Patent Publication Number: US-4841691-A

Title: Mobile home skirting system

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a mobile home skirting system and more particularly to such a system which is portable and easily assembled and disassembled when the mobile home is moved from place to place. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Skirting systems have been used for many years around mobile homes or trailer houses for the purpose of insulating the trailer from outside temperature changes and also for improving the appearance of the mobile home or trailer house. Certain of these structures such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,261 to Wargo and U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,378 to Ayers et al., tend to be more or less of a permanent configuration used in situations where the mobile home or trailer house is not moved very often. A problem is that these types of structures are not very suitable for the situation where a trailer house is moved quite often, such as when a construction site moves from place to place or when the owner tends to move a mobile home from place to place fairly often. 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,256,655 to Teeter and 4,112,638 to Hanson tend to be somewhat more portable than the aforementioned structures, but still have certain shortcomings. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,904 to Stoecker, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a versatile framework for use in supporting a skirt for a mobile home. 
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a trailer skirting apparatus including a corner post disposed under each exterior corner of the mobile home, each of the corner posts including a main housing having four planar sides, a first side having a pair of openings therein spaced apart by a predetermined distance, and a second side, perpendicular to the first side. The second side also has a pair of openings spaced apart by such predetermined distance. A base member is adapted to contact the ground and has a threaded member engaging a bottom portion of the main housing and extending through a top portion of the base member. The threaded member has a nut whereby selectively rotating the nut on the threaded member selectively lengthens or shortens the effective distance between the main housing and the base member. Square tubular extension members extend from the first and second sides of the base member. 
     Intermediate posts are disposed between each of the corner posts and are in most respects very similar to the corner post structure. Top, bottom and intermediate horizontally disposed links are provided for interconnecting the corner posts with the intermediate posts. A covering is provided for extending around the entire lower portion of the mobile home and structures provided for selectively attaching or detaching the top and bottom of the covering to the top and bottom horizontally disposed lengths. 
     Upper and lower flanges on the top and bottom horizontally disposed links respectively permit rigid sheets of plywood, press board sheet metal, etc. to be easily lifted into the upper flanges and then dropped into the lower flange. The flanges then hold the sheets in the proper position. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide an improved portable trailer skirting apparatus. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a trailer skirting apparatus which is easily installed or disassembled and reinstalled for use at a different location. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a trailer skirting apparatus which uses various types of rigid coverings, such as wood or sheet metal. 
     Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a trailer house having the present invention installed thereon, with portions of the covering broken away for clarity and showing optional sheets of aluminum, plywood, tongue and groove boards and press boards.; 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the frame of the trailer skirting apparatus; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of one of the intermediate posts and the links that interconnect thereto; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational exploded view of the structure shown in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 8a shows an optional configuration for the top horizontal link shown in FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 10 is a side elevational exploded view of one of the corner post sections; 
     FIG. 11 is a view taken along line 11--11 of FIG. 10; and 
     FIG. 12 is a view taken along line 12--12 of FIG. 11. 
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, Fig. 1 shows a trailer house (10) having a portable trailer skirting apparatus attached around the lower periphery thereof. 
     The framework of the portable trailer skirting apparatus (11) includes corner post structures (12) and intermediate post structures (13). Top horizontally disposed links (14 and 14a), bottom horizontally disposed links (15) are used to interconnect the corner post (12) and the intermediate post (13), for example as shown in FIG. 2. The top links (14) have hooks (17) on one end thereof and a tubular projection (18) on the other end thereof. The hooks (17) are identical to the hooks (17) on intermediate links (16). Upper flanges (14b) attached to the upper or top links (14 and 14a) and similar lower flanges (15b) are evenly spaced and rigidly attached to the bottom links (15) as can readily be seen in FIGS. 8, 8a and 9. 
     Referring now to FIG. 4, it is noted that the intermediate post (13) has upper flanges (23) disposed thereon for receiving the top links (14) therein when the projection (18) of link (14) is telescoped into the open end of link (14a). A base housing (25) having a ground engaging plate (26) welded to the bottom thereof also has a pair of flanges (27) extending in opposite directions therefrom for sliding into the open ends of the bottom links (15) for holding the bottom links (15) in place and also for preventing them from turning around their longitudinal axis. An extension rod (28) is slidably disposed through opening (43) in base housing (25) and the bottom thereof rests and rotates on plate (26). The upper portion (29) of threaded rod (30) slides freely into an opening (42) in the bottom of top links (12 and 13). A hex-shaped nut (31) threadably engages threaded rod (30), which has right hand threads completely along the length thereof. When a wrench is attached to the nut (31) and turned in one direction, the nut (31) will move upwardly on the shaft (30) to push links (12 or 13) upwardly, and when the nut (31) is rotated in the other rotary direction, the intermediate post (13) will move downwardly with respect to the base member (25) as the nut (31) moves down on the shaft (30). Consequently, the height of the post (13) can easily be adjusted to conform to irregularities in the ground and also to different heights of trailer houses or mobile homes. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 10-12, it is noted that the corner posts (12) have a plurality of openings (32) therein for receiving the hooks (17) on links (14). These corner posts (12) include a base member (35) having a lower plate (36) welded thereto for contact with the ground. Square tubular extension members (37) are welded to the base member (35) and telescope into the openings in bottom links (15). 
     A threaded member (38) has right hand threads (39) along the entire length thereof. A hex-shaped nut (41) is used just as nut (31) is used in the FIG. 4 embodiment. The corner post (12) can be extended to be longer or shortened by rotating the threaded nut (41) in one rotary direction or the other by attaching a wrench to the hex nut (41). It is noted that the opening (42) in the lower end of corner post (12) is large to allow the rod (40) to freely move up or down therein through openings (42), and the bottom of rod (40) is free to rotate through opening (43) in tube (35). The bottom of rod (40) rotates on the top of plate (36). 
     The framework is set up, for example as shown in FIG. 1, by interconnecting the vertical corner post (12) with the vertical intermediate post (13) and having the top and bottom horizontally disposed links (14, 14a and 15) interconnected thereto. Also, each of the base members is adjusted to provide the proper height of the corner or intermediate post. Once that has been done, then sheets of aluminum (20), plywood (20a), tongue and groove boards (20b), press board (20c) or the like are first pushed up behind flange (14b) as shown in FIG. 3 in dashed lines at (20a). Then the bottom of the sheets (20a) is swung in behind flange (15b) and allowed to drop down behind flange (15b). Because the length of sheet (20a) is long enough to extend behind both flanges (14b and 15b), it is then held from falling out. Of course, to remove the sheet (20a) when the mobile home is moved again, the sheet (20a) is raised, the bottom swung out to the dashed line position of FIG. 3 and it is then lowered out from behind flange (14b). By placing sheets (20, 20a, 20b or 20c) all the way around the mobile home in a like fashion, the skirt consequently encloses the lower portion of the trailer house (10). Usually only one type of sheet is used for any one mobile home. FIG. 1 merely shows alternate types of sheets which can be used. 
     Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the preferred embodiment disclosed herein does indeed accomplish the aforementioned objects. Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.