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:
Mar. 06, 2012
Filed:
May. 08, 2008
Emily Catherine King, Victoria, CA;
Adam Mathew Sobchak, Toronto, CA;
Gerald Thomas Griggs, Scarborough, CA;
Geoffrey Roy Fernie, Etobicoke, CA;
Philip Joseph Wilcox, North York, CA;
Tilak Dutta, Sudbury, CA;
Emily Catherine King, Victoria, CA;
Adam Mathew Sobchak, Toronto, CA;
Gerald Thomas Griggs, Scarborough, CA;
Geoffrey Roy Fernie, Etobicoke, CA;
Philip Joseph Wilcox, North York, CA;
Tilak Dutta, Sudbury, CA;
Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Toronto, Ontario, CA;
Abstract
Disclosed herein is a device for lifting an article comprising a housing having an inner chamber, the housing having a leading edge region in fluid communication with the inner chamber, the leading edge region being arranged to engage an access region between an article and a support surface beneath the article, an elongate tubular member having a first open end region and a second closed end region, the first open end region being directly or indirectly in fluid tight relation with the leading edge region, the elongate tubular member having a first surface in fluid communication with the inner chamber and an opposite second surface, the housing being arranged to provide a retracted position in which the elongate tubular member is held relative to the leading edge region and responsive to an operative pressure within the inner chamber to unfurl beyond the leading edge region to cause the elongate tubular member to migrate along the access region with the second surface in contact with the article and the support surface and with minimal relative motion between the contacting surfaces of the elongate tubular member, the article and the support surface and toward a deployed position in which the tubular member extends a distance exceeding a lateral dimension of the article with opposed ends of the tubular member being available to be employed for lifting the article from the support surface.