AU2006201810B2 - Lead hook and stand - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract A hook (10) suitable for attachment to a member 48. The hook (10) includes a first portion (16) adapted to receive and hold at least one lead (14) and a second portion (18) pivotally attached to the first portion (16). The first and second portions are 5 relatively pivotable between a first and second condition. The first condition is suitable for presenting the hook about a member (12)such that at least part of the first portion (16) is disposed at one side of the member (44) and at least part of the second portion is disposed at an opposite side of the member (46). In the second condition the said portions engage the said respective sides of the member such that the hook is retained 10 thereon by gravity. Also disclosed is a stand (60) suitable for supporting an object on uneven or sloping ground. The stand includes an assembly of at least three sleeve members (66). The sleeve members (66) are each adapted to slidably receive a respective longitudinal leg (74), so that the distal ends of the legs engage the ground to support the sleeve assembly (64) above the ground. The said sleeve members (66) are 15 arranged and angled so as to retain their respective legs (74) in a selected relative position therein by virtue of frictional engagement between the longitudinal leg (74) and the sleeve member (66) arising from the weight of the stand (60). Doc ID 004807005 1\ 3 6 1 f(O 2Fc2

Description

P/00/0 11 Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Lead hook and stand The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 Lead hook and stand Field of the invention The present invention relates to a hook for holding leads and to a stand which is especially useful for holding such hooks to suspend leads off the ground, but which is 5 also of more general utility. Background of the invention On a building site there are a number of electrical leads or cables required for different appliances or tools being used. Each of these leads may extend from and to a number of different locations, such that there is a web of leads across the ground of the 10 building site. These leads create a hazard for workers, as they can be tripped over, which may result in the leads being pulled and in movement of the appliances. A building site may collect pools of water or other liquids on the ground, and damaged leads may lie in the pools of water, which may lead to electrocution. Governments have therefore brought in legislation requiring leads to be 15 suspended above the ground. Temporary solutions, such as nailing to wall frames, do not provide an adequate solution to the problem. There have been attempts to solve this problem, by providing tripods, with a permanent hook at the top of an upright pole. The lead is secured over the hook and it is suspended above the ground. The legs of the tripod may be adjusted, to compensate 20 for uneven ground, by unscrewing a fastener and moving an inner tube within an outer tube and then tightening the fastener. While this type of device provides a solution to the problem, it is not a user-friendly device. The hooks are positioned above a person's head, so that adding an extra lead to the upright pole is difficult. The pole would need to be lowered by unscrewing the fasteners and lowering the legs, or by tilting the pole 25 over, or by throwing the lead over the hook. The tripod devices are quite tall and narrow, with long slender components, and therefore are quite likely to break when used in such circumstances. Doc ID 004807005 3 It is therefore desirable to provide a hook for holding leads and a stand adaptable for holding the hook so as to suspend the leads off the ground, that overcomes or at least alleviates at least one of the problems associated with known lead hooks and stands. 5 It is not admitted that any of the information in this specification is common general knowledge, or that the person skilled in the art could be reasonably expected to have ascertained, understood, regarded it as relevant or combined it in anyway at the priority date. Summary of the invention l0 In accordance with the invention, there is provided a hook for attachment to a member, the hook including: a first portion adapted to receive and hold at least one lead; and a second portion pivotally attached to the first portion; wherein the first and second portions are relatively pivotable between a first 15 condition for presenting the hook about a member such that at least part of the first portion is disposed at one side of the member and at least part of the second portion is disposed at an opposite side of the member, and a second condition in which said portions engage the said respective sides of the member and the hook is retained thereon by gravity. 20 Advantageously, the first portion has a rounded end. The pivotal movement is preferably eccentric about the rounded end, i.e. the first portion rotates about an axis that is fixed relative to the second portion, wherein the axis of rotation is not concentric to the said rounded end. The first and second portions may each have a tooth formation or teeth 25 formations to engage the respective sides of the member. Preferably, the first portion 4 includes a downwardly overturned tip to bite into the member, co-operating with gravity to ensure positive engagement of the hook on the member. The first portion may include at least one recess for receiving a lead, for example defined by at least one angled protruding finger. Preferably, the recess is dimensioned 5 and angled so that the lead will disengage from the hook if subjected to a predetermined force. The second portion is advantageously generally U-shaped. Also disclosed herein but not claimed is a stand for supporting an object on uneven or sloping ground, the stand including: 10 an assembly of at least three sleeve members which are each adapted to slidably receive a respective longitudinal leg so that the distal ends of the legs engage the ground to support the sleeve assembly above the ground; wherein the sleeve members are arranged and angled so as to retain their respective legs in a selected relative position therein by virtue of frictional engagement 15 between the longitudinal leg and the sleeve member arising from the weight of the stand. Preferably there are provided at least three longitudinal legs slideably receivable in the respective sleeve members so that the distal ends of the legs engage the ground to support the sleeve assembly above the ground. 20 Preferably, there is provided means to support a generally upright member. The means to support may be an additional sleeve member extending upwardly from the assembly. Advantageously, there are three longitudinal legs and three sleeve members. However, there may be a greater number, such as four.

5 The sleeve members may be interleaved in a triangular arrangement symmetrical about a vertical axis. The sleeve members preferably form an equilateral triangular arrangement when viewed in plan. Preferably, the sleeve members are angled at less than 30 degrees to horizontal. 5 The sleeve members may be joined in the assembly by a hexagonal plate, with the sleeve members being attached to three alternate sides of the hexagonal plate. Preferably, there is a relatively high coefficient of friction between at least one of the sleeve members and its longitudinal leg. Advantageously, the sleeve members are made of metal. Preferably, the sleeve 10 members have a rectangular cross-section. The longitudinal legs are preferably adapted to slidably receive longitudinal legs that are lengths of timber of a standard cross section. Brief description of the drawings The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to 15 the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hook in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the hook being in a first condition; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the hook of Figure 1 in a second condition where the hook is retained on a member; 20 Figure 3 is a perspective view of a stand; Figure 4 is a top view of the stand of Figure 4; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of the hook of Figure 2 retained on the stand of 5a Figure 3. Detailed description of the embodiments As shown in Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a hook 10 for attachment to a member 12 for holding leads 14 off the ground. It is especially useful on building sites, 5 where leads must be raised off the ground for safety.

6 The hook 10 includes a first portion 16 and a second portion 18, which are pivotally attached at pivot point 20. The first portion 16 includes a plurality of angled protruding fingers 22 defining a plurality of recesses 24. Leads 14 can be held in the recesses 24. The recesses 24 are dimensioned and angled so that a lead 14 in the 5 recesses 24 will disengage from the hook 10 under a predetermined force. This allows the lead 14 to be pulled free if subjected to a significant force, as the lead 14 may provide a hazard if it becomes entangled and pulled into tension. The first and second portions 16, 18 are made from steel, with the lower end 26 of the first portion 16 being covered with rubber 17 to protect the leads 14. The second 10 portion 18 is generally U-shaped, having a base 28 and two ends 30, 32, with one end 30 projecting through a hole 34 in the first portion 16 to create the pivot point 20. The upper end 36 of the first portion 16 has a rounded end 38 with a part circular curved edge 39, with the pivot point 20 being located further to the upper side 40 so that the distance between the pivot point 20 and the lower side 42 is wider than the 15 distances between the pivot point 20 and the upper side 40. This means that the pivotal movement between the first and second potions 16, 18 is eccentric with respect to the curved edge 39 of the end 38. When the first and second portions 16, 18 are in a first condition, as shown in Figure 1, the hook 10 may be presented about the member 12, with part of the first portion 16, i.e. end 32, disposed at one side 44 of the member 12 20 and part of the second portion 18, i.e. end 38 disposed at an opposite side 46. The base 28 of the second portion 18 extends along one of the faces 48 joining the two sides 44, 46. When the first and second portions 16, 18 are pivoted into a second condition, as shown in Figure 2, because the distance between the pivot point 20 and the lower side 25 42 is wider, the distance between the upper end 36 of the first portion 16 and the end 32 of the second portion 18 is reduced. Thus, the first and second portions 16, 18 engage respective sides 44, 46 of the member 12 and the hook 10 is retained thereon by gravity. Doc ID 004807005 7 To assist in the engagement of the hook 10 to the member 12, the parts of the first and second portions 16, 18 that engage the sides 44, 46 include teeth formations 50, 52. As the member 12 is generally made from timber, the teeth formations 50, 52 bite into the timber. Alternatively, small holes (not shown) may be provided in the 5 member 12, which the teeth formations 50, 52 project into. The teeth formation 50 on the first portion 16 has a downwardly overturned tip 54 that bites into the timber, co operating with gravity to ensure a positive engagement of the hook 10 on the member 12. Figures 3 and 4 show a stand 60 for supporting an object on uneven or sloping 10 ground. In the Figures the object is the generally upright member 12 that may be used to hold the hook 10 above the ground, as shown in Figure 5. The upright member 12 is held in a vertical sleeve 62. However, it will be appreciate that the stand 60 may be used to support any suitable object. The stand 60 includes an assembly 64 of three sleeve members 66 interleaved in 15 an equilateral triangular arrangement symmetrical about a vertical axis 68. None of the sleeve members 66 intersect with the vertical axis 68. To assist in creating the equilateral triangular arrangement, the sleeve members 66 are joined in the assembly 64 by a hexagonal plate 70. The hexagonal plate 70 sits horizontally, with the sleeve members 66 attached to three alternate sides 72 of the plate 70 at an angle to 20 horizontal. There are three longitudinal legs 74 slidably receivable in the respective sleeve members 66. The distal ends 76 engage a ground surface to support the sleeve assembly 64 above the ground. The longitudinal legs 74 may be individually slid in and out of the sleeve members 66 to vary the height and/or angle of the stand to keep the 25 upright member 62 in a substantially vertical orientation. The sleeve members 66 are angled and arranged so that if the longitudinal legs 74 are retracted into the sleeve members 66 to lower the stand 60, the longitudinal legs 74 project out the upper ends 78 of the sleeve members 66 and cross over each other without intersecting. This means that the longitudinal legs 74 may be any length. Doc ID 004807005 8 The sleeve members 66 are arranged and angled so as to retain their respective longitudinal legs 74 in a selected relative position therein by virtue of frictional engagement. The frictional engagement occurs between the longitudinal legs 74 and the sleeve members 66 and arises from the weight of the stand 60. There is a relatively 5 high coefficient of friction provided between at least one of the sleeve members 66 and longitudinal legs 74. The friction is provided by the angle of the sleeve members 66 being approximately 200 to horizontal. Additionally, the sleeve members 66 have a rectangular cross-section and are made of metal, and the longitudinal legs 74 are made from timber, and have a corresponding rectangular cross-section. Conveniently, the 10 legs may be lengths of timer of a suitable standard cross-section. The friction between the sleeve members 66 and the longitudinal legs 74 is facilitated by the two different materials, such that the lower top metal edge 80 of the sleeve members 66 bites into the upper surface 82 of the timber longitudinal legs 74 under the weight of the stand 60. Thus, until the stand 60 is lifted or the longitudinal legs 74 are physically moved, the 15 sleeve members 66 retain their respective longitudinal legs 74 in a selected position. As can be seen from Figure 5, the hook 10 may be attached to the member 12 supported in the stand 60. On a building site, the longitudinal legs 74 can be easily adjusted on any ground surface so that the member 12 is generally vertical, without the need to unscrew any fasteners. The stand 60 is robust so that it is unlikely to be 20 damaged on a building site. The hook 10 may be positioned at any height along the vertical member 12, and a lead 14 may be retained in the hook 10 to hold the lead 14 off the ground. Doc ID 004807005

Claims (10)

1. A hook suitable for attachment to a member, the hook including: a first portion adapted to receive and hold at least one lead; and a second portion pivotally attached to the first portion; 5 wherein the first and second portions are relatively pivotable between a first condition suitable for presenting the hook about a member such that at least part of the first portion is disposed at one side of the member and at least part of the second portion is disposed at an opposite side of the member, and a second condition in which said portions engage the said respective sides of the member such that the hook is 10 retained thereon by gravity.

2. A hook according to claim 1 wherein the first portion has a rounded end.

3. A hook according to claim 2 wherein the first portion rotates about an axis that is fixed relative to the second portion, wherein the axis of rotation is not concentric to the said rounded end. 15

4. A hook according to any one of the previous claims wherein the first portion has a tooth formation or teeth formations to engage the respective side of said member.

5. A hook according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the second portion has a tooth formation or teeth formations to engage the respective side of said member.

6. A hook according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the first portion 20 includes a downwardly overturned tip suitable for biting into said member, co-operating with gravity to ensure positive engagement of the hook on the member.

7. A hook according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the first portion includes at least one recess for receiving a lead.

8. A hook as per claim 7 wherein said at least one recess is defined by at least one 25 angled protruding finger. Doc ID 004807005 10

9. A hook according to claim 7 or 8 wherein said at least one recess is dimensioned and angled so that the lead will disengage from the hook if subjected to a predetermined force.

10. A hook according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the second portion 5 is generally U-shaped.