Outrigger protection systems and methods
AssigneeThe Southern Company
InventorAlex Parnell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an outrigger protection system for protecting an individual's foot from being crushed by a moving outrigger. The outrigger protection system includes a bottom plate and an outwardly extending protection element. The bottom plate is securable to the bottom of the conventional outrigger. The outwardly extending protection element can be integral with the either the bottom plate or the bottom of the outrigger and extends beyond the perimeter of the foot of the outrigger. If someone were standing in the way of the outrigger when the outrigger was being moved the protection element would strike the leg or shin. If, however, the outrigger protection system were to land on the foot, it would not crush the foot as it is non-weight-bearing.
Claims17
In an outrigger for stabilizing a vehicle or piece of equipment, the outrigger comprising an extension with a bottom pad, wherein the bottom pad is positioned at an end of the extension such that when the outrigger is in use, the bottom pad supports weight applied to the outrigger, an outrigger protection system comprising:
- a protection element positioned proximate the bottom pad and extending outwardly from at least a portion of the outrigger, wherein the protection element is non-weight-bearing;
- wherein upon deployment of the outrigger, the protection element will contact an individual in a strike zone, the strike zone being a zone in which if the individual remained, the individual could be contacted by a portion of the outrigger when the outrigger is deployed to a use position, wherein the protection element warns the individual to move distal at least the bottom pad and out of the strike zone.
An outrigger protection system for providing a physical warning when an outrigger is being placed in a use position, the system comprising:
- a bottom plate connected to the outrigger proximate a bottom end of the outrigger;
- and
- a non-weight-bearing protection element positioned proximate the bottom plate,
- wherein the protection element extends outwardly from at least a portion of the outrigger, wherein the protection element is configured to provide a physical warning to a person within a predetermined range of the outrigger when the outrigger is being placed in a use position.
A method of physically warning a person in proximity to an outrigger system comprising:
- positioning an outrigger protection system proximate a bottom end of the outrigger, the outrigger protection system comprising a protection element, such that the protection element provides a physical warning that the outrigger is being placed in the use position if the person is within a predetermined range of the outrigger system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.