Lifting and jacking apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11180348-B2
Application number	US-202016998552-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2020
Priority date	Aug 9, 2017
Publication date	Nov 23, 2021
Grant date	Nov 23, 2021

Abstract

A lifting and jacking apparatus including a void former configured for embedment in a concrete slab before pouring of the concrete slab and a lifting bail removably insertable in and securely attachable to the void former. The void former includes a built in jacking screw configured to assist in adjusting the height of the concrete slab.

First claim

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A lifting bail removably insertable into and lockable in a void former, the lifting bail comprising:
a main stem insertable into the void former, the main stem including an upwardly extending head that includes: (a) a vertically extending inner wall that partially defines a vertically extending central locking pin channel, (b) a horizontally extending planar wall, and (c) a vertically extending wall that extends upwardly from the planar wall, wherein the planar wall and the vertically extending inner wall define a housing chamber;
a rotatable locking pin insertable into the void former;
a locking pin handle connected to the locking pin;
a locking indicator, wherein the housing chamber at least partially holds the locking indicator;
a biasing member journaled about the locking pin and positioned to bias the locking indicator toward a visible position to indicate that the locking pin is in a locked position, wherein the housing chamber at least partially holds the biasing member; and
a lifting handle connected to the locking pin.

2. The lifting bail of claim 1 , wherein the locking pin handle is rotatable to cause the locking pin to rotate from an unlocked position to the locked position.

3. The lifting bail of claim 1 , wherein the head includes an inwardly extending stopping lip engagable by the locking indicator to limit upward movement of the locking indicator.

4. The lifting bail of claim 3 , which includes an encaser and a handle retention cap at least partially covering the locking indicator and at least partially supporting the lifting handle, wherein the encaser is rotatable about the locking pin and the encaser is moveable upwardly and downwardly along a length of the locking pin, wherein when the handle retention cap moves upwardly the encaser also moves upwardly, wherein when the handle retention cap moves downwardly the encaser also moves downwardly, and wherein when the encaser rotates the handle retention cap rotates with the rotation of the encaser.

5. The lifting bail of claim 4 , wherein the handle retention cap includes a vertically extending outer wall having a lower surface engageable by an upper surface of the main stem when the locking pin is in the unlocked position.

6. The lifting bail of claim 5 , wherein the handle retention cap includes a first horizontally extending lifting handle engaging wall and a second opposing horizontally extending lifting handle engager wall.

7. The lifting bail of claim 5 , wherein the biasing member biases the locking pin, the locking indicator, the handle retention cap, the encaser, and the locking pin handle upwardly.

8. The lifting bail of claim 5 , wherein the biasing member includes an upper portion that engages and applies an upward biasing force against a bottom surface of the locking indicator.

9. The lifting bail of claim 5 , wherein the biasing member is in the housing chamber defined by the head of the main stem.

10. The lifting bail of claim 5 , wherein the locking indicator is upwardly movable to a visible position to indicate that the locking pin is in the locked position.

11. The lifting bail of claim 5 , wherein the locking indicator includes a horizontally extending upper wall, the locking indicator includes a downwardly extending main stem engager wall connected and extending downwardly from the upper wall, the main stem engager wall includes an outwardly extending stopping lip, the stopping lip configured to engage the stopping lip of the head of the main stem.

12. The lifting bail of claim 5 , wherein the locking indicator includes a central wall extending downwardly from the upper wall of the locking indicator, the central wall including an inner surface that partially defines the locking pin channel and partially receives the biasing member.

13. A lifting bail removably insertable into and lockable in a void former, the lifting bail comprising:
a main stem insertable into the void former;
a rotatable locking pin insertable into the void former;
a locking pin handle connected to the locking pin and rotatable to cause the locking pin to rotate from an unlocked position to a locked position;
a locking indicator;
a biasing member journaled about the locking pin, the biasing member positioned to bias the locking pin upwardly, to bias the locking pin handle upwardly, and to bias the locking indicator upwardly toward a visible position to indicate that the locking pin is in the locked position;
a lifting handle connected to the locking pin;
an encaser; and
a handle retention cap at least partially covering the locking indicator, at least partially support the lifting handle, and cover a bottom portion of the encaser.

14. The lifting bail of claim 13 , wherein the main stem includes an upwardly extending head that at least partially receives the locking indicator and the biasing member.

15. The lifting bail of claim 14 , wherein the head includes an inwardly extending stopping lip engageable by the locking indicator to limit the upward movement of the locking indicator.

16. The lifting bail of claim 15 , wherein the encaser is rotatable about the locking pin, the encaser is moveable upwardly and downwardly along a length of the locking pin, wherein when the handle retention cap moves upwardly the encaser also moves upwardly, wherein when the handle retention cap moves downwardly the encaser also moves downwardly, and wherein when the encaser rotates the handle retention cap rotates with the rotation of the encaser.

17. The lifting bail of claim 16 , wherein the handle retention cap includes a vertically extending outer wall having a lower surface engageable by an upper surface of the main stem when the locking pin is in the unlocked position.

18. The lifting bail of claim 17 , wherein the handle retention cap includes a first lifting handle engaging wall and a second opposing lifting handle engager wall.

19. The lifting bail of claim 15 , wherein the biasing member is in the housing chamber defined by the head of the main stem.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works
• Wnl Concrete Products Llc

Inventors

• Connell Robert Urquhart
• Mcghee Jr Loyd E
• Brown Rodney

Classifications

• E04B1/3511

  Lift-slab; characterised by a purely vertical lifting of floors or roofs or parts thereof · CPC title

• E04C2002/002

  Panels with integrated lifting means, e.g. with hoisting lugs · CPC title

• E04B1/4121

  with internal threads or non-adjustable captive nuts · CPC title

• E04G15/04

  Cores for anchor holes or the like {around anchors embedded in the concrete (means in or on the building element for connecting to handling apparatus E04G21/142)} · CPC title

• E04C2/044

  of concrete (E04C2/049 takes precedence) · CPC title