Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02432267 2003-06-11
UNIVERSAL MOBILE BtiSE
BAGKGROLJND OF THE Ii~'VENT1ON
This invention relates generally to a base for supporting and mobilizing
equipment
and, more particularly, concerns an universal mobile base capable of being
adjusted to fit a
variety of equipment and equipment sizes without the need for tools.
Many pieces of equipment are provided as stationary machines which cannot be
readily moved or repositioned. For example, many types of wood working and
metal
working machines, such as tablesaws, planers, bandsaws, shapers, jointers,
lathes, drill
presses, and sanders, are provided with stationary bases that rest on a
workshop floor.
IO Unfortunately, many workshops do not have enough room for all the pieces of
equipment
needed to perform desired tasks and, therefore, require the equipment present
to be moved
about the shop and/or repositioned frequently. For example., in a smelter work
shop, a lathe
may need to be moved from an operating location into a storage location so
that a drift press
can be repositioned and used in the operating location.
In other instances, such equipment may need to be repositioned from time-to-
time in
order to optimize the use of the equipment and/or the workshop floor space.
For example,
as more equipment is acquired, the existing tools may need to be repositioned
to make room
for the new equipment.
In yet other instances, it may be helpful to allow the operator to reposition
the
equipment next to the subject to be worked on (or workplace). For example,
some
workplaces may be of such size, shape or character that it is simply easier to
bring the
equipment closer to the workplace.
Over the years, several mobile bases have been provided to accommodate the
need
to mobilize various types of shop equipment. Far example, U.S. Patent No.
5,940,932,
issued August 24, 1999 to LaHay, discloses a mobility system for heavy
machinery and L1.S.
Patent No. 6,095,533, issued August 1, 2000 to Balolia, discloses an
adjustable mobile
machine base system.
Although these patents disclose systems for mobilizing normally stationary
equipment, they require assembly and/or installation of the base with hand
tools. This
complicates the assembly and installation process and increases the amount of
time it takes
to mobilize equipment. They also require lock mechanisms which vequire at
least one wheat
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of the assembly to be lifted off the ground so that the equipment may be fixed
in a desired
position or location. ~ne problem associated with such locking mechanisms is
that the
equipment supported by the mobilizing systems may no longer be level with
respect to the
shop floor.
Accordingly, it has been determined that the need exists for an improved base
for
supporting and mobilizing equipment which overcomes the aforementioned
limitations and
which further provides capabilities, features and functions, not available in
current bases and
methods, and for an improved method for doing the same.
BRIEF' DESCRTPTioN OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. I is a perspective view of a base for supporting and mobilizing equipment
embodying features of the present inventions;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the base of FIG. l;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the base of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the base of FIG. 1;
I S FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the base of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the base of FIG. 1
FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 3 showing the
releasable fastener in a lock position;
FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the fastener of I~IG. 7A showing the
releasable
2~ fastener in a release position;
FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of an alternate fastener assembly showing
the
fastener in a lock position;
FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the fastener of FIG. 8A showing the
fastener in
a release position;
25 FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of an alternate wheel lock r~hown in
partially
transparency; and
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a brace for adjusting the size of a base
err~,bodying
features of the present invention.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTI~N OF THE PREFERREC> EMBODIMENTS
A base for supporting and mobilizing equipment in accordance with the
invention
includes a plurality of supports interconnected by bridge members; with a
wheel cormected
to at least one of the plurality of supports to support the base and enable
the mobilization
thereof. The base further has releasable fasteners connecting the supports and
bridge
members which are shiftable between a release position wherein a support and
bride
member are movable with respect to one another and a lock position wherein the
support and
bridge member are fixed with respect to one another. The releasable; fasteners
allow the base
to be assembled and/or adjusted without the need for hand tools. In a
preferred form, each
supgort has a wheel connected thereto with at least one wheel having a lock,
and the fasteners
include manually actuated lock pins spring biased to the lock position.
Turning now to FIGS. 1-7B, there is illustrated a base 20 embodying features
of the
present invention. In the embodiment illustrated, the base 20 is configured as
a rectangular
frame for supporting and mobilizing equipment having a generally rectangular
base structure
or footprint. However, the base 20 may be provided in a variety of shapes and
sizes in order
to support and mobilize different types of equipment (i.e., equipment having a
variety of
shapes, sizes or footprints).
The base 20 includes a plurality of supports 22, 24, 26 and 28 which are
interconnected via bridge members 30, 32, 34 and 36 and releasable fasteners
38, 40, 42, 44,
46, 48, 50 and 52. Since the supports 22-28, bridge member: 30-36 and
fasteners 38-52 are
substantially similar to one another, only one support, bridging member and
fastener wil l be
discussed in detail herein with similar alphabetical designators being used on
corresponding
portions of supports, bridge members and fasteners to reflect this similarity.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1-7B, the support 22 comprises a pair of side members
22a
and 22b which define spaces for slidably receiving ends of bridge members 30
and 36,
respectively. The side members 22a and 22b are generally perpendicular to one
aneather, with
each side member holding its corresponding bridge member 30 and 36 generally
perpendicular to one another. In a preferred form, the side members 22a and
22b are formed
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from a single one-eighth inch piece of metal having a ninety degree bend about
the center
thereof and have outer edges folded back over the side member in order to
create opposing
U-shaped grooves or channels 22c and 22d (FIGS. 7A-B) to create the spaces for
slidably
receiving a portion of the bridge members 30 and 36. In this manner, the side
members 22a
and 22b form sleeves into which a portion of the bridge members 30 and 36 may
be inserted.
A bottom wall, such as web 22e, connects the side members 22a and 22b and
provides a surface for supporting a portion of the equipment to which the base
is mounted.
In a preferred form, the bottom web 22e is formed from a one-eighth inch
triangular sheet of
metal that is welded to side members 22a and 22b. It should be understood,
however, that
the web 22e may take any shape or size such as a rectangular plate, a semi-
circular plate or
a bar, and may be connected to a single side member rather than both side
members if so
desired.
Wheels 58, 60, 62 and 64 are also connected to the. suppo~s 22-28. In a
preferred
embodiment, wheels 58 and 60 are fixed casters attached to opposite sides of
the base 20 via
I5 supports 22 and 24. The ftxed casters are positioned such i:hat the wheels
58 and 60 rotate
about a common horizontal axis passing through the axes ofboth wheels 58 and
60. In the
embodiment illustrated, wheels 58 and 60 are supported for rotation in
generally rectangular
wheel housings 58a and 60a, respectively, which are bolted and/or welded to
side members
22b and 24a, respectively. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the wheels 58 and 60 are
connected to
housings 58a and 60a via bolts 58b and 60b and nuts 58c and 60c, respectively.
The bolts
58b and 60b define the horizontal axes of rotation for their respective wheels
58 and 60.
The wheels 58 and 60 further include brakes or locks 58d and 60d, which are
movable
ber<veen a first position wherein the wheels 58 and 60 are free to rotate and
a second position
wherein the wheels S8 and 60 are fixed against rotation. In the embodiment
illustrated, locks
58d and 60d include cam levers which the operator my press down on or step on
to move the
lock into the second (or locked) position and fix the wheels against rotation,
or lift up on to
move the lock into the first position and allow the wheels 58 and 60 to freely
rotate. More
particularly, the locks 58d and 60d, which when rotated, cause the wheels 58
and 60 to be
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clamped into a fixecUnon-rotatable position. In an alternate embodiment,
however, the
rectangular wheel housings 58a and 60a may include hand actuable brake
assemblies. For
example, in FIG. 9 an alternate f xed caster is illustrated in which a hand
screw 58e' is used
to move the brake pad 58d' into and out of engagement with the wheel
~8°.
Wheels 62 and 64 are preferably swivel castors connected to supports 26 and 28
via
arm members 66 and 68, respectively, so that wheels 62 and 64 can rotate about
both
horizontal and vertical a.Yes. The swivel castors allow the; operator to steer
the base and
equipment when moving or repositioning these items. Wheels 62 and 64 are
mounted to U-
shaped wheel brackets 62a and 64a via horizontal fasteners, such as rivets or
bolts, which
form the horizontal axes of rotation for each wheel 62 and X54. The wheel
bracket 62a and
64a have vertical bolts 62b and 64b extending therefrom which are fed through
apenings
defined in the top surfaces 66a and 68b of arm members 66 and 68. The brackets
62a and
64a are secured to top surfaces 66a and 68b via lock washers 62e and 64c and
nuts 62d and
64d. Bolts 62b and 64b serve as the vertical axes of rotation for the swivel
castors 62 and
64.
In a preferred form, wheels 62 and 64 also include brakes or locks 62e and
64e, which
are movable between a first position wherein the wheels 62 and 64 are free to
rotate and a
second position wherein the wheels 62 and 64 are fixed against rotation. In
the embodiment
illustrated, the locks 62e and 64e include cam Levers coupled to the
horizontal fasteners of
the casters which the operator my press down on to move the lock into the
second position
and fix the wheels against horizontal rotation, or lift up on to move the lock
into the first
position to allow free rotation of~the wheels 58 and 60. More specifically,
rotation of the cam
surfaces via levers 62e and 64e causes the U-shaped brackets 62a and 64a to
deflect and
clamp the ~.vheels 62 and 64, respectively, to prevent rotation of the wheel.
In the embodiment illustrated, the arms 66 and 68 are welded to the supports
26 and
28, and each atrn 66 and 68 includes a set of side walls 66b and 66c and 68b
and 68c
extending downward from the top surfaces 66a and 68a thf;reo~ The side walls
or gusset
members 66b-c and 68b-c limit the vertical axes of rotation for the wheels 62
and 64 when
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the locks 62e and 64e are in the second (or locked) position in order to
stabilize the base 20.
In apreferred form, the sidewaIls 66b-c and 68b-c form an ohstruction to the
vertical rotation
of the wheel locks 62e and 64e thereby limiting the vertical axis of rotation
for each wheel.
Although the embodiments of FIGS. 1-6 are shown with lacks on each wheel, it
should be
understood that alternate embodiments may only provide wheel locks on one or
more wheels.
Furthermore, in yet other embodiments, the wheels S8-64 may be connected to
the bridge
members 30-36 rather than the supports 22-28, or may be connected to a
combination of
supports 22-28 and bridge members 30-36. Still other ertibodiments may use
only swivel
casters or only fixed castors, or may use a varying combination of each.
A guide is connected to the supports 22-28 and defines an opening through
which
releasable fasteners 38-52 move between the lock and release positions. In a
preferred form,
base 20 has two guides per support. With respect to support 22, side members
22a and 22b
have guides 54 and 56. Guide S4 is for fastener 38 which connects support 22
to bridge
member 30 and guide 56 is for fastener 40 which connects support 22 to bridge
member 36.
I S In a preferred form, guide 56 includes a cylindrical sleeve 56a (FIGS. 7A-
B) which is made
of metal and extends from the support 22 and side member 22b. T'he sleeve S6a
preferably
has a one-half inch outer diameter and a five-sixteenths inch inner diameter
and further has
an end cap or wall 56b enclosing the sleeve on the side opposite the side
member 22b. The
end cap 56b serves as a backstop for fastener spring 40f and further defnes an
opening
through which a portion of lock pin 40a passes when fastener 40 is moved
between the lock
and release positions. In a preferred embodiment, the guide 56 is welded to
the support 22
and the opening in the backstop 56b is slightly larger than a quarter inch in
order to
accommodate the fastener 40. The openings defined by the guides 54 and 56 and
the
supports 22-28 are preferably coaxial with one another.
As illustrated in FIGS. 7A-B, the releasable fasteners include a lock pin or
shank 40a
having a threaded first end 40b to which handle or gripping member 40c is
connected and a
rounded or beveled second end 40d which inserts into one of the plurality of
openings
defined by the bridge members 30-36 (which will be discussed in further detail
below). A
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shoulder portion 40e extends fi-om the Lock pin intermediate the first and
second ends 40b
and 40d and is preferably located about three-fourths the way down the pin 40a
from the
threaded end 40b. The shoulder portion 40e serves as a backstop for the
opposite end of the
fastener spring 40f.
Tn the embodiment illustrated, the handle 40c is a disc, such as a quarter
inch thick
metal disc, defining a threaded bore into which pin end 40b is threaded. The
circumferential
surface of the handle 40c is preferably textured to assist the; operator in
moving the handle
between the lock and release positions. Although a disc shaped handle is
illustrated, the
handle 40c may take many different shapes and sizes. For example, handle 40c
could be
IO provided as an enlarged rounded ball-shaped knob in order to further assist
the operator in
actuating the fastener.
During assembly of the fasteners 38-52, threaded spin end 40b is fed through
the
fastener spring 40f and the guide sleeve 56a. The handle 40c is scrwved to the
threaded pin
end 40b extending through the opening defined by the end cap 56b. When the
handle 40c
is released, the spring 40f biases the pin 40a to the lock position shown in
FIG. 7A so that
the bridge member 36 and support 22 are no longer movable with respect to one
another.
When the operator pulls the handle 40c away° from the guide 56, the pin
40a moves toward
the release position shown in FIG. 7B compressing spring 40f between the end
cap 56b and
the shoulder portion 40e so that the bridge member 36 and support 22 are now
slidably
movable with respect to one another.
As illustrated in FIGS. I-7B, the bridge members 30-36 comprise beams for
interconnecting the supports 22-28. The beams 30-36 forms elongated bars
connecting the
supports 22-28 to one another and have a generally rectangular cross section.
With respect
to the beams illustrated, beam 30 preferably comprises an one-eighth inch
thick elongated
metal bar having first and second ends 30a and 30b. Each end 30a and 30b
defines a plurality
of openings through which a portion of fasteners 38-52 may pass. In a
preferred form, the
ends 30a and 30b define six openings or holes which allow for the supports 22-
28 to be
interconnected at a variety of distances from one another in order to account
for equipment
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of different sizes. For exarnpIe, the supports 22 and 24 may be connected to
the beam 30 via
the outermost openings defined by ends 30a and 30b in order to accommodate a
larger piece
of equipment, or may be connected using the innermost openings defined by ends
30a and
30b in order to accommodate a smaller piece of equipment. Thus, base 20 forms
a universal
mobile base assembly which may be used with a variety of equipment. beams of
differing
lengths, cross-sections, and materials may also be provided so that: the base
20 may be used
to facilitate different uses.
Some equipment may have accessories or other ;~ttachrr~ents which increase the
overall size of the machine beyond the standard footprint of the machine
itself. For example,
some table saws have extended tables or stands for working with larger
workpieces, which
increases the overall length of the machine beyond the machines standard
footprint, but does
not increase the machine's overall width. In such instances, the base 20 may
be adjusted by
either using longer bridge members 30-36 or by adding additional bridge
members 30-36 and
connecting the bridge members 30-36 together via the extension brace or
coupler 30c
illustrated in FIG. 10. The extension brace 30c allows two shorter bridge
members 30-36 to
be connected together to form a longer bridge member and account for the added
length of
the machine. In the embodiment illustrated, the brace 30c is I_T-shaped and
has two sets of
holes located opposite each other on the sides of the brace. The brace 30c is
fastened to the
ends of two bridge members via fasteners which are fed through the openings
located on one
side of the extension brace, through corresponding openings located in the
ends of the bridge
members, and through the openings located on the opposite side of the brace
30c. A second
set of bridge members 30-36 are connected in a similar fashion and then the
extended bridge
members are connected to the supports 22-28 of the base 20 in the manner
discussed herein
so that the enlarged machine ma.y be mounted thereto. Although the extension
brace 30c may
be fastened to the bridge members 30-36 via a variety of fasteners such as
screws, bolts or
rivets, a preferred embodiment attaches the brace via hand operated fasteners
such as wing
screws/bolts and nuts or thumb screwslbolts and nuts. Thus, the extension
brace 30c and
base 20 can be assembled without the need for hand tools.
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During the assembly of base 20, the bridge members 30-36 are inserted into the
supports 22-28. With respect to supports 22 and 24 and bridge member 30, the
end 30a of
bridge member 30 is inserted into the space defined by the opposing U-shaped
channels of
side member 24b and the fastener 44 is moved to the release position. The
bridge member
30 continues to be inserted into the support sleeve of side member 24b until
the fastener 44
reaches one of the plurality of openings defined by end 30a of bridge member
30 and returns
to the Iock position. if desired, the fastener 44 may be manually actuated
back to the release
position so that the bridge member 30 may be inserted further into the sleeve
of the support
24. This step may be repeated until either the desired length is reached, the
last opening
defined by the end of the bridge member has been reached or until the end of
the bridge
member reaches an end stop such as the generally perpendicular side member
(e.g., the end
stop created by the ninety degree bend in the support).
Once end 30a is inserted into the sleeve by the desired amount and the
fastener 44 has
returned to the Iock position thereby securing end 30a to side member 24b, end
30b rrray be
inserted into the slot defined by the side member 22a of support 22. As with
end 30a, end
30b is inserted into the support sleeve 22a until the fastener 38 reaches one
of the plurality
of openings defined by end 30b of bridge member 30 and returns to the lock
position. The
fastener 38 may again be manually actuated back to the release position so
that the bridge
member 30 may be inserted to the desired position witriin support sleeve 22a.
These
assembly steps are continued until each of the supports 22-.28 are
interconnected via bridge
members 30-36.
In a preferred embodiment base 20 may be supplied in two separate sizes, with
one
size having a set of bridge members which allow the base to be adj usted
between an eighteen
by eighteen inch square and a twenty-eight by twenty-eight inch square, and
another size
having a set of bridge members which allow the base to be adjusted between a
twenty-four
by twenty-four inch square and a thirty-four by thirty-four inch square. The
metal
construction of these bases will allow the base to hold approximately six-
hundred to twelve-
hundred pound loads. In addition, the releasable fasteners provide a quick
release mechanism
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which allows for quick assembly and adjustments to be m<~de to the base
without the need
for hand tools. Furthermore, the low profile ofthe base 20 allows the
equipment supported
and mobilized by the base to remain only approximately one-half inch off of
the workshop
surface or floor.
Although the embodiment discussed thus far has bridge members defining a
plurality
ofopenings and guides connected to the supports, it should be understood that
the supports
may define a plurality of openings and the guides may be connected to the
bridge members.
For example, in FIGS. 8A-B, there is illustrated an alternate embodiment
wherein the guide
is connected to the bridge member rather than the support. For convenience,
those items
IO which are similar to items discussed above with respect to FIGS. 1-7B have
been numbered
similarly with the exception of adding the prefix "1." In FIGS. 8A-B, the
guide 156 is
connected to the bridge member 136 and the support 122 defines a space for
slidably
receiving an end ofbridge merr~ber 136. More particularly, ache support 122
has opposing 1,1-
shaped channels 122c and I22d which form a support sleeve 122b into which an
end of
bridge member 136 is inserted. The fastener 140 is moved to the release
position illustrated
in FIG. 8B until the fastener returns to the lock position. Since the support
sleeve 122b
defines a plurality of openings, the fastener 140 may be manually moved to the
release
position until the bridge member I 36 has been inserted into the support
sleeve 122b by the
desired amount and the fastener 140 has returned to the lock position.
Tn yet other embodiments, the bridge members 30-36 may define spaces to
slidably
receive supports 22-28. For example, in one embodiment, the bridge members 30-
36 may
have opposing U-shaped channels within which generally rectangular supports 22-
28 may
be inserted. One can visualize a few of these alternate embodiments by looking
at FIGS. 7A-
8B and swapping the reference numerals so that numerals 36 and 136 represent
the side
members of the supports and numerals 22 and 122 represent the bridge members.
Furthermore, in these alternate embodiments, the guides may be mounted to
either the
supports or the bridge members as discussed above with respect to FIGS. 7A-8B.
It should also be understood that the C-shape and rectangular shape of the
supports
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and bridge members are not the only configuration in which these items may be
implemented. For example, in alternate embodiments, the supports or bridge
members may
comprise an enclosed tube of round or rectangular cross section, with the
other of the
supports and bridge members comprising a shape to fit over or within the
encIased tube.
Thus it is apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the
invention, a
base for supporting and mobilizing equipment and a method for assembling the
same that
fully satisfy the objects, aims, and advantages set forth above. While the
invention has been
described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, is is evident that
many
alternatives, modifications, and. variations will be apparent t:o those
skilled in the art in light
of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such
alte~atives,
modifications, and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the
appended claims.
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