Abstract:
A protective housing and scale structure for use with a crane boom is disclosed. The housing enclosure includes an upwardly extending crane link compartment that allows for the enclosure and the scale to be attached simultaneously and the enclosure also includes a pair of stabilizers and an aperture in its bottom portion. A load bearing member depends from the scale, extends through the aperture, and engages with the stabilizers to prevent torque and/or compression from affecting the scale. The enclosure also includes a locking means as an anti-vandalism or theft feature and the invention incorporates a wireless remote readout.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to scales and, more specifically, to a crane scale protective housing designed to prevent damage and minimize torsional forces that can affect the accuracy of the scale. The housing comprises an enclosure having a top and bottom wall and additionally includes front, back and side walls. 
     A crane boom link compartment extends from the top wall having a boom attachment bore passing through the compartment&#39;s front and rear wall with a compartment interior access aperture that serves as receptacle for a scale hanger. 
     Extending from the bottom of the protective housing is a pair of stabilizers positioned on each side of a large aperture in the bottom wall with each stabilizer having a recess located proximate its base. 
     Interiorly, the scale protective housing has a scale with a hanger that is positioned within the crane link compartment where the hanger is aligned with the compartment&#39;s throughbore so that a connection between the scale protective housing and a crane boom supports both the housing and the scale hanger. Projecting from the base of the scale is a load bearing eye bolt with the eye having the jaw portion of a jaw and eye swivel joint attached to it. The swivel joint extends through a large opening in the bottom of the protective housing and between the stabilizer&#39;s recesses where a long bolt passes through the swivel joint eye and projects to the left and right beyond the recesses at the stabilizers bases. The long bolt also passes through a pair of hydraulic rotator attachment plates having a pair of apertures for pinning the jaws of a hydraulic rotator that will support a load. 
     The scale&#39;s protective housing stabilizers and the large bolt serve a critical protective function for the scale by preventing damage that can happen when the scale&#39;s load bearing eye bolt is forced back into the scale, which is easily done when the scale is compressed between the crane boom and load. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     There are other devices which provide for weight scale protection. While these devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they where designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described. 
     It is thus desirable to provide a crane scale protective housing that prevents compression of the scale components. 
     It is further desirable to provide a stop for a crane scale so that when a crane scale having a load hits the ground or other solid surface the force is not directed to the scale components. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     A primary object of the present invention is to provide a scale protective housing to prevent any possible rotation and compression to the scale assembly. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a scale protective housing having a top and bottom wall with front, back and side walls. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a scale protective housing wherein said front wall is detachable, having a lock thereon to form an anti-vandalism cover. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a scale protective housing wherein said top wall has an exteriorly disposed crane link compartment with a boom attachment bore whereby said protective housing can be fixedly attached to a crane boom. 
     An additional object of the present invention is to provide a scale protective housing wherein the crane link compartment has an interior access aperture that forms a receiving area whereby a scale hanger support can be positioned therein. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a scale protective housing wherein said bottom wall has a pair of exteriorly depending stabilizers positioned on opposing sides of a large aperture within the bottom wall. 
     A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a scale protective housing wherein each of the stabilizers has a recess positioned proximate the base. 
     A still yet further object of the present invention is to provide a scale protective housing having a scale with a support hanger located within the housing. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a scale protective housing where the a scale hanger can be inserted into the crane link compartment receiving area so that the support hanger aperture coaligns with the top compartment crane boom attachment bore thereby when the unit is fixedly attached to a crane boom the scale protective housing and scale are independently supported by the crane boom fastener. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a scale protective housing having a scale with a load bearing eye bolt located on its base. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a protective housing having a jaw and eye swivel fixedly attached to said scale load bearing eye bolt and extending through the bottom wall aperture of the housing. 
     An additional object of the present invention is to provide a protective housing where the eye of the jaw and eye swivel is positioned between the scale housing stabilizers and is substantially aligned with the stabilizers recesses. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a protective housing having a long bolt positioned within the swivel joint eye that extends beyond the ends of the stabilizer recesses. 
     A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a protective housing having a pair of hydraulic rotator attachment plates that are also mounted on the long bolt. 
     A still yet further object of the present invention is to provide a protective housing wherein the hydraulic rotator attachment plates have a pair of apertures whereby the jaws of a hydraulic rotator can be pinned to the plates. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a protective housing that further provides a pair of washers and cotter pins mountable to the long bolt to fix it in place. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a crane scale having a protective housing wherein said scale has a remote handheld wireless receiver incorporating a control panel and display for remotely displaying the functions and results of a weighing task. 
     Additional objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds. 
     The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a crane scale having a protective housing comprising an enclosure having a top and bottom wall with front, back and side walls. Extending upwards from the top wall is a crane link compartment with an interior access aperture that serves as receiving area for a hanger supporting a scale. Extending from the bottom of the protective housing is a pair of stabilizers positioned on each side of a large aperture in the bottom wall with each stabilizer having a recess located at its base. The scale hanger is positioned within the top wall crane link compartment receptacle with the hanger coaligned with a compartment s crane boom attachment bore so that a fastener attaching the scale protective housing to a crane boom supports the housing and the scale hanger. Projecting from the base of the scale is a load bearing eye bolt with a jaw and eye swivel joint attached to it. The swivel joint extends through the large opening in the bottom of the protective housing and between the stabilizer&#39;s recesses where a long bolt is inserted through the swivel joint eye and projects beyond the ends of the stabilizer recesses. Also attached to the long bolt is a pair of hydraulic rotator attachment plates having a pair of apertures for fixedly attaching the jaws of a hydraulic rotator that is adapted to support a load. 
     The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawing, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views. 
     The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an illustrative view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an illustrative view of the present invention in use. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the crane scale protective housing. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the crane scale protective housing. 
         FIG. 6  is a frontal view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is an illustrative view of the present invention with a hand-held wireless indicator. 
         FIG. 8  is an illustrative view of the present invention in use with a hook. 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded view of the present invention using a hook. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCED NUMERALS 
     Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, the figures illustrate the use of the present invention. With regard to the reference numerals used, the following numbering is used throughout the various drawing figures.
       10  Anti-torque protection enclosure     12  Stabilizers     14  Enclosure top wall     16  Enclosure bottom wall     18  Enclosure front wall     20  Enclosure side walls     22  Enclosure back wall     24  Crane link compartment     26  Crane boom attachment bore     28  Crane link compartment front wall     30  Crane link compartment rear wall     32  Crane link compartment interior access aperture     34  Enclosure bottom wall aperture     36  Stabilizer recess     38  Scale     40  Scale hanger     42  Load bearing eye bolt     44  Load bearing eye bolt eye     46  Jaw and eye swivel joint jaw portion     48  Jaw and eye swivel joint     50  Long bolt     52  Swivel joint eye     54  Hydraulic rotator jaws     56  Hydraulic rotator     58  Load bearing eye bolt fastener     60  Long bolt washers     62  Cotter pins     64  Lock     66  Front wall pins     68  Front wall receiving apertures     70  Scale top     72  Scale hanger aperture     74  Scale base     76  Hydraulic rotator attachment plates     78  Hydraulic rotator attachment plate apertures     80  Handheld wireless unit     82  Crane boom     84  Hook     86  Hook attachment     88  Hook attachment jaws     90  Hook attachment jaw eyes     92  Hook attachment bolt   L Load   C Crane   H Protective housing   S Operator station   O Outrigger   

     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The following discussion describes in detail one embodiment of the invention (and several variations of that embodiment). This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments, practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well. For definition of the complete scope of the invention, the reader is directed to appended claims. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , shown is an illustrative view of the present invention. The present invention is an anti-torque protection box  10  for crane scales comprising a steel box encapsulating the crane scale having a lift ring (discussed further below) which stops any possible rotation and compression to the scale assembly. Stabilizers  12  at the bottom of the box prevent the pin from rotating and from being pushed back up into the scale. As can be seen in the Figure, the device can operate using a grapple/bin or a hook to attach loads L for weighing. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , shown is an illustrative view of the present invention in use. Shown is the crane scale protective housing of the present invention for crane scales mounted to a crane C comprising a steel box or enclosure  10  that encloses the crane scale  38  and that further has a crane boom attachment aperture (see below) which stops any possible rotation and compression to the scale assembly. Stabilizers  12  depending from the bottom of the box  10  prevent the long pin (discussed below) from rotating and from being pushed back up into the scale. The device is shown operating a grapple/bin. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , shown is a perspective view of the crane scale protective housing indicated generally at H. The housing comprises an enclosure  10  having a top wall  14 , a bottom wall  16 , front wall  18 , side walls  20 , and a back wall  22  (seen in  FIG. 6 ). The enclosure  10  also includes a crane link compartment  24  extending outwardly from the top wall  14 , the crane link compartment  24  having a crane boom attachment bore  26  passing through its front and rear wall  28 ,  30 .crane link compartment  24  also includes an interior access aperture  32  that serves as receptacle or receiver for a scale support hanger (discussed in more detail below). Extending from the bottom of the protective housing is a pair of stabilizers  12  positioned on each side of a large aperture  34  in the bottom wall  16  with each stabilizer  12  having a recess  36  located proximate its base. Another feature of the present invention is the anti-vandalism or theft feature seen in this Figure. The front wall  18  is detachable from the enclosure  10  and is provided with front wall pins  66  and cooperating front wall receiving apertures  68  to secure it in place. A lock  64  is provided, as seen, to prevent unauthorized access to the scale  38 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , shown is an exploded view of the present invention. The scale protective housing H encloses a scale  38  with a scale hanger  40  that is positioned, through the crane link access aperture  32 , to be within the crane link compartment  24  such that the hanger  40  is coaligned with the crane link attachment bore  26 . Thus, the attachment of the scale protective housing H to a crane boom (not shown) supports the housing H, the scale hanger  40 , and the scale  38 . Projecting from the base of the scale  38  is a load bearing eye bolt  42  with the eye  44  having the jaw portion  46  of a jaw and eye swivel joint  48  attached to it by means of the load bearing eye bolt fastener  58 . The swivel joint  48  extends through the large aperture  34  in the bottom wall  16  of the enclosure  10  and between the stabilizer recesses  36  with a long bolt  50  passing through the swivel joint eye  52  projecting to the left and right beyond the stabilizer recesses  36 . The long bolt  50  also passes through the jaws  54  of a hydraulic rotator  56  that will support a load and is held in place by washers  60  and cotter pins  62 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , shown is a perspective view of the crane scale protective housing of the present invention illustrating an assembled view of the main components that comprise a crane scale having a protective housing. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , shown is a frontal view of the present invention. The housing H comprises an enclosure  10  and shown in this Figure are top wall  14 , bottom wall  16 , side walls  20  and the back wall  22 . The crane link compartment  24  extends from the top wall  14  and has a crane boom attachment bore  26  passing through the compartment&#39;s front and rear walls, as seen in  FIG. 3 . Also seen in  FIG. 3  is the crane link compartment interior access aperture  32  that serves as receiving area for a scale hanger  40 . Extending from the bottom wall  16  of the protective housing  10  is a pair of stabilizers  12  positioned on each side of a large aperture  34  in the bottom wall  16  with each stabilizer  12  having a recess  36  located in or near its base. The scale  38  has, again, a scale hanger  40  located on its top, indicated here at  70 , and the hanger  40  is positioned within the crane link compartment access aperture  32  with the hanger aperture  72  (seen in  FIG. 4 ) aligned with the crane boom attachment bore  26  such that a fastener or line connecting the scale protective housing  10  to a crane boom engages both the crane boom attachment bore  26  and the scale hanger aperture  72 . Projecting downwardly from the base  74  of the scale is a load bearing eye bolt  42  with a jaw and eye swivel joint  48  attached to it by means of load bearing eye bolt fastener  58 . The swivel joint  48  extends through the large opening  34  in the bottom of the protective housing  10  and between the stabilizers  12  recesses  36  where a long bolt  50  is inserted through the swivel joint eye  52  such that bolt  50  projects beyond the ends of the stabilizer recesses  36 . Also attached to the long bolt is a pair of hydraulic rotator attachment plates having a pair of apertures  78  for fixedly attaching the jaws  54  of a hydraulic rotator  56  that will support a load. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , shown is an illustrative view of the present invention. Shown is a wireless hand held indicator  80  unit for the scale  38  of the anti-torque protection box H of the present invention. Additionally seen in this Figure is the crane boom  82 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , shown is an illustrative view of the present invention in use. The crane C is manipulating a load L using a hook  84  and the anti-torque protection box is indicated at H. The crane C is steadied by outrigger O and the user would most likely be in station cabin S. The weight of load L, in this situation, could be determined by the handheld wireless unit  80  (shown in  FIG. 7 ). 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , shown is an exploded view of the present invention in an embodiment wherein it is using a hook  84 . The load bearing eye bolt  42 , depending from the bottom of scale  38  is attached to the hook attachment  86  through the hook attachment jaws  88 .