The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 14, 1993
Filed:
Mar. 26, 1992
Robert A White, Revere, PA (US);
Other;
Abstract
A gravity-steered grapple is created by retrofiting the boom plate of an excavator which has a longitudinally rotatable boom. The grapple includes a freely-turning, swivel joint with an axis of rotation which is offset from the center of the grapple jaws so that the center of mass of the load is likewise offset. By manipulating the angle of the boom plate with existing operator controls, the load can be steered about the swivel joint controllably through a horizontal 360-degree angle. The grapple also includes a jaw safety clamp which is movable between lock and release positions. The clamp is self-actuating and is moved into the lock position when an extension of the clamp contacts the load as the grapple is raised. The grapple is particularly useful in lifting and placing modular highway barriers.