AU2007100283A4

AU2007100283A4 - Building guide device

Info

Publication number: AU2007100283A4
Application number: AU2007100283A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Garry Richard Bretherton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-04-10
Filing date: 2007-04-10
Publication date: 2007-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 2015-04-10

Description

Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION PATENT SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Carry Richard Bretherton of 60 Sampson Road, Numurkah, Victoria 3636, Australia Carry Richard Bretherton DAVIES COLLISON CAVE, Patent Attorneys, 1 Nicholson Street, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia Innovation Patent specification for the invention entitled: "Building guide device" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: Q \OPER\JPN\2007\APRIL\30189376 100 DOC 10/4/07 P \OPERJPMbrho\'on30189376 mov dm -1- SBUILDING GUIDE DEVICE Field of the Invention 00 5 This invention relates to a building guide device and, more particularly but not Sexclusively, to a device for anchoring a line of string or the like so as to provide a straight guide line for use in building, landscaping, etc., commonly referred to as a builders' hurdle.

Background of the Invention It is known to provide a builders' hurdle for attachment of a length of stringline for setting a straight guide line for use in building, landscaping and the like. For example, wooden hurdles formed of two legs and a cross-member (such as the kind shown in Figure 1) have previously been used to provide a straight guide line when building a brick wall or laying a concrete slab. The legs are driven into the ground, and a nail embedded in the cross-member serves as an anchorage point for attaching the stringline which is pulled taut so as to maintain a direct straight line between its anchorages. In a variation (see Figure 2) it has been previously proposed to replace the wooden legs with star pickets.

However, these previously proposed builders' hurdles are not able to be adjusted, other than by driving the legs further into the ground, and are typically discarded after each use as they are bulky and are commonly built in situ from offcut materials.

The applicant has determined it would be advantageous to provide an improved builders' hurdle.

Summary of the Invention In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a building guide device having a support located relative to a ground surface, the support carrying an anchorage member for anchoring a length of guide line, wherein the anchorage member is P \OPERUPN\b¢h'1onOI91 76 Innov dc r-2able to be adjusted in position relative to the support between a range of anchorage positions.

Preferably, the support is in the form of an upright support and the anchorage 00 5 member is carried by a horizontal arm, the horizontal arm being movable vertically along Sthe upright support and the anchorage member being movable along the length of the arm whereby to adjust the position of the guide line.

Preferably, the device has a second anchorage member for anchoring a second length of guide line, the second anchorage member being carried by a second horizontal arm along which it is movable, the second horizontal arm being carried by the upright member and being substantially perpendicular to the first horizontal arm.

In a preferred example, the building guide device includes means for locking the one or more anchorage members relative to the respective horizontal arm(s) in a selected position, and means for locking the one or more horizontal arms relative to the upright support in a selected position.

Preferably, the upright support is carried by a ground engaging stand.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention is described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a previously proposed builders' hurdle made with wooden legs; Figure 2 shows an alternative previously proposed builders' hurdle made with legs formed of star pickets; P \OPER\JPMbmhIOOi(I19376 mnov dO -3- Figure 3 is a perspective view of a building guide device in accordance with a first example of the present invention; Figure 4 is a perspective view of an upright support of the building guide device 00 5 shown in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a building guide device in accordance with a second example of the present invention; Figure 6 shows three views of the building guide device in accordance with the first example; Figure 7 shows a plurality of building guide devices in accordance with the first example, in use; Figure 8 shows various extension accessories for the building guide devices shown in Figures 3 to 7; and Figure 9 shows a peg for fixing the building guide devices shown in Figures 3 to 7 to a ground surface, as well as a tool for removing the peg.

Detailed Description With reference to Figures 3 to 9, there is shown a building guide device 10 having a support 12 located relative to a ground surface 14, the support 12 carrying an anchorage member 16 for anchoring a length of guide line 18. The anchorage member 16 is able to be adjusted in position relative to the support 12 between a range of anchorage positions.

Accordingly, the building guide device 10 is able to be used in setting guide lines for use in building and/or landscaping applications. By anchoring the length of guide line 18 between a pair of building guide devices 10, the guide line 18 is readily able to be adjusted into the correct position.

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With reference to Figure 4, the support 12 is in the form of an upright support having a plurality of legs 20 with apertures 22 formed therein for fixing the support 12 to the ground surface 14 by way of pegs. Referring back to Figure 3, the anchorage member 16 is carried by a horizontal arm 24, the horizontal arm 24 being movable vertically along the upright support 12, and the anchorage member 16 is movable along the length of the horizontal arm 24 whereby to adjust the position of the guide line 18 in multiple directions.

The horizontal arm 24 has a sleeve 26 which fits over the upright support 12 so as to enable the horizontal arm 24 to be slid up and down along the length of the support 12 to a desired position. Similarly, the anchorage member 16 has a sleeve 28 which fits over the horizontal arm 24 to enable the anchorage member 16 to be slid along the length of the horizontal arm 24 to a desired position.

The sleeve 26 of the horizontal arm 24 is provided with means for locking the horizontal arm 24 relative to the upright support 12 in a selected position, in the form of a grub screw 30 or the like. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other locking means such as spring-biased fingers and correspondingly shaped receiving apertures may be used as alternatives to the grub screws 30. Similarly, the sleeve 28 of the anchorage member 16 is provided with means for locking the anchorage member 16 relative to the horizontal arm 24 in a selected position. The means for locking the anchorage member 16 in position relative to the horizontal arm 24 may also take the form of a grub screw 30 or the like.

Although the accompanying drawings show the upright support 12 being carried by a ground engaging stand 32 in the form of a plurality of legs 20 extending mutually perpendicularly, alternative examples of the building guide device may have an upright support which is driven into the ground surface in a similar manner to a typical stake.

With reference to Figure 5, a building guide device 10 in accordance with a second example of the present invention has a second anchorage member 34 carried by a second P 'OPERVPN ,blhaonOIX189)76 'no' doc horizontal arm 36 along which it is movable. The second horizontal arm 36 is carried by the upright support 12 and is substantially perpendicular to the first horizontal arm 24.

Other features of the building guide device 10 of Figure 5 are similar to those of the building guide device 10 shown in Figure 3, and like features have been numbered with 00 5 like reference numerals. Advantageously, by using two mutually perpendicular horizontal

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arms 24, 36 the building guide device 10 of Figure 5 is able to serve to anchor guide lines extending in mutually perpendicular directions such as may be required at a corner of a proposed building site.

Figure 6a shows a side view of the single horizontal arm building guide device of Figure 3, Figure 6b shows an opposite side view of the building guide device 10, and Figure 6c shows a rear view of the building guide device 10. Advantageously, as the upright support 12 is of the same cross section as the legs 20, when not in use, the horizontal arm 24 is able to be removed from the upright support 12 and fitted over the central leg 20 such that the arm member 38 is nested alongside the upright support 12, so as to facilitate transportation and compact storage of the device.

Figure 7 shows a configuration in which eight like building guide devices 10 in accordance with the first example of the present invention are used to set guiding lines. It will be appreciated that each corner pair of devices 10 may be replaced by a single dual horizontal arm type device, similar to the one shown in Figure Figures 8a to 8c show various accessories which may be used in conjunction with the building guide devices 10 of the present invention. More particularly, Figure 8a shows a horizontal/vertical joiner 40 which is able to be used to extend either the upright support 12 or horizontal arm 24 of the building guide device 10. As will be seen, the horizontal/vertical joiner 40 has a sleeve 42 with a cross section the same as the cross sections of sleeves 26 and 28 such that the joiner 40 may be fitted over either the upright support 12 or the horizontal arm 24 when an extension is required. An extension bar 44 as shown in Figure 8c may also be engaged in the joiner 40 by virtue of locking screws 46 so as to provide the necessary extension. Figure 8b shows a perpendicular extension P \OPERUPMb Ih~wc3OI89376 nmnov doc -6- Saccessory 48 having a pair of sleeves fixed in mutually perpendicular relationship to enable the extension bar 44 to be mounted perpendicularly to the upright support 12 or either horizontal arm 24, 36.

005 With reference to Figures 9a and 9b, a peg 50 for fixing the legs 20 relative to the ground surface 14 is shown. The peg 50 comprises an elongated shaft 52 and a pulling ring 54. Figures 9a and 9b also show a peg removing tool 56 having handles 58 at one end, and rods 60 at the opposite end for removing the peg 50 from the ground surface 14 by engagement of the rods 60 in the pulling ring 54.

The above building guide devices have been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

Claims

1. A building guide device having a support located relative to a ground surface, the support carrying an anchorage member for anchoring a length of guide line, 0 0 5 wherein the anchorage member is able to be adjusted in position relative to the Ssupport between a range of anchorage positions. 0

2. A building guide device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support is in the form of an upright support and the anchorage member is carried by a horizontal arm, the horizontal arm being movable vertically along the upright support and the anchorage member being movable along the length of the arm whereby to adjust the position of the guide line.

3. A building guide device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the device has a second anchorage member for anchoring a second length of guide line, the second anchorage member being carried by a second horizontal arm along which it is movable, the second horizontal arm being carried by the upright member and being substantially perpendicular to the first horizontal arm.

4. A building guide device as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, including means for locking the one or more anchorage members relative to the respective horizontal arm(s) in a selected position, and means for locking the one or more horizontal arms relative to the upright support in a selected position.

5. A building guide device as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the upright support is carried by a ground engaging stand.