Patent ID: 8960645
Filing Date: 2015-02-24
Classification: B64F,B66F

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for raising a selected strut on an airplane landing gear having two flat spring-steel struts, the apparatus comprising: a jack for providing a vertically upward directed force and a strut-cradling jack pad for coupling said vertically upward directed force from the jack to the selected strut; wherein the strut-cradling jack pad includes a forward component and a rearward component that are sized, shaped, and interconnected to define a left-strut-cradling side of the strut-cradling jack pad for cradling a left strut of the two flat spring-steel struts and a right-strut-cradling side of the strut-cradling jack pad for cradling a right strut of the two flat spring-steel struts, said left-strut-cradling side facing in a first direction and said right-strut-cradling side facing in a diametrically opposite second direction; a jack-coupling axle on the strut-cradling jack pad that extends between the forward component and rearward component along an axis of rotation; and a jack-coupling component of the jack for coupling the jack to the jack-coupling axle pivotally so that a user can pivot the strut-cradling jack pad about an axle axis between a left-strut-cradling first position of the strut-cradling jack pad in which the left-strut-cradling side of the jack pad faces upwardly, and a right-strut-cradling second position of the strut-cradling jack pad in which the right-strut-cradling side of the strut-cradling jack pad faces upwardly; thereby enabling use of the strut-cradling jack pad with both the left strut and the right strut without strut-dependent readjustment of the strut-cradling jack pad; wherein the left-strut-cradling side of the strut-cradling jack pad faces upwardly toward and cradles the left strut when the apparatus is in a left-strut-lifting first operative position of the apparatus in which the jack rests upon a horizontal support surface beneath the left strut, said first direction in which the left-strut-cradling side faces being perpendicular to the axis of rotation along which the jack-coupling axle extends; wherein the right-strut-cradling side of the strut-cradling jack pad faces upwardly toward and cradles the right strut when the apparatus is in a right-strut-lifting second operative position of the apparatus in which the jack rests upon a horizontal support surface beneath the right strut, said second direction in which the right-strut-cradling side faces being perpendicular to the axis of rotation along which the jack-coupling axle extends; wherein the axis of rotation along which the jack-coupling axle extends is horizontally disposed when the apparatus is in the first operative position and when the apparatus is in the second operative position; wherein the left-strut-cradling side of the strut-cradling jack pad includes a vertically extending first forward surface of the forward component that faces and abuts a forward edge of the left strut when the strut-cradling jack pad is in said left-strut-cradling first position of the strut-cradling jack pad; wherein the left-strut-cradling side of the strut-cradling jack pad includes a vertically extending first rearward surface of the rearward component that faces and abuts a rearward edge of the left strut when the strut-cradling jack pad is in said left-strut-cradling first position of the strut-cradling jack pad; wherein the left-strut-cradling side of the strut-cradling jack pad includes a horizontally extending first lower surface defined by a horizontally extending first left-side surface segment provided by the forward component and a horizontally extending second left-side segment provided by the rearward component, which horizontally extending first lower surface faces and abuts an underside of the left strut when the strut-cradling jack pad is in said left-strut-cradling first position of the strut-cradling jack pad; wherein the right-strut-cradling side of the strut-cradling jack pad includes a vertically extending second forward surface of the forward component that faces and abuts a forward edge of the right strut when the strut-cradling jack pad is in said right-strut-cradling second position of the strut-cradling jack pad; wherein the right-strut-cradling side of the strut-cradling jack pad includes a vertically extending second rearward surface of the rearward component that faces and abuts a rearward edge of the right strut when the strut-cradling jack pad is in said right-strut-cradling second position of the strut-cradling jack pad; and wherein the right-strut-cradling side of the strut-cradling jack pad includes a horizontally extending second lower surface defined by a horizontally extending first right-side surface segment provided by the forward component and a horizontally extending second right-side surface segment provide by the rearward component, which horizontally extending second lower surface faces and abuts an underside of the right strut when the strut-cradling jack pad is in said right-strut-cradling second position of the strut-cradling jack pad.