Patent Application
20150240432
1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates to windbreak devices and more particularly pertains to a new windbreak device for facilitating lifting and moving of a windbreak by providing rotatable legs which need not be removed from the main panel to move and store the device.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a panel having a top edge, a bottom edge, and a pair of opposed side edges extending between the top edge and the bottom edge. A sleeve is coupled to the panel proximate the bottom edge of the panel. A leg has a pair of outer sections extending from a post. The post is inserted into the sleeve such that the post is rotatable in the sleeve. The post is retained in the sleeve when the panel is lifted.
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
Each leg 26 may be rotated to be transversely oriented relative to the panel 12 wherein the legs 26 support the panel 12 in a substantially vertical plane. A fastener 38 extends through a top end 34 of the sleeve 20. The fastener 38 engages the post 30 wherein the post 30 is retained in the respective sleeve 20. For each leg 26, an end washer 40 has an outer diameter 42 greater than an inner diameter 44 of the sleeve 20. The end washer 40 further has an inner diameter 46 less than the inner diameter 44 of the sleeve 20 wherein the end washer 40 is positionable on the top end 34 of the sleeve 20. The fastener 38 extends through the end washer 40 wherein the end washer 40 prevents the fastener 38 from passing fully into the sleeve 20. Each post 30 has a respective cavity 32 extending into the top end 34 of the post 30. A shaft 48 of the fastener 38 extends through a spacer 50. The spacer 50 is positioned in the cavity 32 and centers the shaft 48 of the fastener 38 in the sleeve 20. An outer diameter 52 of the spacer 52 is complementary to an inwardly facing surface 54 defining the cavity 32 wherein the spacer 50 is positioned in the cavity 32 and centers the shaft 48 of the fastener 38 within the post 30. The fastener 38 is secured by a nut 68 fastened to the shaft 48.
A respective screw 56 may be coupled to each sleeve 20. The screw 56 is extendable through a sidewall 58 of the sleeve 20 such that the screw 56 frictionally engages the post 30 within the sleeve 20 wherein the screw 56 inhibits rotation of the post 30 within the sleeve 20 when the screw 56 is tightened. The screw 56 may be inserted through a threaded nut 70 coupled securely to the sleeve 20 by a fixed connection such as a weld or the like. A grease fitting 72 is coupled to and extends into the sleeve 20 to facilitate the introduction of a lubricant such as grease into the sleeve 20 to facilitate rotation of the leg 26 within the sleeve 20.
At least one plate 60 may be coupled to the panel 12. The plate 60 is oriented such that the plate 60 extends downwardly relative to the panel 12 and away from the panel 12 defining a hook 62 wherein the plate 60 is configured for lifting the panel 12 when the plate 60 is inserted into a bucket, or similar attachment coupled to a boom arm or other movable mechanism of a vehicle such as a tractor, skidsteer, or the like. The plate 60 may be one of a pair of spaced plates 60. Each of the spaced plates 60 may be coupled to and extend from a mounting bracket 64 coupled to and extending upwardly from the top edge 14 of the panel 12. The spaced plates 60 may be substantially coplanar forming aligned hooks 62 parallel to the panel 12.
In use, the legs 26 are rotatable between storage positions parallel to the panel 12 and a supporting position transverse to the panel 12. The length of the outer sections 28 permits the legs 26 to remain attached to the panel 12 substantially at all times. The respective screw 56 is tightened to hold each leg 26 in a desired position between the parallel and transverse positions relative to the panel 12. The panel 12 may be lifted by engagement of a bucket or similar attachment to a vehicle capable of lifting and moving the panel 12 to a desired location.
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.
