Ceiling panel installation support with telescoping panel rest for ease of carrying

In a temporary support device for use in installing overhead construction material for aiding the installer in positioning and attaching such construction material to overhead structure, wherein said temporary support device includes a horizontally extending member upon which construction material can be supported temporarily, an elongated support rod adapted for being positioned generally vertically and having upper and lower ends, means connecting said horizontally extending member 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 member 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 operably associated with 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 comumn 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 exerting a downward force on said floor-engaging member and said second end of said compression spring exerting an upward force on said tubular support column, the improvement comprising:

• said vertically elongated floor-engaging member being tubular and having an interior and having said compression spring positioned entirely within said interior,
• said vertically elongated floor-engaging member having vertically extending guide slots therein,
• a transversely extending pin secured to said tubular support column and extending through said guide slots and transversely through the interior of said vertically elongated floor-engaging member,
• spring stop means within said interior held by said pin, and
• said second end of said spring thrusting upwardly against said spring stop means.