Patent Publication Number: US-2003226714-A1

Title: Plank securing assembly for scaffold constructions

Description:
RELATED PATENT  
     [0001] This specification is related to U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,402, titled “Plank Securing Scaffolding Assembly” issued Mar. 12, 2002 to Michael D. Masino (Attorney Docket No.: 18993- 11 ). 
    
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] This invention relates to scaffolding assemblies with plank hold down members that hold planks in place, thus avoiding slippage or pilferage of the planks.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003] Scaffolds are normally built up using a substantial number of inverted U-shaped vertical supports formed of pipes. These inverted U-shaped vertical supports are aligned parallel to one another and extend front-to-rear toward the building; and they have upper horizontal front-to-rear pipes on which planks are placed. Triangular bracing is provided on the U-shaped supports and extending between adjacent supports. A first set of ground layer vertical U-shaped supports is provided, and additional sets of supports are stacked on top of the first set. To align and secure the upper sets of supports to the lower sets, a short guide pipe of reduced diameter is firmly mounted at each pipe junction to extend into each pair of vertically aligned pipes. Further, at each level, the planks are mounted on the horizontally extending front-to-rear extending horizontal pipes associated with each of the U-shaped supports.  
       [0004] These planks, which are usually nominal 2″×12″ boards about 12 feet long, are often “borrowed” or stolen by other workmen at the scaffolding location or by others. In addition, when these planks are merely set loosely in place, they may shift in position and fall from the scaffolding, and such an occurrence may result in personal injuries.  
       [0005] Furthermore, a railing structure is provided at the topmost level between the vertical supports to prevent a person, on the planks, from falling.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] One object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a simple arrangement for holding down scaffolding planks to prevent slippage and pilferage. In accordance with a specific illustrated embodiment of the present invention, this is accomplished by the use of hold down members formed of material having a substantially constant thickness and width and having two ends including, (a) a first end which may be downwardly offset and has a hole for mating with a vertical support pipe, and (b) a second end that is substantially U-shaped, the U-shape being defined by three sections of the material, wherein a first section and a third section in the three sections has a predetermined spacing that is substantially equal to the thickness of the planks. The substantially U-shaped end wraps at least partially around the planks, thereby securing them in place.  
       [0007] Another object of the invention, as indicated in the related prior art patent cited above and in this specification, therefore, is to provide a simple arrangement for holding down scaffolding planks to prevent slippage and pilferage. In accordance with a specific illustrated embodiment of the present invention, this is accomplished by the use of hold down members extending across and in engagement with the planks. These hold down members have holes at each end, and these holes have a diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter (OD) of the guide pipes at the junctions between vertically extending pipes. As the scaffolding is erected, once the first, lower set of U-shaped supports and overlying planks are set in place, then the hold down members are mounted on the upwardly-extending guide pipes and across the planks. Then, when the next higher set of U-shaped supports is mounted onto the lower set, the hold down members are held in place between the two sets of pipes, and the planks are securely held in place. The above described and many other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
       [0008] In accordance with broader aspects of the invention, a platform assembly including supports, a plurality of platforms, and hold down members to hold platforms securely in place may be employed. The vertical supports are formed in sections with joints between successive sections, the hold down members are held securely in place by the upper and lower vertical supports bearing on the upper and lower surfaces of the hold down members at said joints. Clamping hold down members hold down overlapping platforms where vertical support joints with upper and lower supports are not present.  
       [0009] At the topmost level, where an upwardly extending railing may be provided on one side only, the embodiment involving a pipe receiving hole at one end, and a substantially U-shaped configuration to go around the planks at the other end, may be employed.  
       [0010] Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a scaffolding system built up using a substantial number of inverted U-shaped supports with triangular bracing and showing support planks and hold down members illustrating the present invention.  
     [0012]FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of a hold down member which is mounted on the upwardly extending guide pipes and secures the planks which are placed on the horizontal front-to-rear pipes and is an enlarged showing of the portion of FIG. 1 identified by the dashed line circle  2 .  
     [0013]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of different embodiments of the hold down members.  
     [0014]FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of another illustrative embodiment of a hold down member and is an enlarged showing of the portion of FIG. 1 identified by the dashed line circle  4 .  
     [0015]FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side view of another illustrative embodiment of a hold down member wherein the hold down member securely holds down two layers of overlapping planks and is an enlarged showing of the portion of FIG. 1 identified by the dashed line circle  5 .  
     [0016]FIG. 6 is side view of an illustrative embodiment of a hold down member which includes a platform retaining protrusion which allows for the planks to remain in place and an inverted U shaped portion that allows for other supports to attach to the horizontal front-to-rear pipes.  
     [0017]FIG. 7 is a bottom view of FIG. 6.  
     [0018]FIG. 8 shows the upwardly extending guide pipe which forms part of the scaffolding system as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.  
     [0019]FIG. 9 shows a retaining pin for holding the guide pipe and vertical support pipes in place.  
     [0020]FIG. 10 is a side view of an illustrative embodiment of a hold down member which includes a substantially U-shaped end that extends or wraps at least partially around the planks in the platform assembly, and another end that mates with a vertical bar or pipe. The figure shows, in an exemplary manner, two layers of planks.  
     [0021]FIG. 11 is a side view of the hold down member of FIG. 10, showing the substantially U-shaped end for wrapping at least partially around the planks. The U-shaped end is dimensioned to secure at least one or more layers of planks.  
     [0022]FIG. 12 is a top view of the hold down member of the type shown in FIG. 10, having a hole at one end for mating with a vertical bar or pipe.  
     [0023]FIG. 13 is a side view of a hold down member of the type shown in FIG. 10, showing the substantially U-shaped or hook shaped end for wrapping at least partially around the planks. The U-shaped end is dimensioned to secure one or more layers of planks.  
     [0024]FIG. 14 is a side view of an illustrative embodiment of a hold down member which includes one end having a hook like structure that engages the platform assembly, and another end that mates with a vertical bar or pipe.  
     [0025]FIG. 15 is a side view depicting the hook associated with the second end of the hold down member of FIG. 14.  
     [0026]FIG. 16 is a top view of the hold down member of FIG. 14 showing one end having a hole that mates with a vertical bar or pipe.  
     [0027]FIG. 17 is a side view of an embodiment of a hold down member having two holes for mating with the front and rear vertical pipes, with the offset portion of the hold down member dimensioned to be two planks wide. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0028] Initially, the closely related specification of U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,402 will be set forth in connection with FIGS.  1 - 9  of the drawings.  
     [0029] The present invention is directed to scaffolding assemblies with plank hold down members that hold planks in place, thus avoiding slippage or pilferage of the planks. In particular, the present invention allows for a unitary structure of scaffolding assembly with plank hold down members that hold the planks in place. The unitary structure of the scaffolding assembly with hold down members has numerous positive effects. First, it allows for the planks to be held securely in place thus avoiding slippage and potential personal injuries. Second, it acts as a deterrent against pilferage of the planks because the unitary structure of the scaffolding requires that the scaffolding assembly be disassembled in order to remove the planks. As a result, pilferage may occur only if the time has been taken to substantially disassembly the scaffolding assembly, thus creating a deterrent to removing and pilfering the planks. Third, as compared with communicated arrangements previously proposed for the same purpose, the unitary structure reduces the steps required to assemble a secure scaffolding assembly with hold down members thus saving time while still preventing slippage and pilferage.  
     [0030] The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and to set forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention.  
     [0031] By way of example in FIG. 1, the above objects are accomplished by providing a scaffolding system built up using a substantial number of inverted U-shaped supports  10  with triangular bracing  12 . In an embodiment of the invention the scaffolding assembly is built up using a set of front vertical pipes  14  and a set of rear vertical pipes  16  where a “set” may include but is not limited to at least two pipes or what is used by one skilled in the art. Although alternative embodiments for the scaffolding assembly use pipes, many various forms of supports, including but not limited to what someone skilled in the art would use, such as supports made of plastic, metal, or wood, for example any combination thereof may be used in the assembly of the scaffolding. In one embodiment the supports are formed of pipes and these pipes may be made of various materials including but not limited to what one skilled in the art would use, for example metal, plastic, wood or any combination thereof. To construct the scaffolding, the inverted U-shaped pipe sections are aligned parallel to one another with upper horizontal front-to-rear pipes  18  on which the planks  20  are placed. Although one alternative embodiment of the invention uses planks, various other materials may be used as the platform in the assembly of the scaffolding. Thus a “platform” or “platform member” may be any material that provides support, including but not limited to what someone skilled in the art would use, such as reinforced plastic, heavy plywood or metallic beams, plastic sheets, and any combination thereof. Also a single “platform” or “plank” may be used instead of multiple “platforms” or “planks”. Additional horizontal, vertical and diagonal pipes  22  or other supports may be used to provide extra support for the scaffolding assemblies.  
     [0032] As illustrated by way of example in FIG. 3, illustrative embodiments of the hold down members  24  have holes  26  at each end and these holes  26  have a diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter (OD) of the guide pipe  28  as illustrated in FIG. 8. These guide pipes  28  are used at the junctions  30  between vertically extending pipes  14  and  16  as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4. As the scaffolding is erected, once the first, lower set of U-shaped supports  10  and overlying planks  20  are set in place, then the hold down members  24  are mounted on the upwardly-extending guide pipes  28  and across the planks  20 . Then, when the next higher set of U-shaped supports  10  is mounted onto the lower set, the hold down members  24  are clamped in place between the two sets of pipes  14  and  16 , and the planks  20  are held securely in place.  
     [0033] As illustrated by way of example in FIG. 2, one embodiment of the present invention includes inverted U-shaped hold down members  32  that are mounted on the upwardly extending guide pipes  28  and across planks  20 . Then, when the next higher set of U-shaped supports  10  is mounted onto the lower set, the hold down member  32  is clamped in place between the two sets of pipes  14  and  16 , and planks  20  are held in place. In this embodiment, the hold down member  32  has an inverted U shape but other shapes may exist, including but not limited to what someone skilled in the art would do and any shape that substantially conforms to the shape of the plank or platform.  
     [0034] As illustrated by way of example in FIG. 4, another embodiment of the present invention includes inverted U shaped hold down members  34  with a platform retaining protrusion  36  which holds the planks  20  in place. The platform retaining protrusion  36  securely holds the planks  20  in place while the inverted U-shaped configuration allows for other triangular bracing supports  22  to attach to the horizontal front-to-rear pipes  18 . FIG. 4 demonstrates an embodiment where the support  22  comes from the bottom and attaches to the horizontal front-to-rear pipe  18  but other angles and directions may exist, including but not limited to what angle or direction one skilled in the art would choose, and any angle or partial angle from 0 to 360 degrees and any direction which would allow the support to add stability to the scaffolding assembly.  
     [0035] As illustrated by way of example in FIG. 5, another embodiment of the present invention includes a clamping hold down member  38  wherein the hold down member  38  securely holds down two layers of overlapping planks  20 . FIG. 5 demonstrates an embodiment where a hinge  40  is used and the clamping hold down member is securely fastened with a nut  42  and bolt  44  but other methods of securing and holding together the clamping hold down member may exist including but not limited to what one skilled in the art would use, such as, a latch, spring, coil, bolt, screw nail, facet, or any combination thereof.  
     [0036]FIG. 3 illustrates the different hold down members  24 . FIG. 3 demonstrates the specific lengths and thickness of the hold down members independently and relative to one another but other lengths and thickness may exist, including but not limited to the length and thickness chosen by one skilled in the field.  
     [0037]FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are side and bottom views of the hold down member  34  with platform retaining protrusion  36  illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 8 illustrates the guide pipe  28  at the junction  30  between vertically extending pipes  14  and  16 . FIG. 8 illustrates the guild pipe  28  with particular, diameter, shape and dimensions but other diameters, shapes and dimensions may exist, including but not limited to the diameter, shape and dimensions chosen by one skilled in the art. FIG. 9 illustrates a retaining pin  46  for holding the guide pipe  28  and vertical support pipes  14  and  16  together. Other diameters, shapes, materials and dimensions may exists for the retaining pin including but not limited to what one skilled in the fields would use. In one embodiment of the present invention, the hold down members have length of approximately 38.5 inches, a height of approximately 2.4 inches and a depth of approximately 2 inches, but other dimensions may exist, including but not limited to a length of approximately 37 inches to 39 inches, a height of approximately 1.25 inches to 3.25 inches and a depth of 1 to 3 inches. A length, width and depth used by one skilled in the art may also be used. In one embodiment of the present invention, the hold down members have holes  26  with a diameter of approximately 1.5 inches and a platform retaining protrusion  36  that is approximately 5.1 inches from the closest part of the hold down member hole  26 .  
     [0038]FIG. 10 is a side view of an illustrative embodiment of a hold down member  500  mounted in a scaffolding assembly  400 . Specifically, the scaffolding or platform assembly  400  comprises a plurality of planks or platform members  502  resting partially on a horizontal pipe  554  connecting the front and rear vertical pipes  550  and  552  respectively. The hold down member  500  is formed of a single bent strip of metal having a substantially constant thickness and width and having two ends including, (i) a first end  504  that is downwardly offset and has a hole  512  (shown in FIG. 12) which is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the coupling member  556  and less than the outer diameter of one of the front and rear vertical pipes  550  and  552  respectively, and (ii) a second end  501  that is substantially U-shaped or hook shaped, the U-shape being defined by three sections of the metal, wherein the first section  506  and the third section  510  have a predetermined spacing, and the second section  508  connects the first section  506  and the third section  510 . The spacing between the first section  506  and the third section  510  is adjusted to accommodate at least one or more layers of planks  502 .  
     [0039] The hold down member  500  is placed over and in engagement with the planks  502  with the hole  512  at the first end  504  of the hold down member  500  extending around and mating with the upwardly extending coupling member  556 , while the U-shaped second end  501  wraps at least partially around the planks  502 . This arrangement ensures that the planks  502  are firmly held in place by the hold down member  500  thereby precluding slippage or pilferage of the planks  502 .  
     [0040] In the subsequent stage, additional scaffold construction such as a railing  600  is erected above the prior level with the vertical pipes of the additional scaffold construction  600  extending over the coupling member  556 , and engaging the top of the end  504  of hold down member  500 .  
     [0041] Incidentally, the hold-down member  500 ′ of FIG. 13 is constructed to extend over a single layer of planks, as compared with member  500  which extends over a double layer of planks.  
     [0042] In another embodiment, according to FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the hold down member  700  is formed of a single bent strip of metal and has a first end  702  and a second end  706 . The first end  702  of the hold down member  700  has a hole  704  (shown in FIG. 16) for mating with one of the set of front and rear vertical pipes, whereas the second end  706  has a hook structure  708 , as shown in FIG. 15, for connecting with the scaffolding platform assembly. In a preferred embodiment, the hook structure  708  connects with a horizontal support member such as support  18  of FIG. 2. This arrangement ensures that the planks  502  are firmly held in place by the hold down member  700  thereby precluding slippage or pilferage of the planks  502 .  
     [0043] From a broad perspective, it is be noted that the U-shaped second end  501  of the hold down member  500  in FIG. 11, and the hook structure  708  of the hold down member  700  in FIG. 15 are in the configuration of hooks. Accordingly, the word “hook” is applicable to the U-shaped second end  501  of the hold down member  500  as well as to the hook structure  708  of the second end  706  of the hold down member  700 .  
     [0044]FIG. 17 is a side view of an embodiment of a hold down member  800  having a first end  802  and a second end  804 . The first end  802  and the second end  804  each have a hole for mating with a front and rear vertical pipe. The bent or offset portion  806  of the hold down member  800  is dimensioned to be two planks wide, while other embodiments shown herein are dimensioned to accommodate three planks. In this regard, the scaffold configurations using only two planks accommodate trees, or protruding structural members such as a balcony, are within OSHA code requirements, which only require two planks at heights below seven feet.  
     [0045] Concerning dimensions, in specific illustrative embodiments, the hold down members may be of metal and of about 36″ in length, about 2½″ wide, and of about one-eighth inch thick.  
     [0046] In conclusion, it is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description and accompanying drawings are illustrative of the principles of the invention. In the description of the embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form part thereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Various changes and modifications may be employed, for example, but not by limitation, different shapes, dimensions and materials of support planks or platforms and scaffolding supports, different angles and arrangements of the scaffolding supports and hold down members and different attachment, clamping and securing mechanisms for the described hold down members, joints between successive sections, and the scaffolding supports may be employed. Likewise, methods other than welding, bolting, clamping and using hinges may be used, such as nails or other known securing mechanism. It is also noted that the offset included in the hold-down member is intended to accommodate the difference in height between the upper surface of the planks and coupling member junction; and may be adjusted or eliminated to accommodate this difference. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to this detailed description or to the specific embodiments described and shown in the drawings. With respect to the claims, it is the applicant&#39;s intention that the claims not be interpreted in accordance with the sixth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. §112 unless the term “means” is followed by a functional statement.