Lifting device, particularly for lifting and transporting building boards, such as plaster and wood particle boards

Claim 1

A lifting device for lifting and transporting a building board such as a plaster or wood particle board or the like, comprising: a bearing support comprising a bottom plate having a forward portion for supporting said board in use and a rearwardly extending curved portion curved upwardly for pivoting said bottom plate thereabout to lift said board while supported in use on said forward portion; a column connected to said bearing support and extending upwardly therefrom for effecting pivoting of said bottom plate about said curved portion by rearwardly displacing of said column from an upstanding position in a direction toward said curved portion; a pressure plate freely mounted for rotation about said column and freely slidable axially along said column and positionable in use at a rearward position to clear said board while supported in use on said forward portion and rotatable to a forward position for bearing against a major surface of said board in use on said forward portion while said board is positioned against a generally vertical work surface on which said board is to be disposed; and a tubular tee comprising a sleeve portion, and a stem fixed to said pressure plate and projecting from said sleeve portion, said sleeve portion having an axial bore extending therethrough mounted with said column extending through said axial bore for free rotation about said column and freely slidable axially along said column, said pressure plate and said tubular tee being gravity biased to slide downwardly along said column to maintain said pressure plate bearing against said board in use while said board is supported on said forward portion and while said board is positioned against said generally vertical work surface, and to bear on said board and progressively slide downwardly along said column as said column is progressively rearwardly displaced to effect pivoting of said bottom plate and lifting of said board while maintaining said pressure plate bearing against said board and thereby to maintain said board positioned against said generally vertical work surface during the lifting of said board, whereby said board is maintained in a lifted position while supported on said forward portion and positioned against said work surface and bearing downwardly on said forward portion upon release of said column.