AU773794B2

AU773794B2 - A jacking system

Info

Publication number: AU773794B2
Application number: AU53387/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Geoffrey Ralph Lyster
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-08-20
Filing date: 2000-08-16
Publication date: 2004-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 2020-08-16
Also published as: AU5338700A

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT (Original) APPLICATION NO:

LODGED:

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION LODGED:

ACCEPTED:

PUBLISHED:

RELATED ART: NAME OF APPLICANT: ACTUAL INVENTOR: ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: INVENTION TITLE: GEOFFREY RALPH LYSTER GEOFFREY RALPH LYSTER LORD COMPANY Patent Trade Mark Attorneys 4 Douro Place West Perth, Western Australia, 6005

AUSTRALIA.

"A JACKING SYSTEM" DETAILS OF ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION NO'S: Australian Provisional Patent Application Number PQ2334 filed on August 20, 1999.

Australian Provisional Patent Application Number PQ2355 filed on August 23, 1999.

The following Statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me/us:

TITLE

"A JACKING SYSTEM" The present invention relates to a jacking system for raising a wheel of a vehicle relative to the ground.

It is known to provide a jack for raising a wheel relative to the ground which includes an incremental hydraulic pump or which includes a low ratio gear mechanism. In both of these types of jacks, it is necessary for a user to expend energy in operating the jack in order to cause the jack to expand and thereby raise the desired wheel. Such jacks are relatively complex and expensive and such an operation is time consuming.

The present invention seeks therefore, among other things, to provide a system which overcomes at least one of the above mentioned disadvantages.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a jacking system including a jack member having a ground engaging portion, an upstanding portion and a jack member portion located on the upstanding portion, and a vehicle portion accommodated, in use, on a vehicle adjacent a wheel of the vehicle, the jack member portion being rotatably engageable, in use, with the vehicle portion, the .:oo.i arrangement being such that when the jack member portion is engaged, in use, with the vehicle portion and the vehicle is caused to move towards the jack member, the said wheel is caused to raise relative to the ground.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a jack member of a jacking system in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the jack member shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic side view of the jack member shown in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic side view of a vehicle provided with vehicle portions of a jacking system in accordance with the present invention; Figures 5a, 5b and 5c are diagrammatic side views of the vehicle shown in Figure 4, with the jack member shown in Figures 1-3 engaged with a vehicle portion and with the jack member shown in use in different positions relative to the vehicle; Figure 6a is a diagrammatic perspective view of a portion of an alternative jack member with a jack member portion shown engaged with a vehicle portion in use; *and Figure 6b is a diagrammatic perspective view of the jack member engagement portion shown in Figure 6a.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a jack member 10 of a jacking system in accordance with the present invention.

The jack member 10 is of generally a A-shaped configuration and includes an elongate base portion 12, an elongate first arm member 14, an elongate second arm member 16 and a jack member portion 18, in this example in the form of an elongate cylinder member 18. The base portion 12, the first and second arm members 14, 16 and the cylinder member 18 are formed of any suitable material which is sufficiently strong to withstand forces exerted by a vehicle during use.

The base portion 12, the first arm member 14 and the second arm member 16 may be fixed together by any strong fixing means, for example by welding. Likewise, the cylinder member 18 may be fixed relative to the first and second arm members 14, 16 by any strong fixing means, for example by welding.

4 Also provided are ground engaging means in the form of resilient feet 20, which may be formed of nrubber. The resilient feet 20 serve to increase the friction, in use, betwveen the jack. member 10 and the ground, and also serve to minimise damage to the ground, during use, when the jack member 10 is used on a road surface.

The jacking system also includes a vehicle portion. In Figure 4, there is shown a vehicle 22 provided with two vehicle portions in the form of a front tube portion 24 and a rear tube portion 26. In this example, the front tube portion 24 and the rear tube portion 26 are each in the form of an elongate square section tube having an internal aperture of suitable size to rotatably receive the cylinder member 18 in use. The front and rear tube portions 24, 26 are formed of any suitable material which is sufficiently strong to withstand forces exerted by a vehicle during use. The front and rear tube portions 24, 26 are fixed to the vehicle by any strong fixing means, for example by welding.

Also shown are a front wheel 28 located adjacent the front tube portion 24 and a rear wheel 30 located adjacent the rear tube portion 26.

The jacking system is shown in use in Figures In use, the jack member 10 is engaged with the vehicle 22 by tilting the jack member to a sufficiently shallow angle relative to the ground 32 and engaging the cylinder member 18 with the front or rear tube portion 24, 26 as shown in Figure 5a. In this position only one of the feet 20 of the jack member 10 contacts the ground 32. A user then operates the vehicle 22 so as to cause the vehicle 22 to move towards the jack member 10 and thereby cause the jack member 10 to pivot relative to the front tube portion 24 and relative to the ground 32. Since the distance between the cylinder member 18 and a location intermediate the two feet 20 is greater than the distance between the front tube portion 24 and the ground 32 when the front wheel 28 is in contact with the ground 32, as the vehicle 22 moves forward and the jack member pivots from the position shown in Figure 5a to the position shown in Figure 5b, the front wheel 28 is caused to raise relative to the ground 32. Further movement of the vehicle 22 towards the jack member 10 effects further pivoting of the jack member to a stable position shown in Figure 5c wherein both feet 20 contact the ground 32. In this position, the front wheel 28 is held in a raised position relative to the ground by the jack member 10 and the user can carry out the necessary operations on the front :wheel 28.

In some circumstances, the friction, in use, between the jack member 10 and the ground is insufficient to prevent linear movement of the jack member 10 relative to "the ground, for example when the vehicle is located on smooth concrete. To overcome this disadvantage, a link member could be connected to the base portion of the jack member 10 and located adjacent and forwardly (or rearwardly as appropriate) of a wheel of the vehicle remote from the jack member. In this way, in use, when the vehicle is moved forwards (or backwards), the remote wheel moves onto the link member, holds the link member and thereby restrains movement of the jack member away from the wheel to be raised during use. The link member may be a rope, chain or any other suitable device for restraining linear movement of the jack member during use.

It will be understood that in order for the jacking system to operate as described above, the traction provided by the non-raised three wheels of the vehicle should be sufficient to cause pivoting of the jack member 10 and thereby raising of the desired wheel. Such vehicles includes four wheel drive vehicles.

It will be appreciated that the above described operation is similar when the jack member 10 is engaged with the rear tube portion 26 except that, in this instance, the user operates the vehicle so as to cause the vehicle to move backwards.

It will be appreciated that although the present invention has been described with reference to an A-shaped jack member, other shaped jack members are envisaged, the important aspect being that the jack member is stable in at least one position, and that the distance between the jack member portion and the ground when the jack member is in the stable position is greater than the distance between the vehicle portion and -the ground when the relevant wheel is in contact with the ground.

It will also be appreciated that locking means may be provided between the vehicle portion and the jack member portion, which locking means permits engagement of the jack member portion with the vehicle portion when the jack member portion is in a particular orientation, and restricts withdrawal of the jack member portion from the vehicle portion during use of the jack member. Such locking means is shown in Figures 6a and 6b in the form of a tab portion 34 provided on an end of the jack member portion 18 remote from the first and second arm members 14, 16. The arrangement is such that the jack member portion 18 is reciprocably moveable relative to the vehicle portion 24 when the tab portion 34 is directed towards an internal corner portion of the vehicle portion 24, and the jack member portion 18 is restricted from being withdrawn from the vehicle portion 24 when the tab portion 34 does not extend towards an internal corner portion. However, other locking means which serve to restrict withdrawal of the jack member portion 18 from the vehicle portion 24 during use of the jack member are envisaged.

It will also be appreciated that instead of rigidly fixing the jack member portion 18 relative to the first and second arm members 14, 16, the jack member portion 18 may include a non-circular shaped end portion which is engageable with a corresponding non-circular shaped aperture in the jack member 10. In such a situation, suitable means for selectively restraining withdrawal of the jack member portion 18 from the jack member 10 would preferably be provided.

Furthermore, it will also be appreciated that the jack member portion may alternatively take the form of a receiving portion, for example an aperture, and the vehicle portion may alternatively take the form of an elongate member connected to the vehicle. In this situation, the receiving portion would be rotatably engageable with the elongate member. Suitable means for selectively restraining disconnection of the "elongate member from the receiving portion would preferably be provided.

Alternatively, both the jack member portion and the vehicle portion could take the form of a receiving portion, for example an aperture, and an elongate member provided which is adapted to rotatably engage with both receiving portions. In this way, the jack member may be rotatably connected to the vehicle.

Furthermore, it will also be appreciated that the jack member may include a stop member extending from an upper portion of the jack member, the stop member serving to contact the vehicle in use and thereby limit pivotal movement of the jack member relative to the vehicle.

Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A jacking system, including a jack member and a vehicle portion, the vehicle portion being attached near the wheel of a'vehicle and being displaced from the wheel in a radial direction, the jack member having a first ground engaging portion, an upstanding portion and a vehicle engaging portion located on the upstanding portion, the vehicle engaging portion being rotatably engageable, in use, with the vehicle portion, whereby when, in use, the ground engaging means is engaged with the ground and the vehicle engaging portion is engaged with the vehicle portion, and the vehicle is caused to move towards the jack member, the jack member pivots about the first ground engaging portion to a position of stable equilibrium and the wheel is caused to be raised relative to the ground.

2. A jacking system according to Claim 1, characterised in that the jack member includes a second ground engaging portion arranged to contact the ground when, in use, the wheel has been raised.

3. A jacking system according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the vehicle engaging portion includes locking means arranged to restrict disengagement of the vehicle engaging portion from the vehicle portion.

4. A jacking system according to Claim 3, characterised in that the vehicle portion includes locking means arranged to restrict disengagement of the vehicle engaging portion from the vehicle portion A jacking system according to any one of the preceding Claims, characterised in that vehicle engaging portion is releasably attached to the jack member.

6. A jacking system according to any one of the preceding Claims, characterised in that the jack member includes a stablising member, wherein the stabilising member has a free end which locates, in use, adjacent a wheel of the vehicle which is not raised.

7. A jacking system according to any one of the preceding Claims, characterised in that the jack member includes a stop member extending from the upstanding portion wherein, in use, the stop member contacts the vehicle and limits rotation of the jack member relative to the vehicle.

8. A jacking system substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings. DATED THIS 6 m DAY OF APRIL 2004 GEOFFREY RALPH LYSTER By his Patent Attorneys LORD COMPANY PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 0 *4o