Patent ID: 8517144

Claim:
A lift-up safety grab-post mechanism for rooftop hatchway curbs, comprising: a generally rectangular hatchway curb being mounted to a roof structure at a hatchway opening and defining a substantially vertical internal curb surface and a substantially horizontal upper curb surface; a grab-post mounting bracket being mounted to said generally rectangular roof hatchway curb and having a pair of spaced side members each defining an elongate substantially vertically oriented opening said substantially vertically oriented openings being in substantially horizontal registery; a lift-up grab post having a portion thereof located between said spaced side members and having a generally horizontally oriented pivot opening; a pivot bolt member extending through said generally horizontally oriented pivot opening and having end portions located within said substantially vertically oriented openings and permitting upward downward and rotational movement of said grab-post relative to said grab-post mounting bracket, said lift-up grab post being rotationally moveable between an open position where said lift-up grab post is oriented substantially vertically and a closed position where said lift-up grab post is oriented substantially horizontally within the roof hatchway curb; a support plate being mounted to said lift-up grab post and being oriented in substantially normal relation with said lift-up grab post; and said spaced side members of said mounting bracket each defining a curved guide member on an outer periphery of said side members and being engaged by said support plate during rotational movement of said lift-up grab post relative to said mounting bracket, said spaced side members defining a post positioning seat on said outer periphery of said side members and being engaged by said support plate at said open position of said lift-up grab post and further defining a stop shoulder on said outer periphery of said side members adjacent said post positioning seat preventing rotational movement of said lift-up grab post toward said closed position until said lift-up grab post has been raised from said receiver seat to a position clear of said stop shoulder said support plate having an edge portion disposed for stopping said lift-up grab post rotation by engagement with said stop shoulder when said support plate is seated on said post positioning seat.