STRUT ANCHOR REMOVAL SYSTEM AND METHOD

A strut anchor removal system for removing a strut anchor from a strut includes an actuating member and an anchor holding member. The actuating member is engageable with a locking pin of the strut anchor to move the strut anchor into a disengagement configuration. The anchor holding member is engageable with the strut anchor to hold the strut anchor from a distance and lower the strut anchor from a strut.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates to removal tools and more particularly pertains to a new removal tool for removing a strut anchor from a strut.

The prior art discloses several methods and devices for anchoring safety lines and other objects to a strut channel or similar track. Some strut anchors which attach safety lines to struts comprise a pair of plates which are positionable in alternate configurations to engage or disengage a strut. Some such strut anchors move the pair of plates with respect to each other by operation of a locking pin which keeps the plates attached to each other and also allows for a convenient one-handed operation to alternately install or remove the strut anchor from the strut. However, in many situations, the strut may be difficult to reach due to factors such as significant height above a support surface and obstructions which block access to the strut. Consequently, users may not be able to reach the strut with the strut anchor using only their arms and an aerial work platform or other raised platform. The prior art discloses at least some ways of accessing such obstructed struts for installation of the strut anchor, but do not provide a solution to remove the strut anchor. A system is therefore needed to better reach installed strut anchors to remove them from their attached struts.

(h) BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising an actuating member which is elongated between a first actuator end and a second actuator end. The actuating member has a receiving hole extending perpendicularly therein adjacent to the first actuator end. The receiving hole has a size such that the receiving hole is configured for receiving a locking pin of a strut anchor. The actuating member may be urged against the locking pin when the receiving hole receives the locking pin to urge the locking pin against a bias of a bias member of the strut anchor to remove the locking pin from a locked position in which the locking pin maintains a first plate and a second plate of the strut anchor in an engagement configuration. Then the actuating member may be urged downwardly against the locking pin to urge the second plate downwardly with respect to the first plate to move the first and second plates from the engagement position to a disengagement position. An anchor holding member is elongated between a first holder end and a second holder end. The anchor holding member has a thickness at the first holder end such that the first holder end is configured to support the strut anchor via a hooked upper end of the first plate.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a method of removing a strut anchor from a strut. The method includes positioning an anchor holding member to support the strut anchor when a first plate and a second plate of the strut anchor are positioned in an engagement configuration and hand from the strut. The strut anchor is lifted via the anchor holding member to move the strut anchor out of engagement with the strut. An actuating member is urged against the locking pin to move the locking pin out of a locked position. The actuating member is also urged downwardly against the locking pin to slide the second plate downwardly with respect to the first plate to cause the first and second plates of the strut anchor to move from the engagement configuration to a disengagement configuration. The strut anchor is lowered via the anchor holding member out of the strut.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The strut anchor removal system10is best illustrated inFIGS.1through12and is adapted for use in removing a strut anchor12from a strut56. An exemplary strut anchor12which may be removed by the strut anchor removal system10is depicted inFIGS.6through12. The exemplary strut anchor12comprises a first plate14and a second plate16which are slidably coupled to each other such that the first and second plates14,16are vertically slidable with respect to each other. Each one of the first and second plates14,16has a hooked upper end18which is shaped to engage with an associated one of a pair of hooked edges58of the strut56so that the strut anchor12may hang from the strut56and be slidable along a length of the strut56.

The first and second plates14,16are positionable in a disengagement configuration22in which the hooked upper end18of the first plate14is positioned higher than the hooked upper end18of the second plate16. In the disengagement configuration22, the hooked upper ends18of the first and second plates14,16are maintained near each other to allow the hooked upper ends18to fit through an opening60of the strut56. The first and second plates14,16are movable from the disengagement configuration22to an engagement configuration20by sliding the second plate16upwardly relative to the first plate14such that the hooked upper ends18are laterally aligned and spaced from each other such that the hooked upper ends18engage the hooked edges58of the strut56as described above. A spreader ramp24is attached to the first plate14and extends toward the second plate16. The spreader ramp24extends into an accommodating hole26positioned in the second plate16when the first and second plates14,16are positioned in the disengagement configuration22. When the second plate16is moved upwardly relative to the first plate14, the spreader ramp24urges an upper portion28of the second plate16away from the second plate16, thereby spreading the hooked upper ends18of the first and second plates14,16away from each other and positioning the first and second plates14,16in the engagement configuration20.

The exemplary strut anchor12further includes a locking pin32which extends through a lock opening6034in the second plate16and a keyhole aperture36in the first plate14. The keyhole aperture36comprises an elongated slot portion38and a shoulder receiving portion40which are in fluid communication with each other. The elongated slot portion38extends between a lower end30and the hooked upper end18of the second plate16, and the shoulder receiving portion40is positioned at a top end42of the elongated slot portion38. When the first and second plates14,16are positioned in the disengagement configuration22, the locking pin32is positioned in the elongated slot portion38of the keyhole aperture36and a biasing member44engages the locking pin32and the first plate14to urge a shoulder33of the locking pin32against the second plate16, thereby urging the first and second plates14,16toward each other.

When the first and second plates14,16are positioned in the engagement configuration20, the locking pin32extends through the shoulder receiving portion40of the keyhole aperture36and the biasing member44engages the locking pin32and the first plate14to urge the locking pin32into a locked position46wherein the shoulder33of the locking pin32is positioned in the shoulder receiving portion40of the keyhole aperture36. The shoulder33of the locking pin32is wider than the elongated slot portion38of the keyhole aperture36, so the locking pin32is prevented from sliding into the elongated slot portion38while the locking pin32is positioned in the locked position46until the bias of the biasing member44is counteracted. The locking pin32thereby retains the first and second plates14,16in the engagement configuration20when the locking pin32is positioned in the locked position46of the keyhole aperture36.

The first plate14has a connection hole50extending through a lower portion48of the first plate14, and the second plate16has a connection slot54extending through a lower portion52of the first plate16. The connection hole50and the connection slot54are used to simultaneously receive an upper connector84of a safety line assembly82to anchor the safety line assembly82to the strut56. The upper connector84of the safety line assembly82may be a carabiner, a clip, a D-ring, a snap hook, or the like. The safety line assembly82will also typically have a lower connector86comprising a snap hook, a clip, a carabiner, a D-ring, or the like. The connection slot54is arranged so that the second plate16is permitted to slide with respect to the first plate14without impinging on the upper connector84. The bottoms of the connection hole50and the connection slot54are laterally aligned when the first and second plates14,16are positioned in the engagement configuration20such that the first plate14is movable downwardly with respect to the second plate16via urging from the upper connector84to move the first and second plates14,16from the disengagement configuration22to the engagement configuration20.

Referring toFIGS.1through12, the strut anchor removal system10comprises an actuating member62for moving the first and second plates14,16from the engagement configuration20to the disengagement configuration22and an anchor holding member70for supporting the strut anchor12and moving the strut anchor12from the strut56. The actuating member62is elongated between a first actuator end64and a second actuator end66and has a receiving hole68extending perpendicularly therein adjacent to the first actuator end64. The receiving hole68has a size such that the receiving hole68may receive the locking pin32of the strut anchor12. The actuating member62may, after receiving the locking pin32into the receiving hole68, be urged against the locking pin32to urge the locking pin32against the bias of the bias member of the strut anchor12to remove the locking pin32from the locked position46. Then the actuating member62may be urged downwardly against the locking pin32to urge the second plate16downwardly with respect to the first plate14to move the first and second plates14,16from the engagement configuration20to the disengagement configuration22.

The anchor holding member70is used to hold the strut anchor12from a distance while the actuating member62is used on the strut anchor12. The anchor holding member70is elongated between a first holder end72and a second holder end74. The anchor holding member70has a thickness at the first holder end72such that the first holder end72may fit in and engage the hooked upper end18of the first plate14to support the anchor holding member70. The anchor holding member70holds the strut anchor12so that the first and second plates14,16may be slid vertically with respect to each other, and will be appreciated that other shapes of the anchor holding member70which are suitable for holding the strut anchor12in this manner are contemplated by the present disclosure.

The anchor holding member70also defines a stabilizing slot76which is positioned between the first holder end72and the second holder end74. The stabilizing slot76has an open end78facing the first holder end72. The stabilizing slot76has a width for receiving the upper connector84of the safety line assembly82. The stabilizing slot76is also positioned at a distance from the first holder end72such that the stabilizing slot76may receive the upper connector84when the first holder end72engages the hooked upper end18of the first plate14. The anchor holding member70further defines a tether receiving aperture80which has a size to receive a tether90which is attached to the safety line assembly82.

The anchor holding member70may also be used to install the strut anchor12in the strut56by supporting the strut anchor12via the hooked upper end18of the first plate14and positioning the strut anchor12in the strut56. The upper connector84may also be positioned in the stabilizing slot76during this process. The tether90is used to arrest a fall of the strut anchor12from the anchor holding member70during installation and removal. The anchor holding member70may also have a notch73in the first holder end72with a size for receiving the lower end30of the second plate16. The notch73may be used during installation of the strut anchor12. More particularly, the strut anchor12may be positioned in the strut56such that it hangs from the strut56via the hooked upper end18of the first plate14. Then, the lower end30of the second plate16may be received into the notch73so that the anchor holding member70may push the second plate16upwardly into the strut56and slide upwardly with respect to the first plate14to position the first and second plates14,16in the engagement configuration20.

In some embodiments, the actuating member62and the anchor holding member70may be constructed using an additional strut channel92and a head piece94. The head piece94of the actuating member62in such embodiments defines the receiving hole68of the actuating member62, and the head piece94of the anchor holding member70defines the first holder end72and the stabilizing slot76of the anchor holding member70. One of a plurality of slots96in the additional strut channel92of the anchor holding member70may define the tether receiving aperture80. The head piece94of each of the actuating member62and the anchor holding member70may be attached to the additional strut channel92via an associated set of bolts98and strut nuts100.

The strut anchor removal system10may be used to install the strut anchor12into the strut56as described above and may also be used to remove the strut anchor12from the strut56. The removal of the strut anchor12from the strut56using the strut anchor removal system10is illustrated in another embodiment of the disclosure depicted inFIGS.8through12, which includes a method of removing the strut anchor12from the strut56. The method comprises positioning the anchor holding member70to support the strut anchor12by positioning the first holder end72of the anchor holding member70under the hooked upper end18of the first plate14while the first and second plates14,16are positioned in the engagement configuration20and hang from the strut56. The strut anchor12is lifted via the anchor holding member70to move the strut anchor12out of engagement with the strut56. The actuating member62is moved to receive the locking pin32into the receiving hole68, is urged against the locking pin32to move the locking pin32out of the locked position46, and is urged to slide the second plate16downwardly with respect to the first plate14to cause the first and second plates14,16to move from the engagement configuration20to the disengagement configuration22. Then the strut anchor12is lowered via the anchor holding member70out of the strut56.

The safety line assembly82may be used to stabilize the strut anchor12as it is held by the anchor holding member70by receiving the upper connector84of the safety line assembly82into the stabilizing slot76of the anchor holding member70. The tether90may be tied to the lower connector86of the safety line assembly82and threaded through the tether receiving aperture80of the anchor holding member70to further secure the strut anchor12to the anchor holding member70. If the strut anchor12moves off of the anchor holding member70, the resultant fall of the strut anchor12will be arrested by holding the tether90distally from the safety line assembly82so that the strut anchor12hangs from the tether receiving aperture80.

In some embodiments of the method, the safety line assembly82comprises a retractable line88which is coupled to and extends between the upper connector84and the lower connector86and is biased to retract. Before removal of the strut anchor12, the tether90may be tied to the lower connector86of the safety line assembly82in these embodiments at a distance from the upper connector84. Then, after threading the tether90through the tether receiving aperture80, the safety line assembly82may be permitted to retract while a distal end of the tether90with respect to the safety line assembly82is held.