Mat washer
AssigneeMud Monster Matting Corp.
InventorsColin Knapp, Shane Trowbridge, Daniel Page
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mat washer includes: a body adapted for highway transport; a loading platform adapted to receive a stacked pair of mats from, for example, a forklift, and adapted to pivot the pair of mats to an upright position; a splitter adapted to receive the mats from the loading platform and to separate the mats from one another; a transporter adapted to transport each of the mats longitudinally relative to the body from the splitter; a uniter adapted to receive the mats from the transporter and urge them together; an unloading platform adapted to receive the pair of mats from the uniter and pivot them downwardly for retrieval by, for example, the forklift; and a washing facility disposed between the loading and the unloading platform and adapted to wash the mats.
Claims5
An apparatus for use with a pair of mats, the apparatus comprising:
- a body adapted for highway transport;
- a loading platform having a loading axis which extends longitudinally, the loading platform having:
- (i) a lowered position whereat the loading platform projects horizontally from the loading axis and beyond the body to permit receipt of the pair of the mats, a first mat of the pair of mats being disposed upon the loading platform and a second mat of the pair of mats being disposed upon the first mat;
- and (ii) a raised position whereat the loading platform projects upwardly from the loading axis;
- and
- adapted to pivot about the loading axis from the lowered position of the loading platform to the raised position of the loading platform in carriage of the pair of mats, to, place the pair of mats at a transition position;
- a splitter means adapted to move the second mat laterally away from the first mat, to orient the pair of mats at an entry position when the loading platform is in the raised position and the pair of mats is at the transition position;
- a transporter means adapted to transport each of the mats of the pair of mats longitudinally relative to the body to an exit position when the pair of mats are at the entry position;
- a uniter means adapted to move the second mat laterally towards the first mat, to orient the pair of mats at a staging position, when the mats are at the exit position;
- an unloading platform having an unloading axis which extends longitudinally, the unloading platform having:
- (i) a raised position whereat the unloading platform projects upwardly from the unloading axis and, when the pair of mats is at the staging position, the pair of mats is disposed against the unloading platform;
- and (ii) a lowered position whereat the unloading platform projects horizontally from the unloading axis and beyond the body;
- and
- being pivotable about the unloading axis from the raised position of the unloading platform to the lowered position of the unloading platform in carriage of the pair of mats, to, place the pair of mats at an unloading position whereat the first mat is disposed upon the unloading platform and the second mat is disposed upon the first mat;
- and
- a washing facility disposed between the loading and the unloading platforms and adapted to wash the pair of mats.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.