US-12623892-B1 - Safety jack

Abstract

The safety jack includes a base and a piston jack mounted on the base. The piston jack includes a base tube mounted on the base. A threaded rod within the base tube has a portion extending above the base tube, where the threaded rod is free to move up and down within the base tube. A nut on the portion of the threaded rod extends above base tube, and a jack saddle is connected to a top of the piston and a top of the threaded base. The nut can be screwed down onto a top of the base tube so as to prevent the jack saddle from being lowered.

Inventors

• David W. Stecker, Sr.

Assignees

• David W. Stecker, Sr.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20221113

Claims (18)

1. 1 . A safety jack, comprising: a piston jack to raise an object, the piston jack including a piston and a bottom on the piston jack; a safety support to support the raised object, the safety support comprising a uniform base tube, a threaded rod, and a threaded stop nut; the base tube having a top and a bottom and an inner surface; the threaded rod movable within the base tube and having a portion of the threaded rod extending above the top of the base tube, wherein movement of the threaded rod within the base tube is unrestricted by the inner surface of the base tube; the threaded stop nut rotatably connected on the portion of the threaded rod extending above the top of the base tube; a jack saddle fixedly secured to a top of the piston and a top of the threaded rod, and the bottoms of the piston jack and the base tube are located on a substantially similar horizonal plane; and wherein the threaded stop nut can be screwed down onto the top of the base tube so as to prevent the piston of the piston jack from being lowered after the piston is raised.
2. 2 . The safety jack of claim 1 , further comprising: a jack head secured to a top of the jack saddle.
3. 3 . The safety jack of claim 1 , further comprising: a base; and wherein the bottom of the piston jack and the bottom of the base tube are connected to the base.
4. 4 . The safety jack of claim 1 , wherein the threaded rod extends at least a length of the base tube.
5. 5 . The safety jack of claim 1 , further comprising: a second base tube having a top and a bottom and an inner surface; a second threaded rod within the second base tube having a portion of the second threaded rod extending above the second base tube, where movement of the second threaded rod within the second base tube is unrestricted by the inner surface of the second base tube; a second threaded stop nut on the portion of the second threaded rod extending above the top of the second base tube; the jack saddle secured to a top of the second threaded rod; and wherein the second threaded stop nut can be screwed down onto the top of the second base tube so as to prevent the piston of the piston jack from being lowered after the piston is raised.
6. 6 . The safety jack of claim 5 , wherein the bottom of the second base tube is connected to the base.
7. 7 . The safety jack of claim 1 , further comprising: a uniform support tube located around the threaded rod and above the top of the base tube to increase the height of the base tube.
8. 8 . A safety jack, comprising: a piston jack having an inner tube, a bottom, a top surface, and a unitary piston having at least a portion within the inner tube, wherein an upper portion of the piston has a threaded surface and a lower portion of the piston has a smooth surface, and wherein movement of the threaded surface of the unitary piston within the inner tube is unrestricted by and can slide adjacent to an inner surface of the inner tube of the piston jack; an O-ring around a groove portion of the smooth surface on the lower portion of the piston so as to provide an airtight seal between the smooth surface on the lower portion of the piston below the O-ring and the inner tube of the piston jack; a threaded stop nut on the threaded surface of the upper portion of the piston above the top surface of the piston jack; and wherein screwing the threaded stop nut down so as to contact the top surface of the piston jack prevents the piston from being lowered after being raised.
9. 9 . The safety jack of claim 8 , further comprising: a jack head secured to a top of the piston.
10. 10 . The safety jack of claim 9 , wherein a cross-section of the jack head has a U-shape configuration.
11. 11 . The safety jack of claim 9 , wherein a cross-section of the jack head has a rectangular-shape configuration.
12. 12 . The safety jack of claim 9 , wherein a cross-section of the jack head has a square-shape configuration.
13. 13 . The safety jack of claim 8 , further comprising: a base tube having a bottom and an inner surface; a threaded rod within the base tube having a portion extending above the base tube, where movement of the threaded rod within the base tube is unrestricted by the inner surface of the base tube; a second threaded stop nut on the portion of the threaded rod extending above the base tube; a jack saddle connected to a top of the piston and a top of the threaded rod; and wherein the second threaded stop nut can be screwed down onto a top of the base tube so as to prevent the piston of the piston jack from being lowered after the piston has been raised.
14. 14 . The safety jack of claim 13 , further comprising a base, wherein the bottom of the piston jack and the bottom of the base tube are connected to the base.
15. 15 . The safety jack of claim 8 , further comprising: a riser tube around the unitary piston and located between the top surface of the piston jack and the threaded stop nut; and wherein the riser tube prevents the threaded stop nut on the piston from dropping below a top of the riser tube.
16. 16 . The safety jack of claim 8 , further comprising: a washer around the unitary piston and located between the stop nut and the riser tube.
17. 17 . A safety jack, comprising: a planar base; a piston jack to raise an object, the piston jack including a piston and a bottom on the piston jack; a safety support to support the raised object, the safety support comprising a base tube, a threaded rod, and a threaded stop nut; the base tube having a top and a bottom and an inner surface, the base tube around the threaded rod, and a portion of the threaded rod extending below the bottom of the base tube, and wherein movement of the threaded rod within the base tube is unrestricted by the inner surface of the base tube; the threaded stop nut rotatably movable on the portion of the threaded rod extending below bottom of the base tube; a jack saddle secured to a top of the piston and the top of the base tube; and wherein the threaded stop nut can be screwed up below the bottom of the base tube so as to prevent the piston of the piston jack from being lowered after the piston is raised.
18. 18 . The safety jack of claim 17 , further comprising: a washer around the threaded rod and located between the stop nut and the base tube.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This non-provisional patent application is a Continuation-in-Part (CIP) of non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 16/428,747, filed on May 31, 2019, entitled “Safety Jack,” which claims priority and benefit of provisional patent application No. 62/679,797, entitled “Combo Safety Jack,” filed on Jun. 2, 2018. Both of the above-referenced patent applications in this paragraph are hereby incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally lifting jacks, and more specifically, to various safety mechanisms for lifting jacks. Description of Related Art Lifting jacks or jacks for lifting are used for many different tasks. Many of these tasks could result in serious injury should a lifting jack fail. For example, portable jacks, such as bottle jacks, are used for lifting vehicles so that a person can work underneath a vehicle. If a jack holding a vehicle above a person working underneath the vehicle should fail, serious injury or death can occur. A conventional protective measure to protect an individual working under a vehicle from being injured by a failing jack lifting that vehicle is to use a second jack, such as a jack stand. A jack stand typically uses a pin in a hole to lock the jack in position, thus making lifting failure far less likely than with a hydraulic jack, pneumatic jack, or even a mechanical jack. Relying on a jack stand as a protective measure has several disadvantages. First, having to carry or use a second safety jack for each primary jack is burdensome. Additionally, setting a jack stand to be the same height as the primary jack can be difficult, as jack stands typically have predetermine pin height levels, which may not be the same as the desired lift height. Jack stands also are generally not designed to raise an object, and thus, the item being lifted typically must first be raised above the jack stand, and then lowered onto the jack stand by the primary lifting jack. Further, there is the added cost and time of having to purchase, set, store, and transport additional jacks. Accordingly, there is a need for a primary lifting jack that also provides a simple, easily utilized, and cost effective safety apparatus that safeguards a user from lifting failures of the primary lifting jack. ASPECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION One aspect of the present invention is to provide a lifting jack for heavy objects that includes a safety feature to protect users from serious injury due to failure of the lifting jack; Another aspect of the present invention is to reduce wear on a lifting jack by providing backup support during lifting operations; A further aspect of the present invention is to minimize setup time during lifting and repair operations; An additional aspect of the present invention is to reduce operational costs and improve time efficiency; Another aspect of the present invention is to simplify operating procedures during lifting operations; A further aspect of the present invention is to reduce storage and transportation requirements for lifting operations; and An additional object of the present invention is to provide a self-rising safety jack. In order to achieve these aspects and others, the present invention provides a lifting jack including a safety apparatus should the lifting jack fail. The present invention, referred to by the inventor as the “Safety Jack,” solves the problem of hydraulic, pneumatic, or mechanical jacks unintentionally lowering or having catastrophic failures, resulting from failures of seals in hydraulic or pneumatic jacks, and failure of gears in mechanical jacks. In order to achieve these aspects and others, a first embodiment of the present invention provides a base and a piston jack mounted on the base. The bottle or piston jack includes a piston within an inner tube, and a base tube having a top and a bottom and an inner surface. A threaded rod is located within the base tube, wherein a portion of the threaded rod extends above the top of the base tube, and movement of the threaded rod within the base tube is unrestricted by a smooth inner surface of the base tube that comes in contact with or adjacent to the outer surface of the threaded rod. A threaded stop nut is located on the portion of the threaded rod extending above the top of the base tube. A jack saddle is secured to both a top of the piston and a top of the threaded rod, wherein raising the piston of the piston jack causes the jack saddle to raise the threaded rod. After the threaded rod is raised by the piston, the threaded stop nut can be screwed down onto the top of the base tube so as to prevent the piston of the piston jack from being lowered after the piston is raised. The threaded rod with the adjustable support nut, connected to the piston of the piston jack by the jack saddle, raise together simultaneously to achieve a safety aspect of the present invention. As the jack pi