US3863910A

US3863910A - Overhead duct and pipe support

Info

Publication number: US3863910A
Application number: US407202A
Authority: US
Inventors: Earnest R Warax
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-10-17
Filing date: 1973-10-17
Publication date: 1975-02-04
Anticipated expiration: 1992-02-04

Abstract

An upright stand is provided for use between vertically spaced downwardly and upwardly facing upper and lower surfaces with the lower end of the stand supported from the lower surface and the upper end of the stand spaced beneath the upper surface. The upper end of the stand includes an upwardly extendable abutment for engagement with the upper surface beneath which the stand is disposed and a generally horizontal outwardly projecting support arm is carried by the upper portion of the stand and supported for guided vertical shifting relative thereto. A motor is operatively connected between the stand and the support arm for raising and lowering the latter relative to the stand.

Description

nited States Patent Warax 1 Feb. 4, 1975 OVERHEAD DUCT AND PIPE SUPPORT Primary Examiner-Granville Y. Custer, Jr.

. Assistant ExaminerMark S. Bicks [76] lnventor' 3 5x523 gfgsg BOX Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Clarence A. OBrien;

- Harvey B. Jacobson [22] Filed: Oct. 17, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 407,202 57 ABSTRACT An upright stand is provided for use between verti- UeS- J, ally paced downwardly and upwardly facing upper 269/60, 269/95, 269/289 and lower surfaces with the lower end of the stand I I e n I 6 6 e 6 6 6 6 e I I 6 I 1 6 e 4 e 6 6 Field of Search 29/200 J, 200 P; 214/1 SW; of the stand spaced beneath the upper surface. The 269/11, 16, 17, 60, 289 upper end of the stand includes an upwardly extendable abutment for engagement with the upper surface References Cited beneath which the stand is disposed and a generally UNITED STATES PATENTS horizontal outwardly projecting support arm is carried 1,054,246 2/1913 Stauffer 269/16 by the upper Portion of the Stand and Supported for 1,432,725 0 922 Melting 2 9 11 guided vertical shifting relative thereto. A motor is op- 1,576,521 3/1926 Laser 269/95 eratively connected between the stand and the support 2,177,22 10/1939 Murphy 269/11 arm for raising and lowering the latter relative to the 2,737,709 3/1956 Lovelace 269/60 Stand 2,814,099 11/1957 Knittel 269/17 8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 00 I08 ID OVERHEAD DUCT AND PIPE SUPPORT The overhead duct and pipe support of the instant invention has been designed to save labor and simplify the installation of overhead ducts, pipes and various other materials. When pipes or ducts are placed on the vertically shiftable support arm portion of the support the duct or pipe can be raised or lowered to the desired elevation and held in place until it can be permanently secured to adjacent joists or ceiling constructions. The lower portion of the support is provided with support casters whereby the support may be readily rolled from one location to another and one side portion of the support is provided with structure for conveniently releasably supporting various tools and materials which are used when installing overhead pipes or ducts.

Although the support of the instant invention is limited as to its maximum vertical extent, if the support is to be used between a floor surface and a very high ceiling structure, the support of the instant invention may be mounted on a rollaway scaffold in order that the support may be positioned adjacent the high ceiling structure.

The support is constructed in a manner such that a single person may very easily load and unload the support on a vehicle for transportation and the support is constructed in a manner such that the tools which may be needed by a person hanging overhead pipes or ducts may be supported in position for ready use.

The main object of this invention is to provide an upright support structure including a vertically shiftable horizontally outwardly projecting support arm whereby overhead ducts and pipes may be supported in the desired elevation before being secured in position.

Another object of this invention is to provide the support structure with an upwardly extendable abutment member for abuttingly engaging a ceiling structure or joist to thereby anchor the support between the ceiling structure or joist and an upwardly facing lower support surface from which the lower end of the stand is supported.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a support in accordance with the preceding objects and including reversible motor drive structure for raising and lowering the support arm relative to the support.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide an overhead duct and pipe support which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

FIG. I is a perspective view of the support of the instant invention disposed between a ceiling structure and a flooring structure spaced therebelow and with the vertically shiftable support arm of the support stand in position supporting one end of a horizontal duct;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the assemblage illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the overhead duct and pipe support of the instant invention is referred to in general by the reference numeral 10. The support 10 includes an upright stand 12 having four parallel vertical corner legs 16 interconnected adjacent their lower ends by cross bracing 18 and interconnected at their upper ends by means of a horizontal tray 20 to which the upper ends of the corner legs 16 are secured. The lower ends of the legs 16 are provided with caster wheel assemblies 22 and the inner sides of the legs 16 include parallel vertical guide rods 24 between which a clamp structure 28 is supported for vertical movement. The clamp structure 28 includes slide followers 30 slidingly engaged with the guide rods 24 and the clamp structure 28 is clamped about the housing of a reversible electric motor 32 including a spring reel supported extension cord 36 extending from a junction box 38 carried by the center of the cross bracing 18 and having a source 40 of electrical potential connected thereto.

One side of the tray 20 has a push button control assembly 42 supported therefrom including upper and

lower buttons

44 and 46. The control assembly is connected to the junction box 38 by means of a conductor cable 48 and the electric motor 32 is electrically connected to the source 40 of electrical potential through the cable 48 and the control assembly 42. When the upper button 44 is depressed and held depressed, the motor 32 is operated in one direction and when the upper button 44 is released and the lower button 46 is depressed the motor is operated in the opposite direction.

The tray bottom wall 49 to which the upper ends of the corner legs 16 are secured has an elongated upstanding housing 50 secured therethrough and the housing 50 is provided with a vertical threaded through bore-52 in alignment with the upwardly projecting rotary output shaft 54 of the motor 32. An upstanding screw shaft 56 is threaded through the bore 52 in the housing 50 and has its lower end connected to and driven from the output shaft 54. Inasmuch as the screw shaft 56 is threaded through the threaded bore 52 alternately reversed operation of the motor 32 will cause the shaft 56 to be threaded upwardly and downwardly through the housing 50.

The side of the tray 20 remote from the control assembly 42 is provided with a rack structure 58 from which

various hand tools

60, 62 and 64 are removably supported and one of the legs 16 includes an outwardly projecting horizontal pin 66 upon which a roll of tape 68 may be supported. Also, a shield 70 is supported from the same corner leg 16 above the pin 66 in order to shield the roll of tape 68.

The same corner leg 16 supporting the pin 66 supports a spring clamp 72 by which an electric hand drill 74 is removably supported from the stand 10 and the hand drill 74 includes an extension cord 76 wound on a spring reel 78 electrically connected to the source 40 through the junction box 38 by a cable 80. Still further, one of the other corner legs 16 includes a support pin 82 upon which a roll 84 of solder is removably supported.

The upper portion of the housing 50 has one end 84 of an extendable arm assembly 86 supported therefrom and the other end of the extendable arm assembly 86 removably supports an adjustable light assembly 88 having an extension cord 90 which may also be electrically connected to the source 40.

An upright tubular support 92 has its lower end secured to the bottom wall 49 of the tray 20 by welding as at 94. The tubular support is internally threaded as at 96 and has the lower end of an upstanding extension rod 98 threaded therein. The extension rod 98 projects above the upper end of the tubular support 92 and has a nut 100 threadedly engaged therewith and abutted with the upper end of the tubular support 92. In addition, a jam nut 102 is also threaded on the rod 98 above the nut 100.

A tubular slide 104 is slidingly disposed on the tubular support 92 below the

nuts

100 and 102 and an intermediate portion of the slide 104 includes a laterally outwardly projecting brace 106 whose outer end is secured to a similar but shorter upstanding tubular slide 108 slidingly disposed on the screw shaft 56 above the housing 50. The side of the slide 108 remote from the brace 106 includes a horizontally outwardly projecting support arm 110 and a nut 112 is threaded on the screw shaft 56 below the slide 108 and above the housing 50. Also, a thrust bearing and a jam nut ll4 are threaded on the screw shaft 56 above the nut 112 and the lower end ofthe slide 108 abuts against the thrust bearing and jam nut 114.

In operation, the stand may be supported from the floor 116 of a building structure including a ceiling 118 and the extension rod 98 may be extended and secured in position by the

nuts

100 and 102 with the upper end of the extension rod 98 abutted against the ceiling 118. In this manner, the stand 10 will be maintained in stationary position and be supported against lateral tipping. Thereafter, a duct 120 to be erected adjacent the ceiling 118 may be supported from the support arm 110 and the control assembly 42 may be actuated in order to operate the motor 32 in a manner to thread the screw shaft 56 through the housing 50 to thereby raise or lower the support arm 110 to the proper elevation. When the motor 32 is operated the screw shaft 56 is threaded through the housing and the clamp structure 28 slides up or down the guide rods 24 as the screw shaft 56 is threaded upwardly or downwardly through the housing 50. The

nuts

112 and 114 rotate with the screw shaft 56 and therefore are also raised and lowered with the latter in order that the slide 108 as well as the slide 104 and the support arm 110 will be raised and lowered with the shaft 56. Of course, inasmuch as the brace 106 is secured between the

slides

104 and 108, the slide 108 is held against rotation with the screw shaft 56 and therefore is shifted upwardly and downwardly in response to the screw shaft 56 being threaded upwardly and downwardly through the housing 50. After the duct section 120 has been properly positioned, the light 88 may be positioned as desired and any of the tools supported from the stand l0 (including any hand tools or the like which may be supported within the tray 20) may be utilized in installing the duct 120.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An overhead support for use between vertically spaced downwardly and upwardly facing upper and lower surfaces, respectively, said support including an upright stand, the lower end of said stand being adapted for support from said lower surface, the upper end of said stand including upwardly extendable abutment means for engagement with said upper surface, a generally horizontal laterally outwardly projecting support arm carried by the upper portion of said stand and supported from the latter for guided vertical shifting relative thereto, and positioning means connected between said support arm and stand operative to adjustably vertically shift said support arm relative to said stand, including extending guide means, a follower assembly guidingly engaged with said guide means for adjustable shifting therealong, said positioning means including a reversible electric motor supported from said follower assembly and an upstanding screw shaft driven by said motor and threaded through an upper portion of said stand, an upstanding sleeve carried by said support arm through which said screw shaft is slidably and rotatably received, and a thrust bearing member mounted on said screw shaft for adjustable positioning therealong and rotation therewith, said thrust bearing member being disposed below said sleeve, the lower end of the sleeve resting upon and being supported from said thrust bearing member.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said upright stand includes a stationary tray supported from the upper end of said stand for receiving hand tools.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the upper end portion of said stand includes a horizontally extendable light support.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said upper portion of said stand comprises an upstanding internally threaded sleeve through which said screw shaft is threaded.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said internally threaded sleeve includes a horizontally outwardly extendable light support.

6. The combination of claim 1 including stationary upright tubular body means supported from an upper portion of said stand, said abutment means comprising an upstanding screw shaft having its lower end downwardly threaded into the upper end of said tubular body means, an abutment threaded on said screw shaft and abutted against the upper end of said tubular body.

7. The combination of claim 6 including a sleeve body slidingly telescoped over said stationary upright tubular body means below said abutment means horizontally registered with and spaced from said upstanding sleeve, and brace means rigidly secured between said sleeve body and said upstanding sleeve.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein the lower end portion of said stand is provided with spaced support wheel means for rollingly supporting said stand from a horizontal support surface.