Basket transportable by helicopter for use on elevated cables or installations
AssigneeLes Hélicoptères Canadiens Limitée
InventorsMarc Charest, Yves Despois
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A basket removably attachable to a support arm extending laterally outwardly from a helicopter, comprises a frame structure having a bottom support surface and a top surface joined together in an axially adjustable relationship. An opening is defined in the top surface of the frame structure for providing access to the bottom support surface. The frame structure is displaceable between collapsed and erected positions for selectively reducing and increasing its height, whereby the basket can be carried in its collapsed position and, once on site, extended to its erected position for safely receiving at least one operator.
Claims14
A man basket adapted for attachment to a support arm extending laterally outwardly from a helicopter used to carry the basket to elevated cables or installations, comprising a container structure having a bottom support surface and an open top end for providing access to said bottom support surface, said container structure being displaceable between a collapsed position wherein said container structure has a reduced height and an erected position wherein said container structure has a full height, an overhead basket transport member for suspending said container structure in an upright position from the support arm, said overhead basket transport member including a support member having an upstanding portion connected to one side of said container structure and a horizontal portion extending from said upstanding portion at a distance over said open top end for allowing said container structure to be laterally moved below a length of elevated cables with said horizontal portion of said support member extending above the elevated cables to temporally suspend said man basket therefrom, and a lock for releasably retaining said man basket in said collapsed position thereof while being suspended by said basket transport member, wherein said bottom support surface is mounted to lower by gravity away from said basket transport member upon release of said lock to cause deployment of said man basket to said erected position thereof while the same is still suspended in said upright position.
A man basket adapted for attachment to a support arm extending laterally outwardly from a helicopter, comprising a frame structure having a bottom support surface and a top surface joined together in an axially adjustable relationship, said top surface defining an opening for providing access to said bottom support surface, an overhead basket transport member for suspending said frame structure from the support arm, said overhead basket transport member including a support member having an outstanding portion connected to one side of said frame structure and a horizontal portion extending from said upstanding portion at a distance over said top surface for allowing said frame structure to be laterally moved below a length of elevated cables with said horizontal portion of said support member extending above the elevated cables to temporally suspend said man basket therefrom, said frame structure being displaceable between collapsed and erected positions for selectively reducing and increasing axial dimensions thereof while being suspended from the support arm by said basket transport member, and a lock for releasably retaining said man basket in said collapsed position thereof, wherein said bottom support surface is allowed, upon release of said lock, to lower by gravity to said erected position to cause deployment of said man basket, whereby said man basket can be carried in said collapsed position and, once on site, extended to said erected position for safely receiving at least one operator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.