Jackhammer lift assist
AssigneeIntegrated Tool Solutions LLC
InventorsRonald Jon Sorric, Ronald William Sorric
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to a lift assist device which is used to alleviate the physical demands for the operation of a heavy percussion power tool, such as a pneumatic jackhammer, by facilitating lifting and freeing the percussion power tool. In general, the lift assist device contains an actuating cylinder with a lifting foot attached to the outside end of its piston rod and a control unit which comprises a directional control valve and a hand lever. The control unit is on the top of the lift assist device and can be used to control the lifting speed and height. The lift assist device is secured to the body of the percussion power tool with one or more mounting elements.
Claims18
A lift assist device for attachment to a percussion power tool to facilitate lifting and extraction of the percussion power tool, the lift assist device comprising:
- a) a top cylinder;
- b) a bottom cylinder;
- c) a cylinder wall connected to and between the top cylinder and the bottom cylinder, wherein the top cylinder and the bottom cylinder when connected to the cylinder wall form a continuous vertical cylindrical body with an upper lifting chamber and a lower retracting chamber;
- d) a control unit operably associated with the top cylinder, wherein the control unit further comprises a control valve operable by a lever, wherein the control valve has at least an actuated position and a normal position that control flow of actuating media through an inlet port and a first outlet port, wherein the inlet port is operably connected to a source of pressurized actuating media, and wherein the first outlet port is operably connected to the upper lifting chamber;
- e) a lifting foot unit vertically aligned with the cylindrical body, the lifting foot unit comprising a piston, a lifting foot and a piston rod connected to and between the lifting foot and the piston, wherein the piston rod extends through an opening in the bottom cylinder, and wherein the piston separates the upper lifting chamber from the lower retracting chamber;
- and
- a piston retractor arranged to provide a force against the piston and maintain the piston in an upward direction away from the bottom cylinder towards the top cylinder to thereby keep the lifting foot maintained in a retracted position when the control valve is in the normal position;
- wherein actuation of the control valve, releases said force against the piston to push the piston down with the piston rod and lifting foot against the working surface to raise the percussion power tool from the working surface,
- thereafter switching the control valve to the normal position to force the piston rod and lifting foot back to the upward and maintained retracted position, thus returning the percussion power tool to the working surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.