Handlers Utilizing Parallel Links Patents (Class 414/917)
  • Patent number: 4265586
    Abstract: A lift assembly for use on a vehicle, more particularly to lift wheelchairs into vehicles, is disclosed. The lift assembly comprises a pair of vertically spaced support posts adapted to be mounted on the vehicle just inwardly of a side or rear doorway, a platform adapted to be moved from ground to an intermediate position outside the vehicle is substantially level with the floor of the vehicle, and linkages interconnecting the platform to the posts, each linkage comprises two parallel rigid arms pivotally connected to and slidably mounted at one end along a respective post, two other parallel rigid arms pivotally connected to the first mentioned parallel arms at one end and to the platform at the other end. The first mentioned parallel arms on the platform form parallelograms with the other parallel arms and a respective post so that the linkages and platform may be folded to a stored position inside the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1978
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1981
    Inventor: Jacques Couture
  • Patent number: 4260319
    Abstract: An end position control robot constituted by a compound robot comprising a weight control apparatus a weight control robot having a link arm robot and a position control apparatus of a position control robot, both the apparatus being mechanically associated. The weight control apparatus is constructed so as to bear vertical load to control a vertical position and the position control apparatus is constructed in such a manner that a working end portion of the weight control apparatus is moved in a horizontal direction to carry out positioning, which leads to a precise positioning of the end portion of the arm in the case of load being transferred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1979
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1981
    Assignee: Motoda Denshi Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenro Motoda, Kensuke Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 4249854
    Abstract: A rubber tired self powered mine vehicle utilizing a low profile fork lift assembly for handling palletized materials underground. The fork lift assembly consists of a fork lift plate and a parallel spaced apart base plate. The base plate is attached to the front of a mining vehicle by bucket mounting hole. The position of the base plate relative to the mine vehicle may be adjustable. The upper part of the fork lift plate is attached to the upper part of the base plate by set of horizontally spaced apart pivot links. The lower part of the fork lift plate is attached to the lower part of the base plate by a set of spaced apart pitmans. The long arm of each pitman extends between the base plate and the fork lift plate, while the short arm extends upward from the connection to the base plate. The short arm of the pitmans are engaged by hydraulic cylinders for raising and lowering forks which extend from the fork lift plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1979
    Date of Patent: February 10, 1981
    Assignee: Pyott-Boone Machinery Corporation
    Inventor: John J. Teti
  • Patent number: 4247238
    Abstract: An apparatus for stacking and unstacking trays, especially adapted for use n connection with Mogul machines includes a base, a plurality of links and a generally vertically-disposed elevator frame pivotably mounted on the base by means of the links for reciprocal movement over an arcuate path between two laterally-displaced end positions. A gripper device for retaining and releasing trays is mounted on the elevator frame for longitudinally-displaceable movement relative thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1978
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1981
    Assignee: Winkler & Dunnebier Maschinenfabrik & Eisengiesserei GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Gerd Imhauser, Gerhard Puderbach
  • Patent number: 4245657
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for loading and unloading a bulk curing tobacco barn so that large heavy containers filled with tobacco leaves will be properly positioned in the barn in a close front-to-back relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1981
    Assignee: Harrington Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Bertram L. Jordan, John D. Mitchell
  • Patent number: 4239437
    Abstract: A heavy-duty lifting and tilting device having features which make it especially advantageous for incorporation in garbage trucks and the like. The highly-stressed components of the device are short and compact, being particularly arranged to produce a sturdy mechanism that is well adapted to withstand rough handling and abuse when in use. Additionally, the device provides the greatest possible ground clearance, which is of great importance when the truck is traversing uneven terrain, in a heavily-loaded condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1978
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1980
    Assignee: Zoller-Kipper GmbH
    Inventor: Jakob Naab
  • Patent number: 4226567
    Abstract: Apparatus is provided for handling bobbins and particularly for transferring bobbins from one location to another. The apparatus includes a cart having parallel linkages pivotally mounted thereon and connected to a fluid-operated ram. A bobbin-engaging unit is carried at the ends of the linkages and engages the bobbin internally. After engagement, the linkages are manipulated to transfer the bobbin to another location with the weight of the bobbin and mechanism being offset by the fluid-operated cylinder. The cart is designed to be attached to a portable bobbin buggy so that both can then be pushed as a unit to move the buggy to a desired location from which the bobbins are transferred to a creel or rack, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1978
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1980
    Assignee: D. W. Zimmerman Mfg., Inc.
    Inventor: Laurence S. Van Orsdale, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4218171
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for determining the locations of the two hydraulic jacks for controlling an assembly of two pivoted arms, the first arm, called boom or jib, pivoted on the frame of a public works machine, such as a loader or a hydraulic shovel, and the second arm, called balance beam, pivoted on the first arm, while a bucket, adapted to rest on the ground during loading, is coupled to said balance beam, each of said two jacks is coupled between the frame and the balance beam, at least one of the axes of coupling of one of the jacks being separate from the axis of coupling of the other jack on the same element--frame or balance beam--and the instantaneous centers of rotation of the bucket, corresponding respectively to the functioning of each of the control jacks when the bucket is near the ground, are chosen to be on the longitudinal axis of the boom, wherein the first instantaneous center of rotation is chosen to be near the ground, the second instantaneous center of rotation is cho
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1978
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1980
    Assignee: Societe Anonyme de Droit Francais, Poclain
    Inventor: Gabriel L. Guinot
  • Patent number: 4218170
    Abstract: An industrial truck includes a pair of forks mounted on a carrier at one end of a boom. The boom can be traversed in a constrained manner, one end of the boom following a D-shaped path, the boom having components of movement lengthways, fore and aft of the truck and laterally, across the truck and the carrier can be swivelled relative to the boom. Mechanical or electrical constraints may be incorporated to permit pivoting of the carrier about an axis spaced from the end of the boom so that the forks may be rotated within the width of the truck before any sideways reach movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1978
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1980
    Assignee: Lansing Bagnall Limited
    Inventor: Cecil Goodacre
  • Patent number: 4215971
    Abstract: The lift truck of the invention comprises a frame, a mast adapted to be lifted in relation to the frame, a fluid-operated cylinder for controlling the ascent and descent of the mast, a load-supporting platform rigid with the mast, a first pivot pin carried by the lower end of the mast and rigid with a movable slide block guided horizontally along the lower portion of the frame. The slide block carries the pivot pin of a positioning rod for positioning the load supporting platform and a supporting rod, having a length equal to one-half of the distance between the pivot pin of the mast on the slide block and the pivot pin of the load supporting platform on the mast, is pivoted to the mast and to the lower portion of the frame ahead of the slide block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1978
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1980
    Assignee: Regie Nationale des Usines Renault
    Inventor: Georges Itey-Bernard
  • Patent number: 4215972
    Abstract: A transfer apparatus comprising an object-suspending rod, upper and lower support rods whose one ends are pivotally connected to the object-suspending rod, and a connecting rod pivotally connecting the other ends of the support rods. The object-suspending rod, the connecting rod and the upper and lower support rods are disposed in parallel to constitute two pairs of opposite sides of a parallelogram link mechanism. An object hanger is attached to the lower end of the object-suspending rod. The other end of the upper support rod is connected to a balance weight which is guided in a vertical guide slot in a suspended support member so as to be movable up and down by a fluid cylinder device. The lower-support rod and connecting rod are connected by a pivot shaft which is movably guided in a horizontal guide slot in the support member. Another balance weight is connected to the other end of the lower-support rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1978
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1980
    Assignee: Tsubakimoto Chain Co.
    Inventors: Akitoshi Yamasaki, Kajunori Miyauchi
  • Patent number: 4190912
    Abstract: A lifting device for lifting and transferring a load, said device having a rigid carrier arm and transfer means for lateral movement of said carrier arm. Said transfer means includes two symmetrically disposed transfer assemblies each having a link member pivotably connected at a separate end of the carrier arm, a lever pivotably connected at one end to the associated link member, said lever being pivotably supported at its other end. Said transfer means also includes drive means and transmission means for simultaneous pivoting the levers in opposite directions thereby moving and transferring the carrier arm in its lateral direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1978
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1980
    Inventor: Lars A. H. Nilsson
  • Patent number: 4175899
    Abstract: A device for raising and lowering sheets of building material utilizes a base support platform on which is attached a support bracket member and a pair of serially connected first and second parallelogram members pivotally joined by a right angle member with the other end of first parallelogram member pivotally connected to the base support platform and the other end of second parallelogram member pivotally connected to an object supporting platform. A spacer arm is pivotally connected to the support bracket and to one leg of the second parallelogram member proximately midway between pivotally connected ends to keep the object supporting platform on a long radius curve or generally straight vertical direction of movement. Hydraulic means are provided for actuating the spacer arm to raise and lower the object supporting platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1977
    Date of Patent: November 27, 1979
    Inventor: Robert R. Tipton
  • Patent number: 4158524
    Abstract: A mobile chair lift for raising wheelchairs from ground level to a level such as to enable rolling the wheelchair onto a porch or other flat surface providing for entrance to a home or place of business wherein there is a base frame, a platform, legs mounting the platform on the base frame, kinematic linkage for raising and lowering the platform and maintaining it horizontal during such movement, a reversible motor for actuating the linkage and switches mounted on the platform and on the base frame for controlling operation of the motor. The platform has downwardly-open channels at its opposite longitudinal sides for receiving the legs at ground level and there is a ramp transversely of the forward end of the platform for raising the wheels from the ground onto the platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1978
    Date of Patent: June 19, 1979
    Inventor: Joseph W. Serafin