US3061044A - Hydraulic lift - Google Patents

Description

Oct- 30, 1962 A. SHOTMEYER 3,061,044

HYDRAULIC LIFT Filed May 16, 1962 FIG.I so

REVERSIBLE ELECTRIC MOTOR POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT PUMP HIS ATTORNEY O O O 80 //6 O\\ /20 /f ,so T O 70, 64 \/32 O n /f' L: f/ o\\ l es' o o\ O lo l OI O /l l' \O Q A. \Q 9/ e "Q54 Q O O f \Q\ ,9 INVENToR Q ALBRT SHOTMEYER O o O O BY United States This invention relates to hydraulic lifts, and more specically to novel service station hydraulic lift installations.

Heretofore it has been customary to construct service station hydraulic lifts as permanent constructions which could not readily be moved from place to place. The moving of such a lift from one place to another is a major operation, requiring the excavation of the lift, which is usually embedded in the ground, the excavation of a hole at the new site and the reinstallation of the lift at the new site. This calls for considerable labor, including preparing orms for concrete and pouring of concrete.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel hydraulic lift which can readily and easily be installed withina pit and which can be readily and easily removed therefrom for repair, servicing, or for removal to a different location, by unskilled labor.

It is a further object to provide a novel self-contained hydraulic lift unit, including novel construction features, capable of being completely assembled at a manufacturing plant, and shipped to the point of use where it can be readily placed in operative position in a minimum of time and without interfering with other service station operations.

It is a still further object to provide a novel self-contained hydraulic lift in which all of the component elements are housed within a tank which can be suspended within a relatively shallow pit in the iioor of a service station, and which can readily be moved and suspended in another similar pit when desired.

The attainment of the above objects and other objects and advantages will become evident from a consideration of the following specification and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a preferred form of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the hydraulic lift shown in FIG. l.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which corresponding elements in the several iigures are designated by the same reference character, the numeral designates the oor of a service station which may have one or more pits 12 located at convenient points. The pits may be circular or rectangular in cross section, having side Walls 14 lined with cinder or concrete blocks 15, and a bottom wall 16. The pit 12 is relatively shallow, for example, about 4 feet deep, and the bottom wall may be earth or lined with concrete and provided wtih a suitable drain 17 ifdesired., One side wall 14 carries a conventional electric outlet 18 which is in a circuit including a conventional two-way switch, not shown.

`A hydraulic lift, designated in its entirety by the numeral 2t), is adapted to be suspended within the pit 12 wit-h the side Wall and bottom wall of the lift in spaced relation with the side walls and the bottom wall, respectively, of the pit. The hydraulic lift 20 comprises a cylindrical tank 22 having a side wall 24 and a bottom wall 26, being made of heavy gauge steel to support the hydraulic jack therein. The upper end of the tank 22 is open, and is adapted to be covered by a rectangular cover plate 28 to which the tank is attached by a series of bolts and nuts 32 passing through registering openings in a ange on the upper end of the tank and in the cover plate 28. The cover plate 28 is made of heavy gauge steel, and may be reinforced by ribs and the like, not shown, to support atent G fice the weight of the tank, the jack and a load thereon. While the tank 22 is shown in the drawings as being circular in cross section and the cove'r plate is shown as being rectangular inA outline, it is evident that the tank may assume other forms in cross section, such as rectangular or elliptical, and likewise the cover plate may be made in other shapes.

A hydraulic jack 34 is mounted within the tank 22, being supported by the bottom wall 26. The jack 34 comprises a cylinder 36, the lower end of which is closed by a bottom plate 3S which may be secured to the bottom wall 26 of the tank by any suitable means, such as by welding 4u. Telescopically disposed within the cylinder 36 are a plurality of hollow sectional pistons 42, 44 and 46, each piston having a lower external flange 48, Sti and 52, respectively, retaining the piston in concentric relation with the cylinder 36 and with the interior of another pist0n, the anges 48, 50 and 52 forming pressure surfaces for the piston 42, 44 and 46, respectively, the hollow interior wall of the pistons 42 and 44 serving as cylinders for the pistons 44 and 46, respectively. The upper end of the piston 46 carries a plate 54 projecting beyond the exterior wall of the piston to be engaged by the upper ends of the pistons 42 and 44. The upper end of the hydraulic jack 34 includes conventional means, not shown, to guide the pistons within their respective cylinders and to limit the upward movement of the pistons. A conventional H-frame 60 is mounted on the plate 54. The upper end of the cylinder 36 is provided with a flange 62 which is attached to the cover plate 28 by a series of bolts and nuts 64. A central opening `66 in the cover plate 28 provides a guide for the piston 42.

A reversible pump and motor unit 68 is mounted within the tank 22 by a ange 70 bolted to the cover plate 28, the unit 68 being suspended in the tank through an opening in the cover plate. An inlet conduit 72 is connected at one end with the unit 68, the other end having a strainer 74 disposed adjacent the bottom wall 26 of the tank 22. A second conduit 76 is connected at one end with the unit 68 and at its other end to the interior of the cylinder 36 below the pistons 42, 44 and 46. An electrical conductor 78 extends from the motor of the unit 68 through an opening in the wall 24 of the tank 22, having a plug on the end thereof which is received within the electrical outlet 1S to supply electrical current to the motor.

As seen in FIG. 1, the dimensions of the cover plate 28 are greater than the transverse dimensions of the pit 12 whereby the peripheral edges of the cover plate overlap the vfloor 1t) surrounding the pit. A series of spaced apertures 80 around the periphery are adapted to receive screws 82 engaging threaded bores in the floor to secure the cover plate 28 and thereby the hydraulic lift in position. Since the transverse dimensions `and depth of the tank 22 are less than the transverse dimensions and depth of the pit, respectively, the cover plate 28 suspends the tank 22 and its contents in spaced relation with reference to the side walls and bottom wall of the pit.

The pump of the reversible pump and motor unit 68 is of the positive displacement type, such as a gear pump or rotary piston pump and the like, whereby rotation of the pump in one direction causes a ow of liquid under pressure in one direction through the conduits 72 and 76, and rotation of the pump in the other direction causes a ow of liquid in the other direction through the corsi,- duits. The electric motor of the unit 68 is reversible and is drivingly connected with the pump. A remotely positioned switch, not shown, is operative to stop and to change the direction or rotation of the electric motor.

A quantity of liquid, such as oil, is placed within the Patented Oct. 30, 1962` tank 22. With the jack 34 in its retracted position, the

reversing switch, not shown, is operated to cause rotation.

' the liquid and a retraction of the jack and H-frame.

The entire hydraulic lift 2G may be completely assembled at the manufacturing plant, and the liquid within the tank may either be placed in the tank at the time of manufacture or just before the lift is placed in the pit. One or a number of pits 12 can be constructed at a service station, at desirable locations, and a hydraulic lift can be installed in each pit, or, if desired, a hydraulic lift can be moved from one pit to another, as needed, and the pit, when not occupied by a lift, can be covered. The entire hydraulic lift assembly can be easily installed and removed when desired, and can be readily disassembled for maintenance and repair. Because of the sectional piston construction, a relatively shallow pit can be provided, thus reducing construction costs.

The conduit 76 can be made of flexible material, such as braided hose and the like, and of suiiicient length to permit the removal of the motor and pump unit 68 from the cover plate 28 without disconnecting the conduit from the lower end of the cylinder 36.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the details set forth herein, but that various changes may be made in the details and proportions without departing from the principles of the invention or from the scope of the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. In a service station installation having a door, means providing a pit in said floor having a bottom wall and side walls, and a hydraulic lift within said pit, said hydraulic lift comprising a tank having at least one side wall and a bottom wall, the depth and transverse dimensions of said tank being less than the corresponding dimensions of said pit, a hydraulic jack supported on the bottom wall of said tank, a pump, conduit'means connecting said pump with the bottom of said tank and with said jack, and means supporting said tank Within said pit in spaced relation with the walls of said pit.

2. In a service station installation as deined in claim 1, wherein said jack comprises a plurality of telescopically related pistons.

3. In a service station installation as defined in claim 1, wherein said pump is of the positive displacement type and reversible power means drivingly connected with said pump.

4. In a service station installation as defined in claimY 1, wherein said pump is of the positive displacement type and is mounted within said tank, and reversible power means drivingly connected with said pump.

,5. In a service station installation as defined claim 1,

wherein said means supporting said tank comprises a tank cover plate, means to attach the tank to said cover plate, said cover plate having dimension greater than the transverse dimensions of said pit, whereby the peripheral edge of said cover plate is supported by the floor surrounding the pit and said tank is suspended within said pit, said cover plate including an opening through which said jack is adapted to extend.

' 6; In a service station installation as defined in claim 1, wherein said means supporting said tank comprises a tank cover plate, means to attach the tank to said cover plate, said cover plate having dimensions greater than the .transverse dimensions of said pit, whereby the peripheral edge of the cover plate is supported by the floor surrounding the pit and said tank is suspended within said pit, said cover plate including an opening through which said jack is adapted to extend, and wherein said pump is of the positive displacement type, reversible power means drivingly connected with said pump, and means attaching said pump and power means to said cover plate.

7. A hydraulic lift for installation within a service station pit, comprising: a tank having at least one side wall and a bottom wall; a cover plate having greater dimension than the transverse dimension of said tan-kymeans attaching said tank to said cover plate whereby peripheral portions of said cover plate project beyond the side wall of said tank to engage the oor about a pit to suspend said tank within said pit; a hydraulic jack within said tank and supported by said bottom wall, said cover plate including an opening through which said jack is adapted to extend; and pump meansV having iluid connections with the space within said tank and with said hydraulic jack.

8. A hydraulic lift as definedY in claim 7, in which said jack comprises a plurality of telescopically related pistons.

9. A hydraulic lift as defined in claim 7, in which said pump is of the positiveV displacement type, and reversible power means drivingly connected with Said pump.

10. A hydraulic lift as defined in claim 7, in which said pump is of the positive displacement type, reversible power means drivingly connected with said pump, and means attaching said pump and power means to said cover plate.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 986,888 Zimmerman Mar. 14, 1911 1,518,780 Erickson Dec` 9, 1924 1,567,203 Steinkamper Dec. 29, 1925 1,720,980 Trapp July 16, 1929 1,784,554 Stukenborg Dec. 9, 1930 1,985,510 Lunati Dec. 25, 1934 2,915,357 Weaver Sept. 24, 1935 2,498,304 Sommer Feb. 2,1, 1950 2,711,632 Ellis June 2S, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 391,131 Great Britain Apr. 18, 1933 1,128,864 France Aug. 27, 1956

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