Claims
- 1. A personnel carrying vehicle comprising
- a self propelled, steerable body,
- a mast attached to and extending upwardly from said body, and
- a personnel compartment attached to the mast, said personnel compartment including
- a floor component mounted to said mast,
- a rail member mounted to said mast, said rail member extending around the sides and front of said personnel compartment of said vehicle, and
- a pair of gate members pivotally attached to said rail member and to said floor component and horizontally movable from a closed position to an open position wherein said gate members extend into said personnel compartment.
- 2. The personnel carrying vehicle of claim 1 wherein said rail is placed at approximated waist height of an operator.
- 3. The personnel carrying vehicle of claim 1 wherein said mast does not extend substantially above said rail.
- 4. A personnel carrying vehicle comprising
- a body having a front and a rear, said body including
- a pair of drive wheels mounted near the rear of said body,
- an electric traction motor connected to each said drive wheel,
- a pair of caster wheels mounted near the front of said body,
- a mast attached to said body behind the center of said body and extending upwardly from said body,
- said mast extending upwardly and forwardly of said body from the place of attachment,
- a load platform placed over the front portion of said body, and
- a personnel compartment attached to the mast and positioned over the rear portion of said body, said personnel compartment including
- a floor component mounted to said mast,
- a rail member mounted to said mast, said rail member extending around the sides and front of said personnel compartment of said vehicle, and
- a pair of gate members pivotally attached to said rail member and to said floor component and movable from a closed position to an open position wherein said gate members extend into said personnel compartment.
- 5. A personnel carrying vehicle comprising
- a body having a front and a rear, said body including
- a pair of drive wheels mounted near the rear of said body,
- an electric traction motor connected to each said drive wheel,
- a pair of caster wheels mounted near the front of said body,
- said body having a forward compartment and a rear section,
- a mast attached to and extending upwardly and forwardly from said body between said forward compartment and said rear section,
- a load platform placed over said forward compartment, and
- a personnel compartment attached to the mast and positioned over said rear section, said personnel compartment including
- a floor component mounted to said mast,
- a rail member mounted to said mast, said rail member extending around the sides and front of said personnel compartment of said vehicle, and
- a pair of gate members pivotally attached to said rail member and to said floor component and movable from a closed position to an open position wherein said gate members extend into said personnel compartment.
- 6. The personnel carrying vehicle of claim 5 wherein said forward compartment is larger and longer than said rear section.
- 7. The personnel carrying vehicle of claim 5 wherein said forward compartment contains batteries.
- 8. A personnel carrying vehicle comprising
- a body having a front and a rear, said body including a forward compartment and a rear section,
- a pair of caster wheels mounted near the front of said body,
- a pair of drive wheels mounted near the rear or said body,
- a pair of electric traction motors mounted within said rear section,
- a pair of gear assemblies each having an input shaft connected to a traction motor and an output shaft extending outwardly from said rear section and being attached to a drive wheel, said input shaft being placed below said output shaft,
- a mast attached to and extending upwardly and forwardly from said body between said forward compartment and said rear section,
- a load carrying platform placed over said forward compartment, and
- a personnel compartment attached to the mast and positioned over said rear section, said personnel compartment including
- a floor component mounted to said mast above said motors and between said gear assemblies,
- a rail member mounted to said mast, said rail member extending around the sides and front of said personnel compartment of said vehicle, and
- a pair of gate members pivotally attached to said rail member and to said floor component and movable from a closed position to an open position wherein said gate members extend into said personnel compartment.
- 9. The personnel carrying vehicle of claim 8 wherein said mast is extendible to raise said personnel compartment above said body.
- 10. The personnel carrying vehicle of claim 9 wherein said mast is attached to said body and extends upwardly and forwardly of the vehicle at an angle of approximately 5.degree. from the vertical thereby to move said personnel compartment upwardly and forwardly of said body as the mast is extended.
- 11. A self powered personnel lifting device including
- a base member including wheels at the corners thereof,
- a telescoping mast mounted on said base member toward one end thereof and extending upwardly at an angle of approximately 5.degree.,
- an operator's compartment, said compartment including
- a floor, and a rail at approximately waist level
- said operator's compartment attached to said telescoping mast with said mast not higher than said rail, and
- means for extending said mast, and said operator's compartment upward from said base member.
- 12. The device of claim 11 wherein said mast extends upwardly and outwardly of said floor thus permitting the legs of an operator to partially straddle said mast at a lower part of said operator's compartment, between said floor and said rail.
- 13. A self propelled personnel lifting vehicle including
- a base member including a power source and a plurality of wheels for supporting said vehicle,
- an operator's compartment,
- a lifting mechanism to raise said compartment from a lowered position near the floor to a raised position,
- said compartment including a floor, a substantially vertical post, a waist high rail mounted to said post and extending around the front, sides and terminating at the rear of the compartment to provide an opening through which the operator may gain access to the compartment, and a gate for fully enclosing said compartment,
- said gate including a pair of horizontal upper rails each pivoted for rotation about the ends of said compartment rails, said gate opening inwardly,
- gate stops for limiting the movement of the gate in either the open or closed position,
- biasing means for urging said gate either to a fully open position, or to a fully closed position, and
- switch means for sensing whether the gate is open or closed.
- 14. The self propelled personnel lifting vehicle of claim 13 wherein said biasing means includes a lever mounted to rotate with said gate, and a spring in compression, said spring pivoted at one end to the base member, and the other end acting against said lever.
- 15. The self propelled personnel lifting vehicle of claim 13 further including automatic gate means for closing said gates when said compartment is raised above a predetermined height above said base member.
- 16. The self propelled personnel lifting vehicle of claim 13 wherein a single gate stile extends downwardly from each of said gate rails, said stiles, when the gates are closed, are adjacent one another at the rear of said compartment.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/725,975 filed Oct. 4, 1996, and abandoned in favor of this continuation.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
D347720 |
Tamura et al. |
Jun 1994 |
|
5174415 |
Neagle et al. |
Dec 1992 |
|
5203425 |
Wehmeyer |
Apr 1993 |
|
5273132 |
Sasaki et al. |
Dec 1993 |
|
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
725975 |
Oct 1996 |
|