Patent Application
20210269292
The present invention generally relates to jack posts. More specifically to jack posts with angled terminal ends.
Jack posts have been used to support vertical members for centuries. Modern jack posts generally consist of telescopic, tubular, braces and have three primary parts: the main cylinder known as the post, the jack screw and plates on each end. Both ends are normally fitted with metal flanges that provide additional support. Most jack posts are split in two near the middle, with the upper end carrying the jack designed to slide within the lower portion. Adjustments to length are usually made by pulling a pin and sliding the two sections within each other, re-inserting the pin to lock them, and then using the internal screw jack to make fine adjustments. Jack posts are typically used to support existing horizontal beams while supports are removed or repaired. Many such posts offer a means for adjusting widths. U.S. Pat. No. 8,001,733B2 Adjustable jack post. U.S. Pat. No. 2,570,282A disclosed an adjustable floor leveling device. U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,564B2 teaches of a ground-anchor brace system for modular buildings. U.S. Pat. No. 91,564B2 disclosed a ground-anchor brace system for modular buildings. U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,279B1 teaches of adjustable outrigger-type posts for manufactured homes. United States paten No. US20040182982A1 disclosed conventional column jacks for foundations. U.S. Pat. No. 2,812,077A disclosed a wall jack While a majority of these posts available on the market offer support at 90-degree angles, a few allow users to support members at various angles. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,410,380A, 2,583,945A, 2,229,521A and 1,482,846A disclosed angled posts for tree felling but these are not designed as permanent support structures.
The device herein disclosed and described provides a solution to the shortcomings in the prior art through the disclosure of an adjustable jack post with angled flanges on each end. An object of the invention is to support leaning, vertical members. For example, if a tree is blown over in a wind storm and a property owner wants to save the tree and make it upright once again, they can position the post at an angle and prevent it from falling over more. Other examples can include correcting the angle of walls and signs etc.
Another object of the invention is to provide a means to allow users to anchor one end of the post into the ground while the other end supports the vertical member. In the above example, one end of the jack post has a shovel-shaped flange that digs into the ground to prevent movement while the other end has a curved, Y-shaped flange with a lip that can support a tree. In another example a flat-shaped flange can support a leaning wall.
Another object of this invention is to provide a means to expand or retract when under load. The jack post has a worm gear inside the body that engages a bevel gear that can be turned by a manual hand crank. The gear ratio is designed to allow a user to exert several tons of force to expand the post and move vertical members such as trees or retaining walls etc. in order to make them upright once again.
Another object of the aforementioned invention is to allow a user the jack post to be compact when not in use. The aforementioned hand crank can also be used to make the jack post smaller thus more amenable for storage.
It is briefly noted that upon a reading this disclosure, those skilled in the art will recognize various means for carrying out these intended features of the invention. As such it is to be understood that other methods, applications and systems adapted to the task may be configured to carry out these features and are therefore considered to be within the scope and intent of the present invention, and are anticipated. With respect to the above description, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the herein disclosed invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention herein described is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. As used in the claims to describe the various inventive aspects and embodiments, “comprising” means including, but not limited to, whatever follows the word “comprising”. Thus, use of the term “comprising” indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, but that other elements are optional and may or may not be present. By “consisting of” is meant including, and limited to, whatever follows the phrase “consisting of”. Thus, the phrase “consisting of” indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, and that no other elements may be present. By “consisting essentially of” is meant including any elements listed after the phrase, and limited to other elements that do not interfere with or contribute to the activity or action specified in the disclosure for the listed elements. Thus, the phrase “consisting essentially of” indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, but that other elements are optional and may or may not be present depending upon whether or not they affect the activity or action of the listed elements. The objects features, and advantages of the present invention, as well as the advantages thereof over existing prior art, which will become apparent from the description to follow, are accomplished by the improvements described in this specification and hereinafter described in the following detailed description which fully discloses the invention, but should not be considered as placing limitations thereon.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate some, but not the only or exclusive, examples of embodiments and/or features.
Other aspects of the present invention shall be more readily understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and the following detailed description, neither of which should be considered limiting.
In this description, the directional prepositions of up, upwardly, down, downwardly, front, back, top, upper, bottom, lower, left, right and other such terms refer to the device as it is oriented and appears in the drawings and are used for convenience only; they are not intended to be limiting or to imply that the device has to be used or positioned in any particular orientation. Conventional components of the invention are elements that are well-known in the prior art and will not be discussed in detail for this disclosure.
It is additionally noted and anticipated that although the device is shown in its most simple form, various components and aspects of the device may be differently shaped or slightly modified when forming the invention herein. As such those skilled in the art will appreciate the descriptions and depictions set forth in this disclosure or merely meant to portray examples of preferred modes within the overall scope and intent of the invention, and are not to be considered limiting in any manner. While all of the fundamental characteristics and features of the invention have been shown and described herein, with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure and it will be apparent that in some instances, some features of the invention may be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth. It should also be understood that various substitutions, modifications, and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.
