Patent ID: 9303418
Filing Date: 2016-04-05
CPC Classification: E04G

Claim Text:
1. A self-climbing formwork or self-climbing scaffold unit for movement along a wall of a building, the wall having a wall anchor point to which the formwork or scaffold unit can be detachably fixed, the formwork or scaffold unit comprising: a stationary climbing shoe structured for attachment to the wall anchor point, said climbing shoe having a horizontal shaft; a climbing cylinder having a lower end directly contacting said shaft, said lower end and said shaft thereby forming a hinge, said hinge configured to pivot said climbing cylinder relative to said shaft, said climbing cylinder also having an upper end; a support provided on said upper end of said climbing cylinder, said support having a protrusion defining a U-shaped recess; and a climbing rail having a first upper engagement point and a second upper engagement point disposed below and at a separation from said first upper engagement point, said climbing rail also having a first lower engagement point and a second lower engagement point disposed below and at a separation from said first lower engagement point, said climbing rail structured to be held in position by said climbing shoe relative to the anchor point and guided along the wall through cooperation with said climbing shoe, wherein, upon extending said climbing cylinder, said support engages beneath one of said upper engagement points of the climbing rail at said U-shaped recess to urge said climbing rail in an upward direction and then, upon retracting said climbing cylinder, said shaft said support disengages from one of said upper engagements points to allow pivoting of said climbing cylinder about said shaft in order to move said climbing cylinder towards the wall, the self-climbing formwork or scaffold unit having a first operative configuration in which said climbing cylinder is in a retracted position, said U-shaped recess is disposed below said first upper engagement point and said first lower engagement point is directly supported by said climbing shoe, a second operative configuration in which said climbing cylinder is in an extended position and said U-shaped recess directly contacts a lower side of said first upper engagement point in order to lift said first lower engagement point upwardly away from said climbing shoe and a third operative configuration in which said second lower engagement point is directly supported by said climbing shoe and said climbing cylinder is in a retracted position, wherein said retracted position of said third operative configuration results when said climbing cylinder has been pivoted about said horizontal shaft in order to move said U-shaped recess away from said second upper engagement point.