US1158173A - Spring-board. - Google Patents

Description

E. F. CARPENTIER.

SPRING BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED MAH. s1. 1915.

1,15@,W3 Patented oet. 26, 1915.

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SPRING-BOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ct. 26, 1911.5.

Application filed. March 31, 1915. Serial No. 18,360.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST F. @narnia- Tinn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Garden Valley, in the county of Boise and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Boards, of which the following is a specification.

The present inventign relates to an improved spring board or platform support for use in felling trees, and has for its object to provide a device of this character which embodies novel features of construction whereby ,it can be very quickly applied to any tree without the necessity of notching the same in the usual manner, and will provide a most satisfactory platform support for workmen engaged in felling the tree.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a device of this character which'is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction, which can beI readily moved from place to place and quickly applied to any tree, regardless of the size thereof or the nature of the surrounding country, which is quicker and more satisfactory than the old method of notching the trees, and which comprises few and durable parts suoli as are not liable to get out of repair.

YWith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pair of spring board devices constructed in accordance with the invention, showing the same as applied to a tree. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the spring board devices. Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the devices with the board removed, portions of the head being broken away and shown in section.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

In actual practice a pair of the spring board devices are used in connection with each other and applied to opposite sides of the tree trunk, as indicated by Fig. l, although the construction of each of the spring board devices is identical so that a detail description of one of them will answer for both.

The numeral l designates the hea-d of the device, said head being preferably formed of metal and being provided with a rearwardly opening recess 2 adapted to receive the end of a board 3 or similar member. Projecting from the front of the head l is a pair of sharp prongs 4i which are adapted to be driven into the sides of the tree trunk at the desired elevation so as to provide a support for the head without the necessity of notching the tree trunk.

Projecting rearwardly from the bottom of the head l is a looped supporting frame 5 which is positioned under the board 3 and can be conveniently formed by suitably bending a bar or rodV of iron or like material into proper shape. The arms of the looped supporting frame 5 may be connected to the head l in any suitable manner, although in the present instance they are shown, for the purpose of illustration, as inserted through suitable openings in the head and returned or doubled upon themselves at G so as to grip portions of the head and provide a rigid connection therewith.

Toward the outer end of the looped supporting frame 5 the arms thereof are connected by a cross bar 7, said cross bar having the end portions thereof coiled around or otherwise rigidly secured to the sides of the frame 5, as indicated at 8, and terminating in eyes 9 which project laterally from opposite sides of the supporting frame and are engaged by flexible suspending chains or cables l0. These chains 10 are adapted to extend around the tree trunk at a point above the head and to be connected to each other, as indicated by Fig. l, so as to cooperate with the prongs 4 of the head to support the spring board in a substantially horizontal position. One of the suspending chains 10 may be provided at its free end with a hook 11 adapted to engage any selected one of the links of the other suspending chain so that the two chains can be very quickly drawn around the tree trunk and connected to each other in such a manner as to support the outer end of the frame 5 land hold the device in proper position. The outer end of the looped supporting frame 5 is also provided with a second cross bar 12 which is parallel to the previouslydescribed cross bar 7 and preferably spaced therefrom. The end por` tions of the second cross bar l2 are coiled around 0r otherwise rigidly secured to the side bars of the frame 5, as indicated at 13, Y

and are then extended upwardly to provide the positioning fingers 14: which are ar: ranged upon opposite sides of the board 8 and serve to hold the same in proper position upon the supporting frame 5 and to prevent lateral displacement thereof.- The board projects outwardly beyond the end of the looped supporting frame 5 so as to provide a convenient and suitable support for a workman engaged in felling the tree, the inner end of the board being securely positioned within'the recess 2 of the head so that the board has a slight spring action.

In actual use two of the spring board devices are .provided and applied to opposite sides of the tree trunk, as indicated by F ig. 1. The two spring board devices are arranged at the same elevationV and are applied to the tree trunk in the identical manner, although they project upon opposite sides thereof so as to provide supports for two workmen engaged in felling the tree.

lllhere a cross cut saw is used, one of the workmen can grasp the handle at each end Y .0f the saw and the saw can be moved back and forth in the necessary manner s0 that .the tree can be felled in a comparatively short period of time and with a minimum amount of exertion. After one tree has been felled the spring board device can be immediately removed therefrom and quickly applied to another tree. This device may be applied to a tree by an inexperienced workman in from three to five minutes, whereas f with the old method of notchmg a tree it l. A spring board device of the character described, including a head formed with a rearwardly opening recess, prongs projecting from the front of the head and adapted to be driven into a tree trunk, a U-shaped supporting frame projecting rearwardly from the head and rigid therewith, a board resting loosely upon the U-shaped supporting frame and having the end thereof received withinthe recess of the head, a cross bar connecting opposite sides of the U- shaped supporting frame, the ends of the cross bar being coiled around the side bars of the frame and terminating in eyes, and flexible suspending` cables connected to the said eyes and adapted to be wrapped around the tree trunk at a point above the head.

2. A spring board device of the character described, including a head formed with a rearwardly opening recess, prongs projecting` from the front of the head and adapted to be driven into a tree trunk, a U-shapcd supporting frame projecting rearwardly from the head and rigid therewith, a board resting loosely upon the said supporting frame and having its forward end received within the recess of the head, a cross bar connecting opposite sides of the looped supporting frame, the ends thereof being coiled around the side bars of the frame and the extremities being extended upwardly to provide positioning lingers which engage opposite sides of the board, a second cross bar having` a spaced and parallel relation to the first cross bar, the ends of the second cross bar being also coiled around the sides of the U-shaped frame and terminating in laterally projecting eyes, and liexible suspending cables connected to the said eyes and adapted to be wrapped around the tree trunk at a point above the head.

3. A spring board device of the character described, including a head formed with a rearwardly extending recess, prongs projecting from the front of the head and adapted to be driven into a tree trunk, a U-shapcd supporting frame projecting rearwardly from the head and rigid therewith, a board resting loosely upon the said supporting frame and having` thc forward end thereof received loosely within the recess of the head, and a pair of cross bars connecting the sides of the U-shaped supporting frame, the extremities of one of the cross bars being extended upwardly to provide positioning fingers which engage the opposite sides of the board to hold the same against lateral displacement, while the extremities of the opposite cross bar terminate in laterally projecting eyes, and flexible supporting cables connected to the eyes and adapted to be wrapped around the tree trunk at a point above the head.

In testimony whereof I alix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST F. CARPENTIER.

lllitnesses FRANCIS J. CAs'rLn, Josnrrr A. JEAUNOT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yateiits. Washington, D. C.

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