ATTACHED TO A CRANE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device and method for positioning or stabilizing a load attached to apparatus capable of lifting and moving suspended loads. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device and method for safely positioning a suspended load attached to a crane hook. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cranes are commonly used in a range of industries to lift and move heavy loads. For example, cranes can be found on ship docks and in the construction industry.

During the lifting and moving of heavy loads it has been the standard practice to attach a simple cord to the bottom of a load to allow a workman to maneuver the position of the load. These cords are commonly referred to as 'tag lines'. However, there are a number of disadvantages and dangers associated with the use of tag lines. The tag lines can easily become wrapped around a workman attempting to maneuver the load which can be extremely dangerous as the workman can then accidentally be lifted by the crane movements with serious injuries occurring. When a load is lowered this can also result in a large amount of slack in the tag line with this simply lying on the ground. With a large amount of slack tag line lying on the ground this can easily become entangled with other articles and with the workman maneuvering the load on the crane. The slack tag line can also become entangled with other workmen in the near vicinity who may accidentally walk over the tag line.

Unpublished patent application PCT/GB201 1/050817 relates to a device which addresses these issues. The device includes a retractable leash which is attachable to a load.

However, the device is typically used in dirty conditions and dirt on the leash can impede smooth retraction. Also, the device is typically often used in dark conditions which can make attaching the leash to the load more problematic.

It is an object of at least one aspect of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one or more of the aforementioned problems.

It is a further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide an improved device and method for positioning a load attached to apparatus capable of lifting and moving suspended loads.

It is a further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide an improved device and method for safely positioning a suspended load attached to a crane hook. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a device for positioning a load attached to apparatus capable of lifting and moving suspended loads, said device comprising: a reel comprising a rotatable member;

a leash located around the rotatable member and attachable to the load, wherein the leash located around the rotatable member is retractable; and at least one cleaning member adapted to be in contact with the leash at least during retraction.

The cleaning member may comprise a brush member.

The device may comprise two cleaning members, wherein a cleaning member is in contact with each major surface of the leash at least during retraction.

The device may include a housing for the reel, the housing having an aperture through which the leash passes. The or each cleaning member may be provided at the aperture.

The aperture may be non-straight to impede snagging during retraction. The aperture may be arcuate. Alternatively, the aperture may be V shaped or the like.

A torch member may be provided at the housing. The torch member may be orientated to point in the direction of the extending leash.

The leash may be attached to the load being lifted using any suitable mechanical means. For example, the leash may be attached to a lower (e.g. bottom) surface of the load by being threaded through an opening (e.g. an eyelet) in the lower surface of the load. The leash may be any type of flexible arrangement such as a cable, cord, rope, wire, chain, tape, mesh and the like which is capable of being located around the rotatable member.

At the end of the leash there may be means for attaching the leash to the load to be maneuvered. The means for attachment may, for example, be an eyelet, hook, clamp or suction cup. The attachment means may be removable from the end of the leash. A range of attachment means may be provided.

The leash may be of any suitable length and may, for example, be about 1 - 20 m in length.

The reel comprising the rotatable member may comprise retraction means. The retraction means may be spring-loaded so that any slack in the leash may be removed and a certain degree of tension may therefore be maintained in the leash during use. This overcomes the danger of any slack leash lying on the ground and any slack leash wrapping around the operator during use. However, in the event that the tension in the leash extends beyond a certain level so that an operator may accidentally be lifted off the ground then there may be a mechanism in the reel to release the tension in the leash. The mechanism may comprise a normally activated but releasable brake.

The reel may comprise a handle through which the leash may be controlled during use. A brake release operating member may be provided at the handle, such as at a position corresponding to a user's palm. The device may be configured such that normal holding of the handle releases the brake. A second operating member may be provided at the handle. The second operating member may be configured to act against the brake release operating member such that the brake is actuated even when the device is being held. By pressing on the second operating member the leash may be held securely held and locked in position. The handle may also comprise a thumb lock to fix the leash in place for an extended period.

The leash located around the rotatable member may be retractable using any suitable means. The retraction may also be automatic. However, to control the speed and/or rate of retraction the reel may comprise a second brake, such as a friction brake, and/or a damper mechanism to avoid retraction occurring too quickly.

To assist in use the leash may be coloured and/or fluorescent.

The present invention therefore relates to a retractable leash which is capable of being attached to a suspended load. An operator can maneuver the position of the suspended load on the lifting apparatus (e.g. a crane) by pulling the leash in a particular direction. This not only allows easy maneuvering but is also very safe as there is no slack in the leash.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a device in use for safely positioning a suspended load attached to a crane hook; Figure 2 is a first embodiment of the device of Figure 1 ; and Figure 3 is a second embodiment of the device of Figure 1.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Generally speaking, the present invention resides in the provision of a device and method for positioning a suspended load attached to apparatus capable of lifting and moving loads.

Figure 1 is a representation of a device according to the present invention and Figure 2 is an embodiment of the device. Figure 1 shows that there is a crane, generally designated 10. The crane comprises a substantially vertical member 12 and a substantially horizontal member 14. Located at an end of the substantially horizontal member 14 there is a hook 16. The hook 16 is inserted through an opening 20 on top of a load 18 being lifted by the crane 10.

Below the load 18 there is shown an operator 24. The operator 24 is holding a device according to the present invention. The device is shown to comprise a reel 26 and a retractable leash 28. The reel 26 is spring-activated and is shown to tension the leash 28 so that there is no slack. Although not shown the device also comprises a handle and thumb lock which can be used to securely hold the leash in place.

In use, the load 18 will be lifted by the crane 10 until the leash 28 can be safely attached to the load. Usually the leash 28 is attached to a lower surface of the load 18 such as through an eyelet 22. The load 18 can then be raised further if necessary to a desired height. As the load 18 is raised more of the leash 28 will be retracted from the reel 26. Once the leash 28 reaches the desired length then the reel 26 which is spring-activated will keep the leash taught so that no slack is present. The brake can be operated to hold the leash 28 and the operator 24 can then pull the leash 28 in a required direction to easily maneuver and position the suspended load 18. A thumb-lock 30 may be used to lock the leash 28 in place. During use if the length of the leash 28 changes then more leash 28 can be extended from the reel 26. Alternatively, if less leash 28 is required then as some slack temporarily occurs then this will automatically be retracted into the reel 26 using the spring-activated means.

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the device with the leash removed for clarity.

As before, the device includes a reel for a retractable leash, the reel located within a housing 40. An aperture 42 is provided at the housing 40 through which the leash passes. It can be seen that the aperture 42 is arcuate or U shaped to impede snagging during retraction.

The device also includes two cleaning members in the form of brushes (not shown). These are located at the aperture 42 such that they are in contact with the leash during retraction to clean the leash.

A torch (not shown) can be provided, such as at the top surface 44 of the housing 40. The torch can be orientated to point in the direction of the extending leash to improve the vision of the operator for attaching the leash to the load or monitoring the load in use. Whilst specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it will be appreciated that departures from the described embodiments may still fall within the scope of the present invention. For example, any suitable type of retractable leash may be used. Moreover, any suitable type of retraction means may be used to retract and extend the leash.