AU2021107429B4 - Site Camera Stand - Google Patents

Abstract

Camera Site Stands are used to fix and secure remote site cameras for purposes such as monitoring building sites. Existing support structures for mounting these remote cameras have been proven inadequate due to a combination of cost, labour requirements, storage space, adaptability to site conditions and security limitations. This invention has been specifically devised to address these issues to provide an improved site camera stand which is simple, relatively cheap, easily transportable, secure and readily adaptable to various site conditions Various existing camera support structures currently exist however there is no one structure which addresses all the limitations as detailed below The Site Camera Stand design appears as a pyramid made of steel rods with a vertical post protruding through the centre point of the pyramid. At the top of the vertical post sits the Camera Storage Box which the camera and solar panel is mounted (see appendix 1). This invention comprises 8 items which combine to create the Site Camera Stand. 1. Base Frame (see appendix 2) 2. Vertical Post (see appendix 3) 3. Male Stabilizer x 2 (see appendix 4) 4. Female Stabilizer x 2 (see appendix 5) 5. Camera Storage Box (see appendix 6) 6. Steel Pegs (see appendix 7) 7. Round Concrete Paver (see appendix 8) 8. Round Concrete Tree Surround (see appendix 9)

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990

SPECIFICATION SITE CAMERA STAND

The following statement is a full description of this invention,

Including the best method of performing it known to me:

IMPROVED SITE CAMERA STAND As technology has improved the opportunity to provide remote cameras for purposes such as monitoring of building sites has become more reliable and cost effective through 4g networks which allow for streaming of recordings and solar panel and battery storage to eliminate the need for fixed line power sources.

However existing support structures for mounting these remote cameras have been inadequate due to a combination of cost, labour requirements, storage space, adaptability to site conditions and security limitations.

This invention has been specifically devised to address these issues to provide an improved site camera stand which is simple, relatively cheap, easily transportable, secure and readily adaptable to various site conditions

Various existing camera support structures currently exist however there is no one structure which addresses all the limitations as detailed below

Wall mounted camera

Limitation: Not all sites have a wall to mount on and when they do they are often only on site for a portion of the construction period. Also mounting on existing structures may cause damage which cannot be repaired to an acceptable standard.

Camera mounted on street lamp/power pole

Limitation: Not all sites have a street lamp or power pole to mount on and when they do gaining approval to fix cameras on 3 rd party structures may not be possible. Also mounting on existing structures may cause damage which cannot be repaired to an acceptable standard.

Camera mounted on pole in ground

Limitation: Pole must be concreted in the ground which results in the concrete having to be dug out of the ground once the camera is no longer required

Camera mounted on pole attached to intermediate bulk container (IBC) filled with water.

Limitation: IBC is difficult to transport and may require multiple people to install. Also water may not be readily available on site to fill the container.

Camera mounted on pole on trailer

Limitation: Trailer takes a large amount of space on the building site and is expensive to produce

Camera mounted on pole attached to site toilet/portaloo

Limitation: Not all sites have a site toilet and when they do they are often only on site for a portion of the construction period

Camera mounted on pole attached to heavy duty box

Limitation: Boxes are very heavy to prevent theft however this means they are prohibitively expensive and require a forklift to install and remove the box which involves additional labour and cost

Camera mounted on pole attached to fence

Limitation: Not all sites have a fence erected and when they do they are often only on site for a portion of the construction period. Also damage may be caused to fence when the pole is removed from the fence structure.

DESCRIPTION Visually the Site Camera Stand design appears as a pyramid made of steel rods with a vertical post protruding through the centre point of the pyramid. At the top of the vertical post sits the Camera Storage Box which the camera and solar panel is mounted (see appendix 1).

A range of materials could be used to create this structure however some materials would be more suitable than others. The preferred material would be galvanised steel which would not only provide strength to the structure but also prevent rusting over the long term.

This invention comprises 8 items which combine to create the Site Camera Stand.

1. Base Frame (see appendix 2)

The base frame is constructed of 4 steel rods welded together to make a square structure. Supporting rods are diagonally attached to the square to provide structural support. Gusset plates are attached to all 4 corners as well as the centre crossover of the diagonal rods. Bolts are welded to the base plates to allow all 4 corners as well as the centre of the base frame to be supported using adjustable pads. Post sockets are welded to all four corners of the base frame to support the male and female stabilizers. An additional post socket is welded into the centre crossover of the diagonal rods to support the vertical post.

2. Vertical Post (see appendix 3)

The vertical post is constructed of a metal pipe erected vertically with a secure bracket attached. The secure bracket is constructed by welding a square plate to the pole and drilling a hole through it.

3. Male Stabilizer x 2 (see appendix 4)

The Male Stabilizer is constructed from 5 x metal rods. 3 x metal rods are welded into the shape of a triangle with 2 x additional rods at the mid-section and top welded horizontally to provide structural support. 2 x secure brackets are welded to the top of the triangle to allow the Male Stabilizers to be bolted to the Female Stabilizers. The diagonal rods of the triangle extend below the bottom horizontal rod to allow the rods to be seated in the gusset plates of the Base Frame.

4. Female Stabilizer x 2 (see appendix 5)

The Female Stabilizer is constructed from 5 x metal rods. Similar to the Male Stabilizer 3 x metal rods are welded into the shape of a triangle with 2 x additional rods at the mid-section and top welded horizontally to provide structural support. 2 x secure brackets are welded to the top of the triangle to allow the Female Stabilizers to be bolted to the Male Stabilizers. The diagonal rods of the triangle extend below the bottom horizontal rod to allow the rods to be seated in the gusset plates of the Base Frame. The Female Stabilizer varies to the Male Stabilizer due to the addition of a section of half pipe welded to the frame which when erected is seated surrounding the Vertical Post. A hole has been drilled through the section of half pipe as well as the Vertical Post to allow a bolt to secure the Female Stabilizer to the Vertical Post. A secure bracket has also been welded to the section of seated half pipe to allow the Female Stabilizer to be padlocked to the Vertical Post.

5. Camera Storage Box (see appendix 6)

The Camera Storage box is adapted from an off the shelf Metal Ammunition Case whereby a metal sleeve has been welded into the box to allow the Vertical Post to slide into. A portion of the metal sleeve has been cut/slit to allow a bolt to be screwed into the Vertical Post to secure the two parts together. Holes are drilled into the top and bottom of the box to allow the camera and solar panel mounts to be screwed into position from inside the box. A latch which comes standard with the Ammunition Case then allows a padlock to be fastened to the outside of the box securing the Camera Storage Box to the Vertical Post. The padlock also prevents access to the screws of the camera and solar panel protecting them from theft.

6. Steel Pegs (see appendix 7)

The steel pegs have been constructed by bending the top of a steel rod into a hook shape to allow the pegs to be hammered into the ground with the hook securing the diagonal supporting rods of the base frame to the ground.

7. Round Concrete Paver (see appendix 8)

The round concrete paver is adapted from an off the shelf round concrete paver with the only addition is a hole in the centre of the paver approx. 130mm in diameter. This allows the paver to be placed over the centre post socket after the steel pegs have been secured but prior to the Vertical Post being installed.

8. Round Concrete Tree Surround (see appendix 9)

The round concrete tree surround is available to be purchased off the shelf. This sits on top of the Round Concrete Paver which has been placed over the centre post socket after the steel pegs have been secured but prior to the Vertical Post being installed. This provides additional weight to the Round Concrete Paver preventing access to remove the steel pegs securing the camera stand to the ground.

Once the Site Camera Stand is erected (see appendix 1) and the bolts, padlocks, steel pegs and concrete paver/surround is in place the stand is secured to itself and the ground making it very difficult to steal or tamper with.

As well as being secured from theft and damage the stand can be transported easily in a standard trailer and erected with only one person with minimal tools required. Additionally due to the efficient design the stand has only a small footprint with the adjustable pads allowing the stand to adapt to various site conditions.

The strength of this invention is that it not only overcomes all the issues experienced by other Site Camera Stand options on the market but its simplicity allows the concept to be constructed at a cost effective price with minimal labour requirements for construction, transportation and installation.

Claims (2)

1. A surveillance camera stand comprising of:

a square flat tubular base with four triangles protruding upwards to form a pyramid base; the pyramid base comprising of an adjustable footpad underneath each corner, wherein the adjustable footpad is placed onto a surface; wherein the adjustable footpad can be adjusted to change the level of the pyramid base in comparison to the level of the surface; wherein once the pyramid base is at the desired level, the pyramid base is fixed to the surface with a peg at various points around the pyramid base, and a solid piece of concrete is placed on top of the pegs to retain the pegs in place; and a post extending from and supported by the pyramid base that extends upwardly which supports a camera box wherein a camera is located;

2. The surveillance camera stand of claim further comprising of a mounting point on the post wherein a solar panel can be attached.

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