US 6,149,373 AGranted

Rim engaging container manipulation apparatus

OwnerThomas Gesualeinventor

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for the lifting and manipulation of bulk material containers having at least a pair of externally protruding lips or a peripheral rim. The device has a frame adapted to be engaged by one or more kinds of moving machines, such as a forklift, and has a pair of substantially parallel, forward extending container engagement rails. The container engagement rails each have one or more inwardly directed lips which form a shelf or channel, upon or between which a container is supported and captivated for lifting and manipulation by externally projecting lips or rim. The container engagement rails may be vertically displaced from the machine engagement means to more efficiently utilize the lifting range of the machine, and the container engagement rails may be movably mounted to the frame to aid in handling conainers which have become distorted.

Claims7

Dependent claims

An apparatus for engagement of a container having at least a pair of substantially opposite externally protruding lips by a moving machine comprising:

a frame having means for engagement by a moving machine, and a pair of substantially parallel, horizontally oriented forwardly extending container engagement rails, said container engagement rails having inwardly directed opposing lips which form one or more channels substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the moving machine, said lips or channels being spaced from each other a distance slightly larger than the body of the container and slightly smaller than the distance between the outer edges of the externally protruding container lips, so that a shelf or slot is formed within and between which said externally protruding container lips can be captivated so that the container can be supported for lifting, lowering, or carrying by said container engagement rails when positioned around said externally protruding container lips.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.