Patent Application
20250074752
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of jacks, and more particularly to a service accessory for a jack positionable in different assembly configurations for use of different working surfaces of the service accessory.
Mechanical jacks have been well-known and used throughout the world for well over a century. Scissor jacks for automotive applications, hydraulic jacks for manufacturing and service of machinery are used in all countries of the world in virtually innumerable applications. So-called high lift jacks have also been employed across a variety of industries and used by a diverse customer base for many years, including in agriculture and other off-highway environments to name some examples.
High lift jacks have been traditionally employed by workers principally to lift and free stuck or trapped machinery or machines that have broken down or experienced flat tires and the like. In recent years, such jacks have been increasingly used in the recreational off-highway industry not only to lift equipment but also for winching applications, and in some instances by safety, rescue, and firefighting personnel.
Engineers have long sought to improve the operation and functionality of high lift jacks and related equipment. Research and development in this field has also revealed the desirability of increased flexibility in the use and application of high lift jacks, including for purposes such as clamping, spreading, and still others. One example of an adapter apparently for expanding service applications for a high lift jack is known from U.S. Design Pat. No. D532,576 to Simpson et al.
In one aspect, a jack assembly includes a base, a beam including therein a plurality of apertures spaced vertically between a first beam end coupled to the base, and a second beam end, and a runner assembly. The runner assembly includes climbing elements selectively positionable in the plurality of apertures, and an actuator for varying a position of the runner assembly vertically upon the beam. The jack assembly further includes a service accessory having a plurality of working surfaces and a beam fastening opening formed therein. The service accessory further includes a first elongate guide structured to mate the service accessory to the beam in a first assembly configuration presenting some of the plurality of working surfaces at first service orientations relative to the beam, and a second elongate guide structured to mate the service accessory to the beam in a second assembly configuration presenting some of the plurality of working surfaces at second service orientations relative to the beam.
In another aspect, a service accessory for a jack includes a one-piece accessory body having an outer peripheral surface varied in contour so as to form a plurality of outer working surfaces, and at least one inner peripheral surface forming a beam fastening opening and a plurality of inner working surfaces. The one-piece accessory body further includes a first longitudinal end, a second longitudinal end, and a first elongate guide extending longitudinally between the first longitudinal end and the second longitudinal end. The one-piece accessory body further includes a first transverse end, a second transverse end, and a second elongate guide extending transversely between the first transverse end and the second transverse end. The plurality of inner working surfaces have a distribution in at least one of a longitudinal direction or a transverse direction, and the plurality of outer working surfaces among them define at least one service orientation in the longitudinal direction and at least one service orientation in the transverse direction.
In still another aspect, a service accessory for a jack includes an accessory body having a first longitudinal end, a second longitudinal end, a first transverse end, a second transverse end, a first side, a second side, and at least one hole extending through the accessory body from the first side to the second side. The accessory body further includes a first outer working surface defining a service orientation in a longitudinal direction, and a second outer working surface defining a service orientation in a transverse direction. The accessory body further includes a longitudinal set of guide channels formed in one of the first side or the second side and a transverse set of guide channels formed in one of the first side or the second side.
Referring to
The components and operation of runner assembly 22 may be of conventional design including that known from a variety of so-called Hi-lift® jacks commercially available from Hi-Lift Jack Company of Bloomfield, Indiana, the assignee of the present patent application. Large runner 28 may include a lifting nose 46 facing a vertically upward direction to engage with an article to be lifted, or in other instances spread, clamped, or winched. It is contemplated that jack assembly 8 may be used in a wide variety of applications, including for lifting of stuck or stranded vehicles such as tractors, trucks, and off-road recreational vehicles. Jack assembly 28 may also be used in connection with winching of such vehicles, or winching of other types of objects and articles altogether such as fallen trees. Jack assembly 8 may also be used in clamping and spreading applications without limitation, including for example in construction applications and for vehicle rescues. Those skilled in the art will envision a wide variety of applications for jack assembly 8, particularly in view of the following description.
Jack assembly 8 further includes a service accessory 50. Service accessory 50 may be positioned upon beam 14 in a plurality of different assembly configurations each providing different service orientations of at least some of a plurality of working surfaces as further discussed herein. Referring also now to
Accessory body 52 further includes a first longitudinal end 78, a second longitudinal end 80, and a first elongate guide 82 extending longitudinally between first longitudinal end 78 and second longitudinal end 80 and structured to mate service accessory 50 to beam 14 in a first assembly configuration. Accessory body 52 further includes a first transverse end 88, a second transverse end 90, and a second elongate guide 92 extending transversely between first transverse end 88 and second transverse end 90 and structured to mate service accessory 50 to beam 14 in a second assembly configuration. Accessory body 52 defines a longitudinal axis 98 extending between first longitudinal end 78 and second longitudinal end 80 and defining a longitudinal direction. Accessory body 52 further defines a transverse axis 100 extending between first transverse end 88 and second transverse end 90 and defining a transverse direction. As discussed herein, a longitudinal direction may include a first longitudinal direction such as a direction toward a first longitudinal end 78 as well as a second longitudinal direction such as a direction toward second longitudinal end 80. An analogous convention can be applied respecting a transverse direction.
The plurality of inner working surfaces 66, 68, 70, 72 may have a distribution in at least one of a longitudinal direction or a transverse direction. The plurality of outer working surfaces 56, 58, 60, among them define at least one service orientation in the longitudinal direction and at least one service orientation in the transverse direction. A service orientation may mean directly or indirectly facing a longitudinal or a transverse direction, such as a working surface facing the subject direction. A service orientation might also mean directly or indirectly opening toward the subject direction. Thus, a cutout that opens in the longitudinal direction defines a service orientation in that longitudinal direction.
Mating service accessory 50 to beam 14 in a first assembly configuration presents some of the plurality of outer working surfaces 56, 58, 60 and/or some of the plurality of inner working surfaces 66, 68, 70, 72 at first service orientations relative to beam 14. Mating service accessory 50 to beam 14 in the second assembly configuration presents at least some of the respective working surfaces at second service orientations relative to beam 14. The meaning and importance of the different service orientations will be further apparent from additional description herein.
Focusing on
As can be seen from
Those skilled in the art will also appreciate different configurations of guide channels and rails that might be implemented within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in the illustrated embodiment first elongate guide 82 and second elongate guide 92 are both formed on first side 74. In an alternative embodiment one of guides 82 and 92 could be located upon first side 74 and the other located upon second side 76. Still other permutations could include forming guides 82 and 92 as rails protruding from first side 74 and/or second side 76 that would be received in complementary channels on beam 14. In yet another embodiment first elongate guide 82 and second elongate guide 92 might not be arranged orthogonally while still being arranged transverse to one another. Still other permutations and extensions will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Focusing now on additional features of the various working surfaces themselves, it can be seen that accessory body 52 includes a transverse protrusion 108. Transverse protrusion may include outer working surface 56 thereon and forms a lifting nose 106. Lifting nose 106 can be used in a lifting application to vertically lift an object as well as in a spreading application or a clamping application that might not be strictly defined as lifting. Thus the term “lifting” is used in a non-limiting sense herein. Outer working surface 56 or lifting nose surface 56 may include a toothed surface in an embodiment. It can also be noted from
Also in the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of inner working surfaces 66, 68, 70, 72 form at least one shackle hole. Inner working surface 70 forms a first shackle hole and inner working surface 72 forms a second shackle hole in the illustrated embodiment. Inner working surface 66 forms an opening for feeding a chain through service accessory 50 that is in communication with a chain slot formed by inner working surface 68. Chain hole 60 is intersected by channel 96 and chain slot 68 is intersected by channel 94. Outer working surface 60 forms a cutout in the illustrated embodiment as might be used to bear against an article, for example a door frame in a vehicle, for spreading, opening, or lifting.
Also in the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of outer working surfaces 56, 58, 60 may form one or more wedges including one or more wedges 102 facing the transverse direction, and one or more wedges formed by working surface 58 and facing the longitudinal direction. In the embodiment of
Referring to the drawings generally, it will be recalled that in the first assembly configuration, some of the plurality of inner working surfaces and the plurality of outer working surfaces are presented at first service orientations relative to beam 14, whereas in the second assembly configuration some of the respective surfaces are presented at second service orientations relative to beam 14. A service orientation as contemplated herein means an orientation suitable for performing a function of jack assembly 8 including lifting, spreading, or winching for example.
In the first assembly configuration of service accessory 50 as depicted in
The present description is for illustrative purposes only, and should not be construed to narrow the breadth of the present disclosure in any way. Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications might be made to the presently disclosed embodiments without departing from the full and fair scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Other aspects, features and advantages will be apparent upon an examination of the attached drawings and appended claims. As used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Where only one item is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.
