Trench shoring apparatus

A lock for a trench shoring apparatus, the lock comprising:

• a pair of elongate pivoting arms, each elongate pivoting arm having a pivoting end so as to pivotally connect to a first pair of lateral arms and a connecting bar of a trench shoring apparatus, and an opposite free end opposite said pivoting end so as to be moveable in an arc,
• wherein said opposite free end is comprised of:
• a notch so as to receive a cylindrical abutment of a corresponding elongate backplate of the trench shoring apparatus;
• and
• an annular opening;
• and
• an elongate cross piece being comprised of a flat strip of metal and a plurality of cylinders projecting from one face of the cross piece, each cylinder of said plurality of cylinders being slidably receivable in a corresponding annular opening,
• wherein an outermost cylinder of said plurality of cylinders is received within a corresponding annular opening with first and second side panels of the trench shoring apparatus in extended parallel spaced-apart configuration, and
• wherein an innermost cylinder of said plurality of cylinders is received within a corresponding annular opening with the first and second side panels in said retracted parallel spaced-apart configuration.

A trench shoring apparatus, comprising:

• first and second side panels having a retracted parallel spaced-apart configuration and an extended parallel spaced-apart configuration;
• a first pair of lateral arms, one first lateral arm of said first pair of lateral arms having one first lateral arm end hingedly connected to said first side panel by a first pivot plate, and another first lateral arm of said first pair of lateral arms having another first lateral arm end hingedly connected to said second side panel by another first pivot plate;
• and
• a connecting rod having a fixed length between said first and second side panels and being pivotally connected to an opposite first lateral arm end of said one first lateral arm and another opposite first lateral arm end of said another first lateral arm, so as to move said first side panel and said second side panel between said retracted parallel spaced-apart configuration and said extended parallel spaced-apart configuration according to translational movement of said fixed length of said connecting rod along a direction parallel to said first side panel and said second side panel and along a longitudinal axis of said connecting bar,
• wherein said first pair of lateral arms is comprised of a first pair of telescopically-extendable struts, said opposite first lateral arm end of said one first lateral arm being a free strut end of one first telescopically-extendable strut, said one first lateral arm end being an opposite strut end of said one first telescopically-extendable strut, said another opposite first lateral arm end of said another first lateral arm being another free strut end of another first telescopically-extendable strut, said another first lateral arm end being another opposite strut end of said another first telescopically-extendable strut;
• wherein a respective opposite strut end abuts against a corresponding side panel of the first and second side panels according to a corresponding pivot plate in said extended parallel spaced-apart configuration so as to align a respective telescopically-extendable strut of said respective opposite strut end in an opposed lengthwise configuration so as to resist any lateral forces applied from sides of the trench until upward translational movement of said connecting rod.