GB2269806A - Lifting device - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for the lifting and manipulation of large and heavy articles (10), in particular coils of metal strapping material, where it is necessary to receive the article at a first height and in a first plane, and to reorient the article in a second plane and possibly a second height. The apparatus includes a support platform (60) to receive and retain the article in a first orientation and at a first height, an elevator mechanism (40, 42, 50) to raise or lower the height of the article above ground, and a tilting mechanism to rotate the article to a new orientation. The article may thereby be dispensed while in the new orientation. The tilting mechanism comprises a stop (100, 102) raising the platform to move a bracing bar (66) onto a latch (70) and thereafter allow the platform to tilt downwardly. The article is held on the platform by discs (24, 25) and threaded bolt (80). <IMAGE>

Description

LIFTING DEVICE The present invention relates to lifting devices, and in particular to a mechanical apparatus for the lifting, supporting, and re-orientation of heavy objects. The apparatus has particular relevance to the manipulation of large reels of strapping material commonly used in the packaging industry.

In the course of packaging large articles, it is common to strap the article by encircling the outer periphery of the container of the article with a plastic or metal band in order to prevent the bursting of the container. Such strapping material is also used to attach articles to a pallet during transport thereof.

A large number of different strapping devices are well known in the art, and provide means for feeding strapping material around such articles and containers, and also provide means for coupling two ends of a strap encircling the article.

A problem related to the strapping activities outlined above is that the strapping material is typically provided as large, heavy reels or coils (hereinafter referred to as coils). Steel strapping in particular is provided as coils which typically weigh 53 kilograms. Thus the manipulation and loading of these coils onto strapping dispensing equipment is a difficult task.

With reference to figure 1, the coils of strapping material 10 are typically stored on a pallet 5 with the longitudinal axis (about which they are designed to rotate) in a vertical orientation such that they may be stacked and stored without risk of rolling. A loading operation typically also involves the raising of the uppermost coil 10 from its storage position 12, and mounting it onto a coil holder 20 having a spindle 22, two steel discs 24,25 between which the coil 10 is sandwiched, all mounted onto spindle 22 and retained in position with a handle bolt 26 which threadedly engages with spindle 22. The coil holder is typically designed to accept the coil 10 in a loading orientation 14 with its longitudinal axis oriented in the horizontal plane, such that the coil 10 must be rotated through ninety degrees after lifting.The coil holding apparatus 20 is diagrammatic only and not intended to represent any particular application. It does, however, represent the most common orientation for strapping dispensing units using a coil.

It is clear that it is undesirable for the action of loading the coil onto the coil holder to be carried out single-handedly in view of the weight and size of the coils. Indeed, in a number of countries, legislation dictates that employees may not do so, as serious back injuries may result.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for the lifting and manipulation of such coils in order to assist in the loading of a coil onto a coil holder.

It is a further object to provide an apparatus which may be operated single-handedly without risk of injury due to the lifting of heavy articles.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention there is provided apparatus for the manipulation of an article comprising: support means for receiving said article in a first plane and at a first height; elevator means for raising or lowering the supported article to a different height; and tilt means to reorient said article from said first plane to a second plane.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a coil lifting operation according to the prior art, described hereinbefore; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a loading operation onto the apparatus of figure 2; Figure 4 shows in side elevation and in folded position the apparatus of figure 2; and Figures 5 and 6 show detailed side views of a guiding mechanism incorporated into the apparatus of figure 2, and in two different stages of operation.

With reference to figure 2 there is shown a presently preferred embodiment of a coil lifting apparatus 30 according to the present invention.

The apparatus 30 comprises a trolley frame 32 consisting of two vertical members 33, handle portion 34, wheels 35, and standing rest 36. The standing rest 36 allows the trolley frame 32 to stand in an upright position as pictured in the figure. The wheels 35 may remain engaged with the ground in order to provide an extension to the standing rest and thereby add stability to the trolley frame. The standing rest 36 may be configured in a number of ways, but the exemplary embodiment herein provides convenient bars upon which a user of the coil lifter may place a foot in order to further prevent the trolley moving when standing in the upright position.The wheels 35 are positioned such that upon tilting the trolley backwards (ie. in a clockwise direction as viewed in figure 2), they engage with the ground and disengage the standing rest 36 from the ground thereby facilitating the manoeuvring of the trolley about, for example, a warehouse.

Within the trolley frame 32 is provided a lifting mechanism in the form of a screw jack 40 with winding handle 42 at the upper end thereof. Screw jack 40 is permitted to rotate within cross-bars 44 and 46, but is otherwise rigidly affixed to the trolley frame 32 by the aforementioned cross-bars 44,46.

A travelling sub-frame 50 is engaged with the screw jack 40 in order to provide a geared lifting and lowering action on sub-frame 50 when screw-jack 40 is rotated with handle 42. Sub-frame 50 is guided within trolley frame 32 by the provision of running wheels 52 positioned at the outer edges of the sub-frame, and located in sliding or rolling engagement with the inner edges of vertical members 33. This is illustrated on one side by the cut-away portion of vertical member 33 in figure 2.

A support platform 60 having a leading edge 60a, and trailing edge 60b is attached at its trailing edge to the travelling sub-frame 50 by means of hinges 62 which allow the support platform 60 to tilt downward from the horizontal plane position (as shown in figure 2) to a substantially vertical plane position (as shown in figure 4 and described later), ie. by lowering the leading edge thereof. The hinges 62 also allow the support platform 60 to tilt slightly in an upward direction as will become clear.

Platform 60 is provided with a bearing cup 64 central thereto, and a hinged bracing bar 66 hanging below the platform 60 supported at a corresponding pair of pivot points 68 (only one shown). In order to maintain the support platform 60 in a substantially horizontal position, the support platform is lifted slightly at the leading edge and the bracing bar is swung towards the trolley frame where it engages with a latch 70. Upon lowering the leading edge of the platform, the bracing bar becomes firmly engaged in the latch 70. The platform also includes rearward projecting arms 100 which protrude through the trolley frame.

Steel disc 24 is mounted to the support platform 60 via a spigot 65 which locates in bearing cup 64 which allows the disc to rotate and also retains it. The lower disc therefore acts as a support for the coil 10. The spigot 65 is threaded internally 96 such that when the coil 10 and upper disc 25 are placed thereon, a threaded handle bolt 80 may pass through central aperture 95 of the upper disc 25, through the coil centre and threadedly engage with the spigot 65, thereby making captive the upper disc 25 and the coil of strapping material 10.

In order to provide a braking mechanism on the coil 10 when loaded onto the platform 60, and to prevent strapping material from unwinding without rotation of the coil about its longitudinal axis, arm 90 is pivotally attached to support platform 60 on the underside thereof, and is biased by a suitable spring mechanism (not shown) towards the loaded coil 10. Arm 90 has a guide portion 92 which includes an aperture 93 through which the strapping material may pass. Alternatively, the guide portion 92 might be replaced with, for example, a roller mechanism.

The operation of the coil lifting apparatus 30 will now be described with reference to figure 2 and the remaining figures 3-6.

The operator of the coil lifting apparatus 30 wheels it to the location of a new coil to be loaded. As shown in figure 3, the coils 10 are typically stacked with their longitudinal axes in vertical orientation and with several coils stacked one upon another. The operator engages the bracing bar 66 into the latch 70 thus placing the support platform substantially into a horizontal plane. The handle 42 is then wound in the appropriate direction to raise or lower platform 60 to such a height that the upper surface thereof is in the same plane as the lower surface of the coil to be loaded. The leading edge of the support platform 60 is placed as close as possible to the coil, and the coil 10 is slid across onto the platform and onto lower disc 24 (shown schematically in figure 3). Small rollers might be provided on the platform surface to assist this operation.

Once the coil is on the platform, upper disc 24 is placed on top of the coil 10 and it is attached to the platform by means of handle bolt 80 in manner already described, or by other suitable attachment mechanism which allows the requisite rotational movement of the coil about its longitudinal axis.

The handle 42 is now wound in a clockwise direction to raise the travelling sub-frame 50, and hence platform 60 to a height at which the rear arms 100 of the platform strike a rear stop 102 on cross-bar 46 (see figure 5). Upon further winding of handle 42 in clockwise direction, the leading edge of platform 60 is forced to rise (arrow B) by the levering action of rear stop 102 on rear arms 100 (arrow A) about hinge 62. This causes pivot points 68 to rise and bracing bar 66 to lift out and swing clear of latch 70 (arrow C).

The handle 42 is then wound in the anticlockwise direction to lower travelling sub-frame 50. The support platform, no longer restrained by bracing bar 66 will tend to tilt downward at the leading edge as the rear arms are guided-across the lower surface of the cross-bar 46 (see figure 6). Ideally, cross-bar 46 has an underside profile which allows for the gradual descent of the platform 60, and may be horizontal, sloped, angled or curved to achieve this. Wheels, or other suitable wearing surfaces may be provided on the ends of arms 100 in order to ease the progress of the platform in its tilting action.

Once the handle 42 has been wound anti-clockwise sufficiently for the platform 60 to clear cross-bar 46, the coil will then be substantially in a vertical plane and ready for use as shown in figure 4. The strapping material could alternatively be dispensed from the apparatus in a horizontal plane should this be desirable.

In a further embodiment, it may be appropriate to then transfer the reoriented coil onto a strapping machine, and this could be achieved by suitable modifications. The handle 42 can be further rotated until the longitudinal axis of the coil is aligned in height with the spindle of the machine onto which the coil is to be loaded.

The exemplary embodiments described herein relate to a mechanical device in which construction costs are minimized. It will, however, be recognized that electric, hydraulic or pneumatic variants thereof may readily be visualized. For example, the screw jack 40 may be adapted to be driven by an electric motor. The tilting action of the platform 60 may be provided by a further screw jack arrangement angled and pivoted with respect to the trolley frame, which may also be driven by electric motor.

The present invention is readily adaptable to support and reorient any object requiring manipulation in like manner, and is thus not limited to the lifting of strapping coils.

Modifications may be readily made to alter the angle of presentation of the coil to be off-vertical, or offhorizontal according to the individual requirements.

It will be recognised that the present invention may be readily adapted to facilitate the reorientation of a coil from the vertical plane to a near-horizontal plane should this be required, in addition to the embodiments herein described.

Claims (10)

1. Apparatus for the manipulation of an article comprising: support means for receiving and supporting said article in a first plane and at a first height; elevator means for raising or lowering the supported article to a different height; and tilt means to reorient said article from said first plane to a second plane.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 including a stand portion for maintaining the apparatus in a fixed location on the ground, and wheel means to enable relocation of the apparatus.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said support means includes a platform with an article locating mechanism adapted to restrain said article when in both said first plane and said second plane.

4. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said elevator means includes a screw jack means adapted to raise and lower said support means, and over a portion of travel of said screw jack means to provide said tilt means.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said support means includes a locking mechanism to maintain said support means in said first plane, said locking means becoming automatically disengaged during said portion of travel of said screw jack means in one direction, and said tilt means operating over a coincident portion of travel of said screw jack means in the opposite direction.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein said first plane is substantially horizontal, and said second plane is substantially vertical.

7. Apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein said article is a coil of material having a longitudinal axis about which it may rotate when supported in said second plane.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said support means includes a strap guiding means to retain said coil of material in a wound condition.

9. Apparatus for the manipulation of an article substantially as described herein and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. A method of manipulation of an article substantially as described herein and with reference to the accompanying drawings.