Support post for temporary guard-rail chains

A post for supporting upper and lower temporary guard-rail chains around the periphery of a concrete floor slab on a building under construction. The post has two vertically spaced pairs of hooks to which respective chains may be attached so as to make it virtually impossible to dislodge either chain accidentally. The post has a screw-threaded rod for insertion in a wire nut embedded in the floor slab. A clamping nut on this rod is adjustable to clamp the post in a position in which the hooks are on the side of the post away from the periphery of the floor slab.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a support post for temporary guard-rail chains on 
a building under construction, particularly at a balcony. 
Multi-story buildings often are constructed with balconies which extend out 
from the side of the building. Typically, after the concrete floor slab 
for the balcony has been poured in place on the outside of the building 
and has hardened, the workmen will stand and move about on that floor slab 
in performing other work in the construction of the building. This 
requires a temporary guard-rail supported above and around the perimeter 
of the floor slab to prevent a workman from falling off accidentally. The 
same need for a temporary guard-rail may exist at monolithic concrete 
floor and beam structures and concrete steps in a building under 
construction. 
Commonly, the temporary guard-rail has upper and lower chains which run 
between support posts extending up from the floor slab at successive 
locations along its periphery. Such a post may have a screw-threaded lower 
end which is threadedly received in a nut embedded in the concrete floor 
slab. Usually, the post has two vertically spaced hooks to which the 
respective chains are attached individually, and the post is turned to 
position these hooks facing inward, i.e., away from the periphery of the 
floor slab. 
With just a single hook on each post for each chain there is a possibility 
that the chain might be accidentally dislodged from the post, creating a 
hazardous condition for the workers. The present invention is directed to 
a novel post construction having paired hooks for holding the respective 
chains so as to virtually eliminate the possibility of either chains 
becoming disconnected from the post. In addition, the post is constructed 
to enable it to be conveniently clamped in a position with the paired 
hooks facing inward after it has been turned to that position. 
A principal object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved 
post for supporting temporary guard-rail chains on a building under 
construction. 
Another object of this invention is to provide such a post having paired 
hooks for securely holding the chains on the post. 
Another object of this invention is to provide such a post with a novel 
arrangement for clamping it in a position with the hooks facing inward 
from the periphery of the floor slab on which the post is mounted. 
Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the 
following detailed description of certain presently preferred embodiments, 
which are illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring to FIG. 1, the temporary guard-rail post includes a cylindrical, 
rigid, steel tube 10 which extends up from a concrete floor 11, such as a 
balcony floor, in a building under construction. An elongated, rigid, 
screw-threaded steel rod 12 extends down through the tube 10 and is 
rotatably received therein. The lower end of rod 12 is screw-threadedly 
received in a helical wire nut 13 which is embedded in the concrete floor. 
This nut is attached to downwardly extending feet 14 which rest on the 
bottom of the form (not shown) into which the concrete for the floor is 
poured. A flat, annular, steel washer 15 is rigidly attached to the upper 
end of the wire nut 13. The screw-threaded rod 12 extends down loosely 
through the central opening in this washer. Above the washer 15 the 
concrete floor slab 11 is formed with a recess 11a into which concrete 
will be poured around the lower end of a permanent guard-rail post later 
in the construction of the building. 
The rigid tube 10 carries a flat, annular, steel washer 16 on its lower end 
which rests on washer 15. Tube 10 has a similar washer 17 on its upper 
end. Rod 12 extends loosely through the respective central openings in 
both washers 16 and 17 but is confined by them against substantial lateral 
movement in the tube. 
A nut 18 threadedly engages the screw-threaded rod 12 above the upper 
washer 17. Above this nut the top extremity of rod 12 is cut away to 
present an upper end segment 12a having opposite flat sides 19 and 20 for 
engagement by the jaws of a wrench which is used to rotate the rod 12. As 
shown in FIG. 2, between the flats 19 and 20, the end edges of the rod are 
formed with protrusions 21 and 22 which project laterally beyond the 
screw-thread on the nut 18 to prevent its removal from the rod 12. 
In accordance with this invention, for each of the two guard rail chains a 
pair of upper and lower hooks 23 and 24 are located on the side of tube 10 
which will face inward (i.e., directly away from the peripheral edge 11b 
of the balcony floor slab and toward the side of the building). Only the 
paired hooks for the upper guard rail chain are shown, for the sake of 
simplicity. The upper hook 23 has a short, straight, horizontal inner leg 
23a which is welded to the outside of tube 10 and extends radially outward 
from it and a longer, straight, vertical outer leg 23b which extends up 
from the outer end of its inner leg 23a at a right angled, rounded bend 
connecting them. The lower hook 24 has a short, straight, horizontal inner 
leg 24a which is welded to the outside of tube 10 and extends radially 
outward from it a short distance below, and in vertical alignment with the 
inner leg 23a of the upper hook. The lower hook also has a longer, 
straight, vertical outer leg 24b connected to the outer end of its inner 
leg 24a at a rounded, right-angled bend and extending down from it 
vertically in alignment with the outer leg 23b of the upper hook. 
The post assembly, consisting of tube 10 with its attached end washers 16 
and 17, threaded rod 12 and nut 18, is positioned upright, with the lower 
end of the threaded rod 12 threadedly received in the wire nut 13 embedded 
in the concrete floor slab 11. The rod 12 may be rotated on its vertical 
axis until its lower end is fully inserted down in the wire nut 13. With 
the nut 18 loose against the washer 17 on the upper end of tube 10, this 
tube is rotated on its vertical axis to a position in which the paired 
hooks 23 and 24 face inward away from the outer edge 11b of the balcony 
floor slab 11, and then the nut 18 is tightened against the top washer 17 
to secure the tube 10 in this position. The lower pair of hooks (not 
shown) are aligned with the hooks 23 and 24 and are the same as these 
hooks so that these lower hooks also will face inward away from the 
periphery of the floor slab. 
After each of the other post assemblies along the periphery of the balcony 
floor slab has been similarly positioned, an upper chain C (FIG. 5) may be 
attached to the upper pair of hooks 23 and 24 on each post assembly. This 
chain extends substantially horizontally between successive post 
assemblies and serves as the upper part of a protective guard-rail to 
prevent a workman from accidentally stepping off the balcony floor slab. A 
similar lower chain may be attached to the lower pair of hooks on each 
post to provide the lower part of the guard rail. 
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the two hooks 23 and 24 on the inwardly-facing 
side of tube 10 in the post assembly facilitate the attachment of the 
chain C to the post. 
Except at the two posts at either end of the chain, the chain may be 
applied to the paired hooks 23 and 24 as shown in FIG. 5. The chain is 
pulled taut and the closest link 25 of the chain is inserted down over the 
upwardly extending outer leg 23b of the upper hook 23 until it extends 
around the horizontal inner leg 23a of this hook. The chain extends down 
from this link 25 and passes snugly under the horizontal inner leg 24b of 
lower hook 24, at the inside of the depending outer leg 24a of this hook, 
as shown by link 26. Beyond hook 24 the chain extends upward and then 
across the top of the horizontal inner leg 23a of the upper hook 23 behind 
the latter's outer leg 23b, passing closely above the top of link 25. The 
chain then continues to the left in FIG. 5 to the next support post. 
At the final support post (FIG. 6), the chain is pulled taut and the 
closest link 25' is inserted down over the upwardly extending outer leg 
23b of the upper hook until it extends around the horizontal inner leg 23a 
of this hook. The chain is bent downward from the upper hook and back 
under the horizontal inner leg 24a of the lower hook behind the depending 
outer leg 24b of this hook, as shown by link 26'. On the other side of 
hook 24 the chain is bent upward and then horizontally across the top of 
the inner leg 23a of the upper hook behind the outer leg 23b of this hook, 
passing closely above link 25' as shown by link 27' in FIG. 6. Beyond link 
27' the chain is again bent downward and back under the horizontal inner 
leg 24a of the lower hook, passing again behind the vertical outer leg 24b 
of this hook closely below link 26'. Then the chain is bent up again to 
the final link 28', which is slid down over the outer leg 23a of the upper 
hook as far as it will go. 
With this arrangement, the chain is attached to every post in such a manner 
that a force in any direction on the chain will not detach it from the 
hooks 23 and 24. 
FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment which differs from the embodiment of FIGS. 
1 and 2 in one respect only: the lower hook of each pair is in a 
horizontal plane rather than a vertical plane. 
Elements in FIG. 3 which correspond to those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are given the 
same reference numberals plus 100 as those in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the 
description of these elements need not be repeated. On the lower hook of 
the pair shown in FIG. 3, the horizontal inner leg 124a extends radially 
from the tube 110 a short distance below the horizontal inner leg 123a of 
the upper hook and the outer leg 124b of the lower hook of the same pair 
extends horizontally to one side or the other of tube 110. 
FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment in which both legs of the lower hook extend 
parallel to the corresponding legs of the upper hook of the same pair of 
hooks. Corresponding elements in FIG. 4 have the same reference numerals 
plus 200 as those in FIGS. 1 and 2. The horizontal inner leg 224a of the 
lower hook 224 extends radially out from the tube 210 substantially 
farther than the horizontal inner leg 223a of the upper hook. The outer 
vertical leg 224b of the lower hook extends up from the outer end of its 
inner leg parallel to the vertical outer leg 223b of the upper hook and 
farther out from tube 210 so that different links of the chain can be 
inserted on the respective hooks. 
FIG. 7 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention in which the upper and 
lower hooks of each pair are offset from each other circumferentially of 
the tube. Corresponding elements of this embodiment have the same 
reference numerals plus 300 as those in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. 
In FIG. 6, the upper hook 323 has its vertical outer leg 323b extending 
down from the outer end of its horizontal inner leg 323a. The lower hook 
324 has its vertical outer leg 324b extending up from the outer end of its 
horizontal inner leg 324a. The inner leg 324a of the lower hook is 
attached to the outside of tube 310 at a location below and several 
degrees circumferentially away from the attachment of the inner leg 323a 
of the upper hook to the tube, so that the outer legs of the two hooks are 
spaced from each other to receive different links of the guard-rail chain. 
The embodiment of FIG. 8 has a hook arrangement identical to that shown in 
FIGS. 1 and 2 but the construction of the post is different. The post 410 
is rigidly attached to a short screw-threaded rod 412 extending down from 
its lower end and threadedly received in a wire nut 413 embedded in the 
balcony floor slab 411. A steel rod R is welded to the bottom of the wire 
nut and a flat steel washer 415 to the top. The top of washer 415 is flush 
with the top 411c of the concrete floor slab. A nut 418 is threadedly 
adjustable on rod 412 to engage the washer 415 on top of wire nut 413 and 
clamp the post tightly to the wire after the post has been turned to a 
position in which the hooks 423 and 424 extend inward away from the outer 
edge 411b of the balcony floor slab. The nut 418 is readily accessible to 
be turned by a suitable wrench.