Carton clamp arm with adjustable pivot block

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-RE46172-E
Application number	US-201514837839-A
Country	US
Kind code	E1
Filing date	Aug 27, 2015
Priority date	Apr 9, 2012
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

Abstract

A lift truck clamp arm assembly for engaging large cartons, which may contain large household appliances. Pivoting clamp pad support assemblies are adjustable to vary a radial spacing between a pivot pin and a clamp pad supported on the clamp arm assembly by attachment to the adjustable clamp pad support assembly, to provide desired pressure concentrations at selected parts of a carton to be gripped.

First claim

We claim:

1. A carton clamp arm assembly, comprising:
(a) a clamp arm having an outer end;
(b) a load stabilizer mounted on said outer end of said clamp arm and movable with respect to said clamp arm through at least a small angle about a vertical pivot axis extending through said outer end of said clamp arm;
(c) a plurality of clamp pad support assemblies mounted on said load stabilizer, each of said clamp pad support assemblies being movable with respect to said load stabilizer about a respective vertical pivot axis, and said respective vertical pivot axes of at least two of said clamp pad assemblies being coaxial with each other; and
(d) a carton clamp pad carried by said load stabilizer and attached thereto by said plurality of clamp pad support assemblies, at least one of said clamp pad support assemblies being adjustable to establish a selected distance within a range of distances between a related part of the carton clamp pad and said respective vertical pivot axis of said at least one of said clamp pad support assemblies.

2. The carton clamp arm assembly of claim 1 wherein said load stabilizer includes a vertical central trunk member, a first plurality of elongate horizontal members extending forwardly, and a second plurality of elongate horizontal members extending rearwardly from said central trunk member, each of said elongate horizontal members having one of said clamp pad support assemblies mounted thereon.

3. The carton clamp arm assembly of claim 2 wherein said plurality of said clamp pad support assemblies are mounted on a plurality of respective ones of said first plurality of elongate horizontal members extending forwardly from said vertical trunk member and wherein each one of said plurality of clamp pad support assemblies is movable about its respective pivot axis relative to a respective one of said first plurality of elongate horizontal members on which it is mounted.

4. The carton clamp arm assembly of claim 3 wherein the respective vertical pivot axis of each one of said plurality of clamp pad support assemblies mounted on said respective ones of said first plurality of elongate horizontal members is coaxially aligned with said respective vertical pivot axis of each other one of said plurality of clamp pad support assemblies mounted on said respective ones of said first plurality of elongate horizontal members.

5. The carton clamp arm assembly of claim 2 wherein said plurality of said clamp pad support assemblies are mounted on a plurality of respective ones of said second plurality of elongate horizontal members extending rearwardly from said vertical trunk member and wherein each one of said plurality of clamp pad support assemblies is movable about its respective pivot axis relative to a respective one of said second plurality of elongate horizontal members on which it is mounted.

6. The carton clamp arm assembly of claim 5 wherein the respective vertical pivot axis of each one of said plurality of clamp pad support assemblies mounted on said respective ones of said second plurality of elongate horizontal members is coaxially aligned with said respective vertical pivot axis of each other one of said plurality of clamp pad support assemblies mounted on said respective ones of said second plurality of elongate horizontal members.

7. The carton clamp arm assembly of claim 2 wherein one of said elongate horizontal members defines a receptacle and a respective one of said plurality of clamp pad support assemblies is mounted within said receptacle.

8. The carton clamp arm assembly of claim 7 wherein said receptacle includes an opening extending through said one of said elongate horizontal members and wherein said vertical pivot axis of said respective one of said carton clamp pad support assemblies is defined by a pin mounted in said one of said elongate horizontal members and extending into said opening.

9. The carton clamp arm assembly of claim 2 including a spring mounted on one of said elongate horizontal members and arranged to tend to keep said carton clamp pad parallel with said one of said elongate horizontal members to which said carton clamp pad is attached.

10. The carton clamp arm assembly of claim 1 including a spring carried on one of said load stabilizer and said clamp arm and urging said load stabilizer about said vertical pivot axis toward a toed-out orientation with respect to said clamp arm.

11. The carton clamp arm assembly of claim 1 in combination with an opposite second carton clamp arm assembly, one of said carton clamp arm assembly and said second carton clamp arm assembly being mounted on a transversely-oriented horizontal member for movement toward and away from the other one of said carton clamp arm and said second carton clamp assembly along said transversely-oriented horizontal member.

12. A carton clamp arm assembly, comprising:
(a) a clamp arm having an outer end;
(b) a load stabilizer mounted on said outer end of said clamp arm and movable with respect to said clamp arm through at least a small angle about a vertical pivot axis extending through said outer end of said clamp arm;
(c) a plurality of clamp pad support assemblies mounted on said load stabilizer;
(d) a carton clamp pad carried by said load stabilizer and attached thereto by said plurality of clamp pad support assemblies, at least one of said clamp pad support assemblies being adjustable to establish a selected distance, within an available range, between a related part of the carton clamp pad attached to said at least one of said plurality of clamp pad support assemblies and a part of the load stabilizer on which said at least one of said plurality of clamp pad support assemblies is mounted; and
(e) wherein one of said clamp pad support assemblies includes a bearing block defining a pivot axis about which said clamp pad support assembly can pivot with respect to said load stabilizer, said one of said clamp pad support assemblies also including a distance adjustment assembly for establishing said selected distance between said related part of the carton clamp pad and said part of the load stabilizer, said distance adjustment assembly including a positioning member in threaded engagement in said bearing block and extending by an adjustable distance from said bearing block, and including a fastener engaged with said positioning member and connected with said clamp pad so as to interconnect said clamp pad with the positioning member.

13. The carton clamp arm assembly of claim 12 wherein said distance adjustment assembly includes a locking fastener engaged with said positioning member and securing said locking fastener to said positioning member with said positioning member in a selected position of adjustment to establish said selected distance.

14. The carton clamp arm assembly of claim 12 wherein said pivot axis of said clamp pad support assembly is located centrally in said bearing block and said load clamp pad support assembly includes a pair of said distance adjustment assemblies located on respective opposite sides of said pivot axis.

15. A carton clamp arm assembly, comprising:
(a) a clamp arm having an outer end;
(b) a load stabilizer mounted on said outer end of said clamp arm and movable with respect to said clamp arm through at least a small angle about a vertical pivot axis extending through said outer end of said clamp arm;
(c) a carton clamp pad carried by said load stabilizer and attached thereto by a plurality of clamp pad support assemblies, at least one of said clamp pad support assemblies including a bearing block defining a pivot axis about which said clamp pad support assembly can

Assignees

• Cascade Corp

Inventors

• Dal Dosso Andrea
• White Brian Sinclair

Classifications

• B66F9/183 Primary

  Coplanar side clamps · CPC title

• B66F9/18 Primary

  Load gripping or retaining means · CPC title