Improvements in Self-standing Scaffolds.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 1st June, 1893-Accepted, 8th July, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Self-standing Scaffolds.
I PETER PAUL MASSAU of 56 Hohenstaufeuring Cologne on the Rhine in the
Empire of Germany, Decorator do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The present invention has for object to provide an improved self-standing
scaffold whose dimensions can be quickly and conveniently changed without the
plane of the platform being altered in any way so as to be suitable for use in
decorating or painting the interior of houses or for other similar uses and in which
the platform supports can be placed higher or lower as required. For conveniently
shifting the position of the scaffold, two or preferably all its supports are provided
at their lower ends with roller wheels. I will now describe my invention with
reference to the accompanying drawings in which,
Fig. 1 is a view of the scaffold in perspective, whilst Fig. 2-7 are views of details
of same.
held
The essential feature of the scaffold consists in the four square supports a,
in position by cross stays fastened by hooks c as shown in Fig. 7. These hooks are
bent square so as to fit to the supports a, being fastened to the stays by means of
screw bolts passed through holes made for the purpose and tightened by nut and
washer in the ordinary way.
For staying the upper ends of the supports side stays d are used and which are
held fast to the corner supports by means of a hook fas shewn in Fig. 6. For this
purpose the hooks are passed through the holes bored alternately at right angles to
each other, the end stays being then placed between the front bent part of the
hook and the support and clamped by a nut being screwed on to the hook
bolt. In this way the corner supports are held rigidly in position and cannot slide
in any way.
For the platform I use the device shown in Fig. 5 consisting of hooks g whose
one end is prong shaped so as to grip the two sides of the support on which they
are placed and where they are held by bolts h passing through holes in same and
through the supports.
The rods or short poles used for supporting the platform are then made to rest.
in these hooks g the planks are then laid on same Fig. 1 and the scaffold is ready
for use.
The platform can of course be raised or lowered as desired by hanging the
When the latter are
hooks g in the higher or lower holes of the corner supports.
not long enough, they can easily be lengthened by means of a socket joint / which
is fixed on the upper end of the lower support and there fastened by a bolt or
screw passing through the hole m. The supports a¹ forming the continuation and
likewise provided with holes bored alternately in cross directions and at right.
angles to each other, is then fitted in the joint 7 and the hooks can then be hung in
the holes of the higher support.
In order to extend the scaffold in any one direction, the end stays are taken off
and the scaffold can be made longer or broader as the case may be, the hooks on
the cross stays having been meanwhile loosened.
When the scaffold has been set to the form required, the end cross stays are
replaced and fastened in the way afore described and the scaffold is again firm. It
will thus be evident that, in this way, the scaffold can be set at any length,
breadth or height required, it being merely necessary to remove the end stays
each time.

page_text: In order that the scaffold may be conveniently moved about from one position
to another, I provide the supports with roller wheels as previously mentioned.
My method is as shown in Fig. 3 in which sockets n are fitted on the under ends
of the supports a where they are held by means of a bolt o and having slots in
their sides to form bearings for the rollers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. An improved transportable self-standing scaffold consisting of four corner
supports running on wheels and provided for their whole length with holes bored
alternately at right angles to said supports being connected underneath by
horizontal cross stays and at the ends by removable cross stays in such way that,
by removing said end stays, the scaffold can be made broader or longer without
the plane of the platform being altered substantially as described and shown in the
drawing.
2. In an improved transportable self-standing scaffold, the device for raising or
lowering the platform consisting of hooks which can be fixed at any desired height
and in which the platform supports are made to rest substantially as described and
shown in the drawing.
Dated this 1st day of June 1893.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, W.C., Agents for Applicant.