Sheet rock support devise

A temporary support device for use in installing an overhead sheetrock panel for aiding the installer in positioning and attaching a sheetrock panel to overhead structure, said temporary support device comprising:

• a horizontally extending platform element upon which a panel of sheetrock can be supported temporarily,
• an elongated support rod adapted for being positioned generally vertically and having upper and lower ends,
• resilient connection means connecting said horizontally extending platform element in generally perpendicular relationship to said upper end of said elongated support rod for permitting said elongated support rod to be tilted somewhat away from vertical while said horizontally extending platform element remains horizontal,
• a tubular support column having top and bottom ends,
• said lower end of said elongated support rod being received in said top end of said tubular support column in telescoping relationship therein for permitting said elongated support rod to be moved upwardly and downwardly relative to said tubular support column,
• a manually releasable one-way friction clutch assembly carried by said tubular support column and frictionally engageable with said elongated support rod for allowing said elongated support rod to be moved freely upwardly for extending said elongated support rod upwardly relative to said tubular support column while normally frictionally gripping said elongated support rod for preventing said elongated support rod from moving downwardly relative to said tubular support column,
• a vertically elongated, floor-engaging member adapted to rest upon a floor,
• said vertically elongated, floor-engaging member being in telescoping relationship with said bottom end of said tubular support column for permitting said bottom end of said tubular support column to be moved upwardly and downwardly relative to said floor-engaging member,
• a compression spring having first and second ends,
• said first end of said compression spring being seated down against said floor-engaging member for thrusting downwardly upon said floor-engaging member, and
• said second end of said compression spring being seated up against said tubular support column for thrusting upwardly upon said tubular support column,
• whereby an installer of overhead sheetrock can place a panel of sheetrock up against the overhead structure and then while holding said panel up against said overhead structure with a first hand can use a second hand to grasp said temporary device for positioning said floor-engaging member in a suitable position below said panel and then can use said second hand to exert a thrust upwardly on said elongated support rod to position and place said horizontally extending platform element up against the panel for temporarily supporting the panel and while holding said horizontally extending platform element up against the panel with said second hand, can now release said first hand from holding said panel for now grasping said tubular support column with said first hand for thrusting downwardly on said tubular support column for compressing said compression spring, whereupon releasing both of said installer's hands allows the compressed compression spring simultaneously to thrust down upon said floor-engaging member and to thrust upwardly upon said tubular support column for causing said friction clutch assembly to be in friction gripping relationship with said elongated support rod for transmitting the upward thrust of the compressed compression spring through said elongated support rod to said horizontally extending platform element for applying the upward thrust of the compressed compression spring through said horizontally extending platform element to the sheetrock panel for temporarily holding and pressing the sheetrock panel up against the overhead structure until said friction clutch assembly is manually released.