US 5,180,134 AGranted

Unit load carrier and method for manipulating a unit load

AssigneeJoseph F. Mallak

InventorJoseph F. Mallak

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Abstract

The disclosure describes a unit load carrier which comprises a support for supporting at least a portion of the weight of the unit load, a fluid cell cooperatively arranged adjacent to the support and including a collapsible wall, and a mechanism for controlling the rate at which fluid is released from the fluid cell. In one exemplary embodiment, the support comprises a resilient cushion including a first side having a surface for supporting the portion of the weight of the unit load, an oppositely-facing second side, and an edge extending between the first and second sides; the fluid cell comprises a generally pillow-shaped air cell mounted to the edge of the support adjacent to the surface; and the controlling mechanism comprises an orifice disposed in the air cell and sized to limit the rate at which air is released from the cell.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A unit load carrier comprising a base, support means located below said base for supporting at least a portion of the weight of the unit load, mounting means for releasably mounting said support means to said base at least one collapsible fluid cell located below said base, said fluid cell being collapsible under at least a portion of the weight of the unit load and in a direction perpendicular to a foundation surface, and control means for controlling the rate at which fluid is released from the cell, said support means, when mounted to said base, being in weight-bearing relationship to the base and unit load, said fluid cell being integral with said support means and not being in weight-bearing relationship to the base and unit load when the support means is mounted to the base, said fluid cell being collapsible so that upon release of said support means from weight-bearing relationship to said unit load a sufficient portion of the weight of said unit load is received by said fluid cell causing the control means to controllably release fluid from the fluid cell and said fluid cell to collapse sufficiently to lower said unit load to the foundation surface;

said collapsed fluid cell being removable from underneath said unit load when said load is at rest on the foundation surface.

A unit load carrier comprising first and second resilient cushions, each resilient cushion including first and second sides and an edge extending between the first and second sides, the first and second resilient cushions being disposed with the edges of the cushions facing each other;

a base arrangement;
mounting means for releasably mounting said base to the cushions, said cushions being in weight-bearing and supporting relationship to the base and unit load on the cushions while said cushions are mounted to the base through the mounting means;
a collapsible fluid cell integral with each of said resilient cushions and not being in weight-bearing relationship to the base and unit load when the cushions are mounted to the base, said fluid cell being collapsible under at least a portion of the weight of the unit load and in a direction perpendicular to a foundation surface, and control means for controlling the rate at which fluid is released from the cell, said fluid cell being arranged so that upon release of said support means from weight-bearing relationship to said unit load a sufficient portion of the weight of said unit load is received by said fluid cell causing the control means to controllably release fluid from the fluid cell and to collapse said fluid cell sufficient to lower said unit load to the foundation surface, said fluid cell being capable of collapsing under the weight of said unit load sufficient to allow removal of the collapsed fluid cell from underneath said unit load when said load is at rest on the foundation surface.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.