Offshore equipment supports

Claim 1

AN OFFSHORE EQUIPMENT SUPPORTING APPARATUS COMPRISING A PLATFORM TO BE ELEVATED ABOVE THE SURFACE OF A BODY OF WATER, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY ELONGATED SUPPORTS MOUNTED FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE PLATFORM AND ADAPTED TO BE MOVED INTO CONTACT WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE BODY OF WATER SO AS TO PROVIDE A SUPPORTING FOUNDATION FOR THE PLATFORM, A SERIES OF VERTICALLY SPACED BEARING SURFACES ALONG EACH SUPPORT FACING ALTERNATELY UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY, A TRACK FIXED ON EACH SUPPORT AND EXTENDING THEREALONG ADJACENT THE BEARING SURFACES, A JACK DEVICE MOUNTED ON THE PLATFORM ASSOCIATED WITH EACH SERIES OF BEARING SURFACES AND EACH TRACK, EACH OF SAID JACK DEVICES COMPRISING FIRST SLIDE MEANS MOUNTED ON THE TRACK FOR GUIDED MOVEMENT ALONG THE TRACK, A FIRST PIN MOUNTED ON THE FIRST SLIDE MEANS AND MOVABLE IN RECIPROCATING FASHION WITH RESPECT THERETO TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE SUPPORT, MEANS FOR MOVING THE FIRST PIN INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY FACING BEARING SURFACES ON THE SUPPORT TO CONNECT THE FIRST SLIDE MEANS WITH THE SUPPORT OR OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SURFACES TO ALLOW THE FIRST SLIDE MEANS TO MOVE ALONG THE TRACK, A THREADED PORTION IN THE FIRST SLIDE MEANS, AN ELONGATED SCREW SPACED FROM AND EXTENDING GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE SUPPORT, SAID ELONGATED SCREW EXTENDING THROUGH THE THREADED PORTION OF THE FIRST SLIDE MEANS AND COOPERATING THEREWITH SO THAT ROTATION OF THE ELONGATED SCREW MAY MOVE THE FIRST SLIDE MEANS VERTICALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE PLATFORM, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING SHAFT SECURELY MOUNTED TO THE PLATFORM FOR ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT ONLY, A UNIVERSAL JOINT ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THE ELONGATED SCREW CONNECTING THE ELONGATED SCREW AND THE SHAFT AND ALLOWING THE ELONGATED SCREW TO REMAIN GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE SUPPORT IN THE EVENT THE SUPPORT SHOULD TIP WITH RESPECT TO THE PLATFORM, FIRST POWER MEANS FOR ROTATING THE SHAFT IN EITHER ROTATIONAL DIRECTION FOR IN TURN ROTATING THE ELONGATED SCREW, AND LATCH MEANS BETWEEN THE PLATFORM AND THE SUPPORT FOR PREVENTING RELATIVE VERTICAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE PLATFORM AND THE SUPPORT WHEN THE PIN IS NOT ENGAGED WITH ONE OF THE BEARING SURFACES ON THE SUPPORT, SAID LATCH MEANS COMPRISING SECOND SLIDE MEANS MOUNTED ON THE TRACK BELOW SAID FIRST SLIDE MEANS FOR GUIDED MOVEMENT ALONG THE TRACK, A SECOND PIN MOUNTED ON THE SECOND SLIDE MEANS FOR SELECTIVE ENGAGEMENT OR DISENGAGEMENT WITH ONE OF THE BEARING SURFACES ON THE SUPPORT, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING SCREW IN THREADED ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SECOND SLIDE MEANS AND SECURELY MOUNTED TO THE PLATFORM FOR ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT ONLY, AND SECOND POWER MEANS FOR ROTATING THE SECOND NAMED SCREW IN EITHER ROTATIONAL DIRECTION FOR MOVING THE SECOND SLIDE MEANS VERTICALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE PLATFORM SO THAT, IN THE EVENT THAT MOVEMENT OF SAID SUPPORT RESULTS IN A CONDITION WHEREIN NEITHER OF SAID FIRST OR SECOND PINS ARE ALIGNED WITH ANY OF SAID BEARING SURFACES ON SAID SUPPORT, SAID SECOND SLIDE MEANS MAY BE MOVED VERTICALLY RELATIVE TO THE PLATFORM BY SAID SECOND POWER MEANS TO FACILITATE ENGAGEMENT OF SAID SECOND PIN OF SAID SLIDE MEANS WITH ONE OF SAID BEARING SURFACES WITHOUT ENTAILING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID SUPPORT AND SAID PLATFORM.