Universal mounting aid for posts of garden and privacy fences, as well as gate and door systems

Abstract

Installation aid for fixing and vertical and flush alignment of fence and privacy screen posts as well as door and gate systems on different and uneven surfaces, comprising: • a height-adjustable base plate (item 1) with three holes for the height-adjustable feet (item 13), • height-adjustable feet (item 13) with base plates for stabilization, • wing nuts on the bottom for height adjustment and stabilization of the base plate, • Alignment slider (item 9, item 11, item 12) for exact positioning of the post, consisting of mutually movable groove profiles, • a mounting and guiding mechanism (item 3, item 5) for height adjustment (item 4, item 8) of the post holder (item 2), item mounting supports / slant braces (item 14), which are fixed to the base plate (item 1) with a hanger bolt holder (15), • a post holder (item 2), consisting of a metal angle with two legs arranged at 90°, • a protective fleece on the inside of the legs of the post holder (pos. 2) to prevent damage to the post, • a stop device (item 6) for fine adjustment of the post height, • an insertion profile (item 10) for flexible positioning of standard all-steel screw clamps for different post geometries, • a magnetic spirit level to check the vertical alignment, • a compact storage box for mobile use of the assembly aid.

Description

Description of the invention:

[0001] With today's available tools and equipment, securing and aligning fence and privacy screen posts, as well as gate and door systems, as precisely as possible requires not only a certain degree of expertise, but usually also an assistant to assist the installer during the securing and alignment process up to the final fastening, such as concreting. The difficulty lies in the fact that parameters such as alignment and plumbness must be set simultaneously, and these must remain fixed for the subsequent process steps on uneven ground of varying conditions.

[0002] The present invention represents a universal one-man assembly aid, with which the posts can be fixed as precisely as possible on different and uneven surfaces, flush and vertically at the measured position until the final fastening. This is solved by the invention as follows:

[0003] The assembly aid consists of height-adjustable feet with base plate and wing nuts, base plate with alignment sliders, holder and guide mechanism for the post holder, hanger bolt holder for the mounting supports / slant braces, which are compactly packed in a storage box together with two commercially available all-steel screw clamps and a magnetic spirit level for mobile use.

[0004] An embodiment of the invention is explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0005] The height-adjustable feet (item 13) with a sufficiently large base plate are used to hold the base plate of the assembly aid (item 1) to ensure stability on varying and uneven surfaces. The wing nuts on the bottom are used for height adjustment and alignment. The wing nut mounted on the top is used to stabilize a scaffold foot on the base plate after the base plate has been aligned.

[0006] The base plate (item 1) has three holes for the height-adjustable feet (item 13). Furthermore, the base plate houses the mounting and guide mechanism of the post holder (items 3, 5) for securing and adjusting the height (items 4, 8) of the post.

[0007] The hanger bolt receptacles (item 15) for the two mounting supports / slanted braces (item 14) are also pre-assembled for vertical alignment and the two alignment sliders (item 9, item 11, item 12) are integrated to align the post correctly.

[0008] The post holder (pos. 2) base body consists of a metal angle with two legs that are aligned at 90° to each other.

[0009] A protective fleece is attached to the inside of each leg of the metal angle to prevent scratching of the post during insertion, fixing and alignment.

[0010] The guide mechanism (items 3 and 5) is attached to the lower section of the outer side of one leg of the metal bracket. This guide mechanism secures the post holder to the base plate.

[0011] At a defined distance above the guide mechanism, a stop (pos. 6) is installed, which is used for height and fine adjustment of the post.

[0012] An insert profile (item 10) is attached above this stop and at the upper end of this metal angle leg.

[0013] Two additional insertion profiles (pos. 10) are located at the same height on the second leg of the metal profile.

[0014] All inserts are mounted at right angles to the respective outer edges of the metal bracket (pos. 2).

[0015] They are used to hold and flexibly position the two commercially available all-steel screw clamps, with which posts of various geometries or shapes can be fixed, secured and adjusted to the desired height.

[0016] The attachment of the insertion profile on both sides of the metal angle bracket makes it easier to attach the post to the post holder.

[0017] Below each of the two upper insertion profiles there is a metal bracket (item 7) to which one side of the two mounting supports / slanted braces (item 14) are attached.

[0018] The other ends of the mounting supports / slant braces (item 14) are each connected to the hanger bolt receptacle (item 15) on the base plate (item 1) with two wing nuts.

[0019] This arrangement of the two mounting supports / slant braces allows the post to be aligned vertically in a very short time.

[0020] The vertical alignment can be checked using a magnetic spirit level, which is placed on the two lower insertion profiles (pos. 10) and held by a ferromagnetic band attached to the metal angle (pos. 2).

[0021] The two alignment sliders each consist of two groove profiles (item 11, item 12) that can be moved and fixed relative to each other.

[0022] The lower groove profile (pos. 11) is firmly connected to the base plate (pos. 1) and ends at the straight front edge.

[0023] The upper groove profile (item 12) and the lower groove profile (item 11) are connected with a profile glider. The profile glider allows for precise adjustment of the post thickness.

[0024] In addition, a flat steel bar (pos. 9) is attached to the upper groove profile (pos. 12) on the front end, which is placed on the guideline for alignment.

[0025] The two alignment sliders are mounted on the base plate at appropriate distances to ensure precise alignment. The invention achieves the following advantages:

[0026] The universal assembly aid can be set up and operated by just one person (saving personnel costs).

[0027] The assembly and alignment of the post can be carried out by an unskilled worker after instruction in about 15 minutes - costs for skilled worker vs. assistant (skilled worker shortage)

[0028] The universal mounting aid allows for the installation of posts of various geometries, making it universally applicable. At least 80% of all commercially available posts can be aligned and secured with it.

[0029] The integrated protective fleece prevents scratches on the item and the associated subsequent customer complaints.

[0030] When using two assembly aids, the next one can be “set” at the first post while the fixing material, such as concrete, is drying.

[0031] This allows for quick and efficient assembly of all the required posts for the entire system. Thanks to its simple, disassemblable design and packaging in a storage box, the assembly aid is mobile and also suitable as a rental device.

Claims

[1] Installation aid for fixing and vertical and flush alignment of fence and privacy screen posts as well as door and gate systems on different and uneven surfaces, comprising: • a height-adjustable base plate (item 1) with three holes for the height-adjustable feet (item 13), • height-adjustable feet (item 13) with base plates for stabilization, • wing nuts on the bottom for height adjustment and stabilization of the base plate, • Alignment slider (item 9, item 11, item 12) for exact positioning of the post, consisting of mutually movable groove profiles, • a mounting and guiding mechanism (item 3, item 5) for height adjustment (item 4, item 8) of the post holder (item 2), item mounting supports / slant braces (item 14), which are fixed to the base plate (item 1) with a hanger bolt holder (15), • a post holder (item 2), consisting of a metal angle with two legs arranged at 90°, • a protective fleece on the inside of the legs of the post holder (pos. 2) to prevent damage to the post, • a stop device (item 6) for fine adjustment of the post height, • an insertion profile (item 10) for flexible positioning of standard all-steel screw clamps for different post geometries, • a magnetic spirit level to check the vertical alignment, • a compact storage box for mobile use of the assembly aid. [2] Assembly aid according to claim 1, characterized by that the alignment slides (pos. 9, Pos. 11, Pos. 12) consist of movable and fixable groove profiles, the lower groove profile (Pos. 11) of which is firmly connected to the base plate (Pos. 1). [3] Assembly aid according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat a flat steel edge (pos. 9) is attached to the upper groove profile (pos. 12), which is placed on the guideline for exact alignment. [4] Assembly aid according to claims 1 to 3, characterized by that the mounting supports / slant braces (pos. 14) are attached to a metal angle (pos. 7) which is attached to the upper leg ends of the post holder (pos. 2). [5] Assembly aid according to claims 1 to 4, characterized by that the height adjustment of the post is carried out via a combination of a guide mechanism (pos. 3, pos. 5), a height adjustment stop (pos. 6) and an insertion profile (pos. 10) for holding screw clamps. [6] Assembly aid according to claims 1 to 5, characterized by that the entire device can be stored in a modular and compact storage box after use, which facilitates mobile use.

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