US3237979A - Block lifter - Google Patents

Description

March 1, 1966 w. B. MOODY 3,237,979

BLOCK LIFTER Filed Jan. 21, 1964 INVENTOR.

47m rs.

United States Patent 3,237,979 BLOCK LIFTER Willard Bruce Moody, 1711 Hillcrest Drive, Durham, N.C. Filed Jan. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 339,172 1 Claim. (Cl. 294-16) This invention relates to a block lifter and more particularly to device for lifting cinder blocks or the like.

A primary object of this invention is the provision of a block lifter which is sturdy and durable in construction, reliable and efficient in operation, and relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, assemble, utilize, and maintain.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a device having portions which will engage a selected web of a cinder block or the like and an elongated handle means which facilitates lifting the block with one hand, thereby leaving the other hand of the user free to apply mortar or the like to the ends of the block before positioning the same.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a device of the character described having a pair of jaw means with opposed jaw faces, the distance between the jaw faces being adjustable in order to accommodate blocks of various dimensions.

A still further object of the instant invention is the provision of a block lifter having jaw means adapted to engage a portion of a cinder block or the like, with a depth stop block interposed between the jaw means to limit the depth to which the jaw means may be engaged over the portion of the block whereby an optimum torque relationship may be realized.

Other and further objects reside in the combination of elements, arrangement of parts, and features of construction.

Still other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out as the description of the invention proceeds and as shown in the accompanying drawing where- FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a block lifter in accordance with the instant inventive concept, a cinder block or the like engaged by the lifter being shown in dotted lines;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the same;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 33 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of a modified form of block lifter in accordance with the instant invention.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing in general, and more particularly to FIGURES l to 3, a block litter in accordance with the instant inventive concept is designated generally by the reference numeral Ill and comprises basically a first or stationary jaw means 12 having a first jaw face 14, a second or adjustable jaw means 16 having a second jaw face 18 extending in substantially parallel, opposed, spaced relationship to the first jaw face 14, and a handle means 20. The handle means 20 comprises an elongated member having portions 22 extending between the upper ends of the first and second jaw means, 14, 16, respectively, and maintaining the first and second jaw faces 14, 18, respectively, in a desired spaced relationship as will be pointed out in more detail hereinafter, and additional elongated portions 24 extending substantially perpendicular to the upper ends of the jaw means 12, 16 and adapted to be gripped by a user for carrying a cinder block or the like shown in dotted lines at 26 as having a plurality of webbed portions 28, one of which is received between the spaced jaw faces 14, 18.

Patented Mar. 1, 1966 ice A depth stop block 30 is secured to one of the jaw faces 14, 18 and extends toward the opposed jaw face at a predetermined spaced distance from the lower end of the jaw means 12, 16 to provide an optimum torque relationship when the elongated portions 24 of the handle means 20 are raised upwardly by a user.

The spacing between the jaw faces 14, 18 may be adjusted in a manner to be now described. The second jaw means 16 carries a collar 32 slidingly received over the elongated member defining the handle means 20, a strengthening flange 34 supporting the collar 32. Portions of the handle means 20 define a plurality of spaced apertures 36 therethrough and portions of the collar define an aperture 38 which may be aligned with one of the apertures 36 when the jaw faces 14, 18 are in their opposed, parallel relationship. A pin means 40 is received through the aperture 38 and one of the apertures 36 to secure the second jaw means 16 to the handle means 20 with a selected spaced relationship between the jaw faces 14, 18. A chain or other flexible means 42 may be secured to the pin means 40 and carried by an eye 44 secured to the strengthening flange 34 to preclude loss of the pin means 40. I

A plurality of outstanding cleats 46 may be secured to the lower ends of the jaw faces 14, 18 to increase the frictional contact with the web 28 of the block 26.

The use and operation of the device of the instant invention will now be apparent. The spacing between the jaw faces 14, 18 is adjusted to approximate the width of the web 28 of the block 26 to be lifted by aligning the aperture 38 with one of the apertures 36 and engaging the pin means 40 through the aligned apertures 36, 38. This maybe done either before the jaw means 12, 16 are engaged over the web 28 or after engagement of the jaw means over the web. The user then grips the extremity of the elongated portion 24 of the handle means 20 with one of his hands, raising up on the same to lift :the block 26. His other hand .is then free to place mortar on the opposite ends of the block 26 or to perform any desired function while the block 26 is being carried. The depth stop block 30 limits the depth to which the jaw means 12, 16 may in inserted over the web 28 thereby positioning these elements in their optimum relationship with respect to the block 26. Disengagement of the device 10 from the block 26 may be readily accomplished by relieving the torque caused by lifting upwardly on the extremity of the elongated portion 24 of the handle means 20 and raising the jaw means 12, 16 substantially straight upwardly. Also, the pin means 40' may be removed from the aligned apertures 36, 38 to further release the engagement of the jaw means 12, 16 with the web 28 of the block 26.

A modified form of the device of the instant invention is shown in FIGURE 4 and is designated generally by the reference numeral 50. This embodiment includes a stationary first jaw means 52 having a first jaw face 54, and adjustable second jaw means 56 having a second jaw face 58 and a handle means 60 having portions 62 extending between the upper ends of the first and second jaw means 52, 56, respectively, and additional elongated portions 64 extending substantially perpendicularly to the upper ends of the jaw means 52, 56 and adapted to be gripped in a manner similar to the portions 24 of the handle means 20 of the embodiment of FIGURES 1 to 3 to lift a block such as the cinder block 26. The elongated member defining the handle means 60 of the embodiment of FIGURE 4 is hollow and includes portions defining an elongated slot 66 therethrough. A plug 68 is secured in one end of the hollow handle means 68 and includes portions defining a threaded bore 70 therethrough receiving a correspondingly threaded portion 72 of an adjusting member 74. The adjusting member 74 has an elongated portion received within the hollow handle means 60, one terminal end of the adjusting member 74 being provided with a knurled member 76 to facilitate manual rotation of the threaded portion 72 within the threaded bore 70, and the other terminal end of the adjusting member 74 carrying a transverse pin 78 slidingly received in the slot 66 in the handle means 60 and having its opposite ends secured to a collar fixed to the adjustable jaw means 56 by a strengthening flange 82 in a manner similar to the collar 32 of the embodiment of FIGURES 1 to 3. A swivel means 84 of any conventional form is interposed in the elongated portion of the adjusting member 74 to allow rotation of the threaded portion 72 of the same within the threaded bore 70 of the plug 68 whereby the transverse pin 78 and thereby the adjustable jaw means 56 may be moved to secure the jaw means 56 to the handle means 60 with a selected spaced relationship between the jaw faces 54, 58. The swivel means 84 may take the form of a rivet or the like rotatably carrying the opposed ends of two separate portions of the adjusting member 74 or any other suitable construction. A depth stop block 86 and cleats 88 may be provided for the embodiment of FIGURE 4 in a similar manner to the elements 30 and 46 in the embodiment of FIGURES 1 to 3.

The use and operation of the modified embodiment will be similar to that described for the embodiment of FIG- URES 1 to 3 and will be apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art.

It will now be seen that there is herein provided an improved block lifter which satisfies all of the objectives of the instant invention, and others, including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

Since many embodiments may be made of the instant inventive concept, and since many modifications may be made of the embodiments hereinbefore shown and described, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

A device for lifting cinder blocks or the like comprising in combination, an elongated hollow tubular handle, a fixed jaw extending at substantially right angles to said handle at one end thereof, a collar surrounding said handle and linearly movable therealong, a movable jaw extending from said collar in substantial parallelism to said fixed jaw, gripping cleats extending from the confronting faces of said fixed and movable jaws at the ends thereof remote from said handle, a stop pin extending from one of said jaws toward the confronting face of the other, limiting movement of said jaws toward each other, said tubular handle having aligned opposite longitudinal slots therein, an elongated adjusting rod in said tubular handle, a swivel at an intermediate portion of said adjusting rod, a transverse pin extending through one end portion of said rod on one side of said swivel, said transverse pin extending through said longitudinal slots into engagement with said collar whereby linear movement of said rod is transmitted to said collar and hence said movable jaw, external threads on the other end of said rod on the side of said swivel opposite said pin, corresponding internal threads in the other end of said hollow tubular handle opposite said fixed jaw engaging the threaded end of said rod, and an adjusting knob exterior of said other end of said handle fixed to said other end of said rod, whereby rotation of said knob imparts through said threads, linear movement to said adjusting rod and hence to said movable jaw, said swivel and said transverse pin precluding rotation of said jaw during rotation of said other end of said rod by said adjusting knob.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,092,198 9/ 1937 Anderson 29431 2,541,863 2/1951 Deans 294-62 2,967,730 1/1961 Vann 29416 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,160,933 3/1958 France.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner. SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Examiner.

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