Patent Application
20170298578
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The disclosure and prior art relates to bracket devices and more particularly pertains to a new bracket device for automating extension and retraction of a paver platform extension to correspond to and be driven by extension and retraction of a pre-existing laterally extendable paver mechanism.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a bracket configured for coupling to a laterally extending paver mechanism of a paver. A post is coupled to and extends from the bracket such that said post is configured for coupling to a paver platform extension such that the paver platform extension is extended and retracted respectively by extension and retraction of the paver mechanism.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A post 40 has a first end 42 coupled to the bracket 18 proximate a junction 42 of the upper arm 28 and the lower arm 26. A collar 44 is coupled to the platform extension 12. The platform extension 12 has a substantially planar top surface 46 and a pair of longitudinal flanges 48 extending downwardly from a peripheral edge 70 of the top surface 46. The collar 44 is centrally positioned along a short side 50 of the platform extension 12. If an end brace 72 is extending between the longitudinal flanges 48 then a break 74 is aligned with collar 44. The post 40 extends through the collar 44 such that the post 40 is slidable within the collar 44. The collar 44 may be elongated to facilitate alignment of the post 40 relative to the platform extension 12. A plate 54 is coupled to a second end 56 of the post 40. The plate 54 engages the platform extension 12 as the post 40 is moved generally with the bracket 18 such that the platform extension 12 is configured for being extended and retracted relative to a fixed platform 58 coupled to the paver 14 by extension and retraction of the laterally extendable paver mechanism 16.
Typically, the extendable length of the platform extension 12 is less than the length of extension of the laterally extendable paver mechanism 16. A medial brace 60 is coupled to and extends between longitudinal sides 62 of the platform extension 12. The medial brace 60 may be fixed to the longitudinal flanges 48 and/or an underside of the planar top 46. The medial brace 60 has a gap 64 therein aligned with the collar 44. The post 40 extends through the gap 64. The plate 54 is positioned between the medial brace 60 and an outer brace 66 of the platform extension 12. A distance between the medial brace 60 and the outer brace 66 is equivalent to the difference in extension lengths of the platform extension 12 and the laterally extendable paver mechanism 16. Thus, the platform extension 12 is extended from the fixed platform 58 of the paver 14 when the plate 54 abuts the medial brace 60 to urge the platform extension 12 outwardly from the fixed platform 58. The plate 54 abuts the outer brace 66 of the platform extension 12 to urge the platform extension 12 inwardly to the fixed platform 58.
In use, the bracket 18 and post 40 may be installed on a pre-existing paver 14 or provided as part of the original manufacture of the paver 14. When added to an existing paver, as the platform extension 12 is typically a pre-existing component of the paver 14, the medial brace 60 is added to the platform extension 12 at the desired position to create lag in the movement of the platform extension 12 relative to the laterally extendable paver mechanism 16. The device 10 thus automates extension and retraction of the platform extension 12 corresponding to extension and retraction of the laterally extendable paver mechanism 16. Guides such as rails and stops, or the like, conventionally used and provided with a pre-existing platform extension are not shown.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
