Abstract: The present wheel chair lift apparatus has a rotatable post at the front of a doorway in the side of a van. A pivotally mounted electric motor rotates this post through a pinion and gear drive at the lower end of the post. A carriage for the wheel chair lift platform is slidable up and down along this post. A vertical lead screw is coupled to the carriage through a ball nut and a lost-motion coupling. The lead screw is driven from an electric motor through gear wheels. The lead screw motor has an electric brake which prevents the screw from turning when the motor is stopped. The lift platform has a pivoted retainer lip at its outer edge which is pulled up before the lift platform can move up or down. Provisions are made for manually moving the platform in case of power failure.

Abstract: A mechanism for transferring a wheelchair through a side door opening of a motor vehicle includes a hoisting device disposed in the vehicle and a linkage linking the chair to the hoist. Once hoisted off the ground, the wheels of the chair are retracted and the chair is swung by the parallel links through the door opening. The chair is suspended at a rear corner of a generally box-like frame so that final pivoting of the chair about its point of suspension not only brings the chair to its front facing position in the vehicle but simultaneously completes its sideways movement into the vehicle. The chair is then lowered into its seated position.

Abstract: A lift is provided characterized by its ability to be simply retrofitted into a van or similar vehicle of virtually any style construction without requiring the modification of the existing structure. The unit comes in a small, neat package which is hinged on a vertical axis to a door post adjacent the hinge of one of the doors. The mounting plate of the unit which mounts the hinge also mounts a slide in its distal end which slides in a track in the door, so that as the door is opened the mounting plate is supported at one end by its hinge and at the other end in the slide. A horizontal carrier slides outwardly on tracks on the mounting plate, so that the unit clears the vehicle structure, and then a vertical carrier descends from the horizontal carrier by virtue of a hydraulic actuator.

Abstract: A motorized vehicle has an elongated space between a drivers cab at the front and a garbage compactor at the rear, one side of the space being occupied by a glass collection bin and a can collection bin. The other side of the space is occupied by a newspaper receptacle, between a glass hopper and a can hopper. The collection bins move several feet laterally and then tilt to dump away from the side of the vehicle. The paper receptacle tilts to discharge. The hopper and vertical conveyors are enclosed and the conveyors cannot move unless the access doors are closed. All actuations are hydraulically powered with "dead man" safety control valves.

Abstract: Lifting apparatus in combination with at least one substantially upright wall having an opening therein for providing access through the wall. The preferred combination comprises a vehicle, such as, a van (1), having a rear or side door opening therein, the lifting apparatus including a generally planar, load support portion (12) which is movable between a storage position (A,C) interior of the vehicle (1) and an operative position (B) exterior of the vehicle. In the operative position (B), the load support portion (12) lies in a generally horizontal plane substantially normal to that of the vehicle opening, with the support portion (12) being movable between its storage position (A,C) and its operative position (B) via an intermediate, inoperative position exterior of the vehicle (1).

Abstract: A device for selectably positioning onto an automobile an invalid's wheelchair comprising a fixed support apparatus mountable onto the roof of an automobile and defining a fixed track, an axle arranged for rotational rolling engagement with the track and movement therealong, and wheelchair support shaft apparatus defining first and second ends, the first end being rotatably mounted onto the axle and the second end being associated with a wheelchair for support thereof.

Abstract: The driver's cab and the rearloading, trash compactor of a conventional compactor vehicle are mounted on an elongated frame to provide a central, longitudinally-extending, space for separated discards collection apparatus. A single vehicle, small crew and a single stop thus enables both resource recovery and refuse collection. A power telescopable paper rack, is located between a power dump glass bucket and a power dump can bucket on one side of the space with access at curbside level and a glass bin and can bin are roll supported on the other side of the space for off loading laterally when filled.

Abstract: Invalid lift apparatus particularly adapted for installation in an automotive vehicle of the van type characterized by a passenger side door adjoining a loading floor. The apparatus includes a storage receptacle mountable below the loading floor to receive a platform for wheelchair passengers. The platform is extensible onto movable supports for raising and lowering relative to fixed supports attachable at opposite sides of the door opening. Limit switches are provided to control the extent of upward and downward movement of the platform, and to orient the platform in proper position for movement out of the way and onto the storage receptacle whereby ambulatory passengers can enter and leave the vehicle.

Abstract: A loading device is illustrated for wheeled vehicles having elongated beds wherein a pair of transversely aligned boom members having an extensible inverted U-shaped member adjustably carried on free ends thereof, are pivotally secured on a supporting frame and operated by fluid operated cylinder assemblies which are pivotally connected on one end to a respective boom and on the other end to an upright frame member or standard carried forwardly in the vehicle.

Abstract: An inexpensive, reliable lift unit is provided for a pick-up truck wherein the lift unit is readily attached to and detached from the end of the bed of a pickup truck without the use of tools or other apparatus. There is no portion of the lift unit of this invention which is permanently or even semi-permanently attached to the truck. Th unit comprises a stationary support structure which rests on the bumper of the truck and has hook members connecting the upper portion thereof to the stake wells at the rear end of the bed of the truck or to the conventional tailgate of the truck. A load carrying platform is mounted to the support structure, with the platform being movable from a lowered position to an elevated position and vice-versa. The lift unit is adapted to support the load in its lifted position, without requiring movement of the load into the bed of the truck.

Abstract: A self loading multiple bale trailer comprises an elongated trailer frame with a belt conveyor extending from end to end and a lift fork for engagement at the lower periphery of a large round bale at the side of the trailer, for example, by forward motion of a tow vehicle. The lift fork is supported on a frame which is connected by an arm to a sleeve slidable on a verticle shaft and having an hydraulic cylinder for lifting the bale. The sleeve is also rotatable about a vertical axis to swing the lifted bale a half circle from the side of the trailer to a position over the conveyor for deposit thereon. The conveyor is operable to move the deposited bale to a desired position along the trailer, and may also be used to discharge the bale from the rear of the trailer or to reengage the lift fork with the bale. In an alternative form, the bale may be handled by a penetrating spike instead of lift fork legs, which spike may be utilized, in a quarter turn position, in unwinding the bale for feeding.

Abstract: A weather-protected, self-loading car-top carrier adapted to transport bulky loads and described in an embodiment suited for the transport of small motorized vehicles such as used by handicapped persons comprises a fixed rail assembly and a weather-protected carrier which, in response to operator control, moves along the rail assembly to provide access to a weather-protected storage space encompassed by the carriage assembly and includes provision for the automatic loading, under operator control, of bulky, heavy, awkward loads which would be difficult to handle by most persons and essentially impossible by one having limited or no use of their lower limbs.

Abstract: A height-adjustable hoist having an upright post, a tip member extensible therefrom, and a sleeve swivelable about the axis of the post. A hoist arm is pivotally mounted at one of its ends on the sleeve for pivoting in a substantially upright plane between raised and lowered positions. A nonextensible chain extending from the other end of the hoist arm to the tip member is adjustably anchored to the tip member by a chain-engaging lock. To set the hoist arm at a desired raised position, the tip member is extended and the chain is selectively anchored to the tip member, with the chain stretched between the hoist arm and tip member.

Abstract: A lifting and transfer mechanism disposed inside a vehicle such as a van for lifting and moving a paralyzed or otherwise immobilized occupant from a wheelchair disposed within the vehicle to a seat of the vehicle itself comprising a horizontally disposed transfer bar pivotally supported at one end and extending along the width of the vehicle and supporting thereon a transfer means which is movably attached to the transfer bar and adapted to support the wheelchair occupant so as to move him from the chair to the vehicle seat.