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US 4,878,374 AGranted
Five bar linkage mechanism
OwnerRichard E. Nelsoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A five bar articulating mechanism having the bars pivotally linked one to another forming a closed loop. Any one of the bars is intermittently rigidly joined to an adjacent bar to convert the five bar mechanism to a four bar mechanism.
Claims12
A five bar articulating mechanism, comprising:
- a base defining a first bar;
- a second bar spaced upward from the first bar in a parallel opposed manner;
- a third bar pivotally linked at a lower end to a left end of the first bar, and pivotally linked at an upper end to a right end of the second bar;
- a fourth bar pivotally linked at an upper end to a left end of the second bar, the fourth bar extending downward and to the right, crossing the third bar;
- a fifth bar pivotally linked at a first end to the first bar, and pivotally linked at a second end to a lower end of the fourth bar;
- wherein the mechanism is movable from a first position wherein the second bar is spaced above and opposed to the first bar, to a second position wherein the first and second bars are in a non-parallel, non-opposed position, the mechanism further comprising:
- means, acting on one of the bars, for selectively rigidly positioning the one bar non-pivotally with respect to an adjacent bar, the positioning means causing the mechanism to operate as a four bar articulating mechanism, thus stopping the mechanism at the second position, when the means positions the one bar non-pivotally, and the positioning means further causing the mechanism to operate as a five bar articulating mechanism, thus allowing the mechanism to move to a third position wherein the second bar is rotated 180.degree. and positioned adjacent the first bar, when the means allows the one bar to pivot.
4 more elements
A five bar articulating mechanism comprising:
- a base defining a first bar;
- a second bar spaced upward from the first bar in a parallel opposed manner;
- a third bar pivotally linked at a lower end to a left end of the first bar and pivotally linked at an upper end to a right end of the second bar;
- a fourth bar pivotally linked at an upper end to a left end of the second bar, the fourth bar extending downward and to the right, crossing the third bar;
- and
- a fifth bar pivotally linked at a first end to the first bar, and pivotally linked at a second end to a lower end of the fourth bar;
- wherein the mechanism is movable from a first position wherein the second bar is spaced above and opposed to the first bar, to a second position wherein the first and second bars are in a non-parallel, non-opposed position.
4 more elements
A five bar articulating mechanism comprising:
- a base defining a first bar;
- a second bar spaced upward from the first bar in a parallel opposed manner;
- a third bar pivotally linked at a lower end to a left end of the first bar, and pivotally linked at an upper end to a right end of the second bar;
- a fourth bar pivotally linked at an upper end to a left end of the second bar, the fourth bar extending downward and to the right, crossing the third bar;
- a fifth bar pivotally linked at a first end to the first bar, and pivotally linked at a second end to a lower end of the fourth bar;
- wherein the mechanism is movable from a first position wherein the second bar is spaced above and opposed to the first bar, to a second position wherein the first and second bars are in a non-parallel, non-opposed position, the mechanism further comprising:
- means, acting on the fifth bar, for selectively rigidly positioning the fifth bar non-pivotally with respect to the first bar.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.