Patent Publication Number: US-2013233991-A1

Title: Adjusting device

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to adjusting devices, and more particularly to an adjusting device for adjusting a height of an object relative to a support surface. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , an illustration of an adjusting device  300  for supporting an object  400 . The adjusting device  300  includes a support base  330 , a nut  310  secured to the support base  330 , and a rod  320  threadedly engaging with the nuts  310  and used for holding the object  400 . By rotating the rod  320  in clockwise (or anti-clockwise), the height of the object  400  is adjusted. However, when the rod  320  rotates, the object  400  rotates with the rod  320  simultaneously, which is infeasible and inconvenient when the object  400  is mounted to another object without rotating. 
     Therefore, there is room for improvement in the art. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The components of the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the embodiments of the adjusting device. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout several views. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an adjusting device in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a disassembled view of the adjusting device in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an adjusting device in the prior art. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  is an adjusting device  100  of the present disclosure. The adjusting device  100  is adapted to adjust a height of an object  200  relative to a support surface, such as a table (not shown). The adjusting device  100  includes a support base  120 , an adjusting portion  140  slidably coupled to the support base  120  and adapted to hold the object  200 , a driving portion  160  engaging with the adjusting portion  140 , and a limiting mechanism  180 . The driving portion  160  is capable of rotating to drive the adjusting portion  140  moving in a direction perpendicular to the support base  120 , such that the height of the object  200  relative to the support base  120  is adjusted. The limiting mechanism  180  is adapted to prevent the adjusting portion  140  from rotating when the adjusting portion  140  is driven to move by the driving portion  160 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the supporting base  120  is substantially rectangular. The supporting base  120  is mounted to a support surface, such as a table, to fix the adjusting device  100 . The support base  120  defines a through hole  121 . The through hole  121  is substantially round, and extends in a direction perpendicular to the support base  120 . 
     The adjusting portion  140  is slidably received in the through hole  121 . The adjusting portion  140  includes an adjusting post  142  and two fixing posts  144  fixed to opposite ends of the adjusting post  142 . The adjusting post  142  is substantially cylindrical, and is slidably received in the through hole  121 . The diameter of the adjusting post  142  is slight less than the diameter of the through hole  142 . The adjusting post  142  defines a plurality of first threads  143 . The fixing posts  144  are coaxial with the adjusting post  142 , and are adapted to hold the object  200 . 
     The driving portion  160  includes two nuts  161  in the embodiment. The nuts  161  threadedly engage with the adjusting post  142  and are arranged at opposite sides of the support base  120 . The size of each nut  161  is less than the size of the through hole  121 . Each nut  161  defines an engaging hole  162  for receiving the adjusting post  142 . The inner surface of the engaging hole  162  defines a plurality of second threads  164 . The second threads  164  mate with the first threads  143 , such that the nuts  161  threadedly engage with the adjusting post  142 . In other embodiment, the driving portion  160  includes only one nut  161  rotatably secured to the support base  120 , and the distance between the nut  161  and the support base  120  is unchanged. 
     The limiting mechanism  180  includes at least one protrusion  182  arranged at the inner surface of the through hole  121  and at least one recess portion  184  arranged at the adjusting post  142  and corresponding to the at least one protrusion  182 . The at least one recess portion  184  engages with the at least one protrusion  182  to prevent the adjusting portion  140  from rotating when the adjusting portion  140  is driven to move by the driving portion  160 . In the embodiment, the limiting mechanism  180  includes two protrusions  182  and two recess portions  184  corresponding to the protrusions  182  respectively. The protrusions  182  are symmetrically arranged at the inner surface of the through hole  121 . The recess portions  184  are defined at opposite sides of the adjusting post  142  and extend in a direction parallel to the adjusting post  142 . When the adjusting portion  140  is received in the through hole  121 , the recess portions  184  respectively receives the protrusions  182  to prevent the adjusting portion  140  from rotating. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 2 , in assembly, first, the adjusting post  142  is received in the through hole  121  with the protrusions  182  being respectively received in the recess portions  184 . Second, the nuts  161  are threaded to the adjusting post  142  from opposite ends of the adjusting post  142  and further abut opposite sides of the support base  120 , thus, the adjusting portion  140  is secured to the support base  120 . 
     To increase the height of the object  200  relative to the support base  120 : first, the nut above the support base (referred herein as the top nut) is unscrewed for a few or more than a few threads depending on the intended height to be increased; Second, rotate the nut  161  under the support base  120  (referred herein as the bottom nut) in a first direction (for example, anticlockwise), because the bottom nut is stopped by the support base  120 , the adjusting post  142  is driven to move upwardly, and the height of the objected  200  relative to the support base  120  is increased. At the same time, the protrusions  182  engage with the recess portions  184  to prevent the adjusting post  142  from rotating relative to the support base  120 . As a result, the height of the objected  200  relative to the support base  120  is increased with the object  200  without rotation. Furthermore, after the height of the object  200  is adjusted to a desired position, the top nut is operated to abut the support plate  120 , and cooperates with the bottom nut to lock the adjusting portion  140  to position the object  200  in the desired position. 
     To decrease the height of the object  200  relative to the support base  120 : first, the bottom nut is unscrewed for a few or more threads; Second, rotate the top nut in a second direction opposite to the first direction (for example, clockwise), because the top nut is stopped by the support base  120 , the adjusting post  142  is driven to move downwardly, and the height of the objected  200  relative to the support base  120  is decreased. At the same time, the protrusions  182  engage with the recess portions  184  to prevent the adjusting post  142  from rotating relative to the support base  120 . As a result, the height of the objected  200  relative to the support base  120  is decreased with the object  200  without rotation. Furthermore, after the height of the object  200  is decreased to a desired position, the bottom nut is operated to abut the support plate  120 , and cooperates with the top nut to lock the adjusting portion  140  to position the object  200  in the desired position. 
     By assistance the adjusting device  100 , the height of the object  200  is adjusted with the object  200  without rotation. 
     It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.