Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FORK ATTACHMENT
Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention relates generally to material handling, and more
particularly
to the use of forked material handling devices such as forklifts for handling
loads such as
carts.
Background of the Invention
[0002] Material handling devices like forklifts, pallet jacks, and walkie-
riders are often
equipped with forks for lifting and moving loads that otherwise are difficult
to handle because
of their bulk or shape. But sometimes the forks alone are unfit to handle all
loads in all
situations, and so an attachment or adaptor is needed to suit the forks to the
particular
situation. For example, sometimes the loads can have an angled base or
sometimes the
ground beneath the load can be uneven by being slanted, having potholes, and
the like.
Summary of the Invention
[0003] One embodiment of a fork attachment that is used with a fork of a
material
handling device in order to handle a load may include a body constructed to be
carried by the
fork, and may include a head. The head is constructed to engage the load, and
may be
mounted to the body so that the head can rotate or pivot about the body in
order to engage the
load if and when the load is initially misaligned with respect to the head.
[0004] One embodiment of a fork attachment that is carried by a fork of a
material
handling device in order to handle a load may include a body, at least one
pin, a head, and a
first pin. The at least one pin mounts the body to the fork and may mate in a
socket that is
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defined in the fork in order to allow the fork attachment to pivot with
respect to a fork axis.
The head may have at least one hook that engages the load. The first pin may
mount the head
to the body so that the head can rotate about the first pin.
[0005] One embodiment of a fork attachment may include a body, at least one
pin, a head,
a first pin, at least one bolt, and a stop. The at least one pin may mount the
body to a fork and
may allow the fork attachment to pivot. The head may have at least one hook.
The first pin
may mount the head to the body and may allow the head to rotate with respect
to the body.
The at least one bolt may limit the rotating movement of the head. The stop
may limit the
pivoting movement of the fork attachment.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0006] The following detailed description of preferred implementations and
best mode
will be set forth with regard to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an attachment carried
by a fork
as the fork approaches a load;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a top view of the attachment of FIG. 1;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a side view of the attachment of FIG. 1;
[0010] FIG. 4 is a front view of the attachment of FIG. 1;
[0011] FIG. 5 is a fragmented sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 2;
and
[0012] FIG. 6 is a fragmented side view of the attachment and the fork of FIG.
1.
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Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments
[0013] Referring in more detail to the drawings, FIGS. 1-6 show an embodiment
of a fork
attachment 10 that may be carried by a fork 12 for handling loads like a cart
14. The fork
attachment 10 acts as an adaptor, or accessory, to hitch the fork 12 to the
cart 14 and to then
move the cart 14 to a desired location. A head 16 may be mounted on a body 18
so that the
head can rotate, or pivot, and thus orientate itself to a misaligned cart,
such as when the cart
14 has an angled base 28 (slanted downward front-to-back) or when the ground
beneath the
cart is uneven with potholes or slanted. The fork attachment 10 may be mounted
to the fork
12 so that the body 18 and head 16 can pivot with respect to the ground when
the fork is
lowered completely to the ground.
[0014] Referring to FIG. 1, the fork 12 may be equipped on a walkie-rider 20
that can
engage and move the cart 14 with the fork 12 and the fork attachment 10. The
fork 12 may
have a pair of parallel prongs 22 that are spaced apart to define an inside
spacing 24 extending
from one inside wall 26 to another. The cart 14 itself is constructed to hold
beverage
containers and, accordingly, can have the angled base 28 and an angled lip 30
to help keep the
associated containers sloped away from the cart's open face and toward its
back wal132.
[0015] Referring to FIG. 2, the head 16 may be mounted on the body 18 so that
the head
can rotate about an axis A to define a swivel angle O(FIG. 4) with respect to
a horizontal axis
H. In this way, the head 16 can engage the lip 30 of the cart 14 when the two
are misaligned,
such as when the lip is angled or when the ground beneath the walkie-rider 20
is uneven by
being slanted, having low spots, having potholes, or the like. The head 16 may
be made as a
single piece or as separate pieces subsequently attached together, and may be
constructed of a
metal such as aluminum or steel, or a polymeric or composite material, or the
like. The head
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16 may be located at, and project away from one end of the fork attachment 10.
Referring to
FIGS. 2-4, in one embodiment of the head 16, a beam 34 may extend between a
pair of
oppositely disposed hooks 36. The beam 34 constitutes the main structure of
the head 16 and
has a front surface 38 and a back surface 40. The hooks 36 may project
perpendicularly away
from opposite ends of the beam 34 and may be the components of the fork
attachment 10 that
actually engage the cart's base 28. To do so, each hook 36 may define a
depression 42 that
receives the lip 30 and may form an engagement surface 44 that abuts the base
28. In other
embodiments, the head may have a single elongated hook, may have three evenly
spaced
hooks, or the like.
[0016] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the body 18 constitutes the main structure
of the fork
attachment 10. Like the head 16, the body 18 may be made as a single piece or
as separate
pieces subsequently attached together, and may be constructed of a metal such
as aluminum
or steel, or a polymeric or composite material, or the like. In one embodiment
of the body 18,
a base 45 extends perpendicularly between a front wa1146 and a back wal148.
The front wall
46 has a front surface 50, and the back wall 48 has a back surface 52.
[0017] As mentioned, the head 16 can rotate about and with respect to the body
18.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that the head 16 can be mounted to the body
18 in a number of
ways to achieve rotation, including by use of a first pin 54. Referring to
FIGS. 2-4, the first
pin 54 may mount the back surface 40 of the head 16 near the front surface 50
of the body 18,
and may define the axis A about which the head swivels and rotates. The first
pin 54 may be
bolted completely through the head 16 and centered between the hooks 36, and
bolted through
the body 18 as shown. The first pin 54 may be unthreaded with one or more
washers (not
shown) sitting against the front and back surfaces 38 and 40, and with a
bushing (also not
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shown) fitted in a hole defined in the head 16 that receives the first pin.
The bushing provides
for smooth rotating movement while the first pin 54 is rigidly fixed in the
body 18 and does
not itself rotate; in other embodiments, the first pin may rotate with the
head.
[0018] A pair of bolts 56 may help mount the head 16 to the body 18, and may
limit the
rotating movement of the head 16. These bolts may be bolted completely through
the head 16
and through the body 18, and may be located on opposite sides of the first pin
54 to limit the
head's rotation in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions (when viewed
in front as in
FIG. 4). Referring to FIG. 5, each bolt 56 may be partially unthreaded and may
have one or
more washers 58 and a bushing 60. The bushing 60 may be fitted in a slot 62
which is in the
direction of the rotating movement. The slot 62 may be defined in the head 16
and may have
a generally kidney-shape (i.e., slightly arcuate) to allow limited clockwise
and
counterclockwise rotation. The bolts 56 may be rigidly fixed in the body 18
and do not move
themselves; in other words, in this embodiment only the head 16 rotates about
the axis A. For
example, at one extreme shown in FIG. 4, the head 16 may be rotated clockwise
to define the
swivel angle O at about 5 with respect to the horizontal H. This could
accommodate the lip
30 if angled at about the same or a lesser degree. Rotated counterclockwise,
the head 16
would define another 5 swivel angle that, with the clockwise angle, totals an
angle of
rotation from one extreme to the other of about 10 . This total angle of
rotation can vary
somewhat, and may be dictated by factors such as the expected angled base of
the cart, the
expected degree of unevenness of the ground, and preventing the fork
attachment from
contacting the ground as a result of too great of a swivel angle. Thus,
greater or lesser swivel
angles are possible. In other embodiments, a single bolt may be bolted through
the head and
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the body to limit the head's rotating movement in the clockwise and
counterclockwise
direction in a similar way as explained above.
100191 Referring to FIGS. 2 and 6, in some embodiments the fork attachment 10
may be
pivotally attached to the fork 12 to allow the fork attachment 10 to pivot
about a pivot axis B
and define a pivot angle Q. Skilled artisans will appreciate that this
pivoting can be achieved
in a number of ways including, as shown, by a second pin 64 and a clamp 66;
or, as not
shown, by a pair of oppositely disposed pivot pins, by a single pin, or the
like. In any case,
the pivot angle S2 may be defined by a fork axis F and a line parallel to the
base 45 of the
body 18. Naturally, the pivot angle S2 will vary as the body 18 moves about
the pivot axis B.
[0020] In the embodiment shown, the fork attachment 10 may pivot, or lift up,
when the
fork 12 is fully lowered and the fork attachment hits the ground. Still, in
other embodiments,
the fork attachment 10 need not be pivotally attached and instead can be
rigidly fixed to the
fork's inside edges 26. Referring to FIG. 2, the second pin 64 and the clamp
66 may be
mounted on the back surface 52 of the back wall 48. The second pin 64 and the
clamp 66
may be constructed to mate with complementary sockets (not shown) provided on
each inside
wall 26 of the prongs 22 which can be formed by tabs with openings welded to
the inside
walls 26, or openings machined directly into the inside walls. Skilled
artisans will appreciate
that the second pin 64 and the clamp 66 may be located and arranged on the
body 18 in
various ways and locations to accommodate sockets positioned in different ways
on the fork
12.
100211 The second pin 64 may be mounted on one side of the back surface 52 by
a mount
68 with a pivot pin 70 projecting beyond an edge of the body 45. When inserted
in the
associated socket, the pivot pin 70 may fit snug in the socket while still
being capable of
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rotating relative to the socket. Similarly, the clamp 66 may fit snug in its
associated socket to
allow rotation. Suitable clamps may be of the known toggle-lock type such as
the 630-R
model supplied by the De-sta-co Company headquartered in Auburn Hills,
Michigan, U.S.A.
(www.destaco.com). Skilled artisans will appreciate that other clamps will
suffice that can be
supplied by different companies or that may even be custom made. As shown, the
clamp 66
may include a handle 72 for manually moving a sliding pin 74 back and forth in
a barrel 76 to
insert the sliding pin 74 in and out of the socket. When clamped down, the
sliding pin 74
projects beyond an edge of the body 45. A link 78 may be pivotally attached
between the
handle 72 and the sliding pin 74 to translate the handle rotation to the
linear motion of the
sliding pin and thus adjust the clamp 66 between an extended and a retracted
position.
[0022] A stop 80 may also be included with the fork attachment 10 to prevent
the fork
attachment from pivoting below the fork axis F about the axis B if the
attachment is so
pivoted. This limits the fork attachment 10 from pivoting uncontrolled about
the axis B. The
stop 80 may be designed in a number of ways to limit this pivoting or swinging
movement.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4, the stop 80 may be a cylindrical bar
that may be
fixed to the bottom of the base 45 by welding, bolting, or the like. On each
side, the stop 80
may project beyond an edge of the base 45 so that the stop 80 can rest on top
of each prong
22.
[0023] To install the fork attachment 10 to the fork 12, the fork attachment
may be
mounted between the prongs 22 at a free end of the fork so that the head 16
projects out of the
spacing 24 and beyond each prong 22. In this way, the head 16 can engage the
base 28
without interference from the fork 12.
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[0024] In use, the head 16 leads the way as the fork 12 approaches the base 28
of the cart
14. If the base 28 is angled, the head 16 can rotate about the axis A to match
the base angle
so that each hook 36 can hitch to or otherwise engage the lip 30. And if the
ground is uneven,
and the fork 12 itself is consequently uneven, the head 16 can again rotate to
match the lip 30.
In either case, it may be the head 16 that rotates relative to the body 18.
The fork attachment
can then hitch to the base 28 and move the cart 14 to the desired location.
[0025] While the forms of the invention herein disclosed constitute presently
preferred
embodiments, many others are possible. It is not intended herein to mention
all the possible
equivalent forms or ramifications of the invention. It is understood that the
terms used herein
are merely descriptive, rather than limiting, and that various changes may be
made without
departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.
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