US1495179A - Lifting tool - Google Patents

Description

May 27, 1924. I

A. HOFFER LIFTING TOOL Filed May 23 illlllllllIHIIllIllllllllllllllllllllllllll! INVENTOR I 47Fr'eal Hoffen ATTORNEY Rochester, in the county of Monroe and Fatented May 27, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

LIFTING TOOL. I

Application filed May 23,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALFRED HorFER, a citizen of the United States, residing at btate of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lifting Tools, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a tool with which concrete blocks or any other similarly shaped building'blocks maybe conveniently and readily lifted and prop-' erly placed in erecting a wall.

This and other objects of this invention will be fully illustrated in the drawing, described in. the specification and pointed out in the claims at the end thereof.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the lifting tool as it will appear when attachedtoa' concrete block for the purpose of lifting the block, the block being illustrated in section.

Figure 2 is atop plan view of the lifting tool and the concrete block to which the tool is attached, the concrete block being partly broken away. 7

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of one of the handles of the tool, the section being taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 1 illustrating in a top plan view the inner ends of the clamping or gripping levers of the liftin tool.

igure 5 is a vertical sectional view. through the adjusting mechanism for operating the clamping levers of the lifting tool.

through one of the gripping shoes provided at the outer ends of each of the clamping or gripping levers.

In the several figures of the drawing like reference numerals indicate like parts.

In building walls with concrete blocks it is very diflicult to lift and properly place The lifting tool forming the subject matter of my present invention will make the handling of such concrete blocks considerably *easier in that when attached to the block it provides a handle for the block by means of which two men or even one man is able to lift and place the heavy concrete block onthe wall without any great exertion.

As illustrated'in the drawing, the lifting Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view 1923. Serial No. 640,973.

tool comprises the horizontal bar 1 having the handles 2 and 3 formed at each end thereof. Besides thehandles the horizontal bar is provided with a pair of feet 4 and 5 that form suitable supports for the lifting tool and serve to align the horizontalbar with relation to the top of the block to which the lifting tool is to be attached. The horizontal bar, its handles and supporting feet are preferably cast'ofmalleable iron and the top of the bar and its handles'are partially channeled to keep the weight of the lifting tool at a minimum without decreasing the strength or stifi'nessthereof. At the outer end of the handles 2 and 3 a depending projection is-formed' against which'the hand rests when pulling the handle to one side to prevent the hands from slipping off the end of thehandles. l

- The'supporting feet 4 and 5 as illustrated in Figure 3 are each provided with a pair of angularly projecting flanges '6 and 7 which form a wide base for the lifting tool to rest on and hold the tool inproper alignment'for the gripping or clamping levers to grip the concrete block as will presently be described. At 8 and 9 the horizontal bar 1 is slotted to receive theclamping levers 10 and 11. These clampinglevers are angular in outline andare pivoted in the slotted portions 8 and 9 of the horizontal bar on the pivot pins 12 and 13 that pass through the I clampingshoes 14 and 15 respectively.

These gripping-shoes are made with serrations 16' on the gripping face.- On the back of the shoes are provided two lugs. The shoeis' slotted between the lugs. Suitable bearings are provided in the lugs for the pivot pin carried on the end of the gripping leversso that the'shoe can swing thereon. Aflat spring 18 is fastenedjto the back of the shoe and exerts a pressure against the rounded end of'thegripping levers; The shoes are thus held against "easy rotation and this serves to keepthe shoes somewhere near the proper position for gripping from which they will be forced into their final gripping position when the gripping levers pins and a cotter pin projecting force the shoes against the inner walls of the concrete block and align themselves with the wall thereof.

The inner ends of the angular gripping levers 10 and 11 are flattened out and overlap each other. The flattened end of, the lever 11 overlaps the flattened end of thelever 10. In these flattened ends of thelevers 10 and 11 are provided elongated holes through which theclamping bolt 19 passes. This clamping bolt projects up through. a suitable hole in the horizontal bar 1 and has a clampingnut 20 threaded to the lower end thereof on the under side of the bar 1. On the upper end of the clampingbolt 19 is formed aneye 21 carrying thestud 22. Acam lever 23 is pivoted on thestud 22 and the cam. formed on this lever: is: adapted to rest on top of the flattened end of the gripping lever 11 on either side'of theelongated hole 30 provided in this end of the lever.

An expansion spring 24;surroundsthe clamping bolt 19 and is interposed between the horizontal bar 1 and the under side of the flattened end of thegripping lever 10. This spring normally forces the flattened ends of both of the gripping levers upwardly so that the flattened end of the gripping lever 11 is forced against the periphery of the cam of thecam lever 23.

The cam surface of the cam lever 23'is eccentric, to the pivot of the cam lever. and on swingingthe lever from its: dotted line position illustrated in Figure 1 to the full line position thereof the inner flattened ends of the gripping levers 1O andll are forced down against the pressure of the spring 2 1 and at the same timethe lower ends of these levers with its grippingshoes 14 and 15 are forced outwardly against the end walls of the concrete block. This grips the concrete block from the inside and rigidly clamps the lifting tool thereto sothat the block can be lifted by means of the handles 2 and-3 of the lifting tool.

In fastening the lifting tool to a concrete block the tool is placed in the middle of the top of the concrete blockso that itssupporting legs support the ho-rizontalbar on top of the concrete block. When this is done the cam lever is swung from the dotted line position to the full line position as illustrated in Figure 1 with the result that the gripping shoes are forced outwardly against the end walls ofthe concrete block. The lifting tool fastened-to the block in this manner provides twooverhanging handles on the block by means of which one or two workmen can handle the block in a much more convenient manner than is possible without this lifting tool..

The gripping mechanism is adjustable :to engage larger or smaller concrete blocks having larger or smaller openings in the the end walls thereof as above'pointedout.

I claim:

1. A lifting tool for building blocks having an open center, comprising a handle, a pair of gripping levers pivoted on said handle and having the lower ends thereof extending down into the block the upper ends of-said1lever=overlapping each other, means for swinging the overlapping ends of said levers at the bottom and forcing them into contact with the inner surfaces of the end wall of the blocks;

2. A, lifting, tool for building blockshaving an openwcenter, comprising a handle, a pair of gripping levers pivoted on said handle and;eXtendingdo-wn into the block, means for spreading said levers at the bottom andlforcing them intocontact with the inner surfaces of the end wall of the blocks, shoes on the. lower ends of said levers.

3. A lifting tool for building blocks havingan open center, comprising a. handle, a pair of gripping levers pivotedlon-said handle and having the lower ends thereof ex tending down into the blockthe upper'ends of said lever overlapping each other, means for swinging the overlapping ends of said levers atthe bottom'and forcing them into contact withthe' inner surfaces of the end Wall of the blocks, said means: being adjustable to increase or decrease the swingingiof said gripping levers;-

l. Aliftingtoohfor building blocks havingantopen centercomprising a handle hav ing slots therein, a pair of gripping levers mounted to swing in said slots with the upper ends overlapping-each other and the lower ends extending down into-the block, means located at the upper end of said levers for rocking said levers and forcing the lower ends thereof into contact with the inner surfaces of-the end wall of the blocks. 5. In a lifting tool=for building blocks, the combination of a bar, handles formedon the end of said bar, said bar being slotted at. intermediate pointsthereof, gripping levers mounted to swing'in the slotted portions of said bar, said gripping levers hav ing gripping shoespivoted on the outer'ends thereof, a friction: spring carried by each of saidgrippingshoes and'iadaptedto engage the ends ofsaid gripping levers to hold said grippingshoesin a predetermined position on the end of said'gripping levers, the inner ends of said gripping levers overlapping each other, said overlapping inner ends of said gripping levers having elongated holes provided therein, a clamping bolt projecting up through a hole in the middle of said bar and passing through the elongated openings in the overlapping ends of said gripping levers, an eye formed on the upper end of said clamping bolt, a pivot pin carried in said eye, a cam mounted to swing on said pivot pin, the periphery of said cam being adapted to rest on the upper one of the overlapping ends of said gripping levers, an expansion spring interposed between said bar and the overlapping ends of said gripping levers to normally hold said overlapping ends in contact with the periphery of said cam, an adjusting nut threaded to the lower end of said clamping bolt said adjusting nut being adapted to adjust the initial position of said gripping shoes by lengthening or shortening the length of the clamping bolt that projects above said bar.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALFRED HOFFER.

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