US3022970A

US3022970A - Antenna mast support

Info

Publication number: US3022970A
Application number: US7602A
Authority: US
Inventors: William B Watkins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-02-09
Filing date: 1960-02-09
Publication date: 1962-02-27
Anticipated expiration: 1979-02-27

Description

Feb. 27, 1962 w, w s 3,022,970

ANTENNA MAST SUPPORT Filed Feb. 9, 1960 INVENTOR. 39 w/u MIM 5. W4 T/r/NJ 4 T TOP/v5 v5 ttes This invention relates to devices for supporting antenna masts, and more particularly to an antenna mast support adapted to be mounted on a chimney.

The main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved antenna mast support for securing a vertical antenna mast to a chimney, the support being simple in construction, being easy to install, and providing a rigid connection of the antenna mast to the chimney.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved antenna mast support adapted to secure a vertical antenna mast rigidly and in spaced relation to a chimney, the mast support being inexpensive to fabricate, being durable in construction, and being arranged so that it can be rapidly installed on a chimney with a minimum amount of labor and without requiring the use of fastening bolts or similar threaded or detachable fastening elements.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an improved antenna mast support device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the antenna mast supporting device illustrated in FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view, partly in horizontal cross section, of the antenna mast device of FIGURES 1 and 2, showing the manner in which a vertical antenna mast is clamped to the device.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of FiGURE 2.

FiGURE 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the manner in which a tensioning tool is employed to move the antenna mast locking bail employed with the device of FIGURES 1 to 5 to its clamping position.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a tensioning tool which may be employed in mounting the device of FIGURES 1 to 5 on a chimney.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates an antenna mast support device according to the present invention. The device 11 comprises a substantially rigid corner piece, designated generally at 12, consisting of a pair of

rigid abutment bars

13 and 14 which are formed with respective connecting

bar portions

15 and 16 which are suitably fastened together in any appropriate manner, for example, by welding or by the use of rivets, or the like. As shown in dotted view in FIGURE 1, the

abutment bars

12 and 13 may be bent from the dotted View positions to the full line positions illustrated in FIGURE 1, namely, to positions wherein said abutment bars are substantially at right angles to each other with the rigidly joined

bar elements

15 and 16 projecting from the apex of the rightangled structure defined by

members

12 and 13. The

abutment bars

12 and 13 are formed with apertures 18 through which suitable nails 19 or similar anchoring members may be driven to anchor the

bars

12 and 13 to the surface of a wallwhen the device is being installed as a wall mount.

A flexible metal fastening strap 21 is connected to the end of the abutment bar 13 by a conventional fastening sleeve 22, the end of the strap being looped through a slot 23 provided in the end of the abutment bar 13 and being engaged in the buckle 22 in a conventional manner to secure the strap to the member 13. Pivoted to the'opposite end of the fastening strap 21 is an arcuate resilient bail member 24, the bail member being pivotally connected to the strap by means of a loop 25 formed in the end of the strap and secured in a conventional manner by a fastening sleeve 26 similar to the fastening sleeve 22. I V

The resilient bail member 24 has arcuately curved parallel side arms and a straight transverse bight portion 30 connecting the free ends of said side arms, whereby the bail member is longitudinally yieldable in response to tension exerted on said bight portion.

The end portion of the abutment bar 14 is formed with a vertical slot 28 adapted to slidably receive the strap 21 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 3. Designated at 29 are a plurality of inclined anchor lugs formed on the outer surface of the abutment bar 12, said anchor lugs being spaced along the abutment bar in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 3. The outer transverse bar element 3% of the bail member 24 is adapted to be lockingly engaged with a selected one of the anchor lugs 29.

Designated generally at 31 is a tensioning tool which may be employed to apply suflicient tension to the strap member 21 to assure that it tightly and smoothly engages around the chimney, shown at 32, before being fastened.

to the abutment bar 14. Thus, the tool 31 comprises an elongated shank 33 to which is pivotally connected at tensioning arm 33' provided with a pair of arcuately curved spaced

parallel hook members

34 and 35 and 'with a pair of transversely extending

fingers

36, 36

mounted on the hook element 34, the strap member 21 being adapted to be loopedaround the

fingers

36, 36 in the manner illustrated in dotted view in FIGURE 7. The tool is further provided with an integral arcuately curved strut member 37 at the end of the shank 33 arranged in spaced relation to the

hook elements

35 and 36, as shown in FIGURE 7, and which may be employed as a fulcrum. A transverse pivot bolt 38 secures the shank 33 between a pair of spaced, supporting

lugs

39, 39 provided on arm 33'. I

The bar member 15 is formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures 17 in which the end of the strut member 37 is selectively insertable to provide a fulcrum for the tensioning tool. Thus, the strap member 21 may be first stretched by engaging the

hook elements

34 and 35 in the bail 24, and inserting the end of the strut member 37 in a selected aperture 17, after which the tool 31 may be rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 3, to apply tension to the strap member 21. Thereafter, the transversely extending bar element 30 of the bail member 24- may be slipped past one of the lugs 29 and may be allowed to lockingly engage with the selected lug to secure the strap member 21 tightly to the chimney 32 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 3. The hook-

like fingers

34 and 35 are spaced apart sufliciently to receive the strap member 21 therebetween with said

members

34 and 35 engaged with the transverse bight element 30 of the bail 24.

As above mentioned, the strap 21 may be stretched prior to being formed with its end loop 25 by employing the anchoring

fingers

36, 36 to hold the end of the strap member while tension is being applied thereto. After the strap member has been suitably stretched, the bail member 24 may be fastened in the looped end of the strap member and the sleeve 26 may be applied to secure the bail member to the strap member.

As will be readily understood, when the tool 31 is employed in the manner above described for engaging the bail member 24 with the selected anchor lug 29, the bight portion 30 of the bail member is moved in a direction toward the outwardly extending

bar members

15 and 16 allowing said bight portion to cammingly engage over the lugs 29 until sufiicient tension has been developed in the strap member 21. The 'tool 31 may then be sufiiciently released to allow. the bight element 30 of the bail member 24 to lockingly engage with the proper lug 29 to maintain the desired clamping tension in the strap member 21.

As shown in FIGURE 4, the abutment bar 14 is curved outwardly at its end, to define an arcuately curved lug 42, the guide slot 28 being formed in said arcuately curved, outwardly projecting lug 42.

The outwardly projecting arm element 16 is formed at its end with an arcuately curved wing member 43 which is outwardly convex and which is formed with a plurality of locking lugs 44 spaced along the wing member and extending generally toward the rigid corner piece defined by the

bar members

13 and 14. The inside surface of the wing member 43 is preferably roughened, as shown at 45, to increase its clamping friction With respect to an antenna mast 46 received within the wing member 43. The end of the adjacent arm element 15 is formed with an arcuately curved, relatively short wing member 47 which substantially forms a continuation of the arc defined by the wing member 43, as shown in FIGURE 3. Designated at 48 is a resilient bail member of generally curved configuration which is pivotally connected at 49 to the arcuate wing member 47, the bail member 48 being curved so that it is clampingly engageable around an antenna mast 46 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 3. Thus, the bail member 48 comprises an arcuate portion 50 of relatively short radius, located adjacent the pivotal connection 4d, and an additional outer arcuate portion 51 of relatively large radius, merging with the inner bail portion 50. As shown in FIGURE 6, the bail member 48 normally has a generally hooklike configuration in side elevation, the outer portion 51 thereof being adapted to be flexed around the antenna mast 46 to assume the final configuration shown in FiGURE 3.

The arcuate portion 50 of the resilient bail member has arcuate parallel side arms resiliently yieldable in the direction of their length in response to tension exerted on the bight portion of the bail member.

.In clamping the mast 46 to the

members

43 and 47, the tensioning tool 3t is employed, the outwardly extending bar member 16 being provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced fulcrum openings 55 in which the strut member 37 of the tool may be inserted to provide the necessary fulcrum for the tool. Thus, as shown in FIGURE 6, the strut member 37 is engaged in a selected opening 55 and the

hook elements

35 and 34 are engaged with the outer bight portion of the bail member 48. The tool is then rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 6, causing the bail 48 to be engaged around the antenna 'mast 46, and allowing the transversely extending outer bight portion 56 of the bail to cammingly slip past'the locking lugs 44 on the convex outer surface of the wing member 43 until the desired amount of tension has been developed in the bail member 48 to securely clamp the mast 46 to the

wing members

43 and 47. The transversely extending outer bight element 56 of the bail member may then be allowed to lockingly engage with the selected locking lug 44 to retain the bail member in the clamping position thereof illustrated in FIGURE 3.

As will be readily apparent, the only tool required in mounting the device on the chimney and in securing the antenna mast 46 to the

wing elements

43 and 47 is the tensioning tool 31, and it is not necessary to employ any threaded or similar fastenings in mounting the antenna mast in its desired position.

While a specific embodiment of an improved antenna mast supporting device has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An antenna mast support comprising a substantially rigid cornerpiece adapted to fit'the vertical corner of a chimney, said corner piece comprising a pair of abutment bars arranged substantially at right angles to each other, one of said bars being provided with a plurality of spaced inclined anchor lugs, a flexible strap member secured to the other bar, a resilient arcuat'ely curved locking bail pivoted to the end of said strap member and being lockingly engageablewith a selected one of said anchoring lugs, said locking bail having arcuately curved parallel resilient side arms and a transverse bight portion connecting the free ends of said side arms, said side arms being resiliently yieldable in the direction of their length in response to tension exerted on said bight portion, said one bar being formed with an apertured end lug slidably receiving and guiding said strap member, a rigid arm projecting from the apex of said corner piece, a pair of wing elements on the end of said arm, one of said wing elements being concavely arcuately curved to receive an antenna mast, a plurality of spaced locking lugs on the convex outer surface of said one wing element, said lastnamed lugs being inclined toward said corner piece, and a second resilient arcuately curved bail member pivoted to the other wing element and being lockingly engageable with a selected one of said last-named locking lugs to clamp the antenna mast to said wing elements, said lastnamed bail member having arcuately curved parallel resilient side arms including end portions of relatively short radius and a transverse bight member connecting said end portions, said end portions being resiliently yieldable in the direction of their length responsive to tension exerted on said last-named bight member.

'2. A mast support comprising a substantially rigid corner piece having ,a pair of abutment bars arranged at a substantial angle to each other, one of said bars being provided with at least oneinclined anchor lug, a flexible strap member secured to the other bar, a resilient arcuately curved locking bail pivoted to the end of said strap member and being lockingly engageable with the anchoringlug, said locking bail having arcuately curved parallel resilient side arms and a transverse bight portion connecting the free ends of said side arms, said side arms being resiliently yieldable in the direction of their length in response to tension exerted on said bight portion, a rigid arm projecting from the apex of said corner piece, a pair of wing elements-on the end of said arm, one of said wing elements being concavely arcuately curved to receive a mast, at least one locking lug on the convex outer surface of said one wing element, and a second resilient arcuately curved bail member pivoted to the other wing element and being lockingly engageable with-said last-named locking lug to clamp the mast to said Wing elements, said last-named bail member having arcuately curved parallel resilient side arms including end portions of relatively short radius and a transverse bight member connecting said end portions, said end portions being resiliently yieldable in the direction of their length responsive to tension exerted on said last-named bight-memher.

3. A mast support comprising a substantially rigid corner piece having a pair-of abutment bars arranged at a substantial angle'to each other, one of said bars being provided with at least one inclined anchor lug, a flexible strap member secured to the other bar, a resilient arcuately curved locking bail pivoted to the end of said strap member and being lockingly engageable with the anchoring lug, said locking-bail having arcuately curved parallel resilient side'arms'and a'transverse bight portion connecting the free ends of said side arms,-said side arms being resiliently yieldable'in the direction oftheir length gageable with said last-named locking lug to clamp the 10 mast to said wing elements, said last-named bail member having arcuately curved parallel resilient side arms including end portions of relatively short radius and a transverse bight member connecting said end portions, said end portions being resiliently yieldable in the direction of their length responsive to tension exerted on said lastnamed bight member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 96,229 Haring Oct. 26, 1869 181,949 Knowles Sept. 5, 1876 2,482,575 Cohn Sept. 20, 1940 2,575,254 Blaugrund Nov. 13, 1951 OTHER REFERENCES Allied Radio Catalog No. 127, page 154, January 1952.