Vehicular delivery ramp apparatus
AssigneePepsi Co. Inc.
InventorRoger D. Ratliff
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for cargo handling including a vehicular delivery ramp mounted for horizontal extension from a truck body and vertical displacement between lowered and elevated positions. The delivery ramp incorporates a manually operable control and is adapted to be pivoted upwardly into the truck when not in use.
Claims5
In a ramp loading apparatus for raising or lowering cargo to or from a truck floor bed by a hydraulically controlled ramp loader, the improvement which comprises a cargo restraint means including a gate disposed in the surface of said loader and capable of vertical extension relative to said surface;
- an integral, magnetic counterbalance, said gate and said counterbalance being pivotally connected such that the spatial disposition of the counterbalance causes an opposite spatial disposition of the gate;
- electromagnetic means spatially disposed to effect an electromagnetic field on said counterbalance when said gate assumes a recessed mode in said surface;
- and means for actuating said electromagnetic means, the means for said raising and lowering being de-energized when said electromagnetic means engages said counterbalance to maintain said gate in a recessed mode in said surface.
A vehicular delivery ramp adapted for elevated cargo delivery comprising a generally horizontal platform forming a cargo support surface and defining transversely thereof in the outermost region relative to said vehicle an extended aperture;
- cargo restraint means including a gate for freely movable vertical extension through said aperture between recessed and exposed positions relative to the cargo support surface, and an integral counterblance comprising magnetic material, said gate and said counterbalance being connected through rigid lever arms extending in an opposed manner from a rod journalled for rotation in and about said platform in such manner as to expose and recess said gate through said aperture in response to the action of the counterbalance;
- electromagnetic means located to intersect the arc of rotation of the counterbalance at a point corresponding with the recessed position of said gate, and energizing means therefor;
- and timing means for de-energizing said electromagnetic means;
- said electromagnetic means capturing the counterbalance magnetically when said counterbalance is rotated by manual depression of said gate into a position adjacent said electromagnetic means in an energized condition;
- and said timing means disengaging the energy source to said electromagnetic means after a preselected period of time elaspses, whereby said gate is cycled by rotation into an exposed position for cargo restraint.
Locking mechanism for hydraulically controlled truck ramp loader comprised of hingedly connected planar sections, the first section being adapted to assume an angled position to the second section when in transport mode, said second section being provided with a push rod journalled through the forward side of said section to permit engaging contact with the rear edge of said first section when said first section assumes a coplanar configuration with said second section, the opposed end of said push rod being pivotally engaged with a lock rod journalled through the rear side of said second section and engaging a slot in the truck body such that when said push rod is engaged by said first section, the lock rod is removed from said slot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.