Patent ID: 9624077
Date: 2017-04-18
CPC Classifications: B66F

Claim:
1. Apparatus for lifting and supporting an item in an elevated condition above an underlying floor wherein the item includes a centrally-disposed barrel having two opposite ends and about which a windable material can be either wound or unwound and two flanges wherein each flange is disposed at an end of the barrel and the item is arranged so that both flanges engage the underlying floor and the barrel of the item is oriented substantially parallel to the floor, said apparatus comprising: a frame including a pair of sections which are joined in a stationary relationship with respect to one another and are positionable on opposite sides of the item to be lifted so that one section of the frame is disposed adjacent one flange of the item and the other section of the frame is disposed adjacent the other flange of the item, and the frame further including a pair of guide posts having two opposite ends wherein one guide post is mounted upon one of the sections of the frame so as to extend substantially upwardly therefrom and the other guide post is mounted upon the other of the sections of the frame so as to extend substantially upwardly therefrom; a pair of elongated post assemblies having upper and lower ends wherein one of the post assemblies is mounted upon one section of the frame adjacent the guide post mounted thereon so that the upper end thereof extends substantially upwardly from said one section and the other of the post assemblies is mounted upon the other section of the frame and adjacent the guide post mounted thereon so that the upper end thereof extends substantially upwardly from said other section, and wherein the upper and lower ends of each post assembly are movable with respect to one another to alter the distance therebetween; and a pair of jacks wherein one of the two jacks is associated with one post assembly for moving the upper and lower ends of the one post assembly relative to one another to alter the distance therebetween and the other of the two jacks is associated with the other post assembly for moving the upper and lower ends of the other post assembly relative to one another to alter the distance therebetween; a pair of carriage assemblies wherein one carriage assembly is mounted upon one post assembly and the other carriage assembly is mounted upon the other post assembly so that movement of the upper and lower ends of the post assemblies relative to one another moves the upper and lower ends of the post assemblies away from or toward one another to thereby effect the movement of the carriage assemblies upwardly or downwardly relative to the apparatus frame, and wherein each carriage assembly is cooperable with an end of the barrel of the item and with the guide post disposed adjacent the post assembly upon which the carriage assembly is mounted so that by positioning each carriage assembly in cooperating relationship with an end of the barrel of the item for purposes of lifting the end of the barrel with the carriage assembly and then moving the upper and lower ends of the post assemblies away from one another, the flange of the item which is disposed at the end of the barrel is lifted from the floor by a corresponding amount and the carriage assembly is guided along the guide post, wherein each guide post defines a substantially linear guide track which extends between the two opposite ends of the guide post, and the carriage assembly which is cooperable with the guide post includes an arrangement of rollers which rollably engage the guide track of the guide post and maintain the carriage assembly in a captured relationship with the guide post as the carriage assembly is guided along the guide post.