SELF-CONTAINED MULTI-AXIS ARTICULABLE PLATFORM AND CONTAINMENT SYSTEM FOR FACILITATING TRANSPORT AND DISPERSAL OF BULK MATERIALS AND METHODS FOR EMPLOYING SUCH A SYSTEM

Abstract

A system and method are provided employing a self-contained mechanical device that is mountable to, for example, a lawn tractor or other similar powered unit, via a standard mounting system, such as a hitch-type mount, to facilitate movement of bulk material or heavy objects around a work site or storage facility. The disclosed embodiments provide a casterable frame and or platform system to which a manually or automatically tiltable platform or hopper may be mounted. Powered movement around a particular site may be facilitated by a small tractor, such as a lawn tractor. Manual unloading may be facilitated using a hinge system between the platform/hopper and frame. A knuckle may be provided as a connection point of the system, to control movement of the system and to facilitate storage of the system in translation of the system from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position.

Claims

1. A material delivery system, comprising: a frame; at least one wheel mounted to the frame; a frame connecting component that is configured (1) to cooperate with a mount to facilitate connecting the frame to a powered device and (2) to facilitate positioning the frame between a substantially horizontal position with respect to the mount and a substantially vertical position with respect to the mount, the frame comprising one or more hinged connection components configured to connect one or more of a platform, a hopper, and another implement to the frame in a manner that the one or more of the platform, the hopper, and the another implement is tiltable with respect to the frame.

2. The material delivery system of claim 1, further comprising one or more handles associated with the one or more of the platform, the hopper, and the another implement, the one or more of the platform, the hopper, and the another implement being tilted with respect to the frame through user manipulation of the one or more handles.

3. The material delivery system of claim 2, the one or more handles being fixed with respect to the one or more of the platform, the hopper, and the another implement, and substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the frame when the one or more of the platform, the hopper, and the another implement, is in a non-tilted configuration with respect to the frame.

4. The material delivery system of claim 2, the one or more handles being movable with respect to the one or more of the platform, the hopper, and the another implement, to facilitate manual tilting of the one or more of the platform, the hopper, and the another implement with respect to the frame.

5. The material delivery system of claim 1, further comprising one or more powered devices associated with the at least one of the one or more hinged connection components, and the one or more of the platform, the hopper, and the another implement to tilt the one or more of the platform, the hopper, and the another implement with respect to the frame.

6. The material delivery system of claim 1, the frame connecting component being configured to maintain lateral alignment of the frame with respect to the mount.

7. The material delivery system of claim 1, the frame connecting component being configured to allow at least partial lateral movement in alignment between the frame and the mount.

8. The material delivery system of claim 1, the frame connecting component further comprising a locking mechanism that is configured to lock the frame in at least one of the substantially horizontal position with respect to the mount and the substantially vertical position with respect to the mount.

9. The material delivery system of claim 8, the locking mechanism being a pin and a cooperating opening for the pin.

10. The material delivery system of claim 8, the locking mechanism being a lever.

11. The material delivery system of claim 1, the at least one wheel being mounted to a distal end of the frame opposite the frame connecting component.

12. The material delivery system of claim 1, the at least one wheel being at least partially casterable around a substantially vertical axis.

13. The material delivery system of claim 1, the at least one wheel comprising a pair of wheels, each of the pair of wheels being casterable around a substantially vertical axis.

14. The material delivery system of claim 1, the at least one wheel comprising a pair of wheels, each of the pair of wheels being mounted to an independent frame extension.

15. The material delivery system of claim 14, each independent frame extension being movable with respect to the frame to position the each of the pair of wheels between a first position in which at least a portion of the each of the pair of wheels extends beyond a planform of the frame, and a second position in which no portion of the each of the pair of wheels extends beyond a planform of the frame.

16. The material delivery system of claim 15, the each independent frame extension being lockable in at least one of the first position and the second position based on a physical configuration of the each independent frame extension.

17. The material delivery system of claim 15, the each independent frame extension being lockable in at least one of the first position and the second position by a locking device.

18. The material delivery system of claim 17, the locking device being a pin and a cooperating opening.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Various exemplary embodiments of the disclosed systems and methods for providing a self-contained mechanical device that is mountable to, for example, a lawn tractor or other similar powered unit, via a standard mounting system, such as a hitch-type mount, to facilitate movement of bulk material or heavy objects around a work site or storage facility. will be described, in detail, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a first perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a self-contained mechanical bulk material or heavy object moving device according to this disclosure;

[0026] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a second perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a self-contained mechanical bulk material or heavy object moving device according to this disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a first underside view of an exemplary embodiment of a self-contained mechanical bulk material or heavy object moving device according to this disclosure;

[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a second underside view of an exemplary embodiment of a self-contained mechanical bulk material or heavy object moving device according to this disclosure;

[0029] FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of a first side view of an exemplary embodiment of a self-contained mechanical bulk material or heavy object moving device, in an in-use configuration, according to this disclosure; and

[0030] FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic diagram of a second side view of an exemplary embodiment of a self-contained mechanical bulk material or heavy object moving device, in a stowed/transport configuration, according to this disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0031] The systems and methods for providing an articulable platform or containment system for facilitating substantially hands free transport and selective dispersal of bulk materials and/or heavy loads around job sites, including, but not limited to constructions sites, landscaping worksites, warehouses and other storage facilities according to this disclosure will generally refer to these specific utilities for the disclosed systems, methods, processes, techniques and/or schemes of movement.

[0032] Exemplary embodiments described and depicted in this disclosure should not be interpreted, however, as being specifically limited to any particular configuration of a system, which may be tractor-driven, to accomplish the above function, any particular configuration of a containment system or other implement mountable to a frame in the manner generally outlined above, and as will be described in greater detail below, or to any particular bulk material or other heavy load to be transported by the disclosed platform or containment system.

[0033] It should be recognized that any advantageous use of schemes for facilitating the movement of bulk materials or heavy loads around a particular site that may employ devices and/or methods such as those presented in this disclosure is contemplated as being included within the scope of the disclosed exemplary systems and methods.

[0034] The disclosed systems and methods will be described as being particularly adaptable for use in the delivery, for example, of bulk mulch or other aggregate materials around a landscaping site powered by a standard lawn tractor. This description, and the associated references, are intended to provide a particular, real-world use case in which the systems and methods according to this disclosure may be particularly beneficially employed or otherwise adapted for use. These references are intended to be illustrative only and should not be considered as limiting the disclosed systems and methods to any particular embodiment, application, operational scenario or use case. Generic reference will be made to comparatively more efficient bulk material handling, and bulk material movement, at a delivery site to be illustrative of the advantages that may be achieved through implementation of the disclosed systems, methods and schemes.

[0035] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a first perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a self-contained mechanical bulk material or heavy object moving device according to this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the disclosed platform or containment system 100 may be mountable directly to, for example, a lawn tractor or other power unit by, or otherwise represented by, interface or interface unit 110 with exemplary wheels 170A/B, which may be partially or fully casterable, as shown. Such mounting may be via a standard mounting system 115, such as, for example, a standard hitch-type mount, to facilitate movement of bulk material or heavy objects around a work site or storage facility.

[0036] In embodiments, a tractor front-mounted platform or containment system 100 may be provided with one or more freely-castering wheels (160A shown in FIGS. 1, and 160B shown in several of the other drawings discussed below). It should be noted that a consistent numbering scheme will be used for all of FIGS. 1-6.

[0037] In embodiments, the freely-castering wheel(s) 160A,160B may allow the disclosed platform or containment system 100 to articulate left or right in the horizontal plane and, as will be shown in greater detail below, to pivot up and down between an in-use position and a stow/transport position according to a particularly-configured connection and control apparatus, structure or mechanical interface 120, which may be referred to for simplicity as a knuckle 120.

[0038] In embodiments, the knuckle 120 may be specifically configured to maintain alignment of the disclosed platform or containment system 100 with the standard mounting system 115 to control lateral precession of the entire system as a substantially single unit with little to no lateral displacement or articulation between the platform or containment system 100 and the standard mounting system 115 in the horizontal plane.

[0039] In embodiments, the knuckle 120 may be otherwise specifically configured to allow a limited or unlimited degree of freedom of lateral displacement or articulation in lateral precession of the disclosed platform or containment system 100 with regard to the standard mounting system 115 in the horizontal plane.

[0040] When a single freely castering wheel is presented at a distal end of the frame of the disclosed platform or containment system 100 it may be provided on a fixed frame extension. When a pair of freely-castering wheels 160A shown in FIGS. 1 (and 160B shown in several of the other drawings discussed below) are provided, each of the pair of freely-cat=stering wheels may be independently mounted to a movable frame extension 150A shown in FIG. 1 (and a movable frame extension 150B shown in several of the other drawings discussed below).

[0041] In embodiments, the disclosed platform or containment system 100 may include a hopper 140 as an example of a component that may be mounted to the disclosed platform or containment system 100, and may otherwise include cooperating handles 130A,130B, by which a platform, or the hopper 140, or another mechanical implement, may be independently manipulated with respect to the other components of the disclosed platform or containment system 100. The handles 130A,130B may be fixed in a configuration substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the platform or containment system 100 in the manner shown in FIGS. 1-4, or may be otherwise maneuverable or displaceable partially or completely out of a the parallel configuration as appropriate to most efficiently manipulate the platform, or hopper 140, to a tilted or dump position as will be described below with reference to FIG. 2.

[0042] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a second perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a self-contained mechanical bulk material or heavy object moving device according to this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the disclosed platform or containment system 200 may include a frame 125. The frame 125 may include a connection component 122 by which the frame 125 may be engaged with the knuckle 120. The disclosed platform or containment system 200 may include one or more hinged connection components 135A,135B, by which the platform, or the hopper 140, or another mechanical implement, may be mounted to the frame 125 in a manner that cooperating handles 130A,130B, may be used to articulate or tilt the platform, or the hopper 140, or the another mechanical implement, with respect to the frame 125, as shown in FIG. 2 to, for example, dump a load from the platform, or the hopper 140.

[0043] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the hopper 140 being pivoted around the one or more hinged connection components 135A,135B, by lifting one or both of the handles 130A,130B, to thereby dump the load of, for example, bulk material from the hopper 140 onto the ground.

[0044] It should be noted that wheels 160A,160B may be of substantially any configuration, but are intended to provide a capacity by which the disclosed platform or containment system 200 may be usable to independently crawl over most flat or inclined surfaces, including any lawn or terrain with ease, when driven by the standard garden or lawn tractor.

[0045] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a first underside view of an exemplary embodiment of a self-contained mechanical bulk material or heavy object moving device according to this disclosure. In FIG. 3, the underside view of the disclosed platform or containment system 300 shows generally, from right to left, the disclosed platform or containment system 300 as potentially including the standard mounting system 115, which may be of a standard hitch-type, by which the disclosed platform or containment system 300 may be attached to the interface or interface unit 110, including to, for example, to a tractor, lawn tractor or other vehicle or motorized unit to power movement of the disclosed platform or containment system 300. The knuckle 120 may be interposed between the standard mounting system 115, and the frame 125 via an extended unit, such as the connected component 122.

[0046] The handles 130A,130B may be manually manipulated, in the manner shown above between FIGS. 1 and 2, to cause the platform, hopper 140 or other implement to be pivoted around the one or more hinged connection components 135A,135B, such as for dumping the load.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 3 above, and in FIG. 4 discussed in more detail below, the disclosed platform or containment system 300 may include forward-mounted frame extensions 150A,150B that are adjustable in a horizontal in-and-out direction when the disclosed platform or containment system 300 is in either of an in-use position (as shown in FIG. 3), or a stowed/transport position (as will be discussed in more detail below with reference to FIG. 6). In the depiction in FIG. 3, the forward-mounted frame extensions 150A,150B are shown in their deployed configuration in which at least a portion of the wheels extends beyond a planform of the frame or of the platform or the hopper 140 mounted to the frame 125. This configuration facilitates stability and ease of movement and tracking of the platform or containment system 300 in general use. In a single wheel version, a tradeoff is made between this stability and an ease of use for certain lighter loads.

[0048] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a second underside view of an exemplary embodiment of a self-contained mechanical bulk material or heavy object moving device according to this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, the forward-mounted frame extensions 150A,150B of the disclosed platform or containment system 400 are shown in their stowed position in which no portion of the wheels extends beyond a planform of the frame, or of the platform or the hopper 140 mounted to frame 125. This position of the forward-mounted frame extensions 150A,150B for the disclosed platform or containment system 400 may preserve a capacity for the user to negotiate through a doorway or gate, for example, or around a tight obstacle by selectively retracting the frame extensions 150A,150B from their deployed configuration to their stowed configuration, as shown respectively in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0049] Such a feature may further facilitate ease of handling and safety for stowage and/or transport when the disclosed platform or containment system 400 is elevated to the stowed/transport position, as will be discussed in further detail below with regard/reference to FIG. 6.

[0050] In either of the deployed configuration or the stowed configuration, the forward-mounted frame extensions 150A,150B of the disclosed platform or containment system 300/400 may be held in one or the other of the configurations according to a physical configuration of the forward-mounted frame extensions 150A,150B, or may be otherwise held in the one or the other of the configurations by a separate locking device, which may be in a form, for example of a pin and a cooperating set of openings to accommodate a pin, or other similar mechanical locking device configuration.

[0051] FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of a first side view of an exemplary embodiment of a self-contained mechanical bulk material or heavy object moving device in an in-use configuration of the disclosed platform or containment system 500 according to this disclosure. FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic diagram of a second side view of an exemplary embodiment of a self-contained mechanical bulk material or heavy object moving device of the disclosed platform or containment system 600 according to this disclosure.

[0052] In embodiments as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the knuckle 120 may be specifically configured to provide a capacity by which the platform or containment system 500/600 may be foldable. In this regard, the configuration of the knuckle 120 may afford ease of transportation or storage of an empty platform or containment system 500/600 and the configuration in which a user simply lifts a front side (or distal end) of a platform or hopper 140 mounted to the platform 125 as the containment system from a substantially horizontal in-use position, as shown in FIG. 5, to a substantially vertical stowed/transport position, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0053] The platform or hopper portion may be locked in place through the use of a locking device 127, which may be in a simple pin and opening configuration used to lock the frame 125 and its extended portion 122 in a particular position with respect to the knuckle 120. An advantage of a capacity of the disclosed platform or containment system 500/600 included capability that the platform or hopper to rotated to a vertical is that the planform or footprint of the disclosed platform or containment system 500/600 on the floor is reduced in order that the platform or containment system 500/600 is not using up any extra space in storage, or on a trailer when being transported to a site for use.

[0054] In embodiments, a containment component may be provided in a form of a hopper 140, including, for example, a poly-tube hopper. Otherwise, the containment component may be in a form of a large tray-type platform with or without significantly raised walls extending individually or collectively, orthogonal to, or open likely from, the platform base. It is recognized that poly-tube is nothing new, but what may be key in its employment according to certain in-use scenarios is a capacity for the user to remove the poly-tube hopper and install different attachments to the frame 125, or other platform base, allowing the user to adapt the disclosed platform or containment system as shown in exemplary form in each of FIGS. 1-6 to a particular use. Such uses may be to move any bulk load, or heavy object, that the user may desire.

[0055] Examples of additional component systems that may be mounted to the frame 125 include, but are not limited to, a large tray, a fuel tank, a generator to provide on-site electrical power, a watering system, a seed/fertilizer system for a medium-size farm, a pressure washer, or even a small man lift, which may be attachable in order that a user may be able to, for example, safely trim trees, or undertake other elevated tasks like pressure washing or painting of the outside of a structure.

[0056] The disclosed platform or containment systems are simple in it their construction and operation, and are readily reconfigurable around the basic concept shown. As such, the disclosed platform or containment system may be capable of being economically manufactured, and sold to a broad spectrum of individuals and/or small entity companies that may benefit from the full implementation of schemes employing the disclosed exemplary platform or containment system.

[0057] The disclosed systems are intended to overcome the shortfalls in the related art by filling a gap between small manually-manipulated wheeled carts, and large and expensive powered bulk material and heavy object movement devices. In this regard, the disclosed exemplary systems represent a particular improvement over currently-available wheeled manual carts and bulk material and heavy object moving devices.

[0058] Using a simple, straight-forward cart powered by a standard garden or lawn tractor for moving all material and/or heavy objects around a particular site the disclosed systems may provide significant improvements over all currently-available systems and methods, which may be considered in some way similar to the disclosed systems and schemes for using those systems.

[0059] Further, the above-described and other benefits may inure in other operational employments and operational scenarios for the disclosed systems and methods well outside the movement of all material and/or heavy loads around a particular site. The potential cost savings in measurable and immeasurable efficiencies are boundless.

[0060] Specific reference to, for example, the above-discussed embodiments for the disclosed exemplary platform or containment systems for all material and heavy load manipulation around the site, and characteristics of the exemplary embodiments specifically directed to use in such operating scenarios, should not be interpreted to constrain the disclosed systems, methods, techniques, schemes, processes, products or product components to only those embodiments.

[0061] The depicted and described embodiments are included for non-limiting illustration of the disclosed concepts for implementing these systems, methods, techniques, processes and schemes for more efficient aggregate delivery that include, but are not limited to, use of the depicted systems for transporting bulk material or heavy loads around the site, as shown. All of the above depictions and/or descriptions should, therefore, be interpreted as being exemplary only, and not limiting the disclosed systems or schemes for using those systems, in any manner.

[0062] Features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments are set forth in this disclosure and may be, at least in part, obvious from this detailed description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosed embodiments. The features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations of features particularly described.

Various embodiments of the disclosed systems and methods are discussed in this disclosure. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments.