초록 ▼

A door lifting apparatus includes a frame and a lift mechanism. The lift mechanism includes a slide assembly and a lever assembly. The slide assembly includes a vertical bar, a door support beam supporting a plurality of door holders, and a horizontal bar that are movable together vertically up and

A door lifting apparatus includes a frame and a lift mechanism. The lift mechanism includes a slide assembly and a lever assembly. The slide assembly includes a vertical bar, a door support beam supporting a plurality of door holders, and a horizontal bar that are movable together vertically up and down relative to the frame as the lever assembly is moved between a lifted position, an intermediate position, and a lowered position. The vertical bar is associated with a cam plate secured to the frame such that the vertical bar, and the door support beam and door secured thereto, pivots as the lever assembly is moved between the lifted and the lower position.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A door lifting and transporting apparatus, comprising: a frame; and, a lift mechanism comprising a slide assembly and a lever assembly, the slide assembly being slidably disposed upon the frame for vertical movement and being adapted to support a door, the lever assembly bein

What is claimed is: 1. A door lifting and transporting apparatus, comprising: a frame; and, a lift mechanism comprising a slide assembly and a lever assembly, the slide assembly being slidably disposed upon the frame for vertical movement and being adapted to support a door, the lever assembly being secured to said slide assembly and said frame such that pivoting of said lever assembly causes said slide assembly to move vertically along said frame; wherein the slide assembly includes a lower bar that is slidably secured to the frame, a vertical bar that is pivotally secured to the lower bar, and a door support beam that is affixed to the vertical bar and pivots with the vertical bar relatively toward and away from the frame as the lever assembly is lifted and lowered thus allowing the door disposed on the slide assembly to tilt from a substantially vertical orientation to a tilted configuration as the slide assembly is moved from a lifted position toward a lowered position. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the door support beam affixed to an upper end of the vertical bar. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the door support beam includes door holders that are adapted to extend into openings formed in the door and to support the door during lifting and lowering, said door support beam being adjustably affixed to said vertical bar. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said slide assembly further comprises a hook assembly that is adapted to engage and releasably hold a lower portion of the door as the door is moved into the lowered position, and thereby helps to retain the door in a tilted orientation. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the hook assembly includes a hook arm that is pivotally movable between an engaged position in which the door is held and a disengaged position in which the door is released. 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the hook assembly includes means for moving the hook arm from the engaged position to the released position as the door is moved into the lowered position so as to release the door from the door holder. 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the frame includes a cam plate that is slidably engaged with a lower end of said vertical bar so as to cause said vertical bar lower end to pivot as said vertical bar is moved from said lifted position toward said lowered position. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said lever assembly is movable between said lifted position, said lowered position, and an intermediate position between said lifted position and said lowered position, and wherein said lever assembly includes a latch arm, said latch arm having a latching surface that engages a stop to releasably hold said lever assembly in said intermediate position, said lever assembly being releasably secured in said intermediate position so as to prevent unintended movement directly from said lifted position to said lowered position. 9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further including a biasing spring that is operable to urge the latch arm into engagement with said stop, said latch arm being movable against said spring bias to release said latching surface from said stop and thereby permit said lever assembly to be rotated from said intermediate position toward said lowered position. 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the slide assembly includes a lower bar that is slidably secured to the frame, a vertical bar that is pivotally secured to the lower bar, and a door support beam that is affixed to an upper end of the vertical bar and pivots with the vertical bar relatively toward and away from the frame as the lever assembly is lifted and lowered. 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the door support beam includes door holders that are adapted to extend into openings formed in the door and to support the door during lifting and lowering, said door support beam being adjustably affixed to said vertical bar. 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said slide assembly further comprises a hook assembly that is adapted to engage and releasably hold a lower portion of the door as the door is moved into the lowered position, and thereby helps to retain the door in a tilted orientation. 13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the hook assembly includes a hook arm that is pivotally movable between an engaged position in which the door is held and a disengaged position in which the door is released. 14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the hook assembly includes means for moving the hook arm from the engaged position to the released position as the door is moved into the lowered position so as to release the door from the door holder. 15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the frame includes a cam plate that is slidably engaged with a lower end of said vertical bar so as to cause said vertical bar lower end to pivot as said vertical bar is moved from said lifted position toward said lowered position. 16. A method for lifting and supporting a vehicle door, comprising the steps of: providing an apparatus including a frame and a lift mechanism, said lift mechanism including a slide assembly and a lever assembly, said slide assembly including a lower bar that is slidably secured to the frame, a vertical bar that is pivotally secured to the lower bar, a door support beam and a plurality of door holders, said door holders being disposed on the door support beam and adapted to support the door, said lever assembly being secured to said slide assembly and said frame such that pivotal movement of said lever assembly moves said door support beam vertically relative to said frame, said lever assembly and said slide assembly being movable between a lifted position, an intermediate position, and a lowered position, wherein said door support beam moves laterally away from said frame as said lever assembly and said door support beam are moved from said lifted position toward said lowered position; moving said lever assembly and said slide assembly into the intermediate position from said lifted position so as to align said door holders with openings in the door; inserting the holders into the door openings; moving said lever assembly and said slide assembly into said lifted position; removing hinge pins from the door; removing the door from the vehicle while the door is supported on the door holders; and, moving said lever assembly from said lifted position toward said lowered position while moving said door from a generally vertical orientation into a tilted orientation. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said lever assembly includes a latch mechanism, said method including the further steps of: engaging said latch mechanism as said lever assembly is moved into said intermediate position from said lifted position; and, disengaging said latch mechanism to move said lever assembly from said intermediate position to said lowered position. 18. The method according to claim 16, wherein said slide assembly further includes a hook arm that is operable to engage and hold said door, comprising the further steps of: engaging said hook arm with said door when said lever assembly is initially in said intermediate position; and, disengaging said hook arm from said door when said lever assembly approaches said lowered position. 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said lever assembly includes a latch mechanism, said method including the further steps of: engaging said latch mechanism as said lever assembly is moved into said intermediate position from said lifted position; and, disengaging said latch mechanism to move said lever assembly from said intermediate position to said lowered position.