US3089723A

US3089723A - Portable handling implement

Info

Publication number: US3089723A
Application number: US162119A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard M Fortson; Jacob J Creskoff
Original assignee: Vacuum Concrete Corp of America
Current assignee: Vacuum Concrete Corp of America
Priority date: 1961-12-26
Filing date: 1961-12-26
Publication date: 1963-05-14
Anticipated expiration: 1980-05-14

Description

May 14, 1963 R. M. FORTSON ETAL 3, 2

PORTABLE HANDLING IMPLEMENT Filed Dec. 26, 1961 22 38 INVENTORS 535% 3 JACOB J. GRESKOFF n\ s\\\\\\\\\\(\\\% O RICHARD M. FORTSON ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,089,723 PORTABLE HANDLING IMPLEMENT Richard M. Fortson, Philadelphia, and Jacob J. Creskoif,

Wynnewood, Pa., assignors to Vacuum Concrete Corporation of America, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 26, 1961, Ser. No. 162,119 13 Claims. (Cl. 294-65) This invention relates to a portable handling implement and constitutes an advance in the art over such patents as those in the name of Karl P. Billner 2,455,650, dated December 7, 1948, and 2,578,220, dated December 11, 1951.

The portable handling implement contemplated by the present invention employs the use of vacuum and is eminently suited for the handling of large heavy rolls of paper of the types used by publishing establishments.

With respect to vacuum lifters of the prior art, the device of the present invention is more positive, provides a more rapid initial attachment to the load, involves less leakage and accordingly requires a smaller pump and supports a given load for a greater length of time following pump failure.

With respect to prior art lifters of the types employed for handling paper rolls, the present invention avoids the damage so frequently encountered with hydraulically actuated jaws, the present invention applies the force uniformly over a much larger surface of the load and accordingly, a relatively large lifting force can be applied without adversely affecting the load.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a portable handling implement comprising a plate, a compressible resilient elastomeric sealing gasket having interconnected cells secured to one surface of the plate and defining therewith an open chamber, a substantially incompressible air impervious resilient elastomeric flap adhesively secured under tension to the gasket and extending peripherally therebeyond, means communicating with the chamber through the plate for exhausting the same, and support means carried by the plate. Elastomeric means is preferably adhesively secured to the plate but free relative to the gasket to restrain lateral movement of the gasket and preferably such elastomeric means for restraining lateral movement of the gasket is located on opposite sides of the gasket. In accordance with the embodiment of the invention particularly intended for the handling of paper rolls, the plate is preferably arcuate and assumes a substantially cylindrical curvature. The plate is preferably flexible and resilient so as to adapt itself to rolls of varying sizes. In order to limit deflection of the plate, reinforcing means is preferably carried by the support. The support preferably includes coupling means providing a limited degree of freedom of movement of the implement in all directions relative to a load to be handled. The communicating means preferably includes a normally closed spring biased valve having an operator extending beyond the chamber for actuation by engagement with a load to be handled. The implement preferably includes compressible resilient elastomeric supports having interconnected cells secured to the surface of the plate within the chamber so as to avoid excessive deflection of any portion of the plate under operating conditions.

A more complete understanding of the invention will follow from a description of the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an end elevation of a portable handling implement embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the implement of FIG. 1;

Ice

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the implement depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation of the implement depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken along line 55 of FIG. 2 on an enlarged scale; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional elevation on an enlarged scale taken along line 66 of FIG. 2.

The portable handling implement comprises a plate 10 of arcuate configuration whose curvature may be substantially cylindrical. To the concave surface of the plate which may be composed of steel or such other material as will display flexibility and resilience, there is adhesively attached a compressible resilient elastomeric sealing gasket 12 defining with the plate an open chamber 14. Adhesively secured to a portion of the surface 16 of the gasket remote from the plate is a substantially incompressible air impervious resilient elastomeric flap 18 attached to the gasket while the flap is under tension so that there will be a minimum of curling of the flap. The fact that the flap is placed under tension during its assembly constitutes a very important departure from the prior art disclosures and serves to close all gaps between the load and the implement prior to the time that the vacuum becomes fully effective between the implement and the load.

The gasket 12 is restrained from lateral movement by means of inner and outer

elastomeric flaps

20 and 22 respectively, composed of substantially incompressible air impervious material adhesively secured to the concave surface of the plate 10 contiguous to the gasket 12 but not adhesively joined to the gasket so that there will be no interference with the compression of the gasket '12 under load. Whereas the flap 18 and the stops 20 and 22 are substantially incompressible and air impervious resilient elastomers such as neoprene, the gasket 12 assumes the form of a sponge having relatively small interconnected cells enabling it to become highly compressed by the expulsion of air from the cells under load. The material constituting the gasket which may also be neoprene preferably has an average cell diameter of the order of 0.01 inch as compared with gasket materials previously proposed with much larger average cell diameters of the order of inch. The original thickness of the gasket 12 may be of the order of one inch whereas its thickness under load may be as little as one-half inch. In order to avoid any possible contact between the plate 10 and the load to be handled, intermediate supports 24 are secured to the concave surface of the plate 10 within the chamber 14, their ends terminating short of the gasket 12 to assure freedom of fluid flow from the chamber upon the application of a subatmospheric pressure through a tubular connector 26 extending through the plate 10. The intermediate supports 24 are composed of sponge like the gasket 12 and their thickness is substantially equal to that of the gasket 12.

As shown in FIG. 6, the coupling 26 is secured, as by welding to a pad 28 which is in turn secured, as by welding, to the convex surface of the plate 10. A sponge elastomeric seat 30 surrounds the fitting 26 within the chamber 14 for cooperation with a leaf spring type of valve 32 pivotally positioned by a rod 34. The valve 32 is shown in its open position in FIG. 6 while in FIG. 2 it is depicted in its normal closed position. When the valve is closed, its left end 36 as viewed in FIG. 6 projects forwardly for engagement with the load as the implement is moved into position. Such engagement causes the operator to move towards the plate 10 so as to move the right end 38, as viewed in FIG. 6 away from the seat 30 to permit air Within the chamber 14 to be removed as result of the reduced pressure produced by the vacuum pump, not shown. Due to its composition, the valve 32 possesses the properties of a spring so as to return to its closed position whenever the operator end 36 is free to move away from the plate. Both ends of the valve 32 are covered with a thin layer of elastomeric material adhesively secured thereto so as to avoid damage to the load being handled.

Substantially along the center line of the convex surface of the plate there is welded a rib 40 to which, in turn, a pair of angles 42 are welded. Substantially centrally of the angles 42, a pair of hemispheres 44 are welded so as to admit between them a lifting element such as the tongue 46 of a lift truck. In order to provide freedom of movement, to a limited degree, in all directions, it is contemplated that the tongue 46 contain an opening slightly exceeding that of a coupling bolt 48 whereas the hemispheres 44 contain openings substantially larger than the diameter of the coupling bolt. In this manner, when the implement is brought into contact with the load, the implement will adjust itself to the configuration and position of the load without requiring excessive manipulation of the truck.

Depending from the lower angle 42 as shown in FIG. 1, there are two arcuate ribs 50 welded thereto and welded to an arcuate apron 52. At the lower ends of the arcuate ribs 50 and the apron 52 there is Welded a rod 54 extending substantially throughout the length of the plate 10 so as to prevent excessive deflection of the plate 10. Inasmuch as the plate 10 is somewhat flexible so as to adapt itself to cylindrical objects of varying diameter, it will follow that if the permissible deflection of the plate were not limited in some fashion, there would be danger of its becoming excessively flattened to a degree that might produce leakage and loss of the load.

Inasmuch as the gasket 12, intermediate supports 24 and

stops

20 and 22 are all composed of elastomeric materials, the implement as an entirety is relatively uniformly flexible so as to conform most readily with the loads to be handled. Since the flap 18 is stretched so as to be applied under tension to its ultimate position, there is no tendency for it to become corrugated or curled so that there is a minimum danger of leakage during the initial stages of application of the implement to a load.

Whereas only one specific form of the invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, variations suggesting themselves to those skilled in the art are contemplated within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A portable handling implement comprising a plate, a compressible resilient elastomeric sealing gasket having interconnected cells secured to one surface of said plate and defining therewith an open chamber, a substantially incompressible air impervious resilient elastomeric flap adhesively secured under tension to said gasket and extending peripherally therebeyond, means communicating with said chamber through said plate for exhausting the same, and support means carried by said plate.

2. A portable handling implement according to claim 1 including elastomeric means secured to said plate but free relative to said gasket restraining lateral movement of said gasket.

3. A portable handling implement according to claim 1 including elastomeric means secured to said plate on opposite sides of said gasket and free relative to said gasket restraining lateral movement of said gasket.

4. A portable handling implement according to claim lwherein said plate is arcuate.

5. A portable handling implement according to claim 1 wherein said plate is substantially cylindrical.

6. A portable handling implement according to claim 1 wherein said plate is flexible and resilient.

7. A portable handling implement according to claim 1 wherein reinforcing means carried by said support means limits deflection of said plate.

8. A portable handling implement according to claim 1 wherein said support includes coupling means providing a limited degree of freedom of movement of said implement in all directions relative to a load to be handled.

9. A portable handling implement according to claim 1 wherein said communicating means includes a normally closed spring biased valve having an operator extending beyond said chamber for actuation by engagement with a load to be handled.

10. A portable handling implement according to claim 1 including compressible resilient elastomeric supports having interconnected cells secured to said surface of said plate within said chamber.

11. A portable handling implement comprising an arcuate plate, a compressible resilient elastomeric sealing gasket having interconnected cells secured to one surface of said plate and defining therewith an open chamber, an air impervious resilient elastomeric flap adhesively secured to said gasket and extending peripherally therebeyond, rneans communicating with said chamber through said plate for exhausting the same, support means carried by said plate, and reinforcing means carried by said support means limiting deflection of said plate.

12. A portable handling implement according to claim 11 wherein said plate is substantially cylindrical.

13. A portable handling implement according to claim 11 wherein said reinforcing means is normally spaced from said plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,578,220 Billner Dec. 11, 1951

Claims

1. A PORTABLE HANDLING IMPLEMENT COMPRISING A PLATE, A COMPRESSIBLE RESILIENT ELASTOMERIC SEALING GASKET HAVING INTERCONNECTED CELLS SECURED TO ONE SURFACE OF SAID PLATE