Suspended lifting apparatus
OwnerTerry Raneyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A suspended lifting apparatus for grasping and releasing unwieldy objects. As the apparatus is raised, a hinged mechanism causes the weight of the object being lifted to draw extendable lever arms of the apparatus inward, thereby gripping the object. An articulating scooping mechanism at the bottom of the lever arms helps to grip or cradle the object as it is lifted, ensuring that it maintains a firm grip on the object. An offset mechanism is used to move the lever arms into an open position and hold them in that position before lifting, until the apparatus is in the proper position.
Claims11
A suspended lifting apparatus for grasping, raising, lowering and releasing unwieldy objects comprising;
- (a) a suspending means descending through a yoke and affixed to a hinged pair of hoist members articulating in a scissoring movement;
- (b) each hoist member pivotally connected to the bottom of the vertical section of a pair, respectively, of mirror-image articulating elbow or “L” shaped lever arms;
- (c) each lever arm consisting of and attached so as to comprise an outside oriented vertical portion and a top oriented horizontal portion, wherein the terminal end of the top horizontal portion opposite the outside vertical portion is pivotally hinged to the yoke of the apparatus;
- (d) each lever arm further comprising an adjustable raising and lowering lockable extension member along its vertical portion wherein two mirror-image hinged, swinging, lockable, inwardly facing scooping means are attached to the bottom terminus of each lockable extension member;
- (e) further comprising an offset mechanism means for opening and preserving in an open position the lever arms, comprising;
- (i) a vertical hinged offset member attached at its bottom end to the bottom portion of the suspending means and at its top end to an articulating handle beam;
- (ii) the articulating handle beam affixed at one terminal end to a handle and at the other terminal end, to the yoke or to a bracket attached to the yoke;
- (iii) the vertical hinged offset member connected to the articulating handle beam at a point serving to open the lever arms when the handle is lowered;
- (iv) the vertical hinged offset member connected to the articulating handle beam at a point serving to keep it in a lowered position under the weight of the opened lever arms when the handle is lowered;
- and
- (v) a locking or ratcheting mechanism attached to the articulating handle beam to hold it in an up or down position for holding the lever arms in an open or closed position.
In connection with an unusually shaped, or unwieldy object, a method of grasping, raising, lowering and releasing such an object comprising the steps of;
- (a) suspending a lifting apparatus above the object;
- (b) spreading the lever arms of the lifting apparatus to an open position with an offset mechanism that holds the lever arms in an open position;
- (c) lowering the lifting apparatus over the object;
- (d) closing the lever arms by reversing the offset mechanism until the lever arms close in and the scooping mechanisms travel under the object and it is partially or totally supported by the suspended lifting apparatus;
- and
- (e) raising the suspended lifting apparatus.
In connection with an unusually shaped, or unwieldy object, a method of grasping, raising, lowering and releasing such an object, wherein the object comprises, oddly shaped industrial materials, heavy materials contained in bags including cement, hazardous objects that cannot be approached and objects that cannot be easily managed such as cadavers, among others.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.