Abstract:
A modular, temporary safety railing system that provides fall restraint protection during masonry wall construction projects includes a plurality of anchoring sleeves which are embedded in wet grout within a hollow cavity of a masonry block onto which posts and rail sections are assembled. The embedded pins receive and secure respective vertical posts via interconnecting locking pins comprising spring pin fasteners. A plurality of top and intermediate rail sections are attached to the vertical posts using connecting hardware designed to adjustable position said rail sections at an offset distance allowing additional courses of block to be added to the wall without interference from said railing system. As construction continues, the vertical posts are detached from the embedded sleeves and reused with newly installed sleeves.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     There are currently no applications co-pending with the present application. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a temporary handrail, and in particular, to a safety handrail system which serves as a fall restraint during construction of masonry walls. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Safety rails and fall restraint products are known. While these restrain systems are effective, they may still allow for injury should a worker fall even a few feet. Temporary barricades and similar safety restraint systems used for elevated construction sites are time consuming to erect. Permanent fall restraints require noticeable modifications made to structures to guarantee safe anchoring. Additionally, restraint systems often hinder work and slow productivity. 
     Various attempts have been made to provide temporary handrails to masonry wall construction projects. Examples of these attempts can be seen by reference to several U.S. Pat. No. 3,776,521, issued in the name of Weinert, describes a portable safety railing for positioning upon preexisting horizontal surfaces with weighted bases. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,481, issued in the name of Probst, describes a barricade or railing for a roof upon a structure. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,342, issued in the name of Ouellette et al., describes a safety railing for the edge of a roof upon a structure. 
     While these attempts may fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these references suffer from one (1) or more disadvantages. Many are not suited to provide portable protection to workers erecting masonry walls at elevated heights. Others are limited and provide protection only to pre-existing roofing structures or other pre-existing horizontal structures. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The inventor has recognized the aforementioned inherent problems and lack in the art and observed that there is a need for a portable safety rail system which protects and accommodates the needs of workers erecting masonry walls at elevated heights. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present embodiments of the invention to solve at least one (1) of these problems. The inventor has addressed this need by developing a safety rail system that provides fall protection and restraint and that is adapted for use with the construction of masonry walls. 
     To achieve the above objectives, it is an object of the present invention to provide fall restraint protection during masonry wall construction projects. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide tubular anchoring assemblies which comprise a bottom sleeve portion which is embedded within pre-cured liquid grout fill within hollow cavity portions of masonry blocks which make up a partially completed wall. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of vertical posts which connect to the embedded sleeves via locking pins. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of rail sections attached to the posts in a horizontal and offset manner using respective rail offset assemblies being positioned at top and intermediate positions along the posts. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a sleeve and a locking pin which provide a stable means of attachment of the vertical posts to the masonry wall. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a means to easily adjust the horizontal offset distance between the rail sections and the posts. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide an alternate anchor bolt assembly to support an alternate post to support the rail sections. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of utilizing the device that provides a unique means of filling masonry blocks with grout fill, submerging sleeves, positioning sleeves, curing, inserting the locking pins, inserting the posts, assembling the rail sections, securing the threaded rods, reconfiguring the system with the increasing height of the masonry wall and, partially or completely eliminating the use of cables and/or safety harness equipment at a masonry wall project. 
     Further advantages of the embodiments disclosed in accordance with the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description. 
     Furthermore, the described features and advantages of the disclosure may be combined in various manners and embodiments as one skilled in the relevant art will recognize. The disclosure can be practiced without one (1) or more of the features and advantages described in a particular embodiment. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like elements are identified with like symbols and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an environmental view of a safety rail system  10 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a close-up view of an anchoring assembly portion  30  of the safety rail system  10 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the anchoring assembly  30  in an in-use state, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a is a top view of a rail offset assembly portion  50  of the safety rail system  10 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and, 
         FIG. 5  is an anchor bolt assembly  70 , according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIVE KEY 
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 10 
                 safety rail system 
               
               
                   
                 12 
                 post 
               
               
                   
                 13a 
                 lower post aperture 
               
               
                   
                 13b 
                 upper post aperture 
               
               
                   
                 16 
                 rail section 
               
               
                   
                 17 
                 rail aperture 
               
               
                   
                 30 
                 anchoring assembly 
               
               
                   
                 32 
                 locking pin 
               
               
                   
                 33 
                 locking pin aperture 
               
               
                   
                 34a 
                 lower spring pin 
               
               
                   
                 34b 
                 upper spring pin 
               
               
                   
                 40 
                 sleeve 
               
               
                   
                 42 
                 sleeve slot 
               
               
                   
                 50 
                 rail offset assembly 
               
               
                   
                 52 
                 threaded rod 
               
               
                   
                 54 
                 nut fastener 
               
               
                   
                 56 
                 wing nut 
               
               
                   
                 58 
                 dimension ‘C’ 
               
               
                   
                 70 
                 anchor bolt assembly 
               
               
                   
                 72 
                 alternate post 
               
               
                   
                 73 
                 fastener plate 
               
               
                   
                 74 
                 anchor bolt 
               
               
                   
                 75 
                 alternate aperture 
               
               
                   
                 80 
                 masonry block 
               
               
                   
                 82 
                 grout fill 
               
               
                   
                 85 
                 masonry wall 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, within  FIGS. 1 through 4 , and in terms of an alternate anchor bolt embodiment  70 , herein depicted within  FIG. 5 . However, the invention is not limited to the described embodiment, and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention, and that any such work around will also fall under scope of this invention. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , an environmental view of the system  10  (herein described as the “system”)  10 , which provides a temporary handrail means which serves as a fall restraint during a masonry wall  85  construction project. The system  10  comprises a plurality of tubular anchoring assemblies  30  which comprise a bottom sleeve portion  40  which is embedded within pre-cured liquid grout fill  82  within hollow cavity portions of masonry blocks  80  which make up a partially completed wall  85 . The system  10  is envisioned to provide a beneficial safety feature when incorporated as part of a vertical wall  85  on an elevated construction project. The system  10  is primarily made up of commercially-available scaffolding components provided by manufacturers of such equipment such as, but not limited to: WTI BUILDING PRODUCTS®, C&amp;J SCAFFOLDING SERVICE®, SCAFFOLDING MANUFACTURERS, LLC®, TAR SCAFFOLDING, INC.® and others. The sleeve portions  40  provide a secure foundation to the remaining portions of the system  10  and remain behind as construction of said wall  85  progresses upwardly. The system  10  further comprises a plurality of vertical posts  12  which connect to the embedded sleeves  40  via locking pins  32  (see  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). A plurality of rail sections  16  are then attached to said posts  12  in a horizontal and offset manner using respective rail offset assemblies  50  being positioned at top and intermediate positions along said posts  12  in accordance with OSHA and other applicable regulations (see  FIG. 4 ). The features of the system  10  are envisioned to partially or completely eliminate use of commonly used safety cables and safety harness equipment which are often difficult to implement and often hinder work progress. 
     The system  10  is shown here depicting a single assembled section; however, it is understood that each rail section  16  may comprise two (2) or more posts  12  based upon an overall spanning length, and that pairs of rail sections  16  may also be joined together as needed by being overlapped and fastened using the rail offset assemblies  50  to form a desired overall width of the system  10  based upon a particular masonry wall project (see  FIG. 4 ). 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , close-up and in-use views of the anchoring assembly portion  30  of the system  10 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, are disclosed. Each anchoring assembly  30  comprises a sleeve  40  and a locking pin  32  which provide a stable means of attachment of the vertical posts  12  to the masonry wall  85 . The inside diameters of the posts  12  and the sleeves  40  are identical and are sized so as to provide an inserting slip-fit of upper and lower end portions of each locking pin  32 . The locking pin  32  comprises a hollow cylindrical commercially-available scaffolding component approximately ten (10) inches in length and is outfitted internally with a lower spring pin  34   a  and an upper spring pin  34   b , each comprising a pair of round-nose pin portions mounted to a “V”-shaped spring, thereby providing easy digit-operated locking and releasing of each post  12  and sleeve  40  using respective lower post aperture  13   a  and opposing sleeve slot  42  portions. 
     In use, the sleeve  40  is embedded within pre-cured liquid grout fill  82  within the masonry block  80  such that the sleeve groove portion  42  of the sleeve  40  is positioned slightly above a top surface of the grout fill  82 , thereby allowing detachment of the post  12  and locking pin  32  from said sleeve  40  to remove, raise, or otherwise reconfigure the post  12  and rail  16  portions of the system  10 , as needed. The sleeve  40  is illustrated here depicting an “L”-shaped sleeve slot  42  which provides an “insert-and-twist” means to interlock the lower spring pin  43   a ; however, it is understood that the sleeve  40  may comprise different engagement methods such as a pair of round holes or other features which act to engage said spring pins  43   a , without deviating from the teachings of the invention, and as such should not be interpreted as a limiting factor of the system  10 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a top view of a rail offset assembly portion  50  of the system  10 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is disclosed. Each rail section  16  comprises an elongated center section with a pair of terminal flattened end portions each having a rail aperture  17  for receiving a threaded rod  52  and nut fasteners  54  for securing each rail section  16  at an offset position to an individual post  12  or to an adjacent rail section  16 . 
     The rail offset assemblies  50  provide a means to easily adjust the horizontal offset distance ‘C’  58  between the rail sections  16  and the posts  12 , thereby obtaining the required clearance needed to add courses of masonry blocks  80  upwardly while retaining the safety benefit of the rail sections  16 . Each rail offset assembly  50  further comprises a threaded rod  52  approximately one (1) foot in length, a plurality of nut fasteners  54 , and a wing nut  56 . Each threaded rod  52  is inserted through respective opposing upper post aperture portions  13   b  of each post  12  and secured using the nut fasteners  54 . The remaining end of the threaded rod  52  is inserted through a rail aperture portion  17  of each rail section  16  and is secured in position using a nut fastener  54  along an inner surface, and a wing nut fastener  56  along an outer surface of said rail section  16 . The wing nut fastener  56  enables a user to easily adjust the horizontal offset distance ‘C’  58  between the rail sections  16  and the posts  12 . The offset distance “C”  58  is based upon a thickness of a specific masonry wall  85  and corresponding clearance needed to add courses of masonry blocks  80  upwardly while retaining the position of the rail sections  16 . The offset distance ‘C’  58  of said rail sections  16  allows the addition of several courses of masonry block  80  until obtaining a height which necessitates reconfiguring of the system  10  to raise the height of the rail sections  16 . It is understood that other devices such as drop locks or equivalent mechanical stop devices may be provided in lieu of said nut  54  and wing nut  56  fasteners to secure said rail sections  16  and/or posts  12  without deviating from the teachings of the invention, and as such should not be interpreted as a limiting factor of the system  10 . 
     As seen here, additional rail sections  16  may be overlapped and joined using said nut  54  and wing nut  56  fasteners to form a desired length of the system  10 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , an anchor bolt assembly  70 , according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention, is disclosed. The alternate anchor bolt assembly  70  may be utilized in lieu of the previously described anchoring assembly  30  to support an alternate post  72  to support the rail sections  16 , thereby providing support of said rail sections  16  in a similar manner as the previously described preferred posts  12 . The alternate post  72  is envisioned to comprise a commercially-available scaffolding post having one (1) end portion being enclosed using a welded-in disc-shaped fastener plate  73  positioned along a horizontal plane and further comprising a central female threaded aperture portion  75 . Said threaded aperture portion  75  of the fastener plate  73  is sized so as to threadingly receive a standard right-angle concrete anchor bolt portion  74  of the anchor bolt assembly  70 . The anchor bolt  74  and alternate post  72  provide similar function as the previously described post  12  and sleeve  40 . During assembly, the anchor bolt  74  would be embedded into the pre-cured liquid grout fill  82  within the block  80  with the threaded portion extending upwardly above a top surface of said grout fill  82 . Following normal curing of the grout fill  82 , the anchor bolt  74  is threadingly received into the fastener plate portion  73  of the alternate post  74 . Finally, the rail sections  16  are to be assembled to said alternate posts  72  in a similar manner as the preferred posts  12 . 
     It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. After initial purchase or acquisition of the system  10 , it would be installed as indicated in  FIG. 1 . 
     The method of installing and utilizing the system  10  may be achieved by performing the following steps: procuring individual piece parts from a manufacturer of scaffolding equipment required to assemble the system  10 ; filling a desired number of masonry blocks  80  with grout fill  82 ; submerging a respective number of sleeves  40  into pre-cured liquid grout fill  82  in locations where post portions  12  of the system  10  are to be positioned; positioning said sleeves  40  such that the sleeve groove portions  42  of each sleeve  40  are positioned slightly above a top surface of said grout fill  82 ; allowing a sufficient period of time for the grout fill  82  to cure; inserting the locking pins  32  into the sleeves  40  so as to engage the lower spring pin portions  34   a  of each locking pin  32  with the sleeve slot portions  42  of the sleeves  40 ; inserting the posts  12  onto said locking pins  32  so as to engage the upper locking pin portion  34   b  into respective lower post aperture portions  13   a  of each post  12 ; assembling the rail sections  16  at top and intermediate positions of each post  12  by inserting the threaded rods  52  through post aperture portions  17  such that said threaded rods  52  extend horizontally outward away from the masonry wall  85 ; securing said threaded rods  52  to the posts  12  using the nut fasteners  54 ; inserting the free end portions of each threaded rod  52  through respective rail aperture portions  17  of each respective rail section  16 ; positioning each rail section  16  along said threaded rods  52  at distance from the post portions  12  as represented by dimension ‘C’  58  so as to provide sufficient vertical clearance for additional courses of masonry block  80  to be built upwardly upon the masonry wall  85 ; and, partially or completely eliminating the use cables and/or safety harness equipment at a masonry wall  85  project afforded a user of the present invention  10 . 
     At such a time as the height of the masonry wall  85  necessitates raising and reconfiguring of the system  10  to reposition the rail sections  16 , the system  10  would be reconfigured by performing the following steps: disengaging the posts  12  and rail sections  16  from the sleeves  40  by depressing the lower spring pin portions  34   a  of the locking pins  32  and lifting said assembled post  12  and rail  16  sections of the system  10  upwardly and setting said portions  12 ,  16  aside; adding a number of masonry blocks  80  so as to level the masonry wall  85  by filling gaps in said masonry wall  85  which were previously occupied by the post portions  12  of the system  10 ; filling said masonry blocks  80  with grout fill  82  and repeating the assembly process of the system  10  as described above at a superjacent elevation; and, repeating said upward reconfiguration of the system  10  as needed until completing the masonry wall  85  project. 
     The method of assembling the system  10  using the alternate anchor bolt assemblies  70  may be achieved by performing the following steps: embedding a desired number of anchor bolts  74  into the pre-cured liquid grout fill  82  within the blocks  80  in like manner as the previously described sleeves  40 , with the threaded portions of said anchor bolts  74  extending vertically upwardly above a top surface of said grout fill  82 ; allowing a period of time for the grout fill  82  to cure; threadingly engaging the threaded aperture portion  75  of the fastener plates  73  of each alternate post  74  onto the respective anchor bolts  74 ; and, assembling the rail sections  16  to said alternate posts  72  in like manner as the previously described preferred posts  12 . 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention and method of use to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions or substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.