Abstract:
A Portable Roller Support Device is disclosed. The device provides rolling support for material in the process of being cut or otherwise manipulated. The support has a stable base and a series of height-adjustable legs with feet at their bottoms. The adjustable legs are also reversible such that the legs can perform an additional function of a threaded stud for attaching the support to a bench or table. Locking knobs are provided to enable the legs to be locked in a desired position once adjusted to that point.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention relates generally to tools and fixtures and, more specifically, to a portable roller support device.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     Roller supports having adjustable height are widely available for use in workshop applications. These devices are used to allow the ends of long pieces of material to be supported while the user is working on the other end of the material (e.g. cutting the material with a chop saw). Roller supports include rollers to enable the user to slide the material longitudinally towards or away from him or herself, while still providing solid support for the material (i.e. in a horizontal direction).  
         [0005]     The conventional roller supports typically further include at least some measure of height adjustability. The height adjustability is provided so that the roller support can be configured to work with varying table and/or tool heights. Many of these roller supports are further fitted with collapsible legs to allow the supports to be folded up and put away when not in use.  
         [0006]     While the conventional roller supports are very useful for shop applications, they really are not very helpful for field applications. In the field, the user is many times working off of the ground and/or some other surface (e.g. a truck bed) that is not in the height range of the typical workbench or shop tool. In these situations, the user historically has been required to create a support structure, typically out of scrap material. These cobbled-together supports are rarely suitable, in part because they do not have the valuable rolling aspect to their support. Even though the conventional roller support stands to permit some height adjustment, they do not allow adjustment until the roller is a height corresponding to a chop saw resting on the ground.  
         [0007]     What is needed, then, is a roller support that is portable and can be adjusted to the very low heights mandated for field applications.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices, it is an object of the present invention to provide a Portable Roller Support Device. The device should provide rolling support for material in the process of being cut or otherwise manipulated. The support should have a stable base and a series of height-adjustable legs with feet at their bottoms. The adjustable legs should also be reversible such that the legs can perform an additional function of a threaded stud for attaching the support to a bench or table. Locking knobs should be provided to enable the legs to be locked in a desired position once adjusted to that point.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of which:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the portable roller support device of the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the base assembly of the device of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a cutaway side view of the device of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; and  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is another side view of the device of  FIGS. 1-3 .  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]     The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a Portable Roller Support Device.  
         [0015]     The present invention can best be understood by initial consideration of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the portable roller support device  10  of the present invention. The device  10  comprises a base  12  that has a roller  14  mounted to it. The base  12  has several threaded studs  16  threaded through it to serve as leveling legs for the base  12 . Each threaded stud  16  has a foot  18  at one end, such as a conical shape made from rubberized material to inhibit the feet from slipping on the surface upon which the device  10  is resting. Each threaded stud  16  is held in its adjustment position by a locking knob  20  that is tightened against the base  12  to prevent that locking stud  16  from turning.  
         [0016]     A pair of mounting blocks  22  extend upwardly from the top surface of the base  12 . Each mounting block  22  provides the connection between the roller  14  and the base  12 .  
         [0017]     What is particularly useful about the elegantly simple design of the support device  10  is that it can be used in a variety of circumstances and an virtually any stable surface, not matter whether that surface is level or not. Once the threaded studs  16  at each corner are turned down or up to level out the base  12 , the locking knobs  20  are tightened down and the roller support device  10  is ready for use. As will be discussed further in connection with  FIG. 4 , the roller support device  10  can also be easily adapted to a permanent or semi-permanent installation. If we now turn to  FIG. 2 , we can examine the device of the present invention in more detail.  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the base  12  assembly of the device of  FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, the base  12  has a generally rectangular center member  24  and a side member  26  at each end thereof. The center member  24  and side members  26  are all preferably made from steel or other hard, durable material. As can be seen, the members  24  and  26  form an “H” shape, with threaded bores  28  formed through each distal end of the side members  26 . The threaded bores  28  are formed to cooperate with the threaded studs (see  FIG. 1 ) so that the threaded studs threaded engage the threaded bores  28 .  
         [0019]     The mounting blocks  22  are attached or otherwise dispersed on the center portions of the side members  26 . Each mounting block  22  has a non-threaded bore  23  formed therethrough; the two bores  23  being coaxial in spaced relation so that the roller (see  FIG. 1 ) can be mounted on a shaft passing through each bore  23 .  FIG. 3  provides substantial additional detail regarding the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is a cutaway side view of the device  10  of  FIG. 1  and  2 . The roller  14  is preferably formed from a solid piece of aluminum, and has a cylindrical shape. Each end of the roller  14  has a socket  30  cut into it. A bearing sleeve  32  is pressed into each socket  30 . The bearing sleeve  32  is made from a material that will allow the roller  14  to roll smoothly round the two shafts  34  attaching the roller  14  to the base  12 . One ideal material that has proven to be suitable for this purpose is bronze due to its wear-resistant properties (i.e. as compared to aluminum).  
         [0021]     As can be seen in this view, the side members  26  are preferably made from slightly thicker material than is the center member  24 . The thicker material of the side members  26  provides an extremely stable base through which the threaded studs can engage, and can support very heavy loads. In contrast, the center section  24  simply interconnects the two side members  26 .  
         [0022]     The shafts  34  are retained within the sockets  30  formed within the roller  14  (and the bearing sleeves  32  therein) by retainer clips  36  pressed over/around the shaft  34  between the outer face of the roller  14  and the inner face of the mounting blocks  22 . One suitable design for these retainer clips  36  are known as “E” clips that not only retain the shafts  34 , but also create spring force between the face of the roller  14  and the face of the mounting block  22 . Furthermore, a slip nut  38 , such as a “nylock” nut is slipped over each outer (distal) end of the shafts  34  to keep the shafts  34  inserted within the sockets  30 .  
         [0023]     It should be clear from this view that the threaded studs  16  can be raised and lowered independent from one another to account for irregularities in the surface upon which the support device  10  is rested. Furthermore, the device  10  presents a very compact profile to make it supremely useful in a wide variety of applications, in the field, but also in the shop as depicted below in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 4  is another side view of the device  10  of  FIGS. 1-3 . In this depiction, the device  10  has been converted and then mounted to a conventional workbench  40 . For situations where a rolling support is desired where there is already a workbench installed, or where the height of the legs  42  of the bench is at a desirable level, attachment of the device thereto is a simple process.  
         [0025]     First, two to four holes (large enough to accept the threaded studs therethrough) are cut through the top of the workbench  40  (or whatever other surface the user wishes to mount the device to). Each hole must align with a corresponding threaded stud  16 , however, not all studs  16  need to have a hole, if not desired or necessary.  
         [0026]     The threaded studs  16  are then removed from their respective threaded bores formed in the base  12  and flipped over (top to bottom). The threaded studs  16  are then rethreaded (with the feet  18  up) through the threaded bores until the feet  18  are low enough to be an obstruction and there is enough stud  16  exposed under the base  12 , such that it will extend beyond the thickness of the workbench  40  top when the studs  16  are inserted into the corresponding holes formed in the top of the workbench  40 .  
         [0027]     Finally, the locking knobs  20  are threaded onto the (now bottom) ends of the threaded studs  16  until they are all tight to the bottom surface of the workbench  40  top. The portable roller support device  10  is now “permanently” installed (at least until the locking knobs  20  are removed). As should be clear, the device could even be mounted on surfaces that are not horizontal, however, unless an additional washer or locking knob  20  is added, there will not be any leveling adjustment availability for these types of installations (i.e. when the studs  16  are turned upside down).  
         [0028]     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.