The present application relates to tank carriers. In particular, the present application relates to tank carriers that can be carried by the user which contain more storage compartments on the carrier.
It is common that buildings contain air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration equipment outside on top of the roof of the buildings themselves. Also, not every building has an easy access to get up onto the roof. Some have stairs, externally located building side ladders, internal building ladders that lead up through roof hatches, and some have no roof access stairs or ladders at all. This creates the present problem when the equipment on the roof needs maintenance or repair and the tools and equipment needed to repair them have to be physically transported up onto the roof and to the equipment. The overall safety and physical strain put on the user when getting the tools and equipment up onto and off of the top of the roof and to the equipment is the main concern here. At the moment with the prior art, a user can only get the equipment up onto and off of the roof of a building by either dangerously single handedly carrying the equipment up and down the ladders and stairs of a building, or by dangerously tying a rope to the equipment with no known or secure place to connect the rope to.
At times an individual user will have to take multiple trips up and down ladders or stairs given the large number of tools and other equipment needed in order to repair this type of equipment on roofs. This creates an even more significant amount of danger and physical stress to the user as the individual has to climb and descend the ladder or stairs multiple times while carrying the heavy equipment. The strain comes from the individual user climbing the ladder with heavy equipment and with bringing the heavy equipment to the location itself. Individual users will typically use one hand to carry their tools or bags from their vehicle all the way up the ladder which leaves an uneven strain on the individual. This puts more strain on one side of the body over the other and the individual will deal with pain over time because of this. Also, if the individual gets exhausted or experiences spasms or complications while climbing the ladder, there is nothing to help prevent their equipment from dragging them off the ladder at that point or making the situation even worse.
The safety and physical stress of the individuals while working on these projects should be preserved but the current method of carrying up the equipment as the person single handedly goes up a ladder or stairs, or roping up the equipment with no known secure place to connect a rope or rope clip to, and then when on the roof having to hand carry all the equipment and tools to the unit does not preserve this. There have been some improvements to this by having general bags or boxes that individuals can attach to ladders, or hold in a safer manner, which decrease the safety risk. However, there are still numerous concerns on the safety and physical strain that is put on the individuals in this work.
Although there are some methods of carrying equipment to job sites that require the use of ladders and multiple dollies, many shortcomings still remain.
The novel features believed characteristic of the present application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the invention itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring to
Although the present application has been described with respect to hand tools, power tools, and equipment used by workers, such as heating and air conditioning workers, it will be appreciated that tool carrier 100 may easily be adapted and used by other types of workers, such as health care workers, military personnel, and other types of first responders. For example, emergency medical workers could use tool carrier 100 as a medical rescue pack to store, transport, and use items such as automated external defibrillators, oxygen tanks, medicine, bandages, IV bags, and other such emergency medical equipment.
Base 101 is hollow in order to ensure that tank carrier 100 will stay light weight enough for a user to carry it without issue. Tank carrier 100 may be made out of plastic, metal, wood, or any other lightweight material. Top handle portion 103 forms the top of tank carrier 100 and is square in shape and solid besides the handle portion at the very top and extends down to form the back wall of carrier 100. The bottom sides of handle portion 103 connect to slanted end walls 107 which in turn connects to straight end walls 109. It is appreciated that the dimensions and shapes of the end walls may change to accommodate whatever tank the manufacture designs it to carry. These three walls form tank carrier compartment 105 where the tanks are securely stored in order to keep them safe and secure during movement.
Referring now to
Back cushion 205 is attached directly to the back of hollowed arched body 101. Back cushion 205 supports the user while they are wearing the carrier and makes it easier for them to carry it around for longer periods of time. Back cushion 205 is secured to the back of hollow arched body 101 by back cushion fasteners 233 which can be seen in
Strap buckle housing 216 is found on the left padded strap 211 when looking at the back of tank carrier 100 and strap buckle insert 217 is on the right padded strap 211. Buckle insert 217 will be inserted into buckle housing 216 to secure the two padded straps 211 together. When secured in this fashion, the straps will not be able to slide off the user during movement. Security strap 219 provides a strap which holds the wide padded backpack straps up in place and keeps them high and tight and out of the way so they don't drag the ground or get damaged when not in use, storing, or towing tank carrier 100. Security strap 219 is attached to the sides of tank carrier 100 and strap 219 buckles over padded straps 211 when securing the straps to the carrier. Security strap 219 is attached to hollow arched body 101 by security strap fastener 235 which can be seen in
At the top of the hollow arched body 101 is tow handle 207. At the top of tow handle 207 is tow handle release 209 which, when pressed down, releases tow handle 207 to be pulled away from arched body 101. Tow handle 207, in combination with the wheels at the bottom of arched body 101, allow the user to pull tank carrier 100 behind them if they do not wish to carry it. Also at the top of hollow arched body 101 are two handed crossbar double handles 229 which protrude out from hollow arched body 101 on either side. Double handles 229 also have upper ladder hook fastener holes 231 going through them which allow ladder hooks 309 to be fastened in place there. These double handles will provide the user with a secure way to lift tank carrier 100 up. Since tank carrier 100 is heavier than most, double handles 229 gives the user a safer and more secure way to use both hands to lift tank carrier 100 so that the user is not injured from the strain of lifting the carrier. Double handles 229 are secured to tank carrier 100 by cross bar fasteners 333 which can be seen in
Referring now to
Rod compartments 303 are found on the left and right sides of tank carrier 100 and can be used to store rod shaped equipment. This provides another way for the user to store all their equipment onto one object when they are climbing a ladder or carting the carrier wherever they need to go which frees the hands of the user thus making it safer. Rod compartments 303 are secured to straight end walls 109 by two C-shaped fasteners 305 which attach to the upper and lower ends of rod compartment 303. C-shaped fasteners 305 are secured to rod compartment 303 and arched body 101 by screws 306 inserted on each side of rod compartment 303 and into rod compartment 303 itself. Rod compartment 303 also has balancing feet 307 at the bottom of them which are used to secure tank carrier 100 in place when it is not moving.
Ladder hook 309 is also found on both sides of tank carrier 100 and are used to attach tank carrier 100 to a ladder. Ladder hooks 309 are arched shaped and as shown in
The entire ladder hook system is attached to both sides of arched body 101 by rotatable hook base 313 and retractable ladder hooks 309 are connected to hook base 313 by hook fasteners 311. When rotatable hook base 313 is in the down position it is fastened to lower hook base 315 by lower hook base fastener 317. Lower hook base 315 is L-shaped and one side of it is attached to arched body 101 by lower hook base screws 319. The side of lower hook base 315 that is not attached to arched body 101 is just as long as rotatable hook base 313 and ends in a T shape. Being this length leads to the rotatable hook base 313 being snuggly secured when it is in the down position and fastened to lower hook base 315 which will prevent it from moving while the user is wearing or towing tank carrier 100.
Rotatable hook base 313 may also be rotated into the up position when the user wishes to use ladder hooks 309 by rotating the base around rotatable hook base fastener 321. Fastener 321 will be loosened which will allow the user to rotate base 313 to another position before tightening fastener 321 back and securing the base in the new position. Fastener 321 is also attached to attachment base 323 which is L-shaped and connects to arched body 101 by attachment base fasteners 325. The attachment base 323 is attached to the side and front of arched body 101 which provides more stability in the system. Once rotatable base 313 has been rotated into the up position, upper hook base 327 will be used to secure it. Upper hook base 327 is secured to rotatable base 313, which can be seen in
Referring now to
Retractable tow cradle 401 is designed to act as a dolly and hold another object on tank carrier 100 while it is in tow. This object could be another tank, a vacuum pump, tools, or any other object that the user wants to tow. This gives the user a place to tow the heavy objects so that way they do not have to physically carry them with their hands while traveling to the job site. This will save trips and also reduce the physical strain put on the user.
Retractable tow cradle 401 is formed with 4 walls surrounding base 403. The front and back walls are crenellated walls 405 as there is a notch in them that covers most of the wall. The other walls that form retractable tow cradle 401 are side walls 411. Also, on side walls 411 there is L support 407 which connects to base fastener 409 which is used to connect retractable tow cradle 401 to tank carrier 100. Underneath base 403, there are four support legs 419 which are used to help support tank carrier 100 when it is set in place with the retractable tow cradle 401 is in the down position.
Side walls 411 have a fastener hole 413 in the middle of each of them which fastener pin 415 is inserted into. When fastener pin 415 is fully inserted through fastener hole 413, the pin will catch on bottle access door 501 which will secure retractable tow cradle 401 in the upright position. But, when a user pulls on loop handle 417 attached to the end of fastener pin 415, the pin will pull out of fastener hole 413 and so retractable tow cradle 401 will be loosened and go into the down position.
Also in
Referring now to
Access door 501 is used to secure tanks that the user is currently carrying in tank carrier 100 while also allowing the user to access them easily. It is important that the tanks are secured during movement by the user so access door 501 is used to sandwich the tanks between the door and arched body 101 to secure them in place when access door 501 is closed. Also, since access door 501 can be opened, the user is able to easily change out the tanks that they are carting around without significant delay, or hurt their shoulders or injure themselves from having to pull the bottles straight up and out of a tight carrier.
Back plate 505 directly comes into contact with tanks when they are secured in tank carrier 100. Back plate 505 is connected to arched hollow body 101 by hinge 503 which allows the user to open and close it. Connected to the front lower portion of back plate 505 is support plate 507 which is used to secure bottle access door to tank carrier 100. Above support plate 507, and connected to the front upper portion of back plate 505, are two T-shaped supports 509 on both sides of back plate 505. These supports are used to allow the user to wrap hoses, or other lengths of material, from the tanks or other equipment, around them in order to keep them organized and secured in place.
Attached to the front of the two T-shaped supports 509 is front plate 511. Front plate 511 spans the entire distance between the two supports 509 but does not span the entire vertical length of these supports. Connected to the bottom of front plate 511 and the sides of the T-shaped supports 509 is tool compartment bottom plate 513. With bottom plate 513 in this position, combined with front plate 511 and T-shaped supports 509, a compartment is formed on the access door which allows a user to place items in it. This is useful if the user is wanting to carry tools or other items with them to the job site and does not have any other room to store them. The user will be able to store them in this cubby formed by these plates which will free up their hands and increase the user's safety while they head to their location. Tool compartment support 515 spans the sides of the compartment formed and provides support for all the walls forming together.
Referring now to
Referring now to
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Referring now to
Bottle access door 801 in this embodiment is shaped with a curve in order to accommodate a larger tank, such as but not limited to a Freon tank. These tanks are larger than the tanks that were shown in the original tank carrier 100 and would not have worked in that system. The doors being curved here will guarantee that the tanks are secured. Access door 801 is also slim line in order to keep carrier 800 as compact as it can be. Door 801 is connected to the left side of hollow arched base 101 by hinge 803 which is fastened to door 801 and base 101 by hinge fasteners 805. On the right side of the hollow arched base 101 is base attachment 807 connected directly to base 101 which has latch 809 fastened to it. This latch is used to secure bottle access door 801 in place during movement by latching onto door attachment 811 which is fastened to the door by fasteners 813. This guarantees that door 801 remains secured while in movement.
At the top of tank carrier 800, next to where retractable hoist ring 421 is located, hook tab 815 is protruding to the left of the carrier. This tab is fastened to the top of arched hollow body 101 by tab fasteners 817. Hook tab 815 is a metal bar that extends from the top of hollow body 101 out to the side before coming back down and connecting back to hollow body 101 so as to leave a gap for a hook, or other apparatus used to hold objects, to be inserted there. Hook tab 815 is there so the user can secure gauges, hoses, and other tank equipment during transportation and storage. At the bottom of hollow body 101 is hosing tab 819 which can be used by the individual using tank carrier 800 to wrap around the hosing of the tank to secure it in place during movement. Hosing tab 819 accommodates the role that access door 501 allowed for in tank carrier 100 by giving the user a location to wrap their hosing around in a secured fashion.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
As was mentioned in the previous alternative embodiment, tank carrier 900 is designed for situations where the tank carried is too large for the previous tank carrier 100. The tank in this situation is not as round as the one in
Referring now to
It is apparent that an invention with significant advantages has been described and illustrated. Although the present application is shown in a limited number of forms, it is not limited to just these forms, but is amendable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/286,040 filed on 5 Dec. 2021, titled “Safe Military-MulePro;” claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/279,061 filed on 12 Nov. 2021, titled “Safe Military-MulePro;” and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/279,058 filed on 12 Nov. 2021, titled “Safe Military-MulePro;” all of which are incorporated herein in their entirety for all purposes.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20230148735 A1 | May 2023 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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63286040 | Dec 2021 | US | |
63279061 | Nov 2021 | US | |
63279058 | Nov 2021 | US |