claim 15, further including providing at least a second pair of interconnected retractable contact surfaces and at least a second pair of displacement mechanisms so as to form at least a second retractable contact skid.
17. A combination dolly-pallet device comprising:
- (a) a load bearing deck portion;
- (b) a plurality of wheel elements attached in fixed relationship to said load bearing deck portion;
- (c) at least one retractable contact surface mechanically linked to said load bearing deck portion; and
- (d) at least one displacement mechanism associated with said retractable contact surface, said displacement mechanism configured to perform a two-stage displace of said retractable contact surface such that a first stage of said two-stage displacement is a high force/torque motion and a second stage of said two-stage displacement is a low force/torque motion.
18. The combination dolly-pallet device of claim 17, wherein said first stage of said two-stage displacement is sufficient to displace said at least one retractable contact surface when said at least one retractable contact surface is under load.
19. The combination dolly-pallet device of claim 17, wherein said second stage of said two-stage displacement is sufficient to displace said at least one retractable contact surface away from a region of said plurality of wheels when said at least one retractable contact surface is not under load.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 9, 2005
Publication Date: Mar 15, 2007
Applicant:
Inventor: Nir Hadar (Shefayim)
Application Number: 11/221,714
International Classification: B62D 21/14 (20060101);