Abstract:
A suspended lifting apparatus for grasping and releasing unwieldy objects. As the apparatus is raised, a hinged mechanism causes the weight of the object being lifted to draw extendable lever arms of the apparatus inward, thereby gripping the object. An articulating scooping mechanism at the bottom of the lever arms helps to grip or cradle the object as it is lifted, ensuring that it maintains a firm grip on the object. An offset mechanism is used to move the lever arms into an open position and hold them in that position before lifting, until the apparatus is in the proper position.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     None  
       FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH  
       [0002]     Not Applicable  
       SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM  
       [0003]     Not Applicable  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0004]     The present invention relates to a lifting mechanism, and more particularly to an automatic lifting mechanism for heavy, unusually shaped and unwieldy objects.  
         [0005]     Workers in industrial occupations frequently use automatic mechanisms when challenged with lifting and moving heavy objects. Devices currently exist for lifting large or heavy objects of a uniform shape, or those that are equipped with handles or similar attachment means. However, when it becomes necessary to grasp, raise, lower and release an oddly shaped, amorphous, soft or otherwise unwieldy object, the use of ordinary lifting devices becomes impractical or impossible.  
         [0006]     Several lifting mechanisms have been developed employing a “pincer” mechanism to grasp and lift a variety of objects. U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,106 to Scegiel, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,728 to Nickerson both disclose apparatuses for lifting bee hives, for instance. U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,694 to Hall discloses a handling system designed to carry stacks of articles. Although these mechanisms operate on similar principles, they share a common disadvantage; they are either impractical for use in a broad range of situations, or are not engineered to carry a substantial amount of weight.  
         [0007]     Several other pincer-styled lifting means are disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,374 to Klein; U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,201 to Mercer; U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,150 to Focke, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,269 to Faughnan. Although these machines bear a resemblance to the present invention, possessing a double-arm lifting means, they are all structurally different. Moreover, the means they employ to grasp and release an object is overly complicated. In addition, because of the limitations inherent in their designs, they are only practical for lifting specific objects, or at most, a limited range of shapes.  
         [0008]     Therefore, there is a need for a lifting mechanism that is simple to operate, capable of lifting a large amount of weight, and designed to accomodate a wide variety of items; from heavy, oddly shaped materials, to soft, amorphous, or unwieldy objects. The present invention accomplishes all of these aims, and does so with an apparatus that is affordable and durable by design.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0009]     In one preferred embodiment, the suspended lifting apparatus of the present invention includes a suspending bolt that extends downward through a hollow, open-ended yoke. Below the yoke, the bolt terminates at a specialized lug, which is fastened to two hoist members. The hoist members are attached so as to be able to articulate in a scissoring type of action from the specialized lug.  
         [0010]     Each hoist member, at its opposite end, attaches to an elbow-shaped lever arm. The lever arms consisting of a vertical portion and a horizontal portion are attached, in turn, to the either end of the yoke. Therefore, as the suspension bolt slides through the yoke, the scissoring hoist members articulate down-and-outward or up-and-inward, and drive the lever arms closer or further apart.  
         [0011]     In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the lever arms accommodate adjustable extension members that can slide through the vertical portion, and lock into place, lengthening or contracting the reach of the apparatus. In this embodiment, the lever arms are equipped with a cotter pin and pilot hole means for locking the extension members into place.  
         [0012]     At the bottom of each extension member, a scooping or grabbing mechanism is attached on a hinge, allowing the scooping mechanism or other means to articulate back and forth. The scooping mechanism can therefore slide under the object to be lifted as the apparatus is lowered. The scooping mechanism can also be locked into position either automatically, or with the use of a cotter pin when properly seated under an object.  
         [0013]     The broad nature of the scooping mechanism in the present embodiment, or the specialized form of the other preferred grabbing means, allows the apparatus to effectively lift large, amorphous, or unwieldy objects such as an engine block, feed bag, cadaver, etc. The scooping mechanism of the present embodiment can be easily replaced with another mechanism by removing bolts (functioning doubly as the hinges) for any of the various other scooping or lifting attachments.  
         [0014]     The apparatus also has an offset mechanism connecting the yoke to the specialized lug at the bottom of the suspending bolt. The offset mechanism consists of an offset connector attached to a handle beam that is attached to a bracket on the yoke. The handle beam is equipped with a handle at the far end from the bracket. By lowering the handle beam, the offset mechanism spreads the lever arms open and locks them into position.  
         [0015]     This feature is especially useful if the scooping mechanism must avoid touching an object as the apparatus is lowered into position. Another locking mechanism, such as a ratcheting assembly, is incorporated into the handle beam of the offset mechanism to prevent the handle end from rebounding if the handle is inadvertently released.  
         [0016]     When the apparatus is in place, and the handle of the offset mechanism lifted, the weight of the lever arms causes the scooping mechanisms to seat under the object to be lifted. When the apparatus and object are lifted together, the hoist members extending from the specialized lug and suspension bolt cause the lever arms to pull together, gripping tightly the object to be lifted. As an alternative to this embodiment, the offset mechanism can be hydraulically, or pneumatically driven in the event hazardous materials, such as unexploded munitions, need to be handled.  
         [0017]     When an object carried by the suspension apparatus is lowered into its final position, the offset mechanism is once again used to separate the lever arms from the object, and the apparatus lifts away free. In this manner, a wide variety of large objects can be handled easily with minimum effort by a small group or even a single person.  
         [0018]     The design of the suspension apparatus allows a user to easily dismantle it if necessary, and since it is composed primarily of readily available materials, it can be repaired quickly and easily. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       [0019]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the apparatus, showing the suspension bolt, yoke, hoist members, lever arms, scooping means and offset mechanism.  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the apparatus, showing the apparatus in an open position after lowering the handle beam.  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a close up of the offset mechanism, showing the offset connector, handle beam, handle, bracket, and ratcheting mechanism.  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  shows an alternate embodiment of the scooping means as a forked structure.  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  shows a further embodiment of the scooping means as an elongated vertical scoop. 
     
    
     FIGURES—REFERENCE NUMERALS  
       [0000]    
       
           10  . . . Suspended Lifting Apparatus  
           11  . . . Suspending Bolt  
           12  . . . Pilot Hole  
           13  . . . Yoke  
           14  . . . Specialized Lug  
           15  . . . Hoist Member  
           16 A . . . Lever Arm (Outside-Vertical Portion)  
           16 B . . . Lever Arm (Upper-Horizontal Portion)  
           17  . . . Bolt  
           18  . . . Threaded Bolt  
           19  . . . Threaded Pilot Hole  
           20  . . . Extension Member  
           21  . . . Cotter Pin Mechanism  
           22  . . . Scooping Mechanism  
           23  . . . Arced Plane  
           24  . . . Collar  
           100  . . . Offset Mechanism  
           101  . . . Offset Connector  
           102  . . . Handle Beam  
           103  . . . Handle  
           104  . . . Bracket  
           105  . . . Ratcheting Mechanism  
       
     
       DESCRIPTION  
       [0046]     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , a suspended lifting apparatus  10  for grasping, raising, lowering and releasing unwieldy objects.  
         [0047]     The apparatus  10  consists of a suspending bolt  11  comprising a metal dowel, eye-hook, or other similar structure that extends down through pilot holes  12  in the top and bottom of a rectangular box-shaped, hollow, side-end-open yoke  13 . This allows the yoke  13  to move freely up and down the suspending bolt  11 . The suspending bolt  11  extends below the yoke  13  at approximately an equal distance as above it, and terminates at a specialized lug  14 .  
         [0048]     The specialized lug  14  is bolted to two hoist members  15  that extend down at opposite angles. The hoist members  15  are bolted loosely to allow them to articulate back and forth in the plane of the apparatus  10 . The opposite ends of the hoist members  15  are bolted to the bottom of, respectively; two elbow or “L” shaped lever arms  16 . The lever arms  16  are arranged with respect to the apparatus  10 , so that they comprise an outside vertical portion  16 A, and a top horizontal portion  16 B. The hoist members  15  are bolted loosely to the bottom of the vertical portions  16 A in order to articulate freely in the plane of the apparatus  10 .  
         [0049]     The end of the horizontal portions  16 B of the lever arms  16  opposite the vertical portions  16 A extend into the open ends of the yoke  13  and are held in place by bolts  17  or other similar hinging means extending through the yoke  13  from front to back. They are hinged loosely to allow the lever arms  16  to articulate back and forth in the plane of the apparatus  10 . Two threaded bolts  18  or other adjustable stopping mechanisms extend through a threaded pilot hole  19  in the underside of each end of the yoke  13  to a desired height. As the threaded bolts  18  are raised, the proximity to which the lever arms  16  can close together is limited.  
         [0050]     In one preferred embodiment of the invention, extension members  20  extend through the vertical portions of the lever arms  1   6 A and slide up or down to increase or decrease the reach of the apparatus  10 . The extension members  20  in one preferred embodiment are equipped with pilot holes that allow a cotter-pin mechanism  21  to lock the extension members  20  at a preferred height.  
         [0051]     At the bottom terminal end of the extension members  20 , scooping mechanisms  22  are attached using bolts  17  that double as hinges. They are attached loosely to allow the scooping mechanisms  22  to articulate in the plane of the apparatus  10 . The scooping mechanisms  22 , in one preferred embodiment of the invention, have a curved, lobed upper portion. This causes a collar  24  encircling the bottom of an extension member  20  to lift as the lobe comes into alignment with the extension member  20 , and drop into place around the lobe when it aligns with the extension member  20 , locking the scooping mechanism  22  into place. In another embodiment of the invention, a cotter-pin or spring-pin can be used to lock the scooping mechanisms  22  into place at various positions.  
         [0052]     The scooping mechanisms  22  in the preferred embodiment of the invention consist of a pair of arced planes  23  extending perpendicular to the plane of the apparatus  10  and facing each other in a mirror-image orientation. The arced planes  23  are oriented to perform a shoveling action in the plane of the apparatus  10  on the object to be lifted. Furthermore, the scooping mechanisms  22  can articulate to travel inward along a surface toward an object, until the collars on the extension members  20  fall into place and lock the scooping mechanisms  22  into position.  
         [0053]     To hold the lever arms  16  apart as the apparatus  10  is lowered around an object, the offset mechanism  100  is employed. The offset mechanism  100  consists of an offset connector  101  bolted to the specialized lug  14  at the lower terminal end of the suspension bolt  11 . The other end of the offset connector  101  is bolted to a handle beam  102 . The offset connector  101  is bolted loosely, to allow both ends to articulate in the plane of the apparatus  10 . The handle beam  102  is attached to a handle  103  at one end, and attached to a ratcheting mechanism  105  and bracket  104  which is bolted the yoke  13  at the other to act as an articulating hinge, at a point beyond where the off-set connector  101  attaches.  
         [0054]     The handle beam  102  and ratcheting mechanism  105  are attached to a bracket  104  that is bolted  17  to the yoke  13 . This mechanism allows the handle beam  102  to ratchet as it is lowered, preventing it from rebounding quickly if the handle  103  is inadvertently released.  
         [0055]     In order to use the invention to lift an unwieldy object, such as an industrial sack of flour or large animal, among other things, the apparatus  10  is suspended from a hook or other motorized lifting means. As the apparatus  10  hangs from its position, the weight of the apparatus  10  causes the yoke  13  to descend along the suspension bolt  11 , and the upward pull of the suspension bolt  11  on the hoist members  15  causes the hoist members to pull the lever arms  16  inward.  
         [0056]     In order to separate the lever arms  16 , the handle  103  of the offset mechanism  100  is pulled down. As the handle  103  moves down, it pushes the lower end of the offset connector  101  and the specialized lug  14  down and away from the yoke  13 , causing the yoke  13  to slide up along the suspension bolt  11 . As this occurs, the hoist members  15  hinge open, thereby increasing the distance between the scooping mechanisms  22 .  
         [0057]     Simultaneously, the upper end of the offset connector  101  swings into an off-center position, until it travels beyond a one-dimensional plane established between the attached end of the handle beam  102  and the lower end of the offset connector  101 . When the upper end of the offset connector  101  crosses this border, the weight of the lever arms  16  causes the upper end of the offset connector  101  to push away from the center of the apparatus  10  thereby holding the apparatus  10  in an open position. The upper end of the offset connector  101  is prevented from traveling beyond the plane by the handle beam  102  coming into contact with the bolt  17  at the bottom end of the offset connector  101 . A ratcheting mechanism  105  holds the handle  103  in place as it is lowered to prevent it from rebounding quickly in the event it is inadvertently released before reaching the offset position.  
         [0058]     When the apparatus  10  is in position to lift an object, the handle  103  can be raised, and the lever arms  16  move inward. Along with this process, the scooping mechanisms  22  can articulate inward along a plane on which the object sits, gradually increasing toward an inward oriented position, until the lobe and collar mechanisms above the scooping means hinge lock them into place.  
         [0059]     With the scooping mechanisms inserted as far as possible under the object, the apparatus  10  is lifted. As a motorized lift pulls the suspension bolt  11  up, pulling the specialized lug  14  upward, the upper ends of the hoist members are also raised, which in turn exerts an inward pull on the lever arms  16 . In this manner, the apparatus “grips” the object as it lifts.  
         [0060]     When the apparatus is lowered, the offset mechanism  100  can be used to separate the lever arms  16  once the weight of the object is removed from the scooping mechanisms  22 . A person using the invention can also manually push the arms apart easily after the weight of the object is removed from the scooping mechanisms  22 .  
         [0061]     Since the apparatus  10  uses the weight of the object being moved to grip the object, it can be used effectively in place of a motorized lifting mechanism, which would require a power source and take up much more room. In addition, the apparatus  10  is constructed primarily of readily available materials that can be procured easily in the event repairs are needed. Since the design of the invention is simple, it is also easy for a person using it to determine what kind of repair is needed. Finally, because the apparatus  10  is made of high quality industrial materials, it can lift much more weight than comparable mechanisms, and is therefore suited to a variety of applications.  
         [0062]     The preferred embodiment mentioned above describes a manual handle-driven offset mechanism  100 . However, in the event that the apparatus  10  is used under dangerous conditions, such as in a radioactive or biochemical spill area, or to retrieve unexploded munitions, it can be equipped with a hydraulic or pneumatic means to operate the offset mechanism  100 .  
         [0063]     Other embodiments of the apparatus  100  include the use of geared mechanisms for the extension arms, and hinged scooping means  24  to establish a pre-determined configuration for lifting items with known dimensions and specific lifting requirements. Further embodiments may also include a variety of scooping means for lifting a broad range of objects.  
         [0064]     Some of the alternate scooping means include; an elongated scoop for lifting long quasi-cylindrical objects such as statuary or a cadaver, a rake to catch on small variegated surfaces of a hard amorphous object such as a piece of concrete rubble, a fork for puncturing an object, a loop mechanism for lassoing an object, among others. Still other embodiments include the apparatus  10  comprise of alternate materials such as resin or industrial plastics, and a bowed shape to the lever arms  16  to accommodate even larger objects.  
         [0065]     All features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.  
         [0066]     While specific apparatus has been disclosed in the preceding description, it should be understood that these specifics have been given for the purpose of disclosing the principles of the present invention and that many variations thereof will become apparent to those who are versed in the art. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is to be determined by the appended claims.  
         [0067]     Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6.