This application is a U.S. national phase application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2014/057809 filed on Apr. 16, 2014 which claims priority to European Patent Application No. 13175344.4 filed Jul. 5, 2013, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The present invention relates to a hand-operated device for lifting and moving pallets, the device comprising a framework, two substantially parallel forks projecting forwardly from the framework, each fork having a top surface adapted to be in contact with the pallet, a handle connected to the framework for applying manual force to the framework, and support members connected to the framework for supporting the framework from the ground.
A device for lifting and moving pallets is called a pallet jack, a pallet truck, pump truck, or jigger. A manual pallet jack is called a hand-powered or hand-operated jack. A pallet jack is a truck used for moving pallets in the industry, trade or distribution of goods. A traditional hand-operated pallet jack is provided with two parallel forks, which are supported by wheels at its rear and front swivel part. The pallet jack is hydraulically raised and lowered by a pull handle, which is manually lowered and raised. The front wheels are mounted inside the end of the forks, and as the hydraulic jack is raised, the forks are separated vertically from the front wheels, forcing the load upward until it clears the floor. The pallet is only lifted enough to clear the floor for subsequent travel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,767 discloses an example of a hand-operated pallet jack having a combined wheel and jack assembly rotatable about a vertical axis and movable on a steerable wheel, a lift fork raisable and lowerable relative to the assembly by means of a hydraulic jack, support wheels raisable and lowerable in said lift fork. The wheel and jack assembly is carrying a bar for pulling the truck. The bar comprising pumping means for raising the jack. The bar being pivotally mounted on the wheel and jack assembly.
The traditional hand-operated pallet jacks have some disadvantages such as that they are heavy, bulky and difficult to maneuver. It is often a desire to transport a pallet jack together with the goods loaded on the pallets. However, this is often a problem due to the limited loading capacity of the vehicle carrying out the transportation of the goods.
CA101758845 discloses a foldable lightweight hand pallet truck. The pallet truck is provided with a hinge portion of the forks, which can fold upwardly from an operating position to a storage position. The folded truck can thus be readily transported and stored so that it can be made available for use at different locations, for example, by storage within a cab of a truck.
It is an object of the present invention to at least partly overcome the above problems, and to provide an improved hand-operated device for lifting and moving pallets.
This object is achieved by a device as defined in claim 1.
The invention is characterized in that the framework comprises a first leg having an upper end operatively connected to the handle and a lower end connected to a first of said forks to form a first frame element, and a second leg having an upper end operatively connected to the handle and a lower end connected to a second of said forks to form a second frame element, wherein each of the first and second frame elements is arranged pivotable about an axis in parallel with the longitudinal axis of the respective fork such that the framework is allowed to pivot between a first position for transporting the pallet and a second position for positioning the forks under the pallet, and the forks and support members are designed such that the vertical distance between the highest point of the top surface of the forks and the lowest point of the corresponding support members is shorter in the second position than in the first position, and by that the fork and the support member of each frame element form a lever for lifting and lowering the pallet.
The pallet is lifted and lowered relative the ground by means of a pivotal movement of the frame elements. The forks are moved to a position under the pallet when the device is in the second position, and the pallet is lifted by pivoting the frame elements to the first position, thereby causing a vertical movement of the pallet. The pallet can be horizontally moved when the framework is in the first position. The pallet is lowered by pivoting the frame elements to the second position. When the framework is in the second position, the forks can be moved away from under the pallet. The forks and support members form a lever for lifting and lowering the pallet, and the rods form an extension of the lever to facilitate the movements. A manually actuating handle is connected to the rods for effecting the pivotal movements of the framework by manual applying a torque to the lever.
The device according to the invention does not need a hydraulic pump for effecting vertical movements of the pallet. The device according to the invention is less complex, easier to manufacture, and accordingly less costly, than a traditional hand pallet truck. Further, the device according to the invention is smaller, lighter, easier to maneuver, weigh less, and takes less space compared to a traditional hand pallet truck.
To achieve the lever, the forks and support members are designed such that the vertical distance between the highest point of the top surface of the forks and the lowest point of the corresponding support members is shorter in the second position than in the first position. This means that the high of the forks and corresponding support members should be larger than the width of the forks and corresponding support members.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the frame elements are arranged in parallel and the distance between said legs is smaller in the second position than in the first position. This means that the device is thinner and accordingly occupies less space when the frame elements are in the second position then in the first position. Thus it is advantageous to store the device when it is in the second position.
Each leg is connected to the corresponding fork so that the leg is aligned with the lever to form an extended lever between the handle and the support members. Preferably, each leg is connected to the corresponding fork so as to form an L-shaped frame element.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the support members are wheels, each frame element is provided with a front wheel and a rear wheel, and at least one of the wheels are pivotally mounted. Preferably, each frame element is provided with at least two pivotally mounted wheels. By providing the frame element with two pivotally mounted wheels it is possible to move the device in different directions relative the longitudinal axis of the forks. Thus, it is possible to move the device in the direction aligned with the longitudinal axis of the forks as well as in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the forks. This is advantageous, for example, when the pallet is to be moved through a narrow opening, such as a door opening.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the handle is pivotally connected to the first and second legs. This embodiment enables the handle to pivot at the same time as the frame elements pivot.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the handle is pivotally connected to the first leg about an axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the first fork and the handle is pivotally connected to the second leg about an axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the second fork.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the handle comprises a first and a second distance element arranged in parallel and at a distance from each other, and a main handle part connected between the first and a second distance elements, and the first distance element is pivotally connected to the first leg about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the first fork, and the second distance element is pivotally connected to the second leg about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the second fork. This embodiment makes it possible to keep the handle essentially horizontal when the frame elements are pivoted between the first and second position, which facilitated the use of the device.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the device is provided with locking means adapted to removably lock the handle in a fixed position relative to the legs. When the device has lifted the pallet from the ground and the device is used to move the pallet, it is advantageous to lock the handle in a fixed position relative to the legs in order to stabilize the device.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the framework comprises a frame part having one end pivotally connected to a lower portion of the first leg and the other end pivotally connected to a lower portion of the second leg. The frame part further stabilizes the device.
According to an embodiment of the invention, said frame part is a rod having one end pivotally connected to the first leg about an axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the first fork and the other end is pivotally connected to the second leg about an axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the second fork.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the forks are arranged with an adjustable length. This embodiment makes it possible to adjust the length of the forks to adapt to the length or width of the pallet.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the device according to any of the previous claims, wherein each fork is elongated and has two long sides neighboring the top surface, and at least one of the long sides are provided with support elements in order to facilitate the movements of the pallet carrier when it is in the folded position and to prevent the floor from being scratched.
According to an embodiment of the invention, each of the forks are provided with at least two support wheels arranged with their rotational axes perpendicular to the rotational axes of the front and rear wheels, and connected to a long side neighboring the top surface of the fork. The support wheels facilitate to move the forks under the pallet when the frame elements are in the second position.
The invention will now be explained more closely by the description of different embodiments of the invention and with reference to the appended figures.
The forks are, for example, made of beams. The beams can be solid or hollow. A hollow beam weighs less than a solid beam, and accordingly reduces the weight of the pallet carrier. Preferably, the forks are made of metal such as iron or steel. Preferably, the forks have a substantially rectangular cross-section. In this embodiment, the forks have a substantially square cross-section. Optionally, the forks have an adjustable length. In this embodiment, each fork includes two parts; a fixed part 2a connected to the leg and a movable part 2b. The movable part 2b is hollow and designed to enclose an outer end of the fixed part 2a. The movable part 2b is movable in the longitudinal direction L2 of the fork and by that it is possible to adjust the length of the fork. The forks include a locking mechanism 9 arranged to lock the movable part 2b in a fixed relation to the fixed part 2a and thereby to freeze the length of the fork 2.
The legs 3, 4 are elongated and connected to the forks 1, 2 so that the legs protrude upwardly from the forks. In this embodiment, the legs 3, 4 are connected to the forks 1, 2 so as to form L-shaped frame elements 10, 12, i.e. the legs are arranged substantially perpendicular to the forks. However, it is possible to arrange the frame elements so that the angle between the leg and the fork is more than 90°. In this embodiment, the legs 3, 4 are made of hollow metal beams. However, the legs are preferably made of a light weight material, such as fiberglass, carbon fibers, or a polymer material. In this embodiment, the legs are fixedly connected to the forks. However, in another embodiment the forks can be foldably connected to the legs, to allow the forks to be fold upwardly from an operating position to a storage position. However, during operation of the pallet carrier, the forks should be fixed in relation to the legs. The two L-shaped frame elements are supported by wheels 8a-d at its rear and front part.
The function of the support members is to reduce friction and accordingly to facilitate movement of the pallet carrier. The support members are, for example, wheels, skids, or runners. In the embodiment shown in
One end of the handle 7 is pivotally connected to the first leg 3 about an axis A1 parallel to the longitudinal axis L1 of the first fork 1, and the other end of the handle 7 is pivotally connected to the second leg 4 about an axis A2 parallel to the longitudinal axis L2 of the second fork 2. The handle 7 comprises a first and a second distance element 14, 15 arranged in parallel and at a distance from each other, and a main handle part 16 connected between the first and second distance elements 14, 15. The first distance element 14 is pivotally connected to the first leg 3 about the axis A1, and the second distance element 15 is pivotally connected to the second leg 4 about the axis A2. The handle 7 is provided with a locking mechanism 18 adapted to removably lock the handle 7 in a fixed position relative to the legs 3, 4. The locking mechanism 18 is arranged so that the frame elements 10, 12 are prevented from pivoting when the locking mechanism is locked and the frame elements are allowed to pivot when the locking mechanism is unlocked. The locking mechanism includes two actuating pins 24. Thus, by actuating the locking mechanism a user can choose between allowing the frame elements to pivot and preventing them from pivoting. Preferably, the locking mechanism is designed such that it is possible for a user to actuate the locking mechanism and at the same time hold the handle. The locking mechanism 18 is shown in more details in
Optionally, the framework comprises a frame part 20, for example in the form of a rod, connected between the first and second frame elements 10, 12. The function of the frame part 20 is to keep the forks is a fixed relation and to stabilize the pallet carrier. The frame part 20 has one end pivotally connected to a lower portion the first leg 3 about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis L1 of the first fork, and the other end pivotally connected to a lower portion the second leg 4 about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis L2 of the second fork.
The pallet carrier according to the invention is pivotable between an upright position, an inclined position and a folded position as shown in
The forks 1, 2 and the support members 8a-d are designed such that the vertical distance between the highest point of the top surface 6 of the forks and the lowest point of the corresponding support members 8a-d is shorter in the folded position than in the upright position, and by that the fork and the support member of each frame element form a lever for lifting and lowering the pallet. The lowest points of the support members 8a-d are the points being in contact with the ground. As seen from
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed but may be varied and modified within the scope of the following claims. For example, alternative locking mechanisms can be used. The support member can be skids.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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13175344 | Jul 2013 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2014/057809 | 4/16/2014 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2015/000615 | 1/8/2015 | WO | A |
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3143358 | Du Broff | Aug 1964 | A |
3480292 | Borkey | Nov 1969 | A |
3982767 | Larsson | Sep 1976 | A |
5403024 | Frketic | Apr 1995 | A |
20020172581 | Maney | Nov 2002 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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2138713 | Jun 1996 | CA |
101758845 | Jun 2010 | CN |
201721479 | Jan 2011 | CN |
2397388 | Dec 2011 | EP |
1502267 | Nov 1967 | FR |
2698063 | May 1994 | FR |
804091 | Nov 1958 | GB |
9411229 | May 1994 | WO |
2009117984 | Oct 2009 | WO |
Entry |
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Office Action in Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-522344 dated Oct. 6, 2016. |
Office Action in Chinese Patent Application No. 201480038633.X. dated Jul. 6, 2016. |
Office Action in Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-522344dated Jun. 21, 2016. |
International Search Report and Written Opinion for PCT/EP2014/057809 dated Jul. 16, 2014. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20160368517 A1 | Dec 2016 | US |