Portable Manhole Cover Moving Assembly with Telescoping Shaft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manhole covers are heavy and difficult to lift, posing a risk of injury and fatigue due to their weight and unwieldy size, and existing portable solutions do not allow for efficient lifting, lowering, rotating, extending, retracting, and lateral displacement, especially in hard-to-reach areas.
Innovation Solution
A portable manhole cover moving assembly that uses a combination of simple machines, including a mast, shaft, pulley apparatus, and telescoping support arm, to create mechanical advantages for lifting and moving manhole covers, detachably attaching to a mobile mount for portability and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional equipment such as crowbars and hooks is used to lift manhole covers, then the manhole cover can be moved, but the operator must stand close to the cover creating a high risk of falling into the manhole
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a long shaft with pulley apparatus as an intermediary tool that extends the operator's reach. The shaft allows the operator to engage the manhole cover from a distance, using the pulley system to gain mechanical advantage while maintaining safe distance from the open manhole. This intermediary mechanism bridges the gap between the operator and the heavy cover without requiring close proximity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct manual lifting with a mechanical pulley system. Instead of using simple hooks and crowbars that require manual force and close contact, the system uses a pulley apparatus with cable that provides mechanical advantage, allowing one person to move heavy covers (500+ pounds) from a safe distance through leveraged mechanical forces rather than direct physical contact.
2Productivity
If manual lifting of manhole covers is performed, then the cover can be moved, but the heavy weight causes fatigue and back injury
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a pulley system that creates mechanical advantage to counterbalance the heavy weight of the manhole cover. The pulley apparatus with cable acts as a counterweight system, distributing the load through mechanical leverage so that a single operator can control and move covers weighing 500+ pounds without experiencing fatigue or back injury from direct lifting.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct manual lifting with a mechanical pulley system that provides force multiplication. The pulley apparatus with cable creates a mechanical advantage system where a small input force from the operator is amplified to move the heavy cover, substituting direct muscular effort with leveraged mechanical forces that eliminate fatigue and injury risks.
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing portable moving devices are used, then some lifting capability is provided, but they do not allow for efficient lifting, lowering, rotating, extending, retracting, and lateral displacement in hard-to-reach areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic, adjustable components including a telescoping shaft that can extend and retract, and a shaft that can be positioned at various angles relative to the handle. This dynamic structure allows the operator to adapt the device's configuration to different working conditions, enabling efficient operation in tight spaces and hard-to-reach areas while maintaining full range of movement operations including lifting, lowering, rotating, and lateral displacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the moving device into segmented, independently movable components: a handle, a shaft that can extend/retract and pivot, and a pulley apparatus that can rotate. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for specific functions and combined in various configurations to handle diverse operational requirements, including lateral displacement and rotation in confined spaces that existing rigid devices cannot achieve.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The assembly efficiently lifts, lowers, rotates, extends, and retracts manhole covers over short distances in difficult-to-access areas, reducing the risk of injury and fatigue by providing adjustable mechanical advantages and portability, thus addressing the challenges of manual lifting and movement.
Implementation Method 1
The shaft carries a pulley apparatus and a cable that suspends the manhole cover... as the angle of the shaft is changed through manipulation of the telescoping support arm, the mechanical advantage is increased for facilitating movement of the manhole cover
Implementation Method 2
The moving assembly provides a mast and a shaft that operate at adjustable relative to create mechanical advantages... as the angle of the shaft is changed through manipulation of the telescoping support arm, the mechanical advantage is increased
Data Source
AI summary
A manhole cover moving assembly and method for moving a manhole cover works to lift, lower, rotate, extend, retract, and laterally displace a manhole cover over a short distance and in difficult to access areas. The moving assembly detachably attaches a hitch to a mobile mount for portability. The moving assembly provides a mast and a shaft that operate at adjustable relative to create mechanical advantages while moving the manhole cover. A telescoping support arm adjusts the angle of the shaft relative to the mast. The shaft carries a pulley apparatus and a cable that suspends the manhole cover. The mast rotates about a hitch. The shaft pivots about the mast. The shaft also extends and retracts. Further, as the angle of the shaft is changed through manipulation of the telescoping support arm, the mechanical advantage is increased for facilitating movement of the manhole cover.