The foot-operated plunger bar remover ("FOBPR"), a device for dislodging metal probes.
This invention is a tool for loosening a metal rod driven into the ground to check for leaks on a natural gas or other pipeline. The preferred design specifically removes, with relative ease, the leak-checking metal probes stuck in the ground. This FOBPR device uses the operator�s foot strength and leverage to dislodge a probe in seconds. The invention can also be used to remove other objects, such as railroad spikes or tent stakes, that are lodged in the ground or other fixed location.Benefits
Described herein is the FOBPR embodied for use in dislodging metal probes that check for natural gas leaks. In the process of natural-gas distribution, it is often necessary to search for underground gas leaks. Such a checkup for leaks usually consists of driving a long, 3/8- to 1/2- inches-diameter metal bar or probe into the ground and sliding a weight that impacts a fixed collar on the rod. The user then lifts the weight and slams it down onto the collar, creating the impulse that drives the rod into the ground. The removal of this bar, however, is sometimes difficult, especially when it is driven into asphalt, frozen ground, or other dense material.
At present these metal probes, when stuck in the ground, are generally removed by a lever device or by lifting the weight and banging it upward against the handle-like collar on the probe�s end above the ground surface.
For this invention, the lever has "teeth" that slide onto and grip the bar at a pivot point approximately six inches away from where the teeth grip the bar. The device�s handles extend approximately 48 inches out from the pivot point. When the user pushes down on the end of the handles, the increased leverage generates enough force to lift the bar from the ground. To generate the leverage, all that is required is to moderately flex the torso.
Stage of Development
A provisional patent application has been filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
This technology includes a working prototype and is available for further developmental research support and/or licensing under either exclusive or non-exclusive terms.
Additional Info
*http://www.mech.utah.edu/PEOPLE/faculty/bloswick/
*For interested persons, a short video demonstration is available via CD.
Inventor(s): Duane Ferkovich, Richard Sesek, Donald Bloswick, Bruce Campbell
Type of Offer: Licensing
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