Support member for a floor beam of a building

Upper and lower tubular components of the support members are in threaded engagement for beam support. Retainer cups secure the support member in place while a lock seats about the upper and lower components to prevent rotation after installation. An opening in the upper tubular component permits charging of the support member with concrete or other reinforcing agent.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention concerns the use of a manufactured support assembly
 for the floor beam of a home or other building and which is adjustable to
 various heights of beams from a supporting surface.
 In many areas of the country it is a common building practice to utilize
 wooden posts or piers for the support of floor components of a house or
 other building. The post must be cut at a precise length to accomplish
 such support and typically must be of a good grade of lumber preferably
 treated with a preservative. While use of wooden posts has been accepted
 practice for many years the ever increasing shortage of suitable wood for
 such posts has resulted in significant cost increases for such lumber.
 Further, the man hour effort expended in installing such posts including
 dimensioning same, contributes to the costly use of same. Further, wooden
 posts for floor supports in certain parts of the United States are not
 desirable in view of pests such as termites and/or environmental
 conditions. A further drawback to the use of wooden beams is that over
 long periods of time wooden supports are subject to shrinkage requiring
 replacement or shimming of the posts. Wooden posts also are susceptible to
 dry rot which necessitates post replacement.
 In the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,645 discloses a scaffold supporting
 pole having a base member and a stem on which a nut element with hand
 grips is carried which positions an intermediate plate relative a top
 plate used to support scaffolding.
 U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,914,875 and 4,761,924 disclose a beam support member
 utilizing a threaded foot on a base plate and a cylinder slidably housed
 by upright supports The support member is of welded construction
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,264 discloses a floor support having threaded internal
 and external members adjustable to selected heights with spacers and
 drains on the internal member to separate and vent the slabs supported on
 the internal member.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,635 discloses a support structure for a building beam
 or foundation having a base in which is positionably received an inner
 member adjustable by insertion of a bolt and is further adjustable with
 the inner member threadedly engaged with the base for minute adjustments.
 SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
 The present invention is embodied within an adjustable support member for
 convenient installation beneath a floor beam of a house or other
 structure.
 The present support member includes axially adjustable tubular members with
 provision for vertical adjustment of one of said members into beam
 engagement. A lock is provided which serves to secure the members against
 rotation therebetween with the lock being embodied, in one form, in a
 collar engageable with both members by use of a locking compound.
 Provision is made for charging of the support member with a quantity of
 fluidized material such as concrete which upon setting contributes to the
 enhance missing text strength of the support member as the added material
 virtually occupies the length of the support member.
 Important objectives include the provision of a beam support of synthetic
 material for use during construction in houses and buildings which reduces
 the effort and costs heretofore incurred in the installation of wooden
 post supports; the provision of a beam support member of low cost
 synthetic materials and of tubular construction which may receive a
 reinforcement agent during installation; the provision of a support member
 having adjustable components which, upon adjustment; are joined by locking
 means preventing relative movement between the components; the provision
 of a support member or pier for supporting floor beams and of a material
 not susceptible to rust, dry rot, fungi or termites.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
 With continuing attention to the drawings wherein applied reference
 numerals indicate parts similarly hereinafter identified, the reference
 numeral 1 indicates a beam of a house or other building structure
 vertically spaced from a ground surface 2 which may be soil or a poured
 slab. A footing is at 3.
 The present support member or pier is indicated generally at 5 and includes
 lower and upper tubular components at 6 and 7 threaded respectively at 8
 and 9. A suitable material for members 6 and 7 is polyvinylchloride pipe.
 The lower end of tubular component 6 is received within a retainer ring 10
 of cup shape defining a recess which having flanges at 11 for the
 reception of fasteners at 12 (FIG. 3) which penetrate footing 3. A similar
 retainer ring 13 has a recess which receives the upper end of tubular
 component 7 and has flanges at 14 for securement, as by fasteners, to beam
 1. Retainer ring 13, as best shown in FIG. 4, is of invested cup
 configuration.
 A bar at 16 is insertable through aligned openings 17 in upper tubular
 component 7 to enable imparting rotation and vertical adjustment of upper
 component 7 relative to tubular component 6 upon manual effort being
 applied to bar 16.
 Locking means, in one form of the invention, includes screws at 18 inserted
 within aligned pilot openings drilled in the tubular component 6 and 7, to
 prevent further rotation of tubular component 7. In those installations
 where it is desirable to avoid drilling of apertures in the tubular
 components for reception of screws 18, preferred locking means including a
 collar at 20, preferably of polyvinylchloride is utilized and includes a
 first portion 20A having an internal wall corresponding to the outside
 diameter of threaded portion 9 of component 7. Integral with portion 20A
 is a second collar portion 20B having an internal wall of a diameter
 corresponding to the outside diameter of tubular component 6. A sealant or
 other compound at 21, compatible with the synthetic material of components
 6 and 7, such as a sealant for joining pipes of synthetic material is
 applied to threads 9 of the upper member 7 and also to the upper end
 segment of component 6 which sealant or compound, upon setting, serves to
 lock the collar 20 to the components to prevent subsequent rotation
 therebetween in the preferred form of the invention as it obviates the
 drilling of pilot holes and installation of locking screws 18. The collar
 20 may also be formed from polyvinylchloride. To enable the application of
 the compound or sealant, collar 20 is momentarily lifted to expose the
 upper end segment of component 6 as well as the adjacent threaded portion
 on tubular component 7 followed by repositioning of the collar as shown in
 FIG. 1.
 In those installations of the present support member where anticipated
 loads necessitates reinforcement of support members it is desirable to
 provide an opening 23 in upper tubular component 7 to permit the charging
 of the support member with a fluid, reinforcing agent such as concrete.
 Such charging of the support member is a final step in those installations
 where added strength is required of a permanently installed support
 member.
 While I have shown but a few embodiments of the invention, it will be
 apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied
 still otherwise without departing from the spirit and scope of the
 invention.