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US 5,069,309 AGranted
Rolling tower scaffold and method and tooling apparatus for manufacturing the same
AssigneeEmerson Electric Co.
InventorsPaul R. Swiderski, Paul J. Seadler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Climbing apparatus including a rolling tower support platform, and method and tooling for the same wherein one of two spaced double walls of each of opposed tower rails of a tower ladder is snugly gripped by detents formed on the end portions of spaced rail rungs and the extremities of the rungs are flared, the rails including expanded bottoms for snap lock and threaded lock assembly with unique caster boxes of a caster wheel assembly for the tower rails and a support platform mounted on the rails with slidable carriages having double grip and threaded pin tightening arrangements and also having sockets to receive collapsible hand rail assemblies with unique hinges for gates thereof.
Claims42
A climbing apparatus in the form of a scaffold structure comprising:
- a pair of vertically-extending spaced end ladders, each including a pair of spaced opposed vertically-extending rails having sets of spaced horizontally extending step-forming rungs extending therebetween and therethrough with the end portions of said rungs fastened to said opposed vertically extending rails, at least one of said end ladders having hollow tubular rails to provide spaced inner and outer rail walls in each of said opposed rails with the rung end portions of said end ladder rungs each having opposed radially and directly extending spaced detents gripping in face abutting relationship the opposed faces of one of said opposed rail walls in fast position therebetween to firmly secure said rungs in fast position relative to opposed rails;
- and
- a horizontally extending support platform supportively mounted between said spaced, vertically extending end ladders.
A climbing apparatus in the form of a scaffold structure comprising:
- a pair of vertically spaced end ladders, each pair of end ladders including a pair of spaced opposed vertically extending hollow ladder rails of rectangular cross-section to provide spaced inner and outer parallel walls in each ladder rail and sets of spaced horizontally extending step forming ladder rungs extending between each pair of spaced ladder rails, said ladder rungs of each set being hollow with a pair of spaced integral beads extending radially outward from the outer peripheral surfaces of the end portions of each rung to grip the inner walls of said opposed rails therebetween with the extremities of each of said end portions of said rungs being outwardly flared to grip the outer faces of said outer rail walls of said opposed rail pairs;
- the bottom end portions of each of said ladder rails of said opposed ladder rail pairs each being expanded and having a crimp a preselected distance from the bottom edge thereof to telescopically receive a caster box of a caster box set in snug engagement therewith, each caster box of said caster box set being part of a caster box assembly including a U-shaped caster wheel support bracket, a caster wheel and axle rotatably mounted between the opposed downwardly extending legs of said U-shaped caster box support bracket, a roller bearing having one face mounted on the upper base of said support bracket and the other face to the rectangular base of said caster box;
- said base of said caster box having integral sides extending therefrom and turned ninety degrees to extend in an upward direction to form the sides of said caster box having a cross-sectional geometry corresponding with the cross-sectional geometry of said bottom rail portions of said vertically extending ladder rail and sized to nestingly engage snugly therein in male-female relation with one of said bottom rail portions, the inner and outer walls of said bottom rail portion and the inner and outer walls of said caster boxes having apertures therein preselectively spaced to be aligned when in telescoping nesting male-female relation with said caster boxes in said bottom rail portions;
- a resilient arm having one end mounted on each inner wall of each of said ladder rails to extend in resilient cantilevered fashion downwardly over the aligned apertures in said nesting caster box and bottom rail portion and having a detent mounted thereon to resiliently extend into said aligned apertures to snap lock said caster box to said bottom rail portion;
- each caster box having threaded nuts centered on the inner face of other apertures therein which when aligned with such other apertures in said bottom rail portion serve to receive threaded bolts therethrough to threadedly lock said caster box and bottom rail portion together;
- said end rails each having upper end portions with a plurality of apertures therein positioned and spaced at the upper end thereof in a manner similar to those apertures in the bottom rail portion to telescopically receive and be fastened with expanded bottom rail portions of end rails of a second similar assembly;
- a horizontally extending support platform supportively and adjustably mounted between said spaced, vertically extending ladders including a rectangular frame member having a support platform fastened thereto, said frame member, also having fixed thereto at the two pairs of corners thereof two pairs of vertically downwardly extending carriage rails, each carriage rail slidably engaging with one of said vertically extending rails of one of said ladders, each ladder rail of said ladders having a plurality of spaced aligned latching apertures extending along the inner wall thereof, each of said carriage rails including a first fixed U-shaped member having its base portion extending longitudinally along and fixed to said carriage rail with a pair of apertures therein and in said carriage rail in the same spaced relation as said latching apertures to be aligned therewith and having its leg portions inwardly turned to form inturned leg portions with apertures aligned with the apertures in said base portion and said carriage to accommodate a second moveable U-shaped member with its base portion spaced from the base portion of said first U-shaped member and its spaced legs extending through said aligned apertures to serve as a pair of simultaneously engageable and releasable locking pins cooperating with said spaced, aligned latching apertures in the inner wall of said vertically extending ladder rail, said pins extending through a pair of helically coiled springs extending between said inturned leg portions and said base of said first U-shaped member with the extremities of said springs adjacent said base fixed to said pins and a third fixed U-shaped member having its leg portions fixed to the leg portions of said first fixed U-shaped member with its base portion spaced from the base portion of said second moveable U-shaped member, said U-shaped members being sized to allow a finger squeezable gripping relation therebetween;
- a set of four socket members fixed to said platform supporting frame at the respective corners thereof;
- a hand rail assembly including pairs of upper and lower side handrail sections, said pair of lower side rail sections comprising two longitudinally extending spaced frame members each having two end legs and a horizontal connecting bar extending therebetween and connected at its ends to said end legs, said lower portion of said end legs of each pair being sized at their bottoms to nest with said corner sockets to provide said lower side hand rail sections with said lower section end legs being tapered at the upper ends to telescopically engage with the downwardly extending legs of an upper pair of side hand rail sections, said upper side hand rail sections including two U-shaped rail members with spaced downwardly extending end legs having the bottom portions thereof serving as female members to engage telescopically with the end legs of said lower side hand rail sections;
- and a pair of spaced gate members pivotally mounted at the opposed ends of said side hand rail assembly adjacent and above said end ladder pairs, each gate member including a U-shape frame having a horizontal cross bar extending between and connected at its ends to spaced downwardly extending vertical legs;
- said gate legs being disposed adjacent said vertically extending legs of said side hand rail assembly with one of said adjacent legs including at least one pair of spaced radially extending beaded detent crimps extending therearound, and a pair of hinge assemblies pivotally connecting said downwardly extending leg to said hand rail leg, at least one of said hinge assemblies including a pair of mirror-image strap members having shaped end portions adapted when joined and fastened in mirror image relation to pivotally surround one of said adjacent rails therebetween with said strap members being sized to be positioned between said spaced pair of radially extending beaded detent crimps to form a gate hinge.
8 more elements
A climbing apparatus assembly in the form of a ladder comprising a pair of spaced, opposed rails, each rail providing spaced inner and outer rail walls, said inner walls of each rail having at least one pair of spaced opposed and aligned apertures therein sized to snugly receive and fasten therein opposite end portions of a step forming rung;
- and at least one step forming rung extending between said spaced opposed rails with the end portions thereof each extending snugly through at least one of said opposed inner and outer walls of said opposed rails, each end portion of said rung having opposed radially extending detents extending from the periphery thereof to grip in compressed planar face abutting relationship one of said rail walls in fast position therebetween to firmly secure said rung in fast position relative to said opposed rails.
A climbing apparatus assembly in the form of a ladder comprising a pair of spaced, opposed hollow tubular rails and a plurality of spaced rungs extending therebetween and fixed at the opposite extremities thereof to said rails, said rails each having at least one corresponding end portion shaped and sized to form a coupling end pair to telescopically and nestingly engage with a second coupling end pair of similar shape of a second structurally assembly, one of said end pairs serving as a female member and the other as a male member with the female member expanded and crimped a preselected distance from the bottom edge thereof to telescopically receive and arrest said male member there;
- and a pair of attaching box members, each having a cross-sectional geometry corresponding with the cross-sectional geometry of said coupling ends of said pair of rail members to engage therewith in snug telescoping male-female relation with at least one of said telescopically engaging parts serving as the expanded female member and the other as a male member.
A support platform for a climbing assembly including a frame member having a platform sized to be mounted on said frame member, said frame member including a plurality of spaced sockets mounted thereon adjacent the peripheral edges thereof;
- and, a hand rail assembly having a plurality of spaced vertical legs with the bottom portions of said legs extending into said sockets to be supported in a vertically extending position above said frame member, said hand rail assembly including at least one vertically extending pivotally mounted gate member having a pair of spaced vertically extending legs adjacent said opposed vertically extending legs mounted in said sockets, at least one of said vertically extending adjacent legs including at least one pair of spaced stop detents extending radially from the peripheral sides of said leg;
- and, at least one pair of mirror image strap members, each strap member having U-shaped end portions sized when fastened in mirror-image relation to surround said adjacent legs therebetween with said strap members being positioned between said spaced stop detents to form a gate hinge.
A caster assembly for telescopic nesting engagement with a caster support member on a rolling structure comprising:
- a caster wheel support bracket;
- a caster wheel rotatably mounted in said support bracket for rotational movement about a horizontal axis;
- and, a caster box mounted on said support bracket for relative rotational movement between said support bracket and said caster box, said caster box having a selected cross-sectional geometry corresponding with the cross-sectional geometry of said caster support member on said rolling structure to engage therewith in snug telescoping male-female relationship with at least one of said telescopically engaging parts serving as a female socket and the other as a male plug, said caster box comprising an integrally formed part including a bottom portion rotatably fastened to said support bracket and integral side wall members extending therefrom and turned at substantially right angles therefrom to form said caster box having said selected cross-sectional geometry.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.