Patent Grant
10995477
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
No prior art is known to the Applicant
None of the known inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant disclosure as claimed.
A coupler guard configured to protect an aux coupler assembly from side impacts in the rough use environment of a loader. Said coupler guard comprises an encasement and a side plate. Said loader comprises said aux coupler assembly and a hinge extension. Said encasement wraps around a top portion and interior side of said aux coupler assembly. Said side plate attaches to a portion of said encasement and protect an exterior side portion of said aux coupler assembly. A screw assemblies selectively attaches said encasement to said side plate. A ring attaches to a portion of said side plate. Said ring selectively wraps around a portion of said hinge extension of said loader. A ring screw assembly selectively holds said ring and the rest of said coupler guard to said hinge extension. An edge trim selectively sits on top of a portion of a first arm. A set screw selectively adjusts a fit of said ring with respect to said hinge extension.
The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention as claimed and is provided in the context of the particular examples discussed below, variations of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation (as in any development project), design decisions must be made to achieve the designers' specific goals (e.g., compliance with system- and business-related constraints), and that these goals will vary from one implementation to another. It will also be appreciated that such development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the field of the appropriate art having the benefit of this disclosure. Accordingly, the claims appended hereto are not intended to be limited by the disclosed embodiments, but are to be accorded their widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.
These parts are illustrated in the figures and discussed below:
In one embodiment, said loader 100 can comprise said bucket assembly 102, said cab 104, said second arm 110b and said aux coupler assembly 112.
In one embodiment, said one or more track assemblies 106 can comprise said first track assembly 106a and said second track assembly 106b.
In one embodiment, said one or more arms 110 can comprise said first arm 110a and said second arm 110b.
In one embodiment, said loader 100 can comprise a compact track loader or a skid loader, as is known in the art.
In one embodiment, said loader 100 can comprise said enclosed cab 210 and said hinge extension 212.
In one embodiment, said aux coupler assembly 112 can comprise said small male coupler 200, said small female coupler 202, said male case drain coupler 204, said larger female coupler 206, said large male coupler 208 and said one or more couplers 214.
In one embodiment, said aux coupler assembly 112 can comprise said one or more couplers 214 being arranged above and moving relative to one among said one or more arms 110. In one embodiment, said aux coupler assembly 112 can be at a proximal end of said aux coupler assembly 112 nearest said cab 104, as illustrated.
Referring to the operational manual for a common manufacturer of said loader 100, it is noted that said aux coupler assembly 112 suffers from dirt and debris on all of said one or more couplers 214. Owners are warned to visually check said one or more couplers 214 for corroding, cracking, damage and excessive wear. In case of damage to any of said one or more couplers 214 they must be replaced. Owners are further warned to use long enough hoses when connecting to said aux coupler assembly 112, otherwise said one or more couplers 214 could be damage due to frequent side load and impacts. Owners are further warned not to use their hands when checking for leaks. When using a high flow model (illustrated below), owners are further warned to not exceed the rated operating capacity of the unit, as exceeding such capacity can cause hydraulic imbalance with other operational commands (such as “lift arms raise”, “bucket roll back” or “auxiliary hydraulic control”). Accordingly, damage to or lack of care for said one or more couplers 214 can lead to poor performance of said loader 100 such a causing said one or more arms 110 to lower slowly. Further, operators are warned that failing to follow these instructions can lead to personal injury or death.
In one embodiment, said one or more embodiments 300 can comprise said first embodiment 300a and said second embodiment 300b.
In one embodiment, said aux coupler assembly 112 can comprise said one or more embodiments 300.
Said loader 100 can comprise variations on said aux coupler assembly 112, as illustrated and known in the art. Further, said aux coupler assembly 112 can comprise a top side 302, a first side 304 and a second side 306, as illustrated.
In one embodiment, said coupler guard 400 can comprise said encasement 402, said side plate 404, said edge trim 406, said edge trim 406, said screw assemblies 408, said ring 410, said ring screw assembly 412 and said set screw 414.
In one embodiment, said screw assemblies 408 can comprise said first screw assembly 408a, said second screw assembly 408b and said third screw assembly 408c.
In one embodiment, said aux coupler assembly 112 can comprise said set screw 414.
In one embodiment, said encasement 402 and said side plate 404 can be configured to protect said aux coupler assembly 112 from side impacts in the rough work environment of said loader 100. In one embodiment, said encasement 402 can wrap around a top portion and interior side of said aux coupler assembly 112; said side plate 404 can attach to a portion of said encasement 402 and protect an exterior side portion of said aux coupler assembly 112; said screw assemblies 408 can selectively attach said encasement 402 to said side plate 404; said ring 410 can be attached to a portion of said side plate 404; said ring 410 can selectively wrap around a portion of said hinge extension 212 of said loader 100; said ring screw assembly 412 can selectively hold said ring 410 and the rest of said coupler guard 400 to said hinge extension 212; said edge trim 406 can selectively sit on top of a portion of said first arm 110a; and said set screw 414 can selectively adjust a fit of said ring 410 with respect to said hinge extension 212.
In one embodiment, said coupler guard 400 can protect said aux coupler assembly 112 from strikes from above with portions of said encasement 402 and said side plate 404.
In one embodiment, said one or more fastener apertures 702 can comprise said first fastener aperture 702a, said second fastener aperture 702b and said third fastener aperture 702c.
In one embodiment, said side plate 404 can comprise said ring notch 700, said ring notch 700, said one or more fastener apertures 702, said lower front edge 704, said upper front edge 706, said side body 708 and said lower edge 710.
In one embodiment, said lower front edge 704 can comprise a straight portion of said side body 708 being substantially planar with the rest of aid side body 708. In one embodiment, said upper front edge 706 can comprise a portion of said side body 708 being bent slightly outward to accommodate portions of said aux coupler assembly 112, as necessary.
In one embodiment, said upper front edge 706 can comprise said slot 800.
In one embodiment, said upper front edge 706 can comprise a portion of said side body 708 being cut apart from said lower front edge 704 at said slot 800 and bent outward, as illustrated.
In one embodiment, said one or more fastener apertures 902 can comprise said first fastener aperture 902a, said second fastener aperture 902b and said third fastener aperture 902c.
In one embodiment, said encasement 402 can comprise said unbent configuration 900, said unbent configuration 900, said one or more fastener apertures 902, said bend line 904, said bend line 906, said exterior portion 908, said top portion 910 and said interior portion 912.
In one embodiment, said one or more fastener apertures 902 can selectively attach to said one or more fastener apertures 702 with said screw assemblies 408, as is known in the art.
In one embodiment, said encasement 402 can comprise said bent configuration 1000.
In one embodiment, said ring 410 can comprise said bent configuration 1000.
In one embodiment, said notches 1102 can comprise said first notch 1102a and said second notch 1102b.
In one embodiment, said set screw apertures 1104 can comprise said first set screw aperture 1104a and said second set screw aperture 1104b.
In one embodiment, said ring 410 can comprise said notches 1102, said second notch 1102b, said set screw apertures 1104 and said internal diameter 1106.
In one embodiment, said internal diameter 1106 can be suited to fit around portions of said hinge extension 212 of said loader 100.
In one embodiment, a portion of said ring screw assembly 412 fit through a portion of said notches 1102.
In another embodiment, a portion of said set screw apertures 1104 fit through a portion of said notches 1102
The following sentences are included for completeness of this disclosure with reference to the claims.
A coupler guard 400 configured to protect an aux coupler assembly 112 from side impacts in the rough use environment of a loader 100. Said coupler guard 400 comprises an encasement 402 and a side plate 404. Said loader 100 comprises said aux coupler assembly 112 and a hinge extension 212. Said encasement 402 wraps around a top portion and interior side of said aux coupler assembly 112. Said side plate 404 attaches to a portion of said encasement 402 and protect an exterior side portion of said aux coupler assembly 112. A screw assemblies 408 selectively attaches said encasement 402 to said side plate 404. A ring 410 attaches to a portion of said side plate 404. Said ring 410 selectively wraps around a portion of said hinge extension 212 of said loader 100. A ring screw assembly 412 selectively holds said ring 410 and the rest of said coupler guard 400 to said hinge extension 212. An edge trim 406 selectively sits on top of a portion of a first arm 110a. A set screw 414 selectively adjusts a fit of said ring 410 with respect to said hinge extension 212.
Various changes in the details of the illustrated operational methods are possible without departing from the scope of the following claims. Some embodiments may combine the activities described herein as being separate steps. Similarly, one or more of the described steps may be omitted, depending upon the specific operational environment the method is being implemented in. It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described embodiments may be used in combination with each other. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.”
This application claims benefit to US Patent Application No. 62/465,627 filed on Mar. 1, 2017.
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| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 3434828 | Jan 2019 | EP |
| WO-2018164906 | Sep 2018 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190169821 A1 | Jun 2019 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62465627 | Mar 2017 | US |
