GB2404367A

GB2404367A - Load protector for attachment to the forks of a forklift

Info

Publication number: GB2404367A
Application number: GB0416920A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bertie Thomas Glass
Original assignee: B T GLASS Ltd
Current assignee: B T GLASS Ltd
Priority date: 2003-07-30
Filing date: 2004-07-29
Publication date: 2005-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 2024-07-29
Also published as: GB0317831D0; GB2404367B; GB0416920D0

Abstract

A load protector 10 for a forklift having a fork 12, the protector being connectable to at least part of an upright part 14 of the fork 12 in order to prevent direct contact of the upright part 14 with the load. The load protector 10 comprises a fastener for releasably connecting the load protector 10 to the upright part 14, wherein the fastener is configured such that the fork remains unmodified by any means for engaging with the fastener. The protector 100 may comprise a recess 106 for receiving at least part of the fork 14 and the protector 100 may have a curved load engaging surface 104. The load engaging surface 104 may be made of a resilient material such as rubber or polyurethane and the protector may have cavity 102.

Description

LOAD PROTECTOR

The present invention relates to a load protector, and particularly, but not exclusively to a load protector for protecting the load of a fork lift truck.

Fork lift trucks are used for transporting, loading and unloading of a wide variety of products. The fork lift truck has a fork which engages with the load. Frequently, the fork damages the load as it is brought into contact with the load.

Pallets are widely used to protect products. The product is located on and supported by the pallet and the fork engages with the pallet during transport and handling of the product. In this way, transport, loading and unloading of the product is improved, whilst the product is protected from direct contact with the fork. However, pallets are unsuitable for certain products, such as those products which can roll or slip off the pallet. Also, the pallet itself is often damaged when the fork engages with it. This requires pallets to be replaced frequently which is inefficient.

In addition, for other products, it is simply uneconomic to provide a pallet because it significantly increases the overall cost of transport and storage of these products.

The present invention aims to provide an improved load protector which obviates or at least mitigates the above problems; and/or to provide improvements generally.

The present invention provides an improved load protector, a moulding, and fork for a forklift truck according to any of the accompanying claims.

:e;e ee. ecee. À:e c46e According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a load protector for a fork lift having a fork, the protector being connectable to at least part of an upright part of the fork to prevent direct contact of the upright part with the load, the load protector comprising a fastener for releasably connecting the load protector to the upright part, wherein the fastener is configured such that the fork remains unmodified by any means for engaging with the fastener.

To prevent accidents due to failure of the fork during its use and to comply with health and safety regulations, it is important that the structural integrity of the fork is maintained. Therefore, it is not possible to modify the structure of the fork in any way as this could weaken the fork. Thus, it is not possible to secure the load protector to the fork by any conventional fasteners such as bolts which engage with an aperture provided on the fork or by means of welding. In the invention as defined in the accompanying set of claims, the load protector comprises a fastener which is configured such that the fork remains unmodified by any means for engaging with the fastener or by the fastener itself so as to ensure that the structural integrity of the fork is maintained and remains unmodified.

To provide adequate support to the load protector, the protector is configured to prevent lateral movement of the protector in relation to the upright part. In use, loads on the load protector are generally transverse in relation to the upright part and load protector and therefore, lateral movement of the load protector is limited. To prevent any lateral movement, the protector comprises a recess for receiving at least part of the fork to prevent movement of the protector in relation to the fork during use.

:e;e Àe.e À:e cece The load protector can thus be connected to the fork without making any modifications to the fork. This allows unobstructed operation of the fork and ensures that the structural integrity of the fork is maintained.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a load protector for a forklift having a fork wherein the load protector is connectable to, or locatable on or around at least part of the fork, to thereby prevent direct contact of the fork with the load; the load protector comprising a resilient load engaging surface.

By providing the load protector with a resilient load engaging surface, damage is prevented to the load during handling and transport, as the fork is prevented from being in direct contact with the hard surface of the fork.

The fork of a fork lift usually comprises at least two uprights which extend in an approximately vertical direction, approximately parallel to the fork carriage, and at least two tines which extend from the uprights in an approximate horizontal direction. Usually the uprights are movable relative to one another to vary the spacing of the tines. In a preferred embodiment, the load protector may be connectable to at least part of an upright part of the fork. The load protector may also be connectable to at least part of a tine.

We have discovered, that if the protector is connected to the upright parts of the fork, damage to the load is significantly reduced. Damage can be further reduced by additionally providing a load protector on the tines.

We have found that, particularly when an unprotected fork is brought into contact with a load to lift the load, the Àe::: c:. ::: e. amp: Àe e.e À À. A.: hard surfaces of the upright parts of the fork often damage the load. Damage to the load is further increased if the fork or carriage is tilted, whereby the tines extend in an upwardly inclined direction to prevent the load from falling off the fork. The invention thus provides a load protector which engages with the fork of the forklift truck and which protects the load from direct contact with the fork.

Preferably, the protector has a curved load engaging surface. An advantage of the curved load engaging surface is that it stabilizes the load in relation to the fork. In addition, the curved surface has no sharp edges and thus further reduces the risk of damaging load. The curved surface further reduces the impact of the fork on people in case of accidents, thereby improving the health and safety of workers.

The protector may further comprise an air chamber or cavity which is provided below the load engaging surface to provide sufficient resiliency to the load protector to thereby absorb shocks and to prevent further damage to the load. Another important advantage of the cavity is that it reduces the amount of material that is needed to produce the protector. This greatly reduces the manufacturing cost of the protector.

The load protector may be fixedly secured to the fork to allow the protector to be permanently provided on the fork.

In an embodiment of the invention, the protector is configured so as to at least partially enclose the fork. In this way, advantageously, the fork is covered to prevent damage to the load.

:e ae-e.:e The load protector may be connected to a part of a tine or a horizontal part of the fork and/or at least part of an upstanding or upright part of the fork so as to provide adequate protection to the load.

The load protector may be configured so as to prevent the operation of the fork from being obstructed. Many fork lift trucks comprise a "side- shift" which allows the fork blades or tines to move laterally or sideways relative to one another to vary the spacing between the tines. The side shift comprises a frame which is mounted on the fork lift carriage and means for moving or sliding the tines laterally or sideways relative to the frame. The protector may be configured so as to prevent the protector from being in contact with the frame and to allow unobstructed operation of the side-shift.

An important additional advantage of the load protector is that in accidents, people cannot come into contact with the fork. This greatly improves the health and safety of fork lift operations where people are present, as personal injuries due to an impact with the fork are greatly reduced.

In another embodiment of the invention the protector comprises a recess for receiving at least part of the fork.

This has the advantage that the protector is securely provided on at least part of the fork and the protector is prevented from moving in relation to the fork when the protector is in contact with a load.

In another embodiment of the invention, the protector is of a uniform length and the protector is adapted to be cut to a desired length depending on the dimensions and operational requirements of the fork.

ce' .:: c:- ::: Àe.. ad: * : À À. e. : In yet another embodiment of the invention, the protector comprises means for securing the protector to the fork. The securing means may comprise tie wraps, clamps, collars or any other suitable means for allowing the protector to be securely connected to the fork to prevent the protector from moving in relation to the fork during use.

Preferably, the protector comprises receiving members for receiving the securing means. The receiving members may comprise a recess, aperture or opening for receiving the securing means.

In a preferred embodiment, the protector fits in a single orientation on the fork. This ensures that the protector is securely mounted on the fork. The preferred orientation of the protector may be marked on the protector.

In a further embodiment, the protector has uniform dimensions. The protector may be made to securely fit to a fork by means of one or more inserts of different dimensions that are inserted between the protector and the fork.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a moulding, the moulding forming a load protector for a fork lift having a fork. The moulding may be formed by extrusion moulding, injection moulding or any other suitable moulding process.

In a preferred embodiment, the load protector is moulded from a resilient material such as polyurethane, acrylonitrilebutadiene styrene (ABS), polyvinylchloride (PVC) rubber or any other suitable resilient material.

Particularly, the load engaging surface is resilient. The protector may also be extruded.

:. .-. ac:e According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a fork for a forklift comprising a load protector.

There is thus provided a protector for protecting loads from engaging directly with the fork of a fork lift truck.

This has the important advantage that damage to the load is prevented and that the health and safety aspects of forklift operations are improved as personal injury due to impacts with the fork is reduced.

The load protector as disclosed herein has a wide variety of applications which include other uses whereby direct contact between a load and a lifting surface or lifting implement is undesirable.

The invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure la presents a diagrammatic perspective view of a load protector according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure lb presents a cross sectional view of a load protector according to the embodiment of the invention of Figure lap Figure lo presents a diagrammatic side view of a load protector according to Figures la and lb provided on the upright section of a fork, and; Figure 2 presents a diagrammatic cross sectional view of a load protector according to another embodiment of the invention.

The load protector 10 comprises an approximate rectangular cross section (Figure lb) with an approximate rectangular :e e.e ee:e recess 16 for receiving the upright section 14 of a fork 12. The protector 10 is integrally moulded from a polyurethane material. This material is resilient so as to provide shock absorbing properties thereby preventing damage to the load as it is provided on the fork 12.

The protector 10 is manufactured to a desired length so that is can be conveniently and securely fitted to a particular fork 12. The protector 10 can also be cut to a desired length after it is manufactured. The width and depth of the recess 16 is adapted to the particular dimensions of the upright section 14 of the fork 12.

The protector 10 is securely connected to the upright 14 by means of tie wraps (not shown) which engage with holes or recesses (not shown) on the protector body 10 and which engage with the upright section 14 of the fork 12. To remove the protector 10 from the fork 12, the tie wraps are simply removed. The securing members do not affect the structural integrity of the fork in any way and they do not require recesses or apertures in the fork to securely fix the protector 10.

In use, the load protector 10 prevents damage to the load during handling and transport as the protector prevents the fork 12 from being in direct contact with the hard surface of the fork 12. The recess 16 prevents lateral movement of the protector 10 in relation to the upright 14.

An alternative load protector is shown in Figure 2. The load protector 100 comprises a recess 106 for engaging with the upright section or horizontal sections (tines) of a fork. The protector 100 is manufactured from a resilient material. The protector 100 comprises a curved load engaging surface 104. An advantage of the curved surface :. e.' .:e 104 is that the protector 100 has no sharp edges that can engage with the load thereby further reducing the risk of damage to the load.

The resilience of the load protector 100 is further improved by a cavity 102 which is located below the load engaging surface 109. This increases the flexibility of the load engaging surface 104 and improves the resilience of the material.

In addition, the cavity 102 provides an important material saving which considerably reduces the manufacturing cost of the protector.

Similar to the protector 10 of Fig. 1, the load protector is secured to the upright or tines of the fork by any suitable securing means such as tie wraps (not shown), and the protector 100 prevents the load of the forklift truck from damage. The recess 106 prevents lateral movement of the protector 100 during use whereby the operation of the fork including the operation of the side-shift is unobstructed.

There is thus provided a load protector which prevents the fork from directly contacting the load to thereby prevent damage to the load.

Claims

:. .. ce. À. ce:e ase. CLAIMS

1. A load protector for a fork lift having a fork, the protector being connectable to at least part of an upright part of the fork to prevent direct contact of the upright part with the load, the load protector comprising a fastener for releasably connecting the load protector to the upright part, wherein the fastener is configured such that the fork remains unmodified by any means for engaging with the fastener

2. A protector according to claim 1, wherein the protector is configured to prevent lateral movement of the protector in relation to the upright part.

3. A protector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the protector comprises a recess for receiving at least part of the fork to prevent lateral movement of the protector in relation to the fork.

4. A protector according to any of the preceding claims wherein the protector has a curved load engaging surface.

5. A protector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the protector has a resilient load engaging surface.

6. A protector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the protector comprises a cavity to provide the resilient load engaging surface.

7. A protector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the protector is configured so as to provide unobstructed operation of the fork.

:e ceecece. À:.

8. A protector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the protector is of a uniform length and the protector is adapted to be cut to a desired length.

9. A protector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the protector comprises a resilient material such as rubber or polyurethane.

10. A protector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the protector is moulded in one piece as an integral moulding.

11. A protector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the protector comprises a member for securing the protector to the fork.

12. A protector according to claim 11, wherein the securing member comprises a strap means such as a tie wrap or a collar.

13. A protector according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the protector comprises an aperture or recess for receiving the securing member.

14. A protector according to any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the aperture or recess is arranged such that the securing member allows unobstructed operation of the fork.

15. A protector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the protector is adapted for mounting on the tines of the fork.

16. A fork for a fork lift comprising a load protector according to any of the preceding claims.

:e;e cat À' À:e leee

17. A fork lift comprising a fork according to claim 16.

18. A moulding forming a load protector according to any of claims 1 to 15.

19. A protector as herein before described and as shown in any of the accompanying drawings.