Patent Application
20130189067
The present invention relates to transporting a load and, more particularly, to an apparatus and system for transporting heavy computing equipment.
In the computing industry, certain types of computers and servers can weigh several thousand pounds. Thus, shipping and handling of those computers and servers may pose significant problems. For example, in a typical case, a server may weigh around 7,500 lbs upon assembly at a manufacturing location. This server is then placed on a dolly and supported within a packaging container for shipping. The packaging container has four sides and a top and sits upon a base. The base is formed to define recesses for receiving forks of a fork lift, such that the packaging container and the server can be lifted and moved from place to place. The base is therefore at least as thick as the height of the recesses plus an additional amount for structural support and, as such, the server is raised well above the ground even when the base is left on the ground.
Upon delivery to a customer, the base is placed on the ground at the customer location and the four sides and the top of the packaging container are removed. This leaves the server ready to be removed from the base but, since the server is massive, several people are required to assist in the operation. As a general matter, the operation requires that a ramp be placed next to the base and held in position by at least one of those people so that the dolly can be rolled off the base.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided and includes a support structure defining recesses for receiving lifting forks and a guide slot having first and second support sections and a platform having a deck configured to stably carry a load and a ramp configured to facilitate removal of the load from the deck. The platform includes a boss, which is movable within the guide slot such that the boss registers with the first support section whereby the platform is supportively disposable in a lowered position and the second support section whereby the platform is supportively disposable in a raised position.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided and includes a support structure defining recesses in a lower portion thereof for receiving lifting forks and a guide slot extending from the lower portion to an upper portion thereof and having first and second support sections associated with the lower and upper portions, respectively, and a platform having a deck configured to stably carry a load and a ramp configured to facilitate removal of the load from the deck. The platform includes a boss, which is movable within the guide slot such that the boss registers with the first support section whereby the platform is supportively disposable in a lowered position and the second support section whereby the platform is supportively disposable in a raised position.
According to another aspect of the invention, a system for transporting a load is provided and includes a support structure defining recesses in a lower portion thereof for receiving lifting forks and a guide slot extending from the lower portion to an upper portion thereof and having first and second support sections associated with the lower and upper portions, respectively, a platform and a jacking device. The platform has a deck configured to stably carry the load and a ramp configured to facilitate removal of the load from the deck and includes a boss, which is movable within the guide slot such that the boss registers with the first support section whereby the platform is supportively disposable in a lowered position and the second support section whereby the platform is supportively disposable in a raised position. The jacking device urges the boss to move to and from at least the first and second support sections.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method of loading and unloading a load is provided. The method includes positioning a platform at a lowered position relative to a support structure for the platform and placing the load on the platform, raising the platform toward a raised position relative to the support structure to clear recesses defined in the support structure, inserting lifting elements into the recesses to lift, transport and lower the support structure, the platform and the load and removing the lifting elements from the recesses, lowering the platform toward the lowered position and removing the load from the platform.
Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed invention. For a better understanding of the invention with the advantages and the features, refer to the description and to the drawings.
The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The forgoing and other features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
With reference to
Although the guide slot 13 may be provided as a singular feature, it will be understood that the guide slot 13 may also be provided as a plurality of guide slots 13. For purposes of clarity and brevity, the latter case will be described herein with the plurality including four guide slots 13 arranged at positions that would be expected to be located outside of corners of the load.
In accordance with embodiments, the support structure 10 may include a pair of opposed sidewalls 100, 101 and a lower deck 102. The sidewalls 100, 101 are arranged at a distance from one another and may be disposed substantially in parallel. The lower deck 102 extends between and connects the sidewalls 100, 101 together. The sidewalls 100, 101 thereby form a lane having a width that is at least as wide as the load plus additional clearance. The sidewalls 100, 101 may be formed to define the guide slots 13 with two guide slots 13 being formed in the sidewall 100 and two guide slots 13 being formed at corresponding locations in the sidewall 101, although this is certainly not necessary. The sidewalls 100, 101 are also formed to define the recesses 11, with two recesses 11 being formed in the sidewall 100 and two recesses 11 being formed at corresponding locations in the sidewall 101.
The platform 20 fits in the lane formed between the sidewalls 100, 101. The platform 20 has a deck 21 that is generally disposed along a substantial length of the lane and a ramp 22 that extends from an end of the deck 21. An additional ramp may be provided at the other end of the deck 21 as well. In this case, the lower deck 102 may be formed to mimic the angling of the additional ramp. The deck 21 is substantially flat and oriented such that the deck 21 is configured to stably carry the load, a dolly and an additional packaging container that may be provided around the load. The ramp 22 is angled downwardly and extends from the deck 21 and is thus configured to facilitate removal of the load from the deck 21.
The platform 20 further includes a boss 30 that extends from a side of the deck 21. The boss 30, like the guide slot 13, may be provided as a singular feature, but it will be understood that the boss 30 may also be provided as a plurality of bosses 30. For purposes of clarity and brevity, the latter case will be described herein with the plurality including four bosses 30 arranged outside of corners of the load is correspondence with the placement of the four guide slots 13. With this arrangement, the bosses 30 are each movable within the corresponding guide slot 13 such that the bosses 30 are each able to register with at least the corresponding first support section 15 and the corresponding second support section 16 within the guide slots 13. When the bosses 30 register with the first support sections 15, the weight of the platform 20 and/or the load is supported by the local lower surfaces of the guide slots 13 at the first support sections 15 so that the platform 20 is thereby supportively disposable in a lowered position with respect to the support structure 10. This lowered position is shown in
The straightness or curvature of each of the guide slots 13 facilitates movement of the bosses 30 within the guide slots 13 from the first support section 15 to the second support section 16 and vice versa. However, it is to be understood that the guide slots 13 may have alternate curvatures and/or configurations. Such alternate configurations may include, for example, locking positions in which the bosses 30 are locked into their respective positions. From such locked positions, it may be necessary to employ specific mechanical lifting devices to move the bosses 30 and the load.
In accordance with embodiments, the ramp 22 may extend toward a ground surface with the platform 20 supportively disposable in the lowered position. In some cases, the ramp 22 may have sufficient length to contact the ground surface with the platform 20 supportively disposable in the lowered position. Similarly, the deck 21 may be cleared from a plane of the recesses 11 with the platform 20 supportively disposable in the raised position. Thus, when the load is placed on the deck 21, the bosses 30 may be moved within the guide slots 13 to register with the second support sections 16 such that the platform 20 is raised and the recesses 11 cleared for fork lift forks to be received therein. Subsequently, during an unloading process, the bosses 30 may be moved within the guide slots 13 to register with the first support sections 15 such that the platform 20 is lowered. With the platform 20 thus lowered, the ramp 22 may extend to the ground surface and the load can be unloaded from the deck 21 relatively easily without the need for placement of an additional, external ramp.
As shown in
Still referring to
In each of the embodiments, the jacking device 200 may be provided along with the support structure 10 and the platform 20, separately from these components but possibly included in a packaging container or, in still further cases, the jacking device 200 may be previously provided to or purchased by an operator of the support structure 10 and the platform 20. Also, the jacking device 200 may be provided as a stand-alone device whereby a single jacking device 200 operates each of the bosses 30 or as a plurality of jacking devices 200 that operate a corresponding number of bosses 30. For purposes of clarity and brevity, an embodiment in which two jacking devices 200 are employed to operate opposite corner bosses 30 will be described herein.
For the embodiments shown in
A first axle 218 is rotatably coupled to the base 211 via first pin connection 219 such that the first axle 218 is pivotable about the first pivot axis 213. A second axle 220 is rotatably coupled to the regulator 214 via second pin connection 221 such that the second axle 220 is pivotable about the second pivot axis 216. The first axle 218 and the second axle 220 are coupled to one another via third pin connection 222 such that the first axle 218 and the second axle 220 are pivotable relative to one another. The third pin connection 222 may be offset from the second pin connection 221 with respect to a centerline of the second axle 220 to prevent sticking. The third pin connection 222 may be configured to be coupled to any one or more of the bosses 30 with the base 211 secured within a complementary base recess 2110 (see
With this arrangement, as the regulator 214 is forced upwardly or downwardly, the first and second axles 218 and 220 pivot relative to one another and articulate the third pin connection 222 along an arc length, as shown in
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
For the guide slots 13 or the straight guide slots 130, the horizontal or lateral extent of the slotting may be relatively small relative to the vertical extent of the slotting and the overall size of the support structure 10 and the platform 20. As such, the platform 20 may be raised and lowered in a substantially vertical direction with limited horizontal or lateral movement. In this way, a footprint or profile of the available space required for the raising and lowering need not be substantially larger than the support structure 10 and the platform 20.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a method of loading and unloading a load as described above is provided. The method includes positioning the platform 20 at a lowered position relative to the support structure 10 and placing the load on the platform 20. The method further includes raising the platform 20 toward a raised position relative to the support structure 10 to clear the recesses 11, inserting lifting elements into the recesses 11 to lift, transport and lower the support structure 10, the platform 20 and the load. In addition, the method includes removing the lifting elements from the recesses 11, lowering the platform 20 toward the lowered position and removing the load from the platform 20.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one more other features, integers, steps, operations, element components, and/or groups thereof.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
While the embodiments have been described, it will be understood that those skilled in the art, both now and in the future, may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow. These claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described.
