Portable hoist system

A portable hoist system for use on the top of a building, said portable hoist system comprising:

• a plurality of base assemblies mounted to the top of the building, each of said base assemblies including a plate and a pintle extending upwardly from said plate;
• at least one hoist support assembly, said at least one hoist assembly including:
• a substantially vertical tube having a bottom portion, a top portion, and a long axis, said bottom portion being constructed and arranged to rotatably engage said pintle;
• a channel section support arm having a proximal end, a distal end, and a long axis, said proximal end being constructed and arranged to engage said top portion of said substantially vertical tube;
• a channel section angle brace member having a first end, a second end, and a long axis, said first end being constructed and arranged to engage said bottom portion of said substantially vertical tube, and said second end being constructed and arranged to engage said distal end of said channel section support arm;
• a lifting strap control assembly, said lifting strap control assembly including:
• a windlass mounted at said proximal end and on the top of said channel section support arm;
• a lifting strap guide bar mounted at said distal end of said support arm;
• a lifting strap having sufficient length to both be wrapped around said windlass and passed around said lifting strap guide bar;
• said hoist support assembly being constructed and arranged to be collapsible whereby the long axes of said substantially vertical tube, said channel section support arm, and said channel section angle brace member become parallel to one another;
• said at least one hoist support being constructed out of a light metal to be transportable to the top of the building by an individual;
• wherein said at least one hoist support assembly may be selectively mounted on one of said plurality of base assemblies positioned at various locations on the top of the building by engaging said substantially vertical tube with said pintle on a selected base assembly.

A portable hoist system for use by an individual to lift loads into and remove loads from the cargo space of a vehicle, said portable hoist system comprising:

• at least one base assembly constructed and arranged for mounting in the cargo space of the vehicle, said base assembly including a pintle;
• at least one hoist support assembly, said at least one hoist assembly including:
• a substantially vertical tube having a bottom portion, a top portion, and a long axis, said bottom portion being constructed and arranged to rotatably engage said pintle;
• a channel section support arm having a proximal end, a distal end, and a long axis, said proximal end being constructed and arranged to engage said top portion of said substantially vertical tube;
• a channel section angle brace member having a first end, a second end, and a long axis, said first end being constructed and arranged to engage said bottom portion of said substantially vertical tube, and said second end being constructed and arranged to engage said distal end of said channel section support arm;
• a lifting strap control assembly, said lifting strap control assembly including:
• a windlass mounted at said proximal end of said channel section support arm;
• a lifting strap guide bar mounted at said distal end of said channel support arm;
• a lifting strap having sufficient length to both be wrapped around said windlass and passed around said lifting strap guide bar;
• said at least one hoist assembly being constructed and arranged to be collapsible whereby the long axes of said substantially vertical tube, said channel section support arm, and said channel section angle brace become parallel to one another;
• said hoist support assembly being constructed out of a light metal so as to be capable of being constructed and them mounted on said at least one base assembly in the cargo space of the vehicle by an individual.

A method for constructing a portable hoist system which may be carried and erected by an individual and then rotatably mounted on a pintle, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) fabricating a hoist support assembly, said hoist support assembly including:
• a substantially vertical tube having a bottom portion, and a top portion, said bottom portion being constructed and arranged to rotatably engage said pintle;
• a channel section support arm having a proximal end, and a distal end, said proximal end being constructed and arranged to engage said top portion of said substantially vertical tube;
• a channel section angle brace member having a first end and a second end, said first end being constructed and arranged to engage said bottom portion of said substantially vertical tube and said second end being constructed and arranged to engage said distal end of said cross section support arm;
• (b) attaching a lifting strap control assembly to said support arm, said lifting strap control assembly including:
• a windlass mounted at said proximal end of said channel section support arm;
• a lifting strap guide bar mounted at said distal end of said channel section support arm;
• a lifting strap having sufficient length to both be wrapped around said windlass and passed around said lifting strap guide bar;
• (c) positioning the combination of said hoist support assembly and said cable control assembly on the pintle by sliding said substantially vertical tube over said pintle.