US1839813A - Dumping fork - Google Patents

Description

.Ba,n. 5, 1932. w. J. SULLIVAN DUMPING FORK Filed Aug. 1, 1930 .5 Sheets-Sheet aver; for

Jan. 5, 1932. w, SULLWAN 1,839,813

DUMPING FORK Filed Aug. 1, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 5, 1932. w. J. SULLIVAN 1,839,813 I DUMPING FORK Filed Aug. 1, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Q \I Q Patented Jan. 5, 1932 WILLIAM J. SULLIVAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

COIVJIPAJATY, F CHICAGQIILLINOIS, A CQBPORATION OF OHIO nnnmive 11031: i

, lApplication filed August 1,1930.- Serial No. 472,337.

My present inventioinrelates to brick handling devices, and more particularly to an improved brick lifting and dumping fork.

Heretofore, when utilizing dumpingforks with rigid fingers, it has been'nece'ssary to dump or tilt the fork aconsi-derable distance above the wagon orother receptacle adapted to receive the brick. This resulted in a. considerable impact or jarring of thewagon or other receptacle, as well as in the breakage and misalinement of thebricks so dumped.

Furthermore, with the prior type of brick fork with rigid fingers, only a portion of the brick woulddrop therefrom when the fork was dumped, it being necessary to knock or remove the balance of said bricks from said fork by hand.

n An important object of thefpresent invention, therefore, is the provision of a dumping 2o device'which may be'dumped close. tothe bottom of the wagon or other. receptacle, and p from whichall of the brick will slip.

Another objectof the inventionv is the provision of adumping fork in which the entire fork frame is pivoted closely adjacent .toits upper end, permitting the rotation of the entire fork frame and the rigid fingers carried thereby throughout a. largearc, thereby enabling the fork to carry out and achieve th important, objects above mentioned. 1

Another featureof the invention resides in the provision of a simple tripping mechanism or latch, which may be readily unlatched to permit tilting or swinging of thebrick fork, and; which maybe automatically reengaged in latching position by simply dropping the bottom of:the fork-against the edgeof a wagon, on to-the ground, or against any other support, whereuponthe latch or latches will be automatically moved into holding position and the fork will be in readiness to handle a subsequent load. I i

Another feature, of the-invention resides in providing means to limit the rocking action of the trip or latch members, said means being adjustable so that said latch members may be positioned to automatically reen'gage the cooperating latch portions of the brick fork.

Further features and objects of the inven tion reside in the particular construction and arrangement of my novel fork.

The above and other objects and features of the invention combinations of parts, de-

tails, and advantages, will be hereinafter more fully pointed out, describedand claimed.

Referring now to the drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention 1 is a front elevation of mynov el fork;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; 1

Fig. 3 a vertical sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1';

Fig. 4 isv a cross sectional view on the line HofF1g.2;' V g F 1g. 5 1s a fragmentary rear elevationof the fork; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional of the latching mechanism.

-Referring now to the drawings, for. a particular description oftheinventiomits construction, and operation, l designates'lifting eyes attached to a turnable frame 2, the portion 3 being rotatable on said turntable in the usual manner.

Depending from the portion 2 are a pair of T- bars 4 to. which areattached yokes 5, which yokes in turn are secured. to beams 6, said beams having depending" yoked portions 7 at their rear, in each of which is mounted a pivot pin 8. The topframes 9 of the fork are pivoted on the pivot pins "8, said'frames supporting, by means of'vertical braces 10 and. inclined. braces 11, atfinger bar. 12 in which are mounted a pluralityof vertically movable but 'non-swingable' fingers .13.. The front ends of the frames 9 are yoked, as at cooperating latch members. A shaft 17 unites the front yoked ends 18 of the beams 6, and fixed to said shaft by pins 19 are.

latches 20, said latches being located in the yokedends of the beamsl6' and depending into the yoked ends of'the'fork framesi9. I Thelever 21 isfixed to a member 22 which cable24r extends "upwardly throughtheturn F nssreivon T0 AMERICAN EQUIPMENT "PA N OFFICE-}; v.

'14, and uniting said front ends is a tie-rod [15 having reduced ends-16 Whichjserveas Each of the fingers 13' is fixed to a hollow casting 25 by means of bolts 26, or the like, and in said casting are mounted a plurality of rollers 27 spaced. to receive therebetween a tubular sleeve 28, said sleeve beingprovlded' with slots 29 in which ride a shaft 30. This shaft 30 is fixed in the casting 25, as will be cl arly apparent at a glance atF-ig. 2. The

tubular sleeve 28 is fixed tov the finger bar 12 by bolts 31 and nuts .32, said bolts passing through the flange 33 of said member28.

Mounted on the shaft 30 is a vertical rod 34 projecting upwardly through the tubular sleeve 28 and through an aperture 35 in the finger bar 12, said rod 34 having a cup 36 slidably mounted thereon and within which is seated one end of a coiled spring 37,- the other end of said spring being seated on top of the finger bar 12. Lock nuts 38 serve to keep the cup 36 at the point desired for a predetermined tension of the spring 37. Y

' The construction of each-of the fingers 13 and their connection to the finger bar 12 is identical,' so that 'a description of'onewill serve as a description for all.

Fixed to each casting 25 by bolts 39 is a brick-alining member 40, the front edge of this member 40 being alined with the front end .41 ofthecasting 25 and the shoulder 42 of the finger 13, thus providing a vertical alining member for thebrick carried on the fingers 13,-and'insuring against disalinement of the bottomrojw or rows of brick when the fork is pushed into a stack of'brick.

It will thus be understoodby those skilled "in the art, that therows or courses of brick in a kiln shrink unevenly and, therefore, vary in their horizontal alinement. Not only does each course ofbrick shrink in a'somewhat different manner from those adjacent to -it, when burned, but such variation is apt to be distorted throughout a plurality of courses.

:Therefore, the rows of brick in a kiln, after the kiln 1s burned,are1n awavehke formation, the rows or courses appearlng 1n undulating. lines of varying extent, but mostly distorted from a horizontal plane. Because of ,thisfact, ,I utilize the individual vertically adjustable fingers illustrated in the present 1 application.

' j I also provide each of the fingers-13'with a tapered forward end 43 so that as the device is appliedtoa stack of brick and forced inwardly, each finger 13 will, independently of each other, follow theline of the course of-brick to. which, itis applied. :It will be appreciated that burned brick in a kiln are in, spaced orhackedrelation and, therefore,

the tapered forward end 43 of each finger will enablei the fingers to'be forced into the inter- V stices betweenthe brick, followingthe lines of least resistance and permitting the finger- V 65400.assume a higher and lower vertical posithe fork is dropped to resetthe latch mem- 7 tion to enable it to be thus forced into the mass of brick in the kiln.

When the fork is in place, preferably under a considerable plurality of rows of brick, in

order to remove the unit of brick over the fingers 113, the fork is then lifted, through the medium of the lifting rings 1, and all the brick engaging fingers 13 which were disalined during the process of applying the fork to the brick stack, will settleidown against the tension of the springs 37 and free vertical reciprocation by means .of the rollers'27 engaging the sleeve 28,,a'nd thus reducing the friction occasloned by the reciprocationjof the castings or carriages 25 on the sleeves 28.

When the fork, and the load of brick carried thereby, have been moved or conveyed to a position over a caror wagon into which the load or stack of brick-is to be dumped,

the fork may be lowered until it is substan-. tiallyin contact Withathe surface of the said car or wagon. Thereupon a pullisexerted on the cable 24, raising-the lever 21 and r0- ta'ting the shaft 17, and'hence the latch members 20 carried thereby. This'will cause the members 16, whereupon the weight vof the brickcarried by the fingers 13 will swing the entire fork on the pivotpins 8, lowering the front ends of the fingers 13and dumping the,

pivot pins 8, and withdrawing the, fork from.

the wagon or car, at the same time permit- "ting the balance of the stack of brick to slide gently therefrom and be deposited on the car or wa on.

After the fork is free o'fthe stack of brick,

lowering the same against the side a of the wagon, or against the ground, whereupon the in clined-edge 44 of'the latch'members 20 will engage the fixed latch members 16, andwill.

be forced outwardly until latching position is reached, whereupon the latchmembers 20 will drop intothe latching position illustrated in full lines in Fig. 6. Each latch member 20 is provided with a lug 45, and an,

adjusting screw 46 is provided in each beam 6, to determine the limit of swing of the latch members 20 ina counter-clockwise direction. The screws 46 will be adjusted so that when .100 latch members20 to disengage the fixed latch ..115 it may be reset in lifting position'by simply" bers, the inclined face 44 will always engage the fixed latch members 16 as above described.

By having the entire fork pivoted adjacent to its upper end, but below the latching point, all of the brick are allowed to slide off of the fingers 13, said pivoting also allowing the fork to be dumped quite close to the car or wagon to be loaded.

During transporting of a load or stack of brick on the fork, there is no danger of the latch members 20 being released, the weight of the stack of brick on the fingers obviating this difficulty, and eliminating the necessity of using springs or other devices tohold the latch members 20 in position.

I believe that the brick dumping fork illustrated and described in the present ap plication is novel, and I have therefore claimed the same broadly herein.

While I have necessarily described my present invention somewhat in detail, it will be appreciated that I may vary the size, shape and arrangement of partswithin reasonably wide limits, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

My invention is further described and defined in the form of claims as follows:

1. A brick handling fork comprising a frame, and a plurality ofvfingers carried by said frame, said frame being pivoted adjacent to its toprear end.

2. A brick handling fork comprising a frame, a plurality of fingers carried by said frame, said frame being pivoted adjacent to its top rear end, and means engaging said frame adjacent to its top front end to normally prevent swinging of said fork on its pivot.

3. A brick handling device of the kind del scribed, comprising a support, pivot pins carried by said support, a fork swingably mounted on said pivot pins adjacent to the upper end of said, fork, a shaft carried by said support, a latch fixed to each end of said shaft, fixed members on said fork adapted to be normally engaged by said latches to hold said fork in brick handling position, a lever on said shaft intermediate said latches, and means to actuate said lever to rotate said shaft, whereby said latches will be moved out of engagement with said fixed members.

4. A brick handling device of the kind shaft, whereby said latch will be moved out of engagement with said fixed member, and adjustable means to limit the movement of said latch in one direction. V

I 6. A brick handling device of the kind described, comprising a support, a fork, cooperating latching means on said support and the upper forward end of said fork, and

depending members on said support, said fork being pivoted on said depending members below the latching point;

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM J. SULLIVAN.

described, comprising a support, pivotpins V carried by said support, a fork swingably mounted on said pivot pins adjacent to the upper end of said fork, a shaft carried by said support, a latch fixed to said shaft, a member on said fork adapted to be normally engaged by said latch to hold said fork in brick handling position, a lever on said shaft, means to actuate said lever torrotate said shaft, whereby said latch will be moved out of engagement with said fixed member, and a manually adjustable stop screw adapt- I

Images