Abstract:
An adjustable support tool for either vertical or horizontal mounting. The adjustable support tool comprises a rod slidably received by a tube. The rod has depressions formed thereon. A threaded portion is coupled to the tube and a hand grip tightener is turnable engaged to the threaded portion for adjusting their overall length. A ratchet housing is resiliently engaged to the hand grip tightener. The ratchet housing has a ratchet for securerly engaging to one of the depressions, a wheel spring for rollably engaging to another one of the depressions, a safety lock pivotally engaged to the ratchet housing for prevent access to the ratchet when locked. When the rod is slided, the wheel spring pushes up the ratchet from its underside to loosen its engagement. The loosened ratchet allows the rod to slide more smoothly, while protecting the painted surface on the rod. Both the ratchet and threaded portion provide adjustment to the overall length of the support tool.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. provisional application No. 60/554,978, filed Mar. 19, 2004, entitled ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT TOOL FOR VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL MOUNTING, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 

   ART BACKGROUND 
   Adjustable support tools have become quite common for home and industrial use. One example of such adjustable tool is disclosed by Huang in U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,882 (hereinafter “Huang”), issued on Jun. 19, 2001, entitled “CARGO BRACING DEVICE,” and another example of an adjustable tool is disclosed by Shiau in U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,963 (hereinafter “Shiau”), issued on Nov. 23, 1999, entitled “CARGO POSITIONING FRAME.” Both prior patents are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
   The Huang patent discloses a bracing device including a rod slidably received in a tube and having a number of depressions. A lever ( 35 ) is pivotally secured to the tube and has a pawl ( 80 ) for engaging with the depressions ( 12 ) of the rod. A blade ( 40 ) is pivotally secured to the tube and has a bulge ( 43 ) for engaging with the depressions of the rod. A shaft ( 50 ) is slidably received in the tube and engaged with the blade for biasing the bulge to engage with the depressions of the rod. The shaft is selectively engaged with the lever for selectively forcing the pawl to secure the rod to the tube. 
   The Shiau patent discloses a tube of a cargo positioning frame made of a plate. The plate has a plurality of positioning holes and a plurality of upper chamfer angled holes. Each of the upper chamfer angled holds communicates with the respective positioning holes in order to position a pawl stably. 
   Such conventional adjustable tools still have their drawbacks. First, in the Huang patent, the shaft ( 50 ) often fails to provide a clear indication as to whether the lever is engaged or disengaged, thus creating confusion to the users. Also, as in both Huang and Shiau patents, a secondary, or fine, adjustment other than the positioning of the depressions ( 12 ) is often needed by the user, since the positions of the depressions are fixed and cannot accommodate too much variation. Last but not least, the pawl tends to scratch the paint off the surface of the rod when the rod is moved, thus causing the rod to be oxidized over time. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An adjustable support tool for either vertical or horizontal mounting is disclosed. The adjustable support tool comprises a rod slidably received by a tube. The rod has depressions formed thereon. A threaded portion is engaged to the tube as an external sleeve, or can be formed as threads on the tube, and a hand grip tightener is turnably engaged to the threaded sleeve for adjusting their overall length. A ratchet housing is resiliently engaged to the hand grip tightener. The ratchet housing has a ratchet for securely engaging to one of the depressions, a wheel spring for rollably engaging to another one of the depressions, a safety lock pivotally engaged to the ratchet housing for prevent access to the ratchet when locked. When the rod is slided, the wheel spring pushes up the ratchet from its underside to loosen its engagement. The loosened ratchet allows the rod to slide more smoothly, while protecting the painted surface on the rod. Both the ratchet and threaded sleeve provide adjustment to the overall length of the support tool. 
   In another embodiment in accordance with the present invention, an awning attachment can be used in connection with the adjustable support tool. The awning attachment can be a sun shade, a canopy or an umbrella. A bracket is used which provides cantilever support to the bracket. The bracket can be mounted to support either vertical or horizontal mounting of the support tools. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary adjustable support tool  10  in accordance with the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary control and adjustment mechanism of the adjustable support tool in accordance with the present invention. 
       FIGS. 3(   a )-( b ) illustrate the exemplary control and adjustment mechanism in one embodiment with a cross-sectional view. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the exemplary safety lock  145  on the ratchet housing. 
       FIGS. 5(   a )-( b ) illustrate the exemplary wheel spring  220  and key  210  for use on the ratchet housing and the threaded sleeve. 
       FIG. 5(   c ) illustrates the exemplary ratchet housing  140 . 
       FIGS. 6(   a )-( b ) illustrate the exemplary control and adjustment mechanism without the wheel spring  220  and key  210  in another embodiment with a cross-sectional view. 
       FIGS. 7(   a )-( c ) illustrate the exemplary bracket  7  for use with the vertically mounted support pole and horizontally mounted awning attachment. 
       FIGS. 8(   a )-( b ) illustrate the exemplary awning mounted in a pair of vertical poles. 
       FIGS. 9(   a )-( b ) illustrate the exemplary awning and an umbrella mounted in a pair of horizontal poles. 
       FIGS. 10(   a )-( b ) illustrate the exemplary umbrella attachment  96  for use with a vertically mounted support tool  10 . 
       FIGS. 11(   a )-( b ) illustrate the exemplary universal attachment for attaching an umbrella shade to the support pole through the use of a pair of “elbow clamps.” 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring first to  FIGS. 1-5 , an adjustable support tool  10  for vertical and horizontal mounting in accordance with the present invention is disclosed. The tool  10  has a rod  110  slidably received in a tube  120  including an upper portion having a number of depressions  115  formed therein. The rod  110  and the tube  120  each includes one end having a foot assembly  105 ,  130 , respectively, which is movably secured thereon for engaging the tube  10  to generally flat surfaces. For vertical mounting, the foot assembly  105 ,  130  can be adjusted to engage with the ceiling and floor surfaces, although either end may be the upper end. For horizontal mounting, the foot assembly  105 ,  130  can be adjusted to engage with vertical sidewall surfaces. The foot assembly  105 ,  130  may be rotatably or pivotally secured to the rod  110  or the tube  120 , for allowing the foot assembly pieces to be solidly and stably engaged with the contact surfaces. 
   Opposite to the foot assembly  130  on the tube  120 , a threaded sleeve  205  is attached to the end of the tube  120 . A hand grip tightener  150  engages the threaded sleeve  205  in such way that the tightener  150  effectively adjusts the length of the tube  120  by tightening or loosening on the threaded sleeve  205 . A key  210  ( FIG. 5(   b )), which is a ring shaped bracket with a protrusion tab, is positioned, or wedged, between the top lid of the tube  120  and the threaded sleeve  205  and acts as an alignment key for the tube  120 , the threaded sleeve  205 , the ratchet housing  140  and the rod  110 , when the hand grip tightener  150  is adjusted. To assemble, the key  210  is first placed just below the top of the threaded sleeve  205 , and then the tube  120  is inserted from the bottom of the threaded sleeve  205 . The key  210  is used to maintain alignment of the rod  110  and the tube  120 . Other ways of achieving alignment may be by pushing a couple of spots on the tube inward to create a flat surface or depression spots, thus forming a key to align the rod  110 . However, such method is generally not accurate and may scratch or damage the tube. 
   As more clearly shown in  FIG. 5(   c ), the ratchet housing  140  is rotatably secured to the top of the hand grip tightener  150 , through the resilient tabs  151  at the bottom of the ratchet housing  140 . This way, the hand grip tightener  150  can still rotate, to adjust the length of the tube  120 , while remaining secured to the ratchet housing  140 . 
   On the ratchet housing  140 , a ratchet  142  is pivotally secured to the flanges on an open side of the ratchet housing  140 . The ratchet  142  includes a pawl  146  formed at its end for engaging one of the depressions  115 . The ratchet  142  is biased by a ratchet spring  250  on the ratchet bolt  240 , such that the ratchet  142  is normally engaging one of the depressions  115  by its pawl  146 . 
   A lock  145  is also pivotally secured to the flanges  53  on the open side of the ratchet housing  140 . The lock  145  includes a pair of protrusions  146  formed thereon for engaging the flanges at the holes  310  formed therein. Through the protrusions  146 , the lock  145  can pivot from a closed position to an open position. When the lock  145  is opened, i.e. flipped up, the ratchet  142  can be manipulated by a user so as to release the ratchet&#39;s pawl  151  on the depression  115 . When the lock  145  is closed, the lock  145  prevents any manipulation of the ratchet  142 . The lock  145  also includes a pair of smaller protrusions  147  formed thereof, which engage the holes  315  when closed, for securing the lock  145  in place. 
   As more clearly shown in  FIG. 5 , a wheel spring  220 , which includes a wheel  225  pivotally secured to it by the wheel pin  230 , is preferably resiliently anchored underneath an indentation  52  of the ratchet housing  140  at a section joining the two flanges  53  and underneath the ratchet  142 . As more clearly shown in  FIG. 3(   b ), the wheel  225  normally rests upon one of the depressions  115 , while the pawl  146  of the ratchet  142  partially engages one of the depression  115 . When the rod  110  is to be retracted toward the tube  120 , the downward movement causes the wheel spring  220  to roll up to the tab between the depressions with the tip of the wheel spring  220  pushing up against the underside of the ratchet  142 . When pushed up, the ratchet  142  releases its pawl  146  from the depression  115 , thus facilitating a smoother, and yet controlled, movement downward, until the wheel spring  220 ,  225  meets the next depression  115 . When the rod  110  is to be extended away from the tube  120 , the wheel spring also pushes up against the underside of the ratchet  142 , causing the pawl  146  to be temporarily released until the wheel spring  220 ,  225  is back down to the next depression  115 . 
   Thus, the wheel spring  220 ,  225  provides a smoother and controlled movement of the rod  110  with respect to the tube  120 . Since the pawl  146  does not engage the depressions  115 , due to the pushing by the wheel spring  220 , when the rod moves upward or downward, the pawl  146  will not scratch the surface of the rod  110 . Keeping the pawl  146  away from the depressions or the tabs in-between helps protect the painted surface of the rod  110  over the long run. The function and benefits of the wheel spring  220 ,  225  are clearly overlooked by the conventional tools. 
     FIGS. 6(   a )-( b ) illustrate an embodiment of the rod  110  and tube  120  design without the wheel spring. On the ratchet housing  140 , the ratchet  142  has its pawl  146  engaging one of the depressions, under the lock  145 . Also, the key  210  (as shown in  FIG. 3(   b )) is not included in this embodiment. 
   Operation of the Adjustable Support Tool. To operate the adjustable support tool  10  in accordance with the present invention, the support tool  10  is first placed between two horizontal or vertical surfaces. For example, the support tool  10  can be placed between a ceiling and a floor in a warehouse or in a garage. It can also be placed horizontally between the sidewalls at a balcony or a patio. To adjust, e.g. extend, the length of the support tool  10 , the rod  110  can be slided out from the tube  120 , through the ratchet housing  140 . Since the movement causes the ratchet  142  to be pushed up by the wheel spring  220  (if employed in the embodiment) underneath, the rod  110  can be extended much quickly and smoothly, without the user having to constantly press the ratchet&#39;s button. When both foot assemblies  105 ,  130  are firmly engaged with the desired surfaces, further tightening can be achieved by rotating the hand grip tightener  150 , thus extending the overall length of the hand grip tightener  150  and the threaded sleeve  205 . As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, while the depressions  115  on the rod  110  provide step-by-step increments to the overall length of the support tool  10 , the rotational adjustment by the hand grip tightener  150  on the threaded sleeve  205  provides a continuous change in a much finer scale. The combination of both adjustments thus achieves much better engagement and stability than the conventional one having only one way of adjustment. 
   Additionally, when the hand grip tightener  150  is rotated during adjustment, the rest of the support tool  10 , i.e. the rod  110 , the tube  120  and the ratchet housing  140  remain fixed. Such localized rotation is quite advantageous, since the fine adjustment can be made without the user having to first remove any attachments mounted on the adjustable tool. Without such localized rotation, the user would have to remove the attachments from the tool, since the rotation would cause the whole tool to rotate. 
   When the rod  110 , the ratchet housing  140  and the tube  120  are aligned and engaged by the key  210 , the finer adjustment can be made by rotating only the hand grip tightener  150  around the threaded sleeve  205 , without having to rotate the whole pole. This localized rotation is much more advantageous, and safer, than the conventional poles, where any secondary adjustments can only be made by rotating the whole pole, typically at the foot assemblies of the pole, thus requiring the users to first remove all the attachments from the pole. 
   To release the support tool  10  from its engagement position, the user first rotates, in a reverse direction, the hand grip tightener  150  around the threaded sleeve  205 . This rotation loosens the engagement just a little. Then the lock  145  is flipped up, so that the ratchet  142  can be released by pressing of the ratchet&#39;s button. Thanks to the wheel spring  220  (if employed in the embodiment), the downward movement of the rod  110  is regulated by the wheel  225  of the wheel spring  220 . In contrast, the conventional poles offer no such regulator by any wheel spring in their designs, and the downward movement could become quite fast, if not held up by the user&#39;s hand. 
   Application of the Adjustable Support Tool. The adjustable support tool  10  of the present invention can be used to provide one or more vertical or horizontal anchors, wherever such anchoring support is desired in the environment. For example, in a warehouse or in a garage, the support tool  10  can be implemented in a space between a ceiling and a floor. No drilling or permanent support is needed, if the adjustable support tool  10  in accordance with the present invention is used. With one or more support tool in place, shelves and racks can be installed using brackets, hangers or hooks. The length or height of the support tool  10  is adjustable so that when both foot assemblies  105 ,  130  are firmly engaged with the substantially flat surfaces, the support tool is thus firmly installed. 
   Further, the support tool  10  can be used to mount a variety of utility attachments, such as awnings, sun shades, canopies, garden umbrellas and the like, with the help of the brackets. As shown in  FIG. 7(   a ), a bracket  7  includes a bridge  70 , which includes a “U-shaped” brace with a pair of extended projections. The bracket  7  also includes a pair of adjustable clamps  71 ,  72 , which can be rotatably secured to the extended projections at the bottom of the “U-shaped” brace. The orientation of the clamps  71 ,  72  can be adjusted before they are secured to the bridge  70 , such that the bracket  7  is a universal bracket, whether it is for vertical or horizontal mounting.  FIG. 7(   b ) shows the bracket  7  being attached to a vertical pole. To easy the attachment, each of adjustable clamps  71  has one of its prongs open wide, while the other prong remains fixed.  FIG. 7(   c ) shows a pair of brackets  7 , already secured to the vertical poles, receive the torsion bar part  74  of the awning  74 . 
   It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the pair of extended projections can offset the cantilever force created by the awning attachments, when the bracket is mounted vertically. 
     FIGS. 8(   a )-( b ) show the front and side views of a mounted awning in a vertically supported position. 
     FIGS. 9(   a )-( b ) shows the awning in a horizontally supported position, where the support tools are mounted horizontally to the sidewalls. The brackets  7  are still applicable since the clamps can be adjusted based on the desired orientation. An umbrella or shade attachment  90  is also shown attachable to the bracket  7 , whether in a horizontally mounted support tool, or in a vertically mounted support tool as in  FIG. 9(   b ). 
     FIGS. 10(   a )-( b ) illustrate an exemplary umbrella  96  for use with the adjustable support tool  10 . Here, the upper arm  92  from the umbrella  96  is attached to a stationery point on the support tool  10 , while the lower arm  94  is attached to a sleeve  95  that can slide up and down the support tool  10 . When the sleeve  95  is lowered by the user, the umbrella  96  is closed in a stowage position. When the sleeve  95  is raised, the umbrella  96  can be opened. 
     FIGS. 11(   a )-( b ) illustrates another exemplary attachment, which includes a universal attachment  60 ,  62  for attaching a typical umbrella  64 . The universal attachment has a preferred elbow clamp  62  connected at each end of the extension arm  60 . As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the “elbow clamp”  62  essentially consists of two clamps pivotally connected to each other. As shown, the elbow clamp  62  at the left end of the extension arm  60  firmly engages the vertical pole  10  to the extension arm  60 , while the elbow clamp  62  at the right end of the extension arm  60  firmly engages an umbrella  64  to the extension arm  60 . Because each elbow clamp  62  is pivotally adjustable, the angles and orientation of the extension arm  60  and the umbrella  64  can be adjusted as necessary. 
   The “elbow” section  66  of the elbow clamp  62  has “teeth,” or “gear,” on the mating surface of on each side of the clamp, as shown in  FIG. 11(   b ). The gear on both sides of the clamp, when properly mated, allow the elbow to be secured at multiple angles. The clamp on the other end of the teeth will be able to clamp to various poles and allow sliding “in and out” or “up and down”. The systems together will be able to adjust to various height, angle, and distance from the mounting pole  10 . 
   Internal Threading of the Hand Grip Tightener. It should be noted that the hand grip tightener  150  may be constructed with a novel way of achieving internal threading. The inside surface of the hand grip tightener  150  is threaded so as to be compatible with the threads on the threaded sleeve  205 . However, as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it becomes more and more difficult as the threading has to reach further deeper within such cylindrical object. Often times, threading can only reach a limited depth, before the build-up of the threaded material causes more and more friction to the threading tooling. In accordance with the present invention, the threads on the inside surface of the hand grip tightener  150  are preferably made with less than 100% of the inside surface. In other words, the threads inside of the tightener  150  do not have to be continuous, but can be broken into intervals. Instead of making 100% of the threads, it can be made with thread intervals. While the threading movement is not affected, such interval threading allows more depth to be threaded, since the interval spacing allows the material to be removed during thread-making. During thread-making, if the build-up of spent material could be removed, there would be less friction, thus allowing more depth to be achieved, as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
   It should also be noted that the threaded sleeve  205  and key  210  may be eliminated by using a threaded tube  120 , which has a thread portion, or segment, formed near the top portion. This way, the tube  120  is engaged directly to the hand grip tightener  150  by their threading. The external sleeve  205 , as well as the key  210 , can be spared from the production process, thus reducing cost. 
   Although this invention has been described with reference to these specific embodiments, the descriptions are intended to be illustrative of the invention and are not intended to be limiting. Various modifications and applications may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.