Aerial device

An articulated aerial device is provided which includes a workman's basket suspended from a movable beam. The basket is attached to the movable beam by an attaching means which selectively permits the basket to rotate for permitting easy access to an injured workman therein.

This application relates to articulated aerial devices and more 
particularly to such devices which include a workman's basket attached to 
a movable beam. 
Articulated aerial devices of many types have been provided and a 
substantial number of these include a basket designed to support a workman 
at an elevated location permitting him to carry out designated tasks at a 
substantial distance above ground. Although highly effective for such 
purposes these devices provide a difficult environment in an emergency 
situation when the workman in the basket is injured and where it becomes 
necessary to remove him from the basket without his cooperation. For this 
reason safety precautions often require the presence of three man crews 
where only one of these is to be located in the basket at an elevated 
spot. 
Among the objects of the present invention are the provision of an aerial 
device which includes a workman's basket constructed so that the basket 
can be lowered to the ground by controls remote from the basket and it can 
then be maneuvered so that the basket is placed on its side to facilitate 
removal of an injured and helpless workman. Other objects and features 
will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. 
The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter 
described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following 
claims.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout 
the several views of the drawings. 
The aerial device of the present invention includes the customary movable 
beams terminating in an outer beam 10 from which basket 12 is supported by 
the customary suspending shaft 14 and support 16. In the usual manner 
basket 12 is supported by support 16 so that under normal operating 
conditions it is free to rotate with respect to beam 10 in response to the 
force of gravity. 
Support 16 includes a channel 17 which supports clamps 15 (See FIG. 1) 
preferably of the type having handles which clamp when the handles are 
down and release when the handles are up, for clamping the top of side 
brackets 22 to the support 16. Latch 18 has turned down extensions at each 
end (See FIG. 3). The short turned down extension is attached to latch 
member 18 by hinge 21 and is welded at its end to the top 20 of one of the 
side brackets 22 which is bolted to basket 12. The other end of latch 18 
has a long turned down extension 26 which, when the latch 18 is in its 
closed position, extends over the other one of side brackets 22. Extension 
26 has a hole 28 which, when latch 18 is in the latched closed position, 
comes into register with a hole in the corresponding one of side brackets 
22 such that removable bolt 24 may be inserted to bolt the latch 18 in the 
latched closed position. 
Basket 12 is supported for pivotal movement on pivot shaft 30 (See FIG. 4). 
Shaft 30 is journaled in side brackets 22 and is biased by torsion springs 
32 and 34 to retain basket 12 in its upright position as shown in FIG. 2 
but the tension of these springs is adjusted so that their bias can be 
overcome by the normal weight of a workman. 
The clamps for clamping side brackets 22 to support 16 have handles 19 (See 
FIG. 2) which when moved to the down position lock the tops of brackets 22 
to support 16. Latch 18 is then moved to the closed position shown in FIG. 
2 and secured by bolt 24. The latch member 18, when in the closed 
position, insures that the clamp handles remain in the down position 
insuring that the clamps lock the tops of brackets 22 to support 16. 
In the customary manner the operation of the aerial device is controlled by 
either of two sets of controls, one in the workman's basket and the other 
adjacent to the main mast. The main mast is customarily located on a truck 
body or other movable carriage with the movable beams terminating in outer 
beam 10 extending therefrom. In this way the position of the beams can be 
altered either by a workman in the basket or by a workman on the ground 
adjacent the vehicle on which the device is mounted. 
If the workman in the basket is injured the workman on the ground using the 
controls adjacent the main mast can lower the beam from which the basket 
is suspended until the basket bottom rests on the ground. Bolt 24 is now 
unscrewed thereby releasing the latch member 18 from one of the brackets 
22 and latch member 18 rotated on hinge 21, giving access to the clamps on 
channel 17. When the handles of the clamps are pulled up, the tops of side 
brackets 22 are released from support 16, and basket 12 is supported only 
from pivot shaft 30. If the beam 10 is then raised sufficiently to permit 
the basket to rotate this will occur until it has pivoted approximately 
45.degree. under the weight of the injured workman with the center of 
gravity of the basket under the pivot point. If beam 10 is now lowered the 
basket will fold completely under the beam so that the basket assumes a 
horizontal position and side 36 is resting on the ground. At this point 
the workman on the ground can remove the injured workman without being 
forced to lift him up out of the basket but can drag him from it and 
initiate whatever rescue operations are needed by the injured workman. 
After the injured workman has been removed from basket 12, beam 10 can be 
slowly elevated and as this occurs basket 12 will pivot back approximately 
45.degree. under the stress of torsion springs 32 and 34 until the basket 
is in the FIG. 2 position. 
The clamps on channel 17 can now be reset locking the tops of side brackets 
22 to support 16, latch 18 rotated back to the closed position and safety 
bolt 24 replaced, making the device ready for further operation in the 
usual manner. 
After the injured workman has been removed caution should be exercised in 
elevating the basket from the horizontal position since torsion springs 32 
and 34 cause the empty basket to flip up quickly to a vertical position. 
In view of the foregoing it will be clear that the aerial device of the 
present invention can be safely operated by a two man crew. If the workman 
in the basket at any time becomes injured he can be easily removed from 
the basket by the other workman because of the basket construction and 
removed to another location for first aid or other treatment. The rotation 
of the bakset caused by the weight of the injured workman and the 
operation of the aerial device to fold it under the beam permits quick and 
effective removal of the injured workman by a single colleague. 
In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the 
invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained. 
As various changes could be made in the above constructions without 
departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter 
contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings 
shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.