Post assembly with impact absorbing core mechanism
AssigneeMcCue Corporation
InventorsThomas Ustach, Teodoro A. Mesa, Matthew O'Brien
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A post assembly has a longitudinal axis extending from a proximal end to a distal end and includes a hollow outer shell, an anchoring sub-assembly disposed at the proximal end for securing the post assembly to a surface, a core assembly disposed within the hollow outer shell. The core assembly includes a core tube, a rigid rod having a lower end mechanically coupled to the anchoring sub-assembly and extending along the longitudinal axis to an upper end, and an elastic member disposed around the upper end of the rigid rod, the elastic member configured to transfer forces incident on the hollow outer shell through the elastic member to the anchoring sub-assembly via the rigid rod.
Claims13
A post assembly having a longitudinal axis extending from a proximal end to a distal end, the post assembly comprising:
- a hollow outer shell;
- an anchoring sub-assembly disposed at the proximal end for securing the post assembly to a surface;
- a core assembly disposed within the hollow outer shell, the core assembly including:
- a core tube;
- a rigid rod having a lower end pivotably coupled to the anchoring sub-assembly and extending along the longitudinal axis to an upper end disposed in the distal end of the post assembly;
- and
- an elastic member disposed in the distal end of the post assembly and around the upper end of the rigid rod, the elastic member configured to transfer forces incident on the hollow outer shell through the elastic member to the anchoring sub-assembly via the rigid rod;
- wherein the elastic member of the core assembly is disposed at a predetermined distance from the surface and outside a region of the post assembly where impacts to the post assembly are likely to occur.
A method for assembling a post assembly having a longitudinal axis extending from a proximal end to a distal end, the method comprising:
- pivotably coupling a lower end of a rigid rod to an anchoring sub-assembly;
- positioning the rigid rod inside a core tube of a core assembly such that an upper end of the rigid rod extends through an opening in a first washer affixed inside the core tube and is disposed in the distal end of the post assembly;
- positioning an elastic member in the distal end of the post assembly and on the first washer with the upper end of the rigid rod extending therethrough;
- and
- positioning a second washer on the elastic member and affixing the second washer to the upper end of the rigid rod such that the elastic member is held between the first washer and the second washer;
- wherein the elastic member is disposed at a predetermined distance from the proximal end of the post assembly and outside a region of the post assembly where impacts to the post assembly are likely to occur.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.