Displaceable platform structure and method of the displacement thereof
AssigneeFugro Seacore, Ltd.
InventorJohn R. Y. Gleadowe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A displaceable load carrying structure characterized by a main support arrangement (3), first and second sets (4, 5, 6, 7, & 8, 9, 10, 11) of support legs for supporting the main support arrangement (3) said support legs being vertically movable between raised and lowered positions relative to the main support arrangement, characterized in that each such set (4, 5, 6, 7, & 8, 9, 10, 11) of legs is capable of displacement as a set between said raised positions and said lowered positions and displaced relative to the other set while the legs of the other set (8, 9, 10, 11, or 4, 5, 6, 7) are in their lowered main support arrangement (3) supporting positions.
Claims19
A displaceable load carrying structure for supporting a load adjacent a top surface of a body of water, the structure comprising a platform having an edge defining an outermost perimeter of the platform, a pair of parallel elongated supports fixed to respective opposite sides of the platform parallel to those sides and arranged to have respective portions which extend forwardly and rearwardly beyond the platform outer perimeter including free inner and outer edges perpendicular to forward and rearward edges of the platform outer perimeter, inner and outer pairs of carriages slidably mounted to the respective free inner and outer edges of each of the forward and rearward portions of the parallel elongated supports for reciprocal forward and rearward movement perpendicular to the forward and rearward edges of the platform, respective inner and outer sets of support legs connected to the inner and outer carriages for movement therewith, the inner and outer support legs being always located outside the platform outer perimeter, the legs being vertically movable between raised and lowered positions relative to the platform, the legs of each set being capable of supporting the platform when the legs of the other set are in a raised non-supporting position.
A method of displacing a load carrying structure from one location to a second location, the load carrying structure including a platform having an edge defining an outermost perimeter of the platform, a pair of parallel elongated supports fixed to respective opposite sides of the platform parallel to those sides and arranged to have portions which extend forwardly and rearwardly beyond the platform outer perimeter including free inner and outer edges perpendicular to forward and rearward edges of the platform outer perimeter, inner and outer pairs of carriages slidably mounted to the respective free inner and outer edges of each of the forward and rearward portions of the parallel elongated supports for reciprocal forward and rearward movement perpendicular to the forward and rearward edges of the platform, respective inner and outer sets of support legs for supporting the platform and elongate supports, the support legs being vertically movable between raised and lowered positions relative to the platform, by a sequence of steps comprising
- vertically displacing the legs of the inner or outer set of support legs from a structure supporting lowered position,
- displacing the respective carriages connected to the raised legs relative to the respective free edge of the elongated fixed supports towards a desired second location the inner or outer sets of legs being always located outside the platform outer perimeter,
- returning the inner or outer sets of legs to structure supporting lowered positions,
- vertically displacing the other set of support legs from their structure supporting lowered positions to their raised positions,
- displacing the carriages of the raised other set of support legs relative to the respective free edge of the elongated supports towards the second location, the other set of support legs being always located outside the platform outer perimeter, and then
- lowering the raised other set of support legs to their lowered structure supporting position.
A displaceable load carrying structure for supporting a load adjacent a top surface of a body of water, the structure comprising a platform having outermost edges defining an outer perimeter of the platform, a pair of parallel elongated supports fixed to respective opposite sides of the platform parallel to those sides and arranged to have respective portions which extend forward/ and rearward/beyond the platform perimeter, each respective portion of the elongated supports having an outside and an inside free edge extending perpendicular to forward and rearward edges of the platform outer perimeter, a pair of carriages slidably mounted to each of the inside and outside free edges of each elongated support, a frame assembly fixed to each pair of the carriages to space the carriages fixed thereto by a known distance from each other for reciprocal forward and rearward movement as a unit along one of the free edges of one of the elongated supports relative to the platform, a support leg coupled to each the carriages for movement therewith, the support legs being always located outside outer edges of the platform and vertically movable between a raised non-supporting position and a lowered position to support the platform.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.