Truck bed unloader
OwnerDonald D. Burkeinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device which unloads materials from a vehicle cargo area such as the bed of a pickup truck. A pair of mounting brackets are bolted to opposite sides of the vehicle bed. Pivoted to the brackets are the front ends of rigid frame arms which carry a rotatable drum between their back ends. A flexible conveyor sheet is wound on the drum and can be unwound onto the vehicle bed to receive materials loaded therein. A motor driven or manually operated drive system rotates the drum to unload the cargo as the conveyor sheet is wound up on the drum. The pivotal mounting of the frame arms permits them to be raised with the tailgate of the vehicle to a storage position during transport of the load.
Claims14
Apparatus for unloading materials from a vehicle bed having a back end, opposite sides, and a tailgate hinged to the bed for movement between open and closed positions, said apparatus comprising:
- a frame including a pair of generally parallel frame arms each having a front end and a back end;
- means for connecting said front ends of the arms with the vehicle bed on opposite sides thereof in a manner permitting the frame to pivot about a substantially horizontal pivot axis between an operating position wherein the arms extend horizontally beyond the the back end of the bed and a storage position wherein the arms extend upwardly with said back ends located above the bed, said pivot axis being located adjacent the back end of the bed and substantially level with the bed to permit the arms to extend along the tailgate when the frame is in the storage position and the tailgate is in the closed position;
- a drum mounted for rotation in extension between said back ends of the arms;
- a flexible sheet wound on said drum and having an unwound condition wherein the sheet extends from the drum along the vehicle bed to receive materials loaded therein when said frame is in the operating position;
- means for effecting rotation of said drum in a direction to wind said sheet thereon, whereby materials on the sheet are conveyed rearwardly in the vehicle bed and unloaded from the back end thereof as the sheet is wound on the drum;
- a wiper blade for wiping material from the surface of said sheet on which materials are conveyed;
- means for mounting said wiper blade on said frame for movement generally toward and away from said drum at a location beyond the bed so that material wiped from the sheet by said wiper blade falls out of the bed;
- resilient means for urging said wiper blade toward the drum to maintain said wiper blade against said sheet to effect wiping thereof as the sheet is wound onto the drum;
- and
- means for wiping the surface of said sheet opposite the surface on which materials are received, said wiping means acting to wipe the sheet as same is wound on the drum.
Apparatus for loading materials into and unloading materials from a vehicle bed having front and back ends and opposite sides, said apparatus comprising:
- a frame including a pair of rigid frame members mounted on opposite sides of the vehicle bed adjacent the back end thereof;
- a drum mounted between said frame members for rotation about a substantially horizontal rotational axis;
- a flexible sheet wound on said drum and having an unwound condition wherein the sheet extends from the drum along the vehicle bed to receive materials loaded therein;
- power means on the frame for rotating said drum about said rotational axis in a direction to wind said sheet on the drum, whereby materials on the sheet are conveyed rearwardly in the vehicle bed and unloaded form the back end thereof as the sheet is wound on the drum;
- a plurality of pulleys mounted for rotation on the front end of the vehicle bed and another pulley mounted on the bed for rotation about a rotational axis aligned axially with said pivot axis;
- a elongate flexible cable having one end connected with a leading end of the sheet, said cable passing around all of said pulleys;
- power winch means on said frame for retracting said cable to unwind said sheet from the drum to effect the unwound condition of the sheet, whereby materials loaded onto the sheet are conveyed thereon into the vehicle bed as the sheet is unwound, said cable flexing around said other pulley to accommodate movement of said winch means about said pivot axis as the frame pivots between the operating and storage positions;
- a wiper blade for wiping material from the surface of said sheet on which materials are conveyed;
- means for mounting said wiper blade on said frame for movement generally toward and away from said drum at a location beyond the bed so that material wiped from the sheet by said wiper blade falls out of the bed;
- resilient means for urging said wiper blade toward the drum to maintain said wiper blade against said sheet to effect wiping thereof as the sheet is wound onto the drum;
- and
- means for wiping the surface of said sheet opposite the surface on which materials are received, said wiping means acting to wipe the sheet as same is wound on the drum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.