Lifting and Transporting System

A coupling element for attachment to an object to be lifted and transported by jack units, each of the jack units having,

• a skate, and
• a tongue extending along a horizontal tongue axis and vertically movable relative to the skate, the tongue having,
• a tongue upper bearing surface extending parallel to the tongue axis,
• a tongue lower bearing surface extending parallel to the tongue axis,
• a pair of opposed tongue side bearing surfaces extending parallel to the tongue axis, and
• a selectively releasable tongue latching structure,
• the coupling element comprising:
• a first coupling slot extending along a first horizontal axis and configured to slidably accept the tongue of one of the jack units, said first coupling slot having,
• a downward-facing first slot upper bearing surface configured to slidably and supportably engage the tongue upper bearing surface,
• an upward-facing first slot lower bearing surface configured to slidably and supportably engage the tongue lower bearing surface,
• a pair of oppositely-facing first slot side bearing surfaces configured to slidably and supportably engage the tongue side bearing surfaces, and
• a first slot latching structure configured to be releasably engaged with the tongue latching structure when the tongue bearing surfaces are engaged with said first slot bearing surfaces, such engagement acting to block slidable motion between the tongue bearing surfaces and said first slot bearing surfaces;
• and
• a second coupling slot extending along a second horizontal axis that is orthogonal to the first horizontal axis, said second coupling slot configured to slidably accept the tongue of one of the jack units and having,
• a downward-facing second slot upper bearing surface configured to slidably and supportably engage the tongue upper bearing surface,
• an upward-facing second slot lower bearing surface configured to slidably and supportably engage the tongue lower bearing surface,
• a pair of oppositely-facing second slot side bearing surface configured to slidably and supportably engage the tongue side bearing surfaces, and
• a second slot latching structure configured to be releasably engaged with the tongue latching structure when the tongue bearing surfaces are engaged with said second slot bearing surfaces, such engagement acting to block slidable motion between the tongue bearing surfaces and said second slot bearing surfaces.

A selectively steerable jack unit for attaching a load-bearing skate having at least two rolling elements to an object to be moved having an array of standardized lifting brackets, the jack unit comprising:

• a jack housing;
• an extendable element that is forcibly movable relative to said jack housing along a vertical lift axis;
• a lifting element affixed with respect to said jack housing and configured to releasably, lockably engage one of the lifting brackets on the object and configured to engage the object so as to affix said jack housing with respect to the object when said lifting element is lockably engaged therewith;
• skate attachment means for lockably attaching the skate to said extendable element so as to be rotatable with respect thereto about the lift axis and so as to allow a limited degree of pivotal motion about a skate pitch axis that is perpendicular to the lift axis and parallel to the axis of rotation of at least one of the rolling elements of the skate;
• and
• a motion-limiting structure that can be selectively coupled between the skate and at least one of said jack housing and said extendable element so as to block rotation of the skate about the lift axis when the skate is in one of at least two angular positions with respect to the lift axis, while allowing the skate a limited degree of pivoting motion relative to said extendable element about the skate pitch axis.