Patent Application
20070289173
The preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principals is set forth in the following description and is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims. The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangements of parts, numerous embodiments of which will be described in detail in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and wherein:
Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating various embodiments of the invention only and not for purposes of limiting the same, the figures illustrate the novel idea of a material handling assembly. The material handling assembly is an assembly mountable on the articulated arm of the machine consisting generally of a bucket pivotally connectable to the articulated arm of the machine and the means for pivoting the bucket about the pivotal connection of the bucket to the articulated arm, an arm member pivotally connectable to the articulated arm and cooperable with the bucket when mounted on the articulated arm for clamping material being handled therebetween, a bracket mountable on the underside of the articulated arm, having a guideway therealong, a strut having a first end thereof pivotally connected to the arm member and second end thereof received within and displaceable along the guideway, and means for detachably securing the second end of the strut to the bracket at selected points along the length of the guideway in a safe and efficient manner.
Having described the prior art material handling assembly described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,267 above and, more particularly, bracket 31, and the problems associated therewith of having to manually dislodge, disengage and then engage locking pin 60 each time the operator desires to reposition thumb assembly 14, the material handling assembly of the present invention will now be described. The environment in which the material handling assembly of the present invention operates is generally identical to that described above for prior art material handling assembly 12, with any differences in structure and operation between the environment adapted for use with the present invention and that of the prior art being particularly described below.
Specifically, a front end assembly of an excavating machine is shown generally at
Bucket assembly 83 is of a conventional construction and includes a bucket 85 connected to the free end of the articulated arm by means of a shaft 86, a support link 87 pivotally connected to articulated arm 80 by means of a connecting pin 88, a connecting link 89 interconnecting support link 87 and bucket 85 by means of connecting pins 90, 91 and a cylinder assembly 92. Cylinder assembly 92 includes a cylinder member 93 pivotally connected at the base end thereof to a bracket mounted on the upper side of articulated arm 80 (not shown), and a rod member 94 pivotally connected to connecting pin 90. Cylinder assembly 92 is adapted to be extended and retracted in the conventional manner to pivot and thereby curl and uncurl bucket 85 about the axis of shaft 86.
Thumb assembly 84 comprises an arm member 96 pivotally connected to the underside of articulated arm 80 adjacent shaft 86, a bracket 100 mounted on the underside of articulated arm 80 rearwardly of the pivotal connection of arm member 96 to articulated arm 80, and a rigid strut 102 operatively interconnecting arm member 96 and bracket 100. Arm member 96 is pivotally connected to a depending bracket 104 rigidly secured to the underside of articulated arm 80 by means of a connecting pin 106. The axes of pin 106 and shaft 86 are disposed parallel and are positioned apart and at an appropriate angle to permit arm member 86 and bucket 85 to come together at different angular positions of the arm member to facilitate the clamping of material being handled therebetween. Arm member 96 is comprised of at least one wall section. In a preferred embodiment arm member 96 is comprised of a pair of transversely spaced, side wall sections 108 pivotally connected at inner ends to connecting pin 106, secured together and reinforced at the outer ends thereof by means of a generally box-shaped spacer 110 and closed along one set of edges by means of an end wall section 112. As best shown in
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, bracket 100 includes a base section 121 which is fixedly attached to the underside of articulated arm 80 by welding or bolts or some other method of attachment known in the art, and a pair of spaced-apart, parallel wall sections 122, 123. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wall sections 122, 123 extend outwardly from base section 121 and articulated arm 80, and each of said wall sections further comprise a plurality of corresponding generally U-shaped openings or adapters 124 formed therein, as best shown in
In further embodiments of the invention, however, different configurations may be utilized to provide the at least two generally U-shaped adapters 124. In certain embodiments of the invention base section 121 is not a necessary element of the invention, as an at least one wall section 122 can be attached directly to the underside of articulated arm 80, as shown in
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
In certain embodiments of the invention, each of supports 126 further comprise a pair of corresponding continuous openings 129 contained therein for receipt of a locking pin 130. In certain embodiments of the invention, locking pin 130 commonly comprises a handle 131 and a shaft 132 for insertion into each of openings 129, as best illustrated in
In certain embodiments of the invention, strut 102 is comprised of a pair of parallel, spaced apart, rigid members 103 and a pin 133 fixedly attached to one end of each of said pair of members 103 as best illustrated in
The ends of members 103 opposite pin 133 are received between side wall sections 108 of arm member 96 and are rotatably connected by means of a connecting pin 140 to a bracket 142 rigidly secured to the inner side of end wall section 112, as best illustrated in
The improved material handling assembly of the present invention may be implemented with a new material handling machine, applied to the machine during the original manufacture of the machine. It is further foreseen that the material handling assembly including the entire thumb assembly with corresponding parts may be applied to a pre-existing material handling machine that previously only included the pivotal bucket. It is yet further foreseen that the improved material handling machine may be implemented as a conversion kit, providing solely the bracket portion of the invention to be applied to a material handling machine that already included a pivotal bucket as well as a thumb assembly. The conversion kit would provide the improved bracket assembly described herein to allow for improved use of the thumb assembly with the material handling machine.
Having described generally the structure of the improved material handling assembly of the present invention, the repositioning of thumb assembly 84 relative to articulated arm 80 will now be described. As previously stated, in the past when an operator wanted to reposition a prior art thumb assembly relative to the articulated arm to complete a particular task, the operator was required to remove the pin connecting the strut to the bracket, reposition the opening in the strut with the desired opening in the bracket and reinsert the connecting pin, all while trying to steady and hold in place the thumb and the strut which could weigh in excess of 800 lbs. Given the weight of the strut and thumb and the need to hold it steady to insert the pin into the opening, it was often necessary to involve two or more workers to reposition the strut, which is time consuming, inefficient, and dangerous. Moreover, the lateral forces being applied to the pin by the sidewalls of the openings in the strut often resulted in the pin becoming jammed thereby making it even more difficult for the operator to remove the pin to reposition the thumb assembly relative to the articulated arm.
However, to reposition thumb assembly 84 of the present invention relative to articulated arm 80, the operator simply removes each of pins 130 from each of openings 129 in each of supports 126, repositions pin 133 of rigid strut 102 into the desired openings 124 and supports 126, and reinserts each of pins 130 into each of openings 129 thus securely attaching rigid strut 102 to bracket 100 and articulated arm 80. Therefore, the present invention eliminates the need for the operator to overcome the lateral forces acting upon locking pin 60 of the prior art device by pounding on the locking pin to remove it from the openings in the bracket mounted to the articulated arm. The present invention also eliminates the need for additional workers to steady the prior art thumb assembly, which could weigh in excess of 800 lbs., while the operator or another worker aligns the various openings for insertion of the locking pin.
Unless otherwise indicated, all components of material handling assembly 82 are preferably made of a high strength steel, though it is contemplated that other durable methods can also be used. The brackets to which the arm member and strut member are connected are preferably welded or bolted to the underside of the articulated arm, though it is contemplated that other means of attachment known in the art can also be used without affecting the overall concept of the invention. The components of the thumb assembly further may be assembled and sold as a kit, enabling purchasers to install such assemblies in the field.
Accordingly, the improved thumb assembly is simplified, and provides an effective, safe, inexpensive, and efficient mechanism which achieves all the enumerated objectives, provides for eliminating difficulties encountered with prior devices, and solves problems and obtains new results in the art.
Described herein is a material handling assembly mountable to an articulated arm of an excavating machine which includes a bucket pivotally connectable to said articulated arm and a thumb assembly. The thumb assembly is cooperable with the bucket when mounted on the articulated arm for clamping material therebetween. The thumb assembly includes an arm member pivotally connectable to the articulated arm and a bracket mounted on the articulated arm. The bracket includes at least one wall section, which in turn includes at least two generally U-shaped adapters formed therein the at least one wall section; the U-shaped adapters having a continuous transverse opening extending through the U-shaped adapters at an open end of the U-shaped adapters. The thumb assembly also includes a locking pin, wherein the locking pin is sized for insertion into the c continuous transverse opening in said U-shaped adapters. The thumb assembly further includes a strut, wherein the strut operatively connects the arm member and the bracket. The strut includes at least one rigid member; and a pin. The pin is transverse to a longitudinal axis of the rigid member at one end and pivotally connected to the thumb assembly at the opposed end.
Also described herein is a thumb assembly for connection to a material handling assembly mountable to an articulated arm of an excavating machine which includes an arm member pivotally connectable to the articulated arm and a bracket mounted on the articulated arm. The bracket includes at least one wall section. The at least one wall section includes at least two generally U-shaped adapters formed therein the at least one wall section; the U-shaped adapters having a continuous transverse opening extending through the U-shaped adapters at an open end of the U-shaped adapters. The thumb assembly further includes a locking pin, wherein the locking pin is sized for insertion into the continuous transverse opening in the U-shaped adapters. The thumb assembly also includes a strut, wherein the strut operatively connects the arm member and the bracket. The strut includes at least one rigid member; and a pin transverse to a longitudinal axis of the rigid member at one end and pivotally connected to the thumb assembly at opposed end, the pin sized for insertion into the at least two generally U-shaped openings formed within the at least one wall section of the bracket.
Also described herein is a conversion kit for conversion of a thumb assembly for connection to a material handling assembly mountable to an articulated arm of an excavating machine which includes a bracket mounted on the articulated arm. The bracket includes at least one wall section. The at least one wall section includes at least two generally U-shaped adapters formed therein the at least one wall section; the U-shaped adapters having a continuous transverse opening extending through the U-shaped adapters at an open end of the U-shaped adapters. The conversion kit further includes a locking pin, wherein the locking pin is sized for insertion into the continuous transverse opening in the U-shaped adapters.
Further described herein is a material handling assembly mountable to an articulated arm of an excavating machine which includes a bucket pivotally connectable to the articulated arm and a thumb assembly. The thumb assembly is cooperable with the bucket when mounted on the articulated arm for clamping material therebetween. The thumb assembly includes an arm member pivotally connectable to the articulated arm, and at least two semi-hemispherical structures connected to the articulated arm. The at least two semi-hemispherical structures have a continuous transverse opening extending through the semi-hemispherical structures at an open end of the semi-hemispherical structures. The thumb assembly also includes a locking pin, wherein the locking pin is sized for insertion into the continuous transverse opening in said semi-hemispherical structures. The thumb assembly further includes a strut, wherein the strut operatively connects the arm member and one of the at least two semi-hemispherical structures. The strut includes at least one rigid member; and a pin transverse to a longitudinal axis of the rigid member at one end and pivotally connected to the thumb assembly at opposed end, the pin sized for insertion into the at least two semi-hemispherical structures.
In certain embodiments described herein the arm member of the thumb assembly includes a pair of transversely spaced side wall sections. The pair of side wall sections include an inner end and an outer end and the pair of wall sections are pivotally connected at the inner ends by a pin and further wherein the pair of wall sections are connected at said outer ends by a spacer. In other embodiments the bracket of the thumb assembly further includes a base section. The base section is connected to the articulated arm, and the at least one wall section of the base section includes the at least two generally U-shaped adapters formed therein is connected to the base section. In other embodiments the locking pin of the thumb assembly includes a handle and a shaft connected to the handle. The shaft is sized for insertion into the transverse continuous opening of the at least one wall section of the bracket. In yet further embodiments, the pin extending outwardly from the at least one rigid member of the strut extends generally perpendicular from the rigid member.
The invention has been described with reference to at least one embodiment. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification. It is intended to include all such modifications and alternatives in so far as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalence thereof.
In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, illustration and understanding; but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed. Moreover, this invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof, including the respective best modes for carrying out each embodiment. It shall be understood that these illustrations are by way of example and not by way of limitation.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60811696 | Jun 2006 | US |
