Crane bumper containment sleeves

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10071886-B2
Application number	US-201514956788-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2015
Priority date	Dec 2, 2015
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

An example apparatus includes a flexible sleeve to contain a bumper of a crane. The flexible sleeve includes a first end to be closed adjacent the bumper to contain the bumper in a cavity defined by the flexible sleeve. The first end of the flexible sleeve and the bumper are to couple to a first position of the crane via a fastener. The flexible sleeve includes a second end opposite the first end. The second end is to couple to a second position of the crane to prevent the bumper contained in the cavity from falling from the crane if the first end of the flexible sleeve decouples from the first position of the crane.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a flexible sleeve including a wall defining a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a cavity of the flexible sleeve; and
a bumper positioned in at least a portion of the cavity of the flexible sleeve, the first end of the flexible sleeve and the bumper coupled to a first position of a crane, the second end of the flexible sleeve coupled to a second position of the crane to prevent the bumper contained in the cavity from falling from the crane if the bumper and the first end of the flexible sleeve decouple from the first position of the crane.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including a first fastener coupled to the bumper, the first fastener extending through an exterior surface of the flexible sleeve, the first fastener coupling the bumper and the crane.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the second end of the flexible sleeve defines an aperture to receive a second fastener that is to couple the second end of the flexible sleeve to the second position of the crane.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the aperture is defined by a grommet disposed in the second end of the flexible sleeve.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the flexible sleeve is to enable the first fastener to extend through the flexible sleeve adjacent the first end to couple the first end and the bumper to the first position of the crane.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flexible sleeve is composed of a woven elastomeric mesh.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first end and the second end are closed to contain a first portion of the bumper that decouples from a second portion of the bumper that remains coupled to the crane.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bumper has a diameter of about between 1 inch and 6 inches.

9. An apparatus comprising:
a crane bumper;
a sleeve including a mesh wall containing the crane bumper, the sleeve including:
a first sealed end, the crane bumper contained by the mesh wall of the sleeve adjacent the first sealed end, a fastener coupled to the bumper extends through the mesh wall adjacent the first sealed end to couple the bumper to a first position of a crane; and
a second sealed end opposite the first sealed end to couple to a second position of the crane.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the mesh wall of the sleeve is composed of polyphenylene sulfide.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the crane bumper has a diameter of about between 1 inch and 6 inches.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first sealed end or the second sealed end is sealed via a rubber coating.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first sealed end is sealed via knotting or crimping the sleeve.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the fastener extending through the mesh wall without damaging the mesh wall.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the sleeve and the crane bumper are coupled to an end of a bridge of the crane to prevent an object from contacting the end of the bridge.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the sleeve and the crane bumper are coupled to an end of a hoist to prevent an object from contacting the end of the hoist.

17. A method comprising:
extending a first fastener coupled to a crane bumper through a mesh wall of a sleeve adjacent a first sealed end of the sleeve, the crane bumper contained within a cavity defined by the mesh wall adjacent the first sealed end;
coupling the crane bumper and the first sealed end to a first position of a crane via the first fastener extending through the mesh wall; and
coupling a second sealed end of the sleeve opposite the first sealed end to a second position of the crane to prevent the crane bumper contained within the cavity of the sleeve from falling from the crane if the first sealed end of the sleeve decouples from the first position of the crane.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein coupling the second sealed end to the second position of the crane includes extending a second fastener through an aperture defined by the second sealed end of the sleeve.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the aperture is defined by a grommet disposed in the second sealed end of the sleeve.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein coupling the crane bumper and the first sealed end to the first position of the crane includes threadably coupling the first fastener that extends through the mesh wall of the sleeve to the first position of the crane.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Blonden James A
• Fritch Michael A

Classifications

• B66C23/88

  Safety gear (for cranes in general B66C15/00; for rope, cable, or chain winding mechanisms B66D1/54) · CPC title

• B66C7/16 Primary

  Devices specially adapted for limiting trolley or crane travel; Arrangements of buffer-stops (buffer-stops of interest apart from this application B61K7/18; limit-switch arrangements, limit circuits B66D1/56) · CPC title