Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02479340 2004-08-27
TELESCOPING SHORING POST
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a shoring post, in particular to a
telescoping shoring post
used in systems used for construction.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
In typical construction systems, a shoring post is used to help support,
usually a ceiling or roof.
With varying heights of ceilings, it is obviously beneficial to have a shoring
post that is able to be
quickly adjusted from one height to another, while at the same time ensuring a
safe work
environment for all workers.
Truss systems, such as US 6,116,567 exist, which involve screw jacks, which
rotate around the
post to adjust the height. While this is fine for small adjustments, if one
wishes to extend or
retract the post several feet, this could be very time consuming.
Another type of shoring post, such as in CAN 2,249,921, is adjustable and can
be used in a
system or on their own. These types of shoring posts use a screw, while others
of a similar type
use a pin-type assembly. While both of these allow for the post to be extended
quicker than a
screw-jack type, having to use small screws and pins, which may not only be
difficult to use, but
are also easily lost.
There remains a need for a telescopic shoring post that can be quickly
adjusted from one
position to another.
There also remains a need for a shoring post of simpler design, with much
fewer pieces
involved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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The preferred embodiment is a shoring post, comprising a hollow outer leg, a
plurality of slots
along the length of the outer leg, an inner leg dimensioned to fit within the
outer leg, a tongue
plate welded to one end of the inner leg, the tongue plate including a
plurality of tongue
members, wherein the inner leg may be rotated within the outer leg from a
first position where
the tongue members are fully within the outer leg, and a second position where
the tongue
members extend through the slot, locking the inner leg in position relative to
the outer leg.
Additionally, the preferred embodiment of the shoring post includes an
adjusting screw
assembly, an adjusting handle, and a plurality of support pins, where the
screw assembly is
used for fine adjustments to the length of the post. There is also a lower
outer leg at the
opposite end of the screw assembly. Another addition to the preferred
embodiment includes a
plurality of grooves along the length of the inner leg and the outer leg.
Other aspects and advantages of the device will become apparent from the
following Detailed
Description and the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be better understood with reference to the
drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view a shoring post according to the present
invention;
Figure 2 is a side view of a preferred shoring post;
Figure 3a is a view of section A-A from Fig 2, with the tongue in the unlocked
position;
Figure 3b is a view of section B-B from Fig 2, with the tongue in the locked
position;
Figure 4 is a side view of the inner tube;
Figure 5a is a view of section C-C from Fig. 4;
Figure 5b is a bottom view of the inner tube from Fig 4;
Figure 6 is a side view of the outer tube;
Figure 7 is a view of section D-D from Fig 6;
Figure 8 is a view of section E-E from Fig 7; and
Figure 9 is a side view of the shoring post with an alternate method of making
fine
adjustments.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Reference is now made to the drawings. In the preferred embodiment, each post
10 has an
inner tubel 2 and an outer tube 14. The inner tube 12 is adapted to extend
telescopically from
within the outer tubel4, as depicted in Figure 1. Inner tube 12 can be seen
best in Figures 4,
5a, and 5b.
Inner tube 12 has a tongue plate 19 integrally connected to one end. Tongue
plate 19 includes
a plurality of tongue members 20 located along inner tubel2. As will be
appreciated by one
skilled in the art, inner tube 12 can have as few as two tongue members or
could have
numerous tongue members 20 vertically displaced from one another when inner
tube 12 is in an
supporting position. Further, tongue members 20 are preferably grouped on the
same horizontal
plain and across from each other in one embodiment. Alternative embodiments
could however
include tongue members one each side of inner tube 12 at different levels.
In a preferred embodiment, tongue members 20 are located at a lower end of
inner tube 12.
However, this is not a requirement and tongue members 20 could be at various
points along the
length of inner tube 20.
Tongue members 20 extend orthogonally from inner tube 12 and are dimensioned
to extend
through slots 22 in outer tube 14. The tongue members 20 and slots 22 are used
to make large
adjustments to the post 10 very quickly.
As can be seen in Figure 2, in the preferred embodiment, at post 10 includes
an upper outer
tube 14 and a lower tube 16. Outer tube 14 includes a screw bore in its lower
portion, and lower
tube 16 includes a screw bore in its upper end. Between outer tube 14 and
lower tube 16 is a
adjusting screw assembly 24. This screw assembly 24 is used to make fine
adjustments to the
length of the post 10 and includes an adjusting handle 26 and a plurality of
support pins 28. The
fine adjustment screw assembly 24 has a double thread so a single rotation
will allow twice the
distance, compared to a single thread. Once the screw assembly 24 has been
adjusted to the
appropriate length, the support pins 28 are used to secure it in place.
In the preferred embodiment screw assembly 24 is located at approximately the
waist height of a
worker to facilitate the fine adjustment of post 10 and to ease the removal of
post 10.
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Other methods of fine adjustments may be used in this device, one of which is
shown in Figure
9, where a release type system 34 is used between the outer tube 14 and the
lower tube 16.
Release type systems 34 and other fine adjustment systems are known to those
skilled in the
art.
A base plate on the lower tube 16 preferably is curled upwards to allow the
base plate to be
impacted by a hammer. This facilitates removal in some cases. The base plate
further
preferably includes a hole to allow coupling of two posts of the insertion of
another jack at the
bottom of post 10.
As also seen in Figures 1 and 2, the preferred embodiment also includes a post
head 18 at the
end of the post 10, telescoping from the inner tube 12, used for support. The
length that the
post head 18 extends from the inner tube 12 and may be adjusted by any of
several types of
configurations, such as using a screw, or a pin-type configuration. In the
embodiments shown in
Figure 2 and in Figure 9, a spring pin 38 is used.
The preferred embodiment of the outer tube 14 is shown in Figures 6 to 8. As
can be seen in
Figure 7, the cross section is of the approximately rectangular, with an
opposite set of outwardly
rounded corners 30, and an opposite set of inwardly rounded corners 32. The
cross-section of
the outer leg 14 is dimensioned so that the entire inner leg 12 and tongue
members 20 will fit
entirely within the outer leg 14, when the tongue members are located within
the outwardly
rounded corners 32 (Figure 3a). This configuration of the outer tube 14 is not
essential to the
device, however it allows for recesses for the thumb and fingers. In the
preferred embodiment
shown in Figure 8 is located an outer hole 44, dimensioned to receive a
support pin 28.
The slots 22 in the outer tubel4 (best seen in Figure 1 ) are spaced so that
when the inner tube
12 may be rotated from having the tongue members 20 entirely within the outer
tube 14, to
having the tongue members 20 extend through the slots 22 in the outer tube,
locking the inner
tube 12 in place within the outer tube 14. In the preferred embodiment the
tongue members 20
travel along a non-resistant surface, to allow for easier rotation of the
inner tube 12 within the
outer leg 14. There is also a small downward indentation (not shown) in the
slot 22, allowing the
tongue members 20 to lock into the indentation due to gravity. This prevents
the accidental
collapse when raised into position or when under load.
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Further, in one embodiment tongue member 20 include a hole for the insertion
of a pin or other
device in order to prevent the rotation of inner tube 12 when tongue members
20 are engaged in
slots 22.
In one embodiment, slots 22 are space every 6 inches or 15 cm to allow for the
quick rough
adjustment of inner tube 12 within outer tube 14. Other dimensions are also
possible.
Post 10 is therefore configured to the proper length by adjusting inner tube
12 within outer tube
14 using tongue members 20 and slots 22. Inner tube 12 and outer tube 14 are
adjusted to the
approximate length required for post 10. Fine adjustment can then be
accomplished using a fine
adjustment mechanism such as screw assembly 24 or adjustment mechanism 34.
As is best seen in Figure 7, tongue members 20 are slid into slots 22 by
rotating inner tube 12
through an angle of 45 degrees. Other rotation angles are however possible.
In the preferred embodiment of the inner tube 12, as shown in Figure 4, 5a,
and 5b, the leg is of
a general cylindrical shape, which allows for it to be easily rotated within
the outer leg 14. In this
embodiment, the tongue plate 19 is welded to the bottom of the inner tubel2.
Also, shown in
Figures 5a and 5b, the preferred embodiment of the tongue plate includes two
tongue members
20, however a different number of tongue members may be used. Shown in the
embodiment in
Figure 4, near the opposite end of the inner leg 12 as the tongue plate 19 is
located a pin hole
40.
As can be seen in the embodiment shown in Figure 3b, support pin 28 fits
through the outwardly
rounded corners 30 of the outer tubel4. In this embodiment there are also a
pair of spring pins
38 through the support pin 28, to lock it in place.
Also shown in the embodiment in Figure 3b is a pair of safety pins 40 to
further lock the tongue
members 20 in place. These safety pins 40, along with the indentation in the
slot 22 are not
essential to the device, but are features added to greatly increase the
overall safety of the
shoring post.
In the preferred embodiment of the shoring post 10, there are a plurality of
grooves 42 located
along the length of both the inner leg 12 and the outer leg 14. A further type
of support device in
CA 02479340 2004-08-27
a construction system may be used to engage the grooves 42 to add additional
support in
different directions, or to attach any type of accessories using a bolt. T-
Bolts can be used in
conjunction with grooves 42 and can be inserted and then tamed to lock. This
can be used to
make post 10 part of a shoring frame, for example.
The present post system therefore provides a means for faster removal or
replacement for a
post by providing a tongue and groove system for gross adjustment of the inner
tube within the
outer tube. Tongue members are affixed to inner tube 12 thereby allowing the
quick removal
and replacement of the post without having to find pins or align holes. The
preferred shape of
the outer tube 14 is configured for easy handling, allowing the worker's
thumbs and fingers to
grip the post.
In a preferred embodiment post 10 is comprised of aluminium. Other materials
could be used
however.
The present post could be used for shoring, as part of a formwork system or
for other uses
known to those skilled in the art.
These and other advantages of the present system are evident from the above
and with
reference to the drawings.
