US2699269A - Load handler attachment for industrial lift trucks - Google Patents

Description

B. I. ULINSKI Jan. 11, 1955 LOAD HANDLER ATTACHMENT FOR INDUSTRIAL LIFT TRUC Filed Jan. 4

INVENTOR 4110%! fl 96M ATTORNEY United States Patent LOAD HANDLER ATTACHMENT FOR INDUSTRIAL LIFT TRUCKS Bronislaus I. Ulinski, Chicago, Iil., assignor to The Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company, Stamford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application January 4, 1951, Serial No. 204,381 8 Claims. (Cl. 214620) This invention relates to the handling of industrial loads such as boxes, bales, rolls of paper and other bulky articles, and more particularly to a load handling apparatus which will enable an industrial lift truck to engage and carry a load.

As one feature of the invention of a lift truck of the load, these devices being easily interengageable by a simple movement of the lifting carriage of the truck. The engaging element of the lifting device is an upstanding spur mounted in such a position upon the carriage that it may enter an apertured element on the handling device. The apertured element is located at one side or face of the load, in such a position as to be easily accessible to the lift truck even though all of the other sides and the bottom of the load may be obstructed. It will be seen that this feature provides an important advantage over load engaging members such as forks and gripping members which, in order to be effective, must have access to the sides or the bottom of the load, particularly in view of the fact that it is customary to stack boxes and bales in contact with each other in warehouses and other places.

A further feature of my invention resides in the use of a strap that secures the complementary handling device to the load while functioning as one of the reinforcing bands of a box or bale. It will be appreciated that the complementary handling device may take various forms, so long as it is adapted to be held in place by the strap. in the form of invention herein to be described, the straps will be utilized to hold in position various forms of apertured elements.

As a more particular feature of this part of my invention, the strap is so arranged with respect to the apertured element upon the load, that or cam surface for directing the spur or other part of the carriage toward the aperture when the truck operator wishes to pick up the load.

A further feature of the invention resides in the use of a cam surface on the spur to facilitate the entrance of the spur into the aperture. this feature being of particular value when the apertured element is in the form of a swinging bail. If the spur should be brought toward the bail when the bail is in a depending position, the cam surface will swing it outwardly, thus permitting the entrance of the spur.

My invention also includes the feature of specially shaped base members for carrying the bails set forth above. Thus, the bases are properly shaped to conform to the surface of the load, and may be angular to fit against the corner of a box, or curved to fit against a cylindrical load. Suitable means, which may be in the form of recesses at opposite ends of the base, are pro vided for maintaining the handling device in predetermined alignment with the strap or other means securing the bases to the load. However, the bases may be nailed or otherwise secured in place as will later be made apparent. 1

As an alternative feature of the invention, the construction of the complementary handling device will be simplified by making it as a single integral member. This may be accomplished by perforating and bending a portion of the strap in such a manner as to form an apertured element which, when the strap is attached to the load, will project therefrom and will be readily engageable by the lifting device. When the handling device is conit will provide a guide structed in this way, a portion of the strap which is ad jacent the bent portion will serve as a guide for directing the lifting spur toward the aperture.

I have thus outlined rather broadly the more important features of my invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be understood, and in order that my contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of my invention that will be described hereinafter, and which Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concepdisclosure is me shall be of sufiicient breadth to prevent the appropriation of my invention by those skilled in the art.

Referring now to the drawings:

Fig. l is a side view illustrating one form of the improved load handling apparatus as it would appear when the lifting carriage is about to pick up the load, and also showing an elevated position of the lifting carriage and the load in broken lines.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the spur frame as it would appear when removed from the lifting carriage.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the handling device as a corner member applied to a box, and also illustrating the manner in which the bail would be camrned outwardly by the spur.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a modified construction in which the bail is urged outwardly by a spring.

ig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a curved form of the handling device as it would appear when attached to a curved surface of a load such as a roll of paper.

6 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating another form of handling device in which the apertured element is formed by a projecting portion of the strap.

In the drawing, the numeral 10 indicates generally an industrial lift truck having ground engaging wheels 11, and supporting primary and secondary uprights 12, 13. As is usual in industrial trucks of this type, a lifting plate 15 is guided for vertical movements upon the secondary uprights 13 under the control of the truck operator. In order that the carry a load such as a box B, the transverse front plate 15 is provided with a spur frame 16 having a pair of upstanding spurs 17 adapted to interengage with a pair of complementary handling devices 18 which are attached to the load.

The spur frame 16 is rectangular in form, and comprises a pair of vertical bars 19 upon the upper ends of which the spurs 17 are formed, and a pair of horizontal spacer members 20 connecting said vertical bars. The rear surfaces of the vertical bars 19 are so formed as to fit against the face of the front plate 15, and are integrally provided with upper and lower hooked lugs 21, 22, adapted to engage over the top and bottom edges of the front plate 15, thus supporting the spur frame 16 securely upon the lifting carriage 14.

A pair of the complementary handling devices 18 are attached to the load or box B in such positions that the spurs 17 may, by an upward movement of the lifting carriage 14, be engaged with the handling devices for lifting the box. Each of the complementary handling devices 18 comprises an apertured element in the form of a bail 23 which is mounted upon a base or angle member 24, and which is adapted to receive one of the spurs 17. as may best be seen in Fig. 3.

The bail 23 is elongated in a horizontal direction so as to provide a certain latitude with respect to the location at which it may receive the spur 17. and also is swingable so that it may be folded compactly against the load and thus will offer no obstruction ber 24.

It will be noted at this point that the spur 17 is upwardly and forwardly inclined, and has an upper cam surface 26 extending rearwardly from the tip of the spur. This construction will permit the spur 17 to enter and effectively engage the bail 23 even though the bail may be folded downwardly so as to present no opening for the spur. In other words, the tip of the spur 17 may engage behind the bail 23 in such a way that the bail will be swung outwardly by the cam surface 17 upon continued upward movement of the spur. The entering movement of the spur 17 will be limited when the bail 23 engages a shoulder 27 on the upper side of the hooked lug 21, whereupon the weight of the load will be supported by the spur 17 and the shoulder 27, and the load may be lifted and transported as desired by the truck 10.

The angle member 24 is particularly constructed for attachment to a box B by a strap 28, which is adapted to be engaged over the angle member 24 and through the aperture provided by the bail 23. The strap 28 preferably is a flexible steel strap of a type which may be used to encircle and secure boxes and bales, and may, if desired, be securely attached to the surface of the box B by means of nails 29 driven therethrough. In order to insure that the angle member 24 will remain in alignment with the strap 28 and in its proper position upon the box B, opposite ends of said angle member are notched to provide end recesses 30 which will receive portions of the Isatrap 28 when the latter is engaged over the angle memin addition to its functions in reinforcing the box B and in attaching the angle member 24 thereto, the strap 28 serves another important purpose in guiding the spur 17 toward the bail 23. Inasmuch as the strap 28 will occupy a vertical position upon the front of the box B, it will be seen that the truck operator may maneuver the truck so as to bring the spur 17 against the strap below the angle member 24, and then raise the lifting carriage 14 so as to slide the spur 17 upwardly along ghelstzrsap until the spur becomes fully engaged Within the When the spurs 17 are engaged in the bails 23 of both of the handling devices 18, and the lifting carriage 14 is raised so as to elevate the box B, the front of the box will engage the lower end portions of the vertical bars 19 of the spur frame 16, as illustrated in broken lines in Fig. 1, thus preventing any excessive downward swinging of the load.

It will be understood that the lift truck 10 and the lifting carriage 14 thereon may be operated in the usual manner to deposit the box B in the desired location, after which the spurs 17 may be disengaged from the bails 23 by a short downward movement of the carriage 14.

As a modification of the complementary handling device 18, provision may be made of a spring means which will normally hold the bail in an outward position in which it will present an open aperture for receiving the spur. As shown in Fig. 4, he modified handling device comprises a base or angle member 31 which is provided with spaced horizontal bearings 32, and which is constructed otherwise in the same manner as the angle member 24, described above. The bearings 32, however, carry a swingable elongated bail 33 which is urged outwardly away from the angle member 31 by a spring 34 coiled around a shaft portion 35 of the bail, the strap 28 being engaged over the shaft portion 35 when the angle member 31 is applied to a load. In all other respects, the angle member 31 and the bail 33 will be applied to the load and will operate in the same manner as the angle member 24 and the bail 23.

The base which swingably supports the hail of the handling device may be embodied in other forms, one of which is shown in Fig. 5. In this form, the base is a curved member 36 which is adapted to fit against the curved surface of a cylindrical object such as a roll of paper R. A central portion of the curved member 36 is provided with a pair of laterally spaced bearings 37 which are disposed in aligned relationship and which swingably carry a bail 38 in a position spanning the curved member 36. A strap 39 is passed through the aperture formed by the bail 38 and encircles the roll R, thus holding the curved member 36 and the bail 38 thereon securely attached to the roll.

Opposite end portions 40 of the curved member 36 are curved outwardly and notched to provide recesses 41 for receiving the strap 39, so that the curved member 36 will be maintained in alignment with the strap. The end portions 40, being outwardly curved, will not only provide a definite engagement with the edges of the strap 39, but will also avoid damaging the roll of paper to which the curved member is attached.

Fig. 6 shows another form of construction which eliminates the use of swingable bails and which utilizes a perforated portion of the strap itself as the apertured member for receiving the spur 17. In this form of the invention the strap is designated by the numeral 42 and preferably encircles the box or other load B, although the strap may be secured to the box by nails 43 driven through it. In order to provide a projecting element 44, which will be located at the corner of the load or box, a portion of the strap 42 is doubled and held in doubled condition by suitable means such as a rivet 45. The projecting element 44 is perforated to provide an aperture 46 which is adapted to receive the spur 17, so that the lift truck 10 may raise and transport the load to which the strap 42 is attached. A front portion of the strap 42 will provide a guide surface for directing the spur 17 toward the aperture 46 in the manner described above in connection with other forms of the invention.

While the invention has been described as utilizing a pair of spurs which are interengageable with a pair of equidistantly spaced complementary handling devices upon a load, it is within the scope of the invention to employ a single spur upon the lifting carriage and a single centrally located handling device upon the load to be lifted by said spur. Such an arrangement will be found to be entirely satisfactory, particularly with light or symmetrical loads, although a plurality of the spurs and handling devices will be found preferable when handling heavy or unwieldy loads because of the greater stability provided thereby.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a load handling apparatus of the class described, a truck, a lifting device movable on said truck, a spur on said lifting device, a complementary handling device having a continuous flexible thin metal strap adapted to be wrapped about the top, bottom, and side surfaces of a load, a projecting portion on said complementary handling device forming an aperture, said projecting portion positioned below that part of the strap that is against the top surface of the load when the strap is wrapped about the load, and said portion projecting relatively to a side of the load with its aperture in position for receiving said spur.

2. In a load handling apparatus of the class described, a truck, a lifting device vertically movable on said truck, a spur on said lifting device, a complementary handling device, a continuous flexible projecting portion on said complementary handling device forming an aperture for receiving said spur, a strap adapted to be wrapped about the top, bottom, and side surfaces of said projecting portion to said load in position below that part of the strap that is against the top surface of the load, and a guide surface on that part of said strap that is against a side of the load adapted to be contacted by said spur upon vertical movement thereof with said lifting device for guiding said spur toward said aperture.

3. In a load handling apparatus of the class described, a truck, a lifting device vertically movable on said truck, an upstanding spur on said lifting device, a continuous flexible strap having a portion adapted to be wrapped about the top, side, and bottom surfaces of a load, said strap also having an extending portion that is in position projecting away from the load below that part of the strap that is against the top surface of the load when the strap is wrapped about the load, and said extending portion formed with an aperture for receiving said spur.

4. In a load handling apparatus of the class described, a truck, a lifting device verticaly movable on said truck, an upstanding spur on said lifting device, a complementary load handling device, a base on said complementary load handling device adapted to lie against the side surface of a load, a bail secured to said base in position to lie below the top surface of the load and providing an aperture for receiving said spur, and a strap passing along the side surface of the load under said bail and over said base and about said load to secure said load handling device to said load.

5. In a combination of the class described, a strap adapted to be wrapped about the top, bottom, and side surfaces of a load, such as a cube shaped crate, a truck coacting element having a portion adapted to be contacted of a truck, an angular base for said coacting element adapted to overlie a corner of said load, and said strap passing over said angular base for securing said truck coacting element to said corner of said load with the lsaidi portion of the element below the top surface of the 6. In a combination of the class described, a strap adapted to be wrapped about the top, bottom, and side surfaces of a load, such as a roll of paper, a truck coacting element having a portion adapted to be contacted by a lifting part of a truck, a curved base for said coacting element adapted to overlie a curved surface of said load, and said strap passing over said curved base for securing said truck coacting element to said curved surface of said load with the said portion of the element below the top of the load.

7. In a handling device of the class described, a strap adapted to be wrapped about the body of a load, a por tion of said strap having an aperture and extending in angular relationship to another portion thereof such as a roll of paper away from the load in the form of an ear, and said ear positioned below the top of the load with its aperture in position to receive a load lifting spur.

8. In a handling device of the class described, a bail load, a base for said bail, a strap wrapped about the load and engaged across said base and through said bail for holding said base secured relatively to a side surface of the load with the bail extending outwardly from the load below the top surface of the load.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,212,190 Davis Jan. 16, 1917 2,175,041 Thumim Oct. 3, 1939 2,341,801 Miller Feb. 15, 1944 2,413,661 Stokes Dec. 31, 1946 2,428,500 Nutt Oct. 7, 1947 2,441,750 Britton May 18, 1948 2,465,133 Toffolon Mar. 22, 1949 2,517,085 Cirillo Aug. 1, 1950 2,560,206 Beatty July 10, 1951 2,650,733 Blatz Sept. 1, 1953

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