Patent Document:

referring now to the drawings in general and more particularly to fig1 and 2 , shown therein is a hoist 100 constructed in accordance with the present invention . the hoist 100 has a fixed - length stanchion 102 that is removably supportable at an upper end thereof by a first support member 104 and at a lower end thereof by a second support member 106 . as used herein , the term “ fixed - length ” means that the stanchion 102 is unitarily constructed of a single component , and for purposes of this description and the claims , the term “ fixed - length ” does not include a stanchion of multi - component assembly construction such as a telescoping construction . for use in lifting a disabled person , it has been determined that sufficient strength can be obtained by using two - inch square stainless steel tubing to construct the stanchion 102 . in the illustrative embodiments of fig1 the support members 104 , 106 are first fixed to wall 108 and floor 110 portions of the facility structural framework . advantageously , the stanchion 102 can be easily attached to and removed from the support members 104 , 106 without removing either of the support members 104 , 106 from the structural framework . this construction permits erecting the hoist 100 as needed for use , and then further permits quick and easy removal of the hoist 100 for storage or use in another location . where the hoist 100 is used in multiple locations on a recurring basis , a set of the support members 104 , 106 are preferably installed in each of the desired locations in which the hoist 100 is used . the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the illustrative embodiment of fig1 having the support member 104 fixed to the wall 108 and the support member 106 fixed to the floor 110 . generally , the support members are preferably attached to the appropriate structural framework members that are strong enough to lend the necessary structural integrity to the hoist 100 . in alternative embodiments , for example , the support member 104 can be fixed to a ceiling or roof member , and the support member 106 can be fixed to the wall 108 as well . the support member 104 is a clamp which defines a cavity 112 that is receivingly engageable with the cross section of the stanchion 102 . in fig1 the upper end of the stanchion 102 is shown disposed in the cavity 112 and thereby supported by the wall 108 . preferably , the stanchion 102 is slidingly engageable in the cavity 112 in a close mating relationship with the support member 104 . for example , the support member 104 of fig1 defines a three - sided cavity that cooperates with the wall 108 to define an enclosure closely conforming to the shape and size of the stanchion 102 . the support member 106 has a base 114 fixed to the floor 110 . the support member 106 furthermore has a moveable bearing surface 116 for selectively providing a desired longitudinal distance between the bearing surface 116 and the cavity 112 of the support member 104 . accordingly , embodiments of the present invention provide a support member 114 that is positionable between a disengaged mode and an engaged mode . fig3 illustrates the disengaged mode in that the distance 118 between the bearing surface 116 and the adjacent end of the cavity 112 is greater than the longitudinal length of the stanchion 102 . this permits the insertion of the stanchion 102 in longitudinal alignment between the support members 104 , 106 . fig4 contrarily illustrates the engaged mode in that the distance 120 between the bearing surface 116 and the adjacent end of the cavity 112 is less than the longitudinal length of the stanchion 102 . in the engaged mode the bearing surface 116 pressingly engages against one end of the stanchion 102 and thereby translates the other end of the stanchion 102 into receiving engagement with the cavity 112 . this provides a two - point supporting engagement by the structural framework of the opposing ends of the stanchion 102 . in some embodiments the bearing surface 116 is made moveable by threadingly engaging it with a threaded post 122 that extends from the base 114 . a clearance opening is provided in the plate defining the bearing surface 116 and a threaded member 124 , such as a nut , is attached to the plate , such as by welding . in alternative equivalent embodiments the bearing surface 116 can be made moveable in other manners , such as but not limited to pinning , blocking , or camming the plate defining the bearing surface 116 with respect to the base 114 . the support member 104 shown in fig1 can be attached to the wall 108 by attaching one or more fasteners 126 to a structural supporting member , such as a header or a ceiling plate ( not shown ). alternatively , the pair of fasteners 126 can straddle an upright stud ( not shown ) and connect to a shoring plate either inside or on the opposing side of the wall 108 . in any event , such an arrangement is well suited for attaching the hoist 100 against the wall 108 . in this arrangement it will be noted that the surface defining the cavity 112 is operably disposed substantially parallel with the longitudinal direction of the stanchion 102 . as mentioned above , it may be advantageous to attach the support member 106 to the wall also . fig5 illustrates an alternative support member 128 for doing so . the support member 128 has an angular base 114 a with one side 130 supporting the moveable bearing surface 116 , as above , but with the other side 132 attachable to the wall 108 such as with a fastener 134 . it may also be advantageous to use the hoist 100 at a location away from a wall 108 , such as in the middle of a room adjacent to an entry location of a tub . fig6 illustrates an alternative support member 140 for attaching the upper end of the stanchion 102 to a structural support member in the ceiling 142 . it will be noted that in this arrangement the support member 140 has a surface 144 defining a cavity 112 a that is operably disposed substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the stanchion 102 . returning now to fig1 and 2 , the hoist 100 further comprises an articulating arm assembly 150 depending from the stanchion 102 . preferably , the articulating arm assembly 150 can be quickly and easily attached to and removed from the stanchion 102 without the use of tools . this makes attaching the stanchion 102 to the support members 104 , 106 easier by removing the weight and torsion of the articulating arm assembly 150 . in the present embodiments , openings 152 are provided in opposing sides of the stanchion 102 . a mount 154 portion of the articulating arm assembly 150 defines a cavity that is receivingly engageable with a portion of the stanchion 102 cross section , and has openings 156 that are alignable with the openings 152 . a fastener 158 , such as a pin , can be inserted through the aligned openings 152 , 156 of the stanchion 102 and mount 154 , respectively , to secure the mount 154 . a threaded member 160 can be advanced to pressingly engage a distal end thereof against the stanchion 102 in order to achieve a desired angle of the mount 154 relative to the longitudinal direction of the stanchion . the articulating arm assembly 150 has an arm 162 journalled at a proximal end thereof to the mount 154 providing pivotal movement of the arm 162 in a plane substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the stanchion 102 . the mount 154 provides supporting flanges 164 for a spindle 166 . the spindle 166 provides a journal around which the hub 170 is rotatable upon a pair of bearings 168 . the articulating arm assembly 150 further has an arm 172 journalled at a proximal end thereof to the distal end of the arm 162 for pivotal movement of the second arm 172 in relation to the arm 162 in a substantially parallel plane . the arm 172 has a spindle 174 at a proximal end thereof that is receivingly engageable within a hub 176 formed at a distal end of the arm 162 . the spindle 174 provides a journal around which the hub 176 is rotatable upon a pair of bearings 168 . a winch 178 , such as an electric , pneumatic or hydraulic type , is supported by the distal end of the arm 172 . fig7 is a flowchart illustrating steps of removably erecting the hoist in accordance with embodiments of the present invention . the method 180 begins in block 182 by fixing the support members 104 , 106 to the facility structural framework , such as the wall , floor , and / or ceiling structure of the facility . in block 184 the stanchion 102 is inserted in longitudinal alignment between the support members 104 , 106 . in block 186 the support member 106 is moved to the engaged position , thereby translating the opposing end of the stanchion into supporting engagement with the support member 104 . normal use of the hoist 100 begins in block 188 . in decision block 190 it is determined whether the hoist 100 is to be removed . if no , then normal use continues in block 188 ; if yes , then control passes to block 192 where the support member 106 is returned to the disengaged position . the stanchion 102 is then removed from the support members 104 , 106 without removing any of the support members 104 , 106 from the facility structural framework . the method can further comprise fixing third and fourth support members at a different location of the facility structural framework , and repeating the steps of fig7 in relation to the third and fourth support members . it is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description , together with details of the structure and function of various embodiments of the invention , this detailed description is illustrative only , and changes may be made in detail , especially in matters of structure and arrangements of parts within the principles of the present invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed . for example , the particular elements may vary depending on the particular manner of moving a support member to the engaged position without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . in addition , although the embodiments described herein are directed to a hoist for moving a disabled person , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the claimed subject matter is not so limited and can be employed as various other lifting systems without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention .

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