Patent ID: 8403299

Claim:
A device for lifting an article, comprising: a housing having an inner chamber, the housing having a leading edge region in fluid communication with the inner chamber, the leading edge region being arranged to engage an access region between an article and a support surface beneath the article, an elongate tubular member having a first open end region and a second closed end region, the first open end region being directly or indirectly in fluid tight relation with the leading edge region, the elongate tubular member having a first surface in fluid communication with the inner chamber and an opposite second surface, the housing being arranged to provide a retracted position in which the elongate tubular member is held relative to the leading edge region and responsive to an operative pressure within the inner chamber to unfurl beyond the leading edge region to cause the elongate tubular member to migrate along the access region with the second surface in contact with the article and the support surface and with minimal relative motion between the contacting surfaces of the elongate tubular member, the article and the support surface and toward a deployed position in which the tubular member extends a distance exceeding a lateral dimension of the article, and a lifting member disposed, at least in part, along a length of the tubular member and being detachably deployable from the housing by the tubular member as it unfurls such that opposed ends of the lifting member are accessible on either side of the article, once so deployed and detached from the housing, to be attached to a lifting device and used, at least in part, in lifting the article from the surface.