Single track mobile carriage system
AssigneePipp Mobile Storage Systems, Inc.
InventorsAndrew B. Hartmann, David E. Kowalski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mobile carriage system includes a frame supported by a surface, a drive shaft that extends along the frame and drives a drive wheel to move the frame along the surface, and a guide track that extends along the surface and has an elevated track portion. The drive wheel supports the frame and rolls along the surface, and a guide wheel rides along the elevated track portion. The drive wheel is fixedly secured onto the drive shaft and is rotatable by the drive shaft. The guide wheel is also mounted onto the drive shaft but is freely rotatable on the drive shaft, with the drive wheel having a smaller diameter than the drive wheel.
Claims20
A mobile carriage system comprising:
- a frame supportable on a surface;
- a drive shaft extending along said frame;
- a guide track configured for mounting to the surface, said guide track having an elevated track portion;
- a drive wheel configured to support said frame and roll along the surface, wherein said drive wheel is fixedly secured onto and rotatably driven by said drive shaft to drive said frame;
- and
- a guide wheel configured to ride along said elevated track portion, said guide wheel having a smaller diameter than a diameter of said drive wheel, wherein said guide wheel is mounted onto said drive shaft and is freely rotatable on said drive shaft.
A mobile carriage system comprising:
- a longitudinally extended frame supportable on a surface and adapted to move laterally along the surface;
- a drive shaft longitudinally extending along said frame;
- a guide track configured for mounting to the surface and having an elevated track portion, wherein said elevated track portion comprises a rail extending along said guide track;
- a drive wheel configured to support said frame and roll along the surface, wherein said drive wheel is rotatably drivable by said drive shaft to move said frame along the surface;
- and
- a guide wheel configured to laterally ride along said elevated track portion, said guide wheel comprising a pair of radially-extending flanges defining a groove therebetween, and wherein said groove is configured to receive an upper end portion of said rail between said flanges, said guide wheel having a smaller diameter than a diameter of said drive wheel, and wherein said guide wheel is mounted onto said drive shaft and is freely rotatable on said drive shaft.
A mobile carriage system comprising:
- a frame supportable on a surface that is at a first elevation;
- a drive shaft extending along said frame;
- an elongate guide track configured for mounting to the surface, said guide track having a track portion set at a second elevation that is different from the first elevation;
- a drive wheel having a first diameter, said drive wheel configured to support said frame and roll along the surface, wherein said drive wheel is fixedly secured onto and rotatably driven by said drive shaft;
- and
- a guide wheel having a second diameter that is different from the first diameter of said drive wheel, wherein said guide wheel is configured to ride along said track portion;
- wherein said guide wheel rotates at a different rotational speed than said drive wheel as said drive wheel rolls along the surface and said guide wheel rides along said track portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.