Method and apparatus for handling pipe and other materials

Abstract

A method and apparatus for handling pipe and other elongate objects to transfer the material from a first station, such as from a pipe rack to an elevated station, such as the floor of a drilling rig is disclosed. The apparatus includes a subframe, an outer frame and an inner frame when the inner frame is provided with an elongate, substantially flat upper surface. A ramp is mounted at a downstream end of the subframe, and the inner frame is operable for receiving the elongate objects and the outer frame and inner frame, which may be thought of as a carriage assembly, rectilinearly shifted toward the ramp. To facilitate loading of the elongate objects from the first station, the upper surface of the inner frame may be selectively tilted to facilitate loading, and then as the carriage assembly is rectilinearly shifted downstream, toward the ramp, the upper surface is sequentially moved to a substantially flat position, whereby the carriage assembly then moves up the ramp so that the elongate objects may be off-loaded at the elevated station.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.