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:
Feb. 26, 2008
Filed:
Dec. 04, 2003
Noel Mascarenhas, Houston, TX (US);
Kevin Krakora, Katy, TX (US);
Roger L. Bell, Cypress, TX (US);
Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc., Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
A swing down tank bracket for supporting a fuel tank mounted onto a vehicle includes a frame immovably mounted onto a vehicle, a cradle operatively connected to the frame and arranged to support a fuel tank, a hinge that pivotally connects a first end of the cradle to a first end of the frame, and a latch having a first portion disposed on a second end of the frame and a second portion disposed on a second end of the cradle. The first portion of the latch is releasably engaged with the second portion of the latch so that after the latch is disengaged, the cradle is rotationally maneuverable between a retracted position and an extended position in a single stage. The cradle may be maneuvered between the retracted position and the extended position by simultaneously rotating outwardly and downwardly in relation to the vehicle. In some embodiments, a gas spring device, connected between the cradle and the frame, retards and assists the motion of the rotating cradle in a manner that requires minimal effort on the part of the operator in loading and unloading the fuel tank from the vehicle. Another device ay be included to latch the cradle in the extended position in order to provide stability when loading/unloading a fuel tank.