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US 12,000,168 B2Granted
Side load picket driver
OwnerDallis Wilschefskiinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The side load picket driver is loaded from the side instead of from the bottom. The side load star picket driver is closed at the top end and open at the bottom end and has a slot down the full-length on one side of the star picket driver so that the star picket can be loaded from the side instead of the open end. There are two handles, welded to each side of the star picket driver for the operator to grip the driver and pound the star picket into the ground.
Claims20
A picket driver comprising:
- a striker including a striking surface configured to strike a picket;
- a sidewall extending away from said striker along an axis passing through said striking surface, said sidewall having a top edge coupled to said striker, a bottom edge opposite said top edge, a first side edge, a second side edge opposite said first side edge, an exterior surface, and an interior surface, said interior surface at least partially defining a picket receiving space below said striker, said sidewall defining an opening into said interior space, said opening disposed between a portion of said interior surface adjacent said first side edge and a portion of said exterior surface adjacent said second side edge, said portion of said exterior surface adjacent said second side edge facing said portion of said interior surface adjacent said first side edge, said opening extending upwardly from said bottom edge of said sidewall;
- and
- a first handle fixed with respect to said sidewall.
1 more element
A method for driving a picket into the ground, said method comprising:
- providing a picket having a bottom end, a top end, and a cross-sectional profile, said cross-sectional profile having at least one leg extending outwardly from a longitudinal axis of said picket;
- providing a picket driver including
- a striker including a striking surface configured to strike a picket,
- a sidewall extending away from said striker along an axis passing through said striking surface, said sidewall having a top edge coupled to said striker, a bottom edge opposite said top edge, a first side edge, a second side edge opposite said first side edge, an exterior surface, and an interior surface, said interior surface at least partially defining a picket receiving space below said striker, said sidewall defining an opening into said interior space, said opening disposed between a portion of said interior surface adjacent said first side edge and a portion of said exterior surface adjacent said second side edge, said portion of said exterior surface adjacent said second side edge facing said portion of said interior surface adjacent said first side edge, said opening extending upwardly from said bottom edge of said sidewall, and
- a first handle fixed with respect to said sidewall;
- aligning said picket in said opening of said sidewall;
- rotating one of said picket driver and said picket relative to the other of said picket and said picket driver in a first direction until said picket is disposed in said receiving space of said sidewall with said at least one leg disposed adjacent said interior surface of said second edge of said sidewall;
- positioning said picket and said picket driver in an upright position with said bottom end of said picket on the ground;
- repeatedly urging said striker away from said top portion of said picket and then impacting said top portion of said picket with said striker until a portion of said picket is driven into the ground;
- and
- rotating said picket driver relative to said picket in a second direction opposite said first direction to remove said picket from said picket receiving space of said sidewall through said opening.
8 more elements
A picket installation system comprising:
- a picket having a bottom end, a top end, and a cross-sectional profile perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said picket, said cross-sectional profile having a plurality of legs extending outward from said longitudinal axis of said picket;
- and
- a picket driver including
- a striker including a striking surface configured to strike said top end of said picket,
- a sidewall extending away from said striker along an axis passing through said striking surface, said sidewall having a top edge coupled to said striker, bottom edge opposite said top edge, a first side edge, a second side edge opposite said first side edge, an exterior surface, and an interior surface, said interior surface at least partially defining a picket receiving space below said striker, said sidewall defining an opening into said interior space, said opening disposed between a portion of said interior surface adjacent said first side edge and a portion of said exterior surface adjacent said second side edge, said portion of said exterior surface adjacent said second side edge facing said portion of said interior surface adjacent said first side edge, said opening extending upwardly from said bottom edge of said sidewall, and
- a first handle fixed with respect to said sidewall.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.