Patent ID: 11859402
Assignee: nan
Field: Civil engineering (Other fields)
Classification: CPC E | IPC E

Claim 12:
13. An apparatus expandable from a compact transport configuration to a free-standing use configuration for positioning an unclaimed post essentially vertically to allow the user to manually drive the post into the ground, said apparatus comprising a compactable assembly comprising:
(a) an assembly head comprising a connecting means for connecting:
(1) a pair of essentially parallel front and back support plates, each support plate including a lower hole aligned with a corresponding lower hole of the other support plate;
(2) a pair of pivotable 1st and 2nd support legs, each having a respective 1st and 2nd foot end and a respective 1st and 2nd apex end pivotably connected to the assembly head and essentially opposing the apex end of the other respective 1st or 2nd support leg, each of said pivotable 1st and 2nd support leg's apex ends defining a cross-sectional area, each apex end of the respective 1st and 2nd support legs further comprising a converging tip region comprising a terminal tip, and including:
(A) a diagonal planar cutaway reducing said cross-sectional area as said terminal tip is approached; and
(B) a lower bore aligned with said aligned lower holes of the front and back support plates, each respective lower bore and lower holes receiving a hinge pin enabling said respective 1st or 2nd support leg to pivot from a vertical compacted position outwardly to a free-standing use position;

(3) a 3rd pivotable support leg having a 3rd foot end and a 3rd apex end pivotably connected to the assembly head and enabling the apparatus to stand when all three support legs are pivoted outwardly; and
(4) a stabilizer support comprising a vertical sleeve fixed between said support plates and telescopically accepting a strut affixed therein and downstanding therefrom, and comprising a lower connection end; and

(b) a stabilizer guide member comprising:
(1) a middle portion pivotably connected to said lower connection end of said stabilizer support;
(2) a stabilizer end pivotably connected to said 3rd support leg; and
(3) an opposite guide end defining an aperture sized to accept insertion of the post in a manner positioning the post essentially vertically for commencement of the user manually driving the post into the ground but facilitating lifting of the apparatus off the partially driven post without altering the vertical positioning thereof;

said apparatus further comprising angulation adjustment means for adjusting the angulation of the stabilizer guide member.