Patent ID: 8210319

Claim:
An elevating platform assembly, comprising: a mast; a platform carried by said mast and moveable along a travel distance of said mast; a cylinder capable of being actuated, wherein said cylinder is used to move said platform along the travel distance; a counterweight attached to said platform and not directly attached to said cylinder, wherein said cylinder is attached to said platform, wherein said cylinder is indirectly attached to said counterweight through said platform by way of attachment of both said cylinder and said counterweight to said platform; a cable that is used to place said cylinder into communication with said platform; a brake that applies a locking force to lock said platform at a location along the travel distance, wherein the locking force is strong enough to prevent movement of said platform along the travel distance when full pressure is applied to said cylinder; and a load cell assembly configured for measuring an amount of tension in said cable, wherein a microprocessor performs a self-diagnostic check upon start-up that introduces slack in said cable that is measured by said load cell assembly to ensure that said platform does not fall along said mast, and wherein said self-diagnostic check upon start-up introduces tension in said cable that is measured by said load cell assembly, and wherein actuation of said cylinder in opposite directions imparts the slack and tension to said cable when the locking force prevents movement of the platform along the travel distance.