Lifting and tilting device

Lifting and tilting device for reels of wound material, in which a support shaft for entering into a bore of a reel is held at one end by a frame having an arcuate track. A lifting block is mounted on the track to enable the frame and the shaft to be tilted by movement of the track through the block. A reel retention device has a lever pivoted to the frame, the lever normally being in a reel retention position to engage one side of a reel flange to prevent its removal from its seat upon the shaft even if the shaft is tilted towards a vertical position.

This invention relates to lifting and tilting devices for lifting and 
carrying reels of wound material of indefinite length. 
Lifting and tilting devices for lifting and carrying reels of wound 
material are known. Such reels may be of extreme weight when full and may 
include reels of wound metal wire, electrical conductor or lengths of 
steel strip. It is convenient for lifting and tilting devices to be 
orientated between positions in which a reel has its axis vertically or 
horizontally. In some situations it is convenient to move wound reels 
while changing them between horizontal and vertical positions. If the 
lifting and tilting device is constructed so as to be able to change the 
orientation of the reel axis then this simplifies the lifting and carrying 
operation under these conditions. 
In one type of lifting and tilting device, a support shaft is used for 
carrying reels of material. This support shaft is inserted into an axial 
hole of a reel and expandable gripping elements are used which move 
outwardly against the surface of the bore of the reel. With the reel held 
and being carried by the device with its axis in a horizontal position, 
then no problem is normally found with this type of device. However, 
should the device be tilted so that the reel axis moves towards a vertical 
position, then it is imperative that the gripping elements securely hold 
the reel in position to prevent the reel from sliding from the shaft. 
Unfortunately it has been found that with the above type of lifting and 
tilting device, the expandable gripping elements sometimes engage against 
a greasy bore surface thereby reducing the frictional grip upon the reel. 
As a result, there is a tendency for the reel to be dropped from the 
tilting device as it is being oriented towards a position with its axis 
vertical. 
The present invention provides a lifting and tilting device having 
expandable gripping elements discussed above and in which the above 
problems are eliminated. The device of the present invention includes a 
spool retention means in which a lever means is included, the lever means 
normally urged into a retention position in which it has an abutment 
surface for abutting engagement with one side of a reel flange to prevent 
removal of the reel from its seating position on the spindle. 
Accordingly, the present invention provides a lifting and tilting device 
for lifting and carrying reels of wound material of indefinite length 
comprising: a frame having an arcuate track; a lifting block movable along 
the track, the block having means for attachment to a flexible lifting 
member to raise and lower the device; means for locating and gripping a 
reel, said means comprising a support shaft extending from the frame for 
insertion into an axial bore of the reel and expandable gripping elements 
movable radially of the shaft to frictionally engage or disengage the 
surface of the axial bore; the frame and support shaft being tiltable by 
movement of the track to change the position of the lifting block upon the 
track when the frame and shaft are suspended from the block; and a reel 
retention means comprising a lever means pivotally connected to the frame, 
the lever means normally urged into a retention position and being movable 
out of said position, the lever means having an abutment surface for 
abutting engagement with one side of a reel flange to prevent removal of 
the reel from a seating position on the shaft with the lever means in the 
retention position.

The lifting and tilting device 10 shown in the drawings is basically of a 
conventional construction. This conventional construction will be briefly 
described followed by more detailed discussion concerning the inventive 
features which relate to two reel retention means for ensuring that a reel 
of wound material carried upon the device is held securely in position 
under all operating conditions. 
The device, as shown particularly in FIG. 1, comprises a frame 12 which is 
of T-shaped cross-section (see FIG. 2) to provide a vertical web 14 and a 
flange 16. The web and flange are of arcuate form, i.e. being part 
circular with the flange 16 uppermost to form an arcuate track for a 
lifting block 18. As shown particularly in FIG. 2, the lifting block is of 
conventional structure in that it is of inverted U-shape and has a lifting 
eye 20 on its upper surface and two rollers 22 attached to downwardly 
depending flanges with the rollers disposed beneath and in engagement with 
the flange 16. 
At one end of the frame, the flange 16 is provided with an L-shaped stop 24 
for the lifting block (FIG. 1). At the other end of the frame, a handle 26 
extends from both sides of the web 14 and this acts as a stop for the 
lifting block also. The web 14 has one flat edge surface 28 to which is 
attached a support shaft 29 for carrying a reel 30 of wound conductor 
wire. The support shaft 29 comprises an end flange 32 which is welded to 
the surface 28. The shaft is tubular and contains a means 34 for operating 
expandable gripping elements 36 for gripping the surface of an axial bore 
of the reel when it is located upon the shaft. These expandable gripping 
elements 36, as shown in FIG. 1, are of conventional construction in that 
they project through diametrically opposed apertures 38 provided in the 
shaft, extend axially of the shaft and are spaced-apart circumferentially. 
The expandable gripping elements normally occupy a chain-dotted position, 
as shown in FIG. 1, in which they slope radially outwards from a fixed end 
of the elements which lies towards a free end of the shaft. The slope is 
such that when a spool is forced onto the shaft then the gripping elements 
are caused to move radially inwards upon contact with the surface of the 
reel bore. The gripping elements are normally held in this outward 
chain-dotted position by a compression spring means (not shown) which is 
housed within the left-hand end of the shaft 29 and is operably connected 
to the gripping elements by operating linkages 40. The operating means 34 
is manually operable and, in conventional fashion, has an operating lever 
42 which projects from one side of the frame 12 as shown in FIG. 3. 
Further detail of the conventional operation of the device is considered 
to be unnecessary. 
The device of the embodiment and according to the invention differs from 
the conventional device in that it also includes two reel retention means. 
A main reel retention means 44 is shown clearly in FIGS. 1, 4, 5 and 6. The 
retention means 44 comprises a lever means in the form of a single lever 
46 which is pivoted towards one end upon a lug 48 depending from the frame 
12 towards the end having the stop 24. The lever 46 is curved so as to 
follow the main shape of the frame 12 and also to avoid interference with 
the reel 30 when it is located upon the shaft 29 except for any 
interference which is necessary for locking reasons as will be described. 
The lever 46 has a lower surface which provides a cam surface 50 disposed 
at an angle to the axis 52 of the shaft for the purpose of being engaged 
by a reel for lifting the lever out of a retention position (shown in full 
outline in FIG. 1) when the reel is inserted upon the shaft. The cam 
surface 50 terminates at its left-hand end, as shown in FIG. 1, in a 
substantially vertical surface 54 which provides an abutment surface for 
abutting engagement with one side of a reel flange as will be described. 
Surface 54 faces in the opposite direction from the surface 56 of the 
flange 32 which faces along the shaft 29 while the cam surface 50 does not 
extend as far as the flange 32. The relationship of the two surfaces 54 
and 56 is important to ensure that these two surfaces engage opposite 
sides of a single flange of the reel. From the region of the abutment 
surface 54, the lever 46 extends in arcuate fashion downwardly towards the 
operating means 34 and terminates in an operating handle 58. The handle 58 
is shaped to lie rearwardly of the handle 42, as shown in the Figures (see 
particularly FIG. 3), and has a downwardly extending portion 60 to be 
engaged by the handle 42 when the operating means 34 is being actuated to 
release the gripping elements from the surface of a reel bore. 
The lever 46 normally lies in its retention position, as shown by its 
dotted outline in FIG. 1, by a spring means (not shown) which may be in 
any suitable location to provide the turning moment about its pivot point 
for this purpose. However, the lever is also movable towards a reel 
release position shown in chain-dotted outline in FIG. 1. The lever 46 has 
top surface 62 on its upper which, when the lever is in the release 
position, engages a side plate 64 on the lifting block 18 to restrict 
relative movement of the lifting block and the track which would result in 
bringing the lifting block closer towards the handle 26. 
The device is used in the following manner. The parts of the device are 
normally as shown in FIG. 1 with the lever 46 in its retention position 
(in full outline) and with the gripping elements 36 in their expanded 
chain-dotted outline positions. With the device suspended from the lifting 
block by a chain (not shown) passing through the eye 20, the device is 
moved horizontally on the chain so that its shaft 29 moves through the 
bore of the reel 30 which is fully wound with copper conductor wire. As 
the device is moved to engage the reel then the surface of the reel bore 
contacts the gripping elements 36 and urges them towards their inner 
positions. As the reel continues along the spindle, its forward flange 68 
engages the cam surface 50 of the lever 46 and urges the lever out of its 
retention position towards the chain dotted position shown in FIG. 1. 
After the flange 68 has passed the end of the cam surface 50, then the 
flange 68 engages the surface 56 of the flange 32 and the reel is then in 
its seating position upon the shaft. In this position and after flange 68 
has passed the cam 50, the lever 46 is urged by the spring means into its 
retention position. The situation is then as shown in FIG. 4 in which the 
abutment surface 54 engages the surface of the flange 68 opposite to that 
contacted by the flange 32. The reel may then be carried or tilted so that 
its axis is in a vertical position. The tilting operation is performed by 
merely gripping the handles 26 and lifting upwardly to push the frame 
through the lifting block 18 so that the frame and the reel are located as 
shown in FIG. 5, i.e. with the reel axis extending vertically. In this 
position, the lifting block lies close to the handle 26 as shown. If the 
surface of the bore in the spool tends to be greasy and the gripping 
elements 36 do not operate completely satisfactorily, there will be a 
tendency for the reel to fall from the shaft 29. However, this cannot 
occur because the abutment surface 54 is engaged with the undersurface of 
the reel flange 68, as shown in FIG. 5, thereby preventing a potential 
accident. 
The lifting and tilting device also provides the function of ensuring that 
the reel cannot drop vertically, i.e. close to the operator, if the device 
is tilted under conditions in which the reel is not correctly in its 
seating position. In other words, if the reel is mounted upon the shaft 29 
and does not engage the flange 32, then the peripheral surface of the 
flange 68 is still engaged by the cam surface 50 of the lever 46 so that 
the lever is in its release position and will not move into its retention 
position. In such a situation, if the device were to be tilted to the 
position shown in FIG. 5 and the gripping elements 36 allowed the reel to 
drop from the shaft 29 then the abutment surface 54 could not prevent this 
reel movement. However, as shown by FIG. 6, the surface 62 of the lever 46 
prevents the vertical orientation of the reel from being assumed. As shown 
in FIG. 6 with the lever 46 held upwardly in its release position, then 
the frame may only be moved through the lifting block 18 until the surface 
62 engages the plate 64. In this position the axis of the shaft 29 and the 
reel is only tilted slightly and the whole assembly cannot be tilted 
further. It follows that if the gripping elements do not hold the reel in 
this position and allow for slippage, then the reel will fall obliquely 
away and thus away from the operator. 
A further safety precaution is that with the relative disposition of the 
handles 42 and 60, it is extremely difficult to operate the handle 60 
without operation of the handle 42 because a conscious effort must be made 
to insert a hand between the two handles. It follows that handle 42, in 
moving to the left as shown in FIG. 3, must be moved a sufficient distance 
before it engages the downward portion 60 of handle 58 and further 
movement of the handle 42 in this direction then also moves handle 58 to 
pivot the lever 46 out of its retention position. As a result of this, the 
initial operation of handle 42 releases the gripping elements 36 from the 
reel before the abutment surface 54 is drawn out of engagement with the 
flange 68. It is virtually impossible therefore for the lever 46 to be 
removed from the retention position prior to release of the gripping 
elements from the reel. As a result, the situation does not allow for the 
gripping elements 36 to be the sole means for holding a reel upon the 
device when the reel lies with its axis in the vertical position as shown 
in FIG. 5. 
Clearly therefore from the above description, the invention provides a 
lifting and tilting device which is safe in operation and overcomes all 
problems which are normally encountered with slippage of a reel upon the 
support shaft. 
In addition however, the device is equipped with a further spool retention 
means 70 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. This retention means requires a 
conscious effort to manually operate it and does not automatically locate 
itself in a retention position. As shown by FIGS. 7 and 8, the retention 
means 70 comprises a plate 72 which is pivoted about a pin 74 on flange 
32. The plate 72 is provided with an axial projection 76 terminating in a 
locking flange 78. With the retention means in its locking position (full 
outline in FIG. 7) the locking flange 78 overlies the edge of the flange 
68 of the spool (FIG. 8). Thus a further safety device is provided in the 
event that the lever 46 is being operated incorrectly. The plate 72 may be 
pivoted between its full outline locking position and an unlocking 
position (shown in chain-dotted outline in FIG. 7) in which the flange 78 
lies clear of the flange 68 of the reel. To move the plate 72 between the 
two positions a knob 80 is gripped, the knob passing through an aperture 
in the plate to operate a holding means comprising a spring loaded ball 
for holding the plate in either position. The arrangement of the parts may 
be any which is mechanically suitable for the purpose. As shown the plate 
82 holds the ball in a socket 84 under the influence of a leaf spring 86 
held between the plate 72 and the strip 82.