U.S. patent application number 15/093347 was filed with the patent office on 2017-10-12 for carrier for positioning erosion control barrier segments.
The applicant listed for this patent is ROCKLAND, INC.. Invention is credited to Frank Cloyd Yeager.
Application Number | 20170291788 15/093347 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59998558 |
Filed Date | 2017-10-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170291788 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yeager; Frank Cloyd |
October 12, 2017 |
CARRIER FOR POSITIONING EROSION CONTROL BARRIER SEGMENTS
Abstract
A carrier for an elongated, weighty tubular member, and more
particularly to such a carrier suitable for use in loading thereon
at a first location, transporting to a second location and
dispensing along a boundary line along the ground, a flexible,
tubular member intended for use as an erosion barrier.
Inventors: |
Yeager; Frank Cloyd;
(BEDFORD, PA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ROCKLAND, INC. |
Bedford |
PA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
59998558 |
Appl. No.: |
15/093347 |
Filed: |
April 7, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 75/4486 20130101;
B65H 75/28 20130101; B65H 75/425 20130101; B65H 2701/33
20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65H 75/28 20060101
B65H075/28; B65H 75/42 20060101 B65H075/42; B65H 75/44 20060101
B65H075/44 |
Claims
1. A carrier for an elongated tubular member formed of a flexible,
mesh material and containing a filler material, comprising: an
inverted, U-shaped frame member including an upper component and a
pair of spaced, depending components; a roller spaced parallel to
said upper component and journalled at the ends thereof to the
lower ends of said spaced depending components; means provided on
said roller for detachably connecting an end portion of said
tubular member; means for rotating said roller for winding thereon
an elongated, tubular member having an end portion thereof
detachably secured to said connecting means; and means for
attaching said frame member to means for displacing said frame
member.
2. The carrier according to claim 1 wherein the space within said
frame components defined axially and radially relative to the axis
of rotation of said roller, is sufficient to accommodate a winding
on said roller of a tubular member of a selected diameter and
length.
3. The carrier of claim 2 wherein said filler material of said
tubular member comprises mulch.
4. The carrier of claim 2 wherein said axial length is 8 feet and
said radial length is 5 feet.
5. The carrier of claim 2 wherein said space within said frame
components is sufficient to accommodate the winding on said roller
of a tubular member provided with a diameter of 18 inches and a
length of 100 feet.
6. The carrier of claim 1 wherein said means for detachably
connecting an end portion of said tubular member to said roller
comprises a member mounted on said roller provided with a slot
disposed substantially transversely relative to the rotational
orbit of said member, into which a end portion of said tubular
member may be press fitted.
7. The carrier of claim 6 wherein said attachment member is
disposed adjacent an end portion of said roller.
8. The carrier of claim 1 wherein said means for rotating said
roller comprises a drive motor mounted on one of said frame
components, drivingly connected to said roller and operated and
driven by one of means provided on one or more of said frame
components and remote means.
9. The carrier of claim 8 wherein said drive motor includes a slew
drive functional to hold radial and axial loads and transmit torque
for rotating said roller.
10. The carrier of claim 1 including means disposed on said upper
frame component for detachably connecting said carrier to a means
for transporting said carrier between locations.
11. The carrier of claim 10 wherein said attachment means disposed
on said upper frame component is attachable to an arm member
pivotally connected to a boom member, and pivotal thereto by means
of at least one operable cylinder assembly, which boom member is
pivotally connected to the chassis of a transportable machine and
pivotal thereto by means of at least one operable cylinder
assembly.
12. The carrier of claim 1 wherein the adjoining portions of said
upper and spaced components includes brackets provided with arcuate
configurations accommodating the curvature of segments of a tubular
member wound on said roller, adjacent said upper component.
Description
[0001] This invention relates to a carrier for an elongated,
weighty tubular member, and more particularly to such a carrier
suitable for use in loading thereon at a first location,
transporting to a second location and dispensing along a boundry
line along the ground, a flexible, tubular member intended for use
as an erosion barrier.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] On various sites in which vegetation has been removed and
perhaps where building construction or a similar activity is
contemplated, it has been a common practice to position elongated
tubular members formed of a flexible, mesh material containing
mulch and perhaps other filler materials, about the periphery of
such a particular site, to serve as a barrier to eroded soil and
other disturbed materials and objects. Typically, in use, such
elongated tubular members are produced at a distant site, loaded on
pallets and delivered to a designated site and then manually
removed from such drop-off area, manually carried to a perimeter
segment of the site, set on the ground along the site perimeter and
then staked to the ground. Such segments of tubular members thus
form a barrier to eroding soil within the perimeter of the
particular site.
[0003] Such tubular barrier members typically are 18 inches in
diameter, 100 feet in length and weigh approximately 3,250 pounds.
Offer, 8 to 10 men are required to lift, haul and position such
members, resulting in substantial handling costs.
[0004] In view of the foregoing, it is the principal object of the
present invention to provide an improved means and/or method of
handling such barrier members at various sites which would reduce
the amount of labor required thereby decreasing labor costs,
freeing personnel for other assignments and expediting the
formation of a barrier about the perimeter of a construction or
other site.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The principal object of the present invention is achieved by
means of a carrier attachable to an arm member of a prime mover,
which includes an inverted, U-shaped frame member provided with an
upper component and a pair of spaced, depending components, a
roller spaced parallel to the upper component and journalled in the
lower ends of the spaced depending components; means provided on
such roller for detachably securing an end portion of such tubular
member thereto; means for rotating the roller for winding such
attached tubular member thereon and means for attaching such frame
member to the arm of such prime mover. Preferably, the space formed
by the frame components is sufficiently large to accommodate the
size of the contemplated barrier member, the roller is provided
with a suitably positioned means for attaching an end portion of
the member to be wound on the roller, and the motor driving the
roller includes a slew drive functional to hold radial and axial
loads and transmit torque for rotating the roller.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a side view of a carrier incorporating the present
invention, attached to an arm member of a prime mover, and
positioned adjacent a pallet on which there is mounted a coiled
tubular member to be loaded upon the carrier and transported to a
perimeter site by the prime mover;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a side view similar to the view of FIG. 1,
illustrating the tubular member loaded on the carrier;
[0008] FIG. 3 another side view similar to the view of FIG. 1
illustrating the loaded prime mover having been transported to a
perimeter site and the wound barrier member being unwound from the
carrier and deposited along a perimeter segment;
[0009] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the carrier shown
in FIG. 1 through 3; and
[0010] FIG. 5 is a partial view of a land site, illustrating a
number of transported members tubular barrier having been
positioned along segments of a site perimeter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE
INVENTION
[0011] Referring to FIG. 1 through 3 of the drawings, there is
illustrated a prime mover 10 consisting of a tractor utilized to
lift, transport and position a carrier 11 functional to attach haul
and detach a tubular barrier member 12 supported on a pallet 13.
Tractor 10 includes a base structure 14 supported on a set of
crawler tracks 15, an upper structure 16 provided with an
operator's station, supported on the base structure for pivotal
movement about a vertical axis, and a front end assembly including
a boom 17 pivotally connected to upper structure 16, a cylinder
assembly 18 operatively interconnecting upper structure 16 and boom
18 for pivotal movement of the boom about a horizontal axis, an arm
member 19 pivotally connected between the ends thereof to the fee
end of boom 17, a cylinder assembly 20 operatively interconnecting
a portion of boom 17 and an end of arm member 19, a set of
transversely spaced arm members 21, 21 pivotally mounted at one set
of ends thereto to arm member 19 and a second set of ends thereof
to a rod connected to a set of member links 22, 22 and a cylinder
assembly 23 operatively interconnecting an end of arm member 19 and
the connecting pin of members 22,22.
[0012] Carrier 11 generally includes a housing frame 30, a roller
assembly 31 and a motor assembly 32. Frame 30 has an inverted
U-shaped configuration including an upper wall component 30a and a
pair of spaced, depending end wall components 30b and 30c.
Component 30b further consists of a pair of spaced leg members
interconnected by a cross member 30d disposed intermediate such leg
members and a pair of plate members 30e and 30f interconnecting the
outer and inner sides of the lower ends of the leg members. Roller
assembly 31 is spaced parallel to frame component 30a and consists
of a roller 31a provided with a pair of shaft portions at the ends
thereof journalled in aligned bearings mounted on the lower inner
side of frame component 30c and the inner side of inner plate
member 30f. Such roller is rotatable in forward and reverse
directions by slew drive motor 32 mounted on plate member 30e,
having a drive shaft coupled to an end shaft of the roller
assembly. Operation of such motor may be provided by means provided
on the carrier or remote means as may be provided in the operator's
station on the prime mover of the carrier.
[0013] The size of the space defined by the carrier frame members
30a, 30b and 30c is determined by the length and diameter of each
tubular segment 12 intended to be wound on roller assembly 31. In
the use of tubular segments of 18 inches in diameter and 100 feet
in length, such space has been found to be 4 to 5 feet in depth and
8 feet in width. Each of such tubular members as described consists
of a length of tubular mesh material, filled with a material such
as mulch and closed in either one or both of the ends. Filled with
mulch, a member of such diameter and length can weigh in the amount
of 3,500 pounds.
[0014] Carrier 11 is connectable to arm member 23 and links 22,22
by means of attachment member 40 secured to the center of upper
wall component 30a. Such member includes a support platform 41
secured to component 30a and a pair of laterally spaced plates 42
and 43 provided with two pairs of transversely aligned pin holes
44, 44 and 45, 45. The carrier is detachably connectable to the
free ends of arm member 19 and links 22, 22 by a set of pins to
connect the carrier to the front end assembly of tractor 10 as
shown in FIG. 1 through 3.
[0015] In the use of carrier 11 to load, transport and unload a
segment of tubular barrier member 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3,
the carrier is first mounted on the front end assembly of the prime
mover utilizing attachment 40, and then the tractor and the front
end assembly thereof are maneuvered to position the roller assembly
thereof in proximity to barrier segment 12 coiled atop pallet 13.
With the carrier thus postured, an end of the segment in manually
griped, inserted into the opening in the carrier and manipulated to
insert and jam a loose portion of the member into a slot 50 of a
connector 51 rigidly secured on the cylindrical surface of the
roller assembly adjacent depending frame member 30c to position and
attach an end of member 12 as shown in FIG. 1. With an end of
member 12 thus secured to an end of the roller, motor 32 is
operated to draw and wind member 12 onto the roller to a condition
as shown in FIG. 2 with an end of member 12 simply suspended as
shown. With the barrier member thus loaded and the carrier
elevated, the tractor then maneuvers to transport the loaded
barrier segment to a perimeter area as shown in FIG. 5 and then
proceeds to simultaneously operate motor 32 in reverse to cause the
loaded segment to unwind and fall long a perimeter path as the
tractor guides the carrier. As the barrier segment is thus unwound
and allowed to fall along or adjacent to the perimeter line, one or
two workmen attend to any required repositioning of the segment
along the perimeter line and then securing the segment therealong
with a set of spikes 60. As the carrier transports the wound
segment to the perimeter site, the slew drive provides resistance
to any reverse torque that would cause the mound segment to unroll
and prematurely be deposited on the ground.
[0016] The carrier and method of use thereof as described, not only
require less attending personnel but significantly reduces the
amount of time required to transport and maneuver multiple segments
of barrier segments about the perimeter of a land site.
[0017] From the foregoing detailed description, it will be evident
that there are a number of changes, adaptations and modifications
of the present invention, which come within the province of those
persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the
aforementioned invention pertains. However, it is intended that all
such variations not departing from the spirit of the invention be
considered as within the scope thereof as limited solely by the
appended claims.
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