AU624181B2 - Post - Google Patents

Description

OPI DATE 02/04/90 PCT AOJP DATE 10/05/90 APPLN. ID 42255/ 89 PCT NUMBER PCT/AU89/00384 INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (51) International Patent Classification 4: (11) International Publication Number: WO 90/02860 E04H 17/22, 12/22, E04G 5/04 Al (43) International Publication Date: 22 March 1990 (22.03.90) (21) jnternational Application Number: PCT/AU89/00384 (81) Designated States: AT (European patent), AU, BE (European patent), CH (European patent), DE, DE (Euro- (22) International Filing Date: 11 September 1989 (11.09.89) pean patent), FR (European patent), GB, GB (European patent), IT (European patent), LU (European patent), NL (European patent), SE (European patent), US.

Priority data: PJ 0400 13 September 1988 (13.09.88) AU Published With international search report.

(71X72) Applicants and Inventors: GRIEK, Cornelis, Johannes [AU/AU]; 6 Mervyn Road, Belgrave South, VIC 3160 MITCHINSON, Anthony, Kenneth [AU/AU]; 27 Wandena Crescent, Mooroolbark, VIC 3138 (AU).

(74) Agents: HUNTSMAN, Peter, H. et al.; Davies Collison, 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000 (AU).

(54) Title: IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO POSTS 7 4 (57) Abstract 37 A post for example for a fence, a safety barrier or a road L7 sign, has an elongate support member (36) which may be parallel to or angularly, offset from the post and a peg (38) extending laterally from the support member. A correspondingly L-shaped slot (18) in a supporting structure (12) such as a building or the ground receives the support member and peg so that withdrawal is prevented when the peg is in the corresponding leg of the A stop (54) is locatable 74in the slot to prevent withdrawal of the peg from the corresponding 7 leg of the slot. The stop may be carried by the supporting structure o 3 0 72 or, for example, by the support member. In one embodiment the stop is used to close the slot when the post is removed therefrom.

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.4- 81 t u- '090/02860 PCT/AU89/00384 -n IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO POSTS The present invention relates generally to posts, for example support or fence posts on buildings and other structures, and is particularly concerned with an arrangement for mounting a post in a supporting structure, including in the ground.

Assemblies which may be carried by a building especially include a safety barrier, with or without a walkway, for example to prevent construction site workers accidentally falling from the building during or after its construction, and a display sign, but it will be appreciated that posts for these and other assemblies, including fences, are in common use.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a convenient arrangement for securely mounting such posts on a building or other structure, including the ground, such that it may be readily selectively removed therefrom.

According to a first aspect of the present 35 invention there is provided a combination of a post mounted in a supporting structure, a support in the structure comprising a substantially L-shaped slot with a i:

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a ii 3 WO 90/02860 PCt/AUg9/00384' 2 first leg extending generally inwardly from a face of the I structure and a second leg remote from the face and extending generally laterally of the first leg, the post being supported by a mounting portion comprising an elongate support member and a peg which projects generally laterally of the support member, the support member and peg being received in the substantially Lshaped slot with the support member in said first leg and the peg in said second leg, the first leg of the slot being oversized in one dimension compared to the support member so that the-peg can be passed through the first leg with the support member and engage the second leg of the slot, and wherein a stop is disposed in the first leg of the slot to resist lateral displacement of the support member therein which would enable the mounting portion to be withdrawn from the slot.

The oversizing of the first leg of the slot may permit inadvertent lateral displacement of the support member in the slot which, if accompanied by longitudinal i movement, could permit the mounting portion to be accidentally disengaged from the slot. Disposing the stop in the slot to resist this lateral displacement of the support member alleviates the likelihood of accidental disengagement occurring. The stop may be separate from the mounting portion of the post, and in one embodiment doubles as a cap or cover for the slot, in which case it is conveniently pivotally supported by the supporting structure. MoUt conveniently the stop is associated with I the post.' Thus, according to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a post assembly i having a mounting portion comprising an elongate support ii member and a peg which projects generally laterally of i 0 'I SWO90/02860 PC/AU89/00384 -3the support member, the support member and peg being adapted to be received in a substantially L-shaped slot in a supporting structure for the post assembly whereby the peg is capable of resisting withdrawal of the support, i member from the slot and wherein a stop is displaceably I mounted on the support member. and locking means is provided to secure the stop in position on the support member, the stop being adapted to be received in the slot to resist lateral displacement of the support member I therein. The stop is conveniently slidably mounted on the support member and the locking means selectively resists such relative sliding movement. Most preferably the stop comprises or is carried by a sleeve slidably mounted on the support member. The stop may have a substantially i constant cross-section in the slot or may act as a wedge so that the further it is introduced to the first leg of i the slot, the greater the wedging action.

i The post may be used for any suitable purpose including, as mentioned generally already, as part of a fence, of a safety barrier or walkway on a building or of a display sign.

By the present invention, the post may be readily supported by the supporting structure by engaging the mounting portion with the slot, the peg on the support member engaging the second leg of the L-shaped |i slot to restrain withdrawal of the mounting portion from the slot. The L-shaped slot may be formed in a ii substantially upright face of a building in which case the mounting portion may extend at an angle to an upright post and the peg is preferably generally upright. The functional length of the mounting "portion may be adjustable relative to the upright post so as to permit variation of the distance between the post and the WO 90/02860 PCT/AU89/00384' supporting structure.

The post will generally extend upwardly from the mounting portion but may depend from the mounting portion for example in some circumstances where it is intended t that a display sign be'mounted on the post.

Alternatively, the post in use may project generally outwardly of a supporting structure such as a wall and this is especially advantageous where the post is used to support a walkway. Such a walkway may have an upright post supporting a handrail, or any handrail may be entirely separate therefrom.

In an alternative embodiment, the L-shaped slot may be formed in an upper or lower face of a supporting I structure which may extend, for example, horizontally.

Thus, the slot may be formed in an upper edge of a wall, I in a ceiling or iloor or, for example, in the ground. In such an arrangement the first leg of the slot will extend generally upwardly or downwardly from the face of the supporting structure, and the mounting portion will generally, but not necessarily, extend substantially parallel to the post. Indeed, the mounting portion may i comprise an integral bottom portion of the post or may include an angled portion by which it is connected to the post to allow a lateral spacing between the location of the slot and the position of the post.

The L-shaped slot may be readily formed in a face of a supporting structure comprised of a settable mixture by preparing formwork for said settable mixture said formwork comprising a recess former which is substantially L-shaped, introducing the seabe mixtur to the formwork around the recess former and setting the mixture to define the supporting structure, the recess former comprising a first leg which extends generally inwardly from the face and a second leg remote from the ix I 'I WO90/02860 PCT/AU89/00384 face which extends generally laterally of the first leg, and this method may form a further aspect of the present I invention.

The recess former provided in the settable I material may be formed of plastics material. In one embodiment, after the settable material has set the recess former may be removed, such as by dissolving it, for example where it is formed of polystyrene, by melting i it or by cutting it out, to then define the L-shaped slot in the supporting structure. Alternatively, the recess former may itself be hollow and define in its interior the substantially L-shaped slot. Such a hollow recess former may be formed of any suitable material particularly metallic or plastics such as polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene or polyurethane. The slot is conveniently provided with a cap or cover to close the slot when the mounting portion of the post assembly is removed therefrom, and where the slot is defined in a hollow recess former the cap or cover may be hinged to the recess former, preferably in the case of a plastics recess former with an integral hinge. As suggested i previously the cap or cover may double as the stop for the mounting portion of the post assembly. The aforementioned oversizing of the first leg of the slot relative to the support member to accommodate the projecting peg as it is passed therethrough may be in a longitudinal plane of the first leg including the second leg, so that as the peg is aligned with the second leg of the slot the adjacent portion of the support member is displaced laterally towards the second leg sos that the peg enters the second leg. The stop is then used to hold the peg in the second leg. The displacement of the support member to move the peg into the second leg of the slot may be such that the complete portion of the support member in the slot is displaced in which case the 1 -i WO 90/02860 PCT/AU89/00384' i, -6stop is preferably introduced to the slot on the side of the support member opposite to that from which the peg projects, and preferably the stop extends in use along a I substantial part of the first leg of the slot. ;i t Advantageously in this arrangement the first leg of the slot and the portion of the support member received therein are linear.

In an alternative arrangement, the displacement i of the support member to move the peg into the second leg of the slot ,is by means of a pivoting action about a fulcrum in the first leg of the slot on the opposite side wall thereof to that from which the second leg projects and adjacent the face of the supporting structure. In this alternative arrangement, the stop must prevent a contra-pivoting action and is introduced to the slot on the same side as that from which the second leg extends.

With the stop in .position, the support member preferably engages a longitudinal portion of the first leg of the i slot on said opposite side wall and between the fulcrum i and the outer end of the slot which extends parallel to the adjacent portion of the support member. This will tend to spread any load applied by the support member to the opposite side wall of the first leg of the slot. The support member may also engage the same side wall of the first leg of the slot as that from which the second leg extends, at-,-a portion thereof adjacent the second leg, and preferably that same side wall portion extends substantially parallel to the abutting surface of the support member.

The oversizing of the first leg of the slot to receive the peg as it is passed therethrough need not be in the same longitudinal plane as the second leg, in which case it may be necessary to introduce the support member to the first leg of the slot with the peg aligned with the oversizing and then to rotate the support member l i l l l l WO 90/02860' PCT/AU89/00384 7 relativeoto the slot to introduce the peg to he second leg of the slot. The stop is than introduced to the slot to resist rotation of the peg and support member and thereby restrain the peg from moving out of the second leg. The stop may engage the peg to resist such rotation or, for example, may be fixed to rotate with the support member and be prevented from such rotation by the shape of the slot.

The support member and first leg of the slot may i have any suitable cross-section, but with the aforedescribed rotatable support member the cross-section are preferably substantially circular, and with the arrangement in which the oversizing of the first leg of the slot is in the same longitudinal plane as the second leg the support member is preferably of rectangular, most preferably square, section. With the latter arrangement, the support member is preferably a close fit in the first leg of the slot transversely of said longitudinal plane, but in order to facilitate the introduction of the support member to the first leg, the first leg may also be slightly oversized in said transverse plane, preferably with the portion thereof adjacent the second leg being sized (in said transverse plane) to closely receive the support member to thereby resist free play of the support member in the slot.

The first leg of the substantially L-shaped slot, which extends generally inwardly from the face of the supporting structure, may extend transversely of the face or the first leg of the slot may be inclined from said transverse direction. Preferably, any such inclination from the transverse direction is in a lateral direction opposite to the lateral extent of the second leg of the slot. The specific angle of inclination is i not overly important and may, for example, lie in the range 0.50 to 450, preferably 50 to 200, but an inclined W0 90/02860 PCT/AU89/0034 i 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1l l li l l 1 11 1 t S WO 90/02860 PCT/AU89/00384 -8first leg is particularly preferred in the abovementioned i arrangement in which the oversizing of the first leg of the slot is in the longitudinal plane of the second leg 2 !I and the support member is pivoted to locate the peg in the second leg, since the inclination of the first leg of the slot may then permit the support member to project,' for example, transversely from the face of the supporting structure. The aforementioned parallel portion of the opposite side wall of the first leg of the slot is preferred in the latter arrangement.

The peg may have a similar length to the second leg of the slot so as to be a relatively close fit therein, and is preferably disposed adjacent the end of the support member. However, particularly where the slot is formed by a recess former which is cut out after the curing of the settable mixture, it may be advantageous to provide the peg with a relatively narrow profile to enable it to dig into any of the material of the recess former which may remain in the second l'eg of the slot. i Various embodiments of a post and post assembly in accordance with the present invention will now be Sdescribed by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a general elevational view illustrating a post mounted in a sleeved slot in a side face of a wall of a building; Figure 2 is an enlarged view of part of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional view along line 3-3 of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a sectional view along line 4-4 of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing a modified mounting portion being introduced to Sor removed from a modified slot;

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1 1 1 1 1 1 1 l l l S i ,WO 90/02860 Pcr/AU89/00384 Figure 6 corresponds to Figure 5 but shows the modified.mounting portion locked in the modified slot; F Figure 7 is a sectional view along line 7-7 of -Figure 6; Figure 8 is a sectional view along line 8-8 of Figure 6; Figure 9 is a perspective view of a recess former for forming the modified slot of Figure Figure 10 is an inverted perspective view of the recess former of Figure 9 but incorporating a locating device; Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 6 but showing the modified mounting portion engaged in a slot in a horizontal surface; Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 11 but is a sectional view showing a further embodiment of post mounted in accordance with the invention; Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 11 but 2 showing a still further embodiment of post mounted in *20 accordance with the invention; i Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view on the line 14-14 of Figure 13; i' Figure 15 is a sectional view of a further embodiment of slot for use with a post in accordance with the present invention, the slot having an integral cover; V Figure 16 is a sectional view similar to Figure but showing the post in place; and 1 1 7 Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view on the line -17-17 of Figure SReferring firstly to Figure 1, a vertical wall of a building 12 is shown in part, with a roof 14 such as of corrugated iron, and a gutter 16 supported at the top of the wall The present invention is applicable to many uses, but with particular reference to a building, it may a-i I

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r WO 9 )/02860 PCT/AU89/00384' 10 be used either during the construction of the building o thereafter, and the roof 14 and the gutter 16 may be replaced by a flat deck (not shown) such as a concrete slab supported at the top of the wall 10 or by a further wall portion (not shown) also supported by the wall r The wall 10 is conveniently formed of a settable material such as concrete and is provided with a substantially L-shaped slot 18 therein. The slot 18 extends inwardly from an outer face 20 of the wall partway through the thickness of the wall.

The slot 18 in Figure 1 is formed by providing a hollow thermoplastics recess former 22, as is shown in more detail in Figures 2 to 4, in formwork (not shown) for the wall 10 prior to the concrete of the wall being poured so that when the concrete sets the recess former 22 is held in position to define the slot. Most advantageously the wall 10 is formed by a tilt-slab method.

Referring to Figures 2 and 4, the recess former 22 is retained in the concrete wall 10 after the concrete has set so that the slot 18 is defined by the interior of the recess former. The former 22 has a closed inner end 23 and has an annular flange 24 about its opposite end adjacent the face 20 of the wall. A pair of webs 26 is associated with respective side walls 28 of the former 22, each of which extends generally around the associated 30 side wall 28 from the annular flange 24. The webs 26 have aligned arrays of holes 30 therethrough which receive wires 32 as shown in dashed lines in Figure 4 which may be secured to, for example, mesh reinforcement for the settable mixture of the wall 10. Thus the webs 26 and to some extend the annular flange 24 facilitate location of the recess former while the concrete is being poured. A cap 32 is hinged to the annular flange 24 so 11 1 v 1 1

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1 WO 90/02860 PCT/AU89/00394 I 24 11 as to be optionally received in the outer end of the former 22 to close the slot 18. The former 22 is best formed of polypropylene to permit the cap 32 to be I integrally hinged to the flange 24.

The -ubstantially L-shaped slot 18 has a first leg 34 which extends inwardly from the annular flange 24, and therefore from the face 20 of the wall, which is inclined downwardly from said outer face. The particular angle of inclination, in itself, is not important but is determined principally by the need to receive a post mounting portion 37 comprising a support arm 36 with a non-retractable peg 38 on the remote end thereof in the slot and by the particular angle at which it is desired the linear support arm 36 projects from the slot 18.

Thus, at its innermost end the slot 18 has a substantially upright leg 40 into which the peg 38 is received to prevent the support arm being withdrawn from the slot. The first leg 34 of the slot 18 must accordingly have sufficient height from a top wall 42, from which the leg 40 extends, to an opposite bottom wall 44 to receive the combined heights of the support arm 36 and the peg 38 yet allow the support arm to extend at the desired angle to the wall 10, perpendicular as shown in the drawings, when the peg 38 is received in the upright leg 40 of the slot 18.

The angle of inclination of the first leg 24 of the slot is therefore also dependent on the length of the first leg and in Figure 2 is shown as about 18° from the perpendicular to the outer face 20 of the wall 10. A flat 46 is provided on the bottom wall 44 of the first i leg 34 of the slot adjacent the face 20 of the wall 10 to act as a bearing surface for the support arm 36 so as to spread the load on the support arm where it is supported in the slot. The flat 46 is angled relative to the S majority of the bottom wall 44 of the slot 18 such that i :.4 WO 90/02860 PCT/AU89/00384 it extends parallel to the corresponding surface of the support arm 36, and it extends from a fulcrum 48 in the bottom wall 44 about which the support arm 36 is pivoted to engage the peg 38 in the upright leg 40 of the slot.

Thus, the support arm 36 is introduced to the first leg I 34 of the slot 18 along the flat 46 and is tilted to i follow the inclination of the inner portion of the first leg 34. When the peg 38 engages the inner end wall 23 of the recess former 22, the support arm 36 is pivoted about the fulcrum 48 to displace the peg laterally upwardly I into the upright leg 40. The peg 38 extends substantially the full length of the upright leg 40 and Sthe leg 40 has an inclined front end wall 50 which by engagement with the peg 38 ensures that the support arm 36 is held close in adjacent the end wall 23 of the former 22. To help alleviate the risk of the peg becoming jammed in the leg 40, the support arm 36 engages the top wall 42 of the former 22 adjacent the upright leg and this portion 52 of the top wall is also provided with a flat surface which extends substantially parallel to the corresponding surface of the support arm in order to spread the load on the support arm.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4 the support arm 36 is of rectangular cross-section and is conveniently formed of tubular steel. The support arm is a close fit between the side walls 28 of the recess former to resist sideways movement of the support arm. In practice it may be advantageous to space the side walls 28 slightly from the support arm so as to facilitate insertion of the i: support arm to the slot 18 and conveniently then the spacing of the side walls adjacent the end wall 23 is reduced to closely receive the end of the support arm and prevent sideways movement of that end of the support arm.

A stop 54 may resist sideways movement of the support arm at the outer end of the slot 18.

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The stop 54 is welded to and projects from ai mounting sleeve 56 for a stanchion post shown generally at 58. The mounting sleeve 56 is slidably closely received on the support arm 36 and with the support arm located in the slot 18, the mounting sleeve is slid along the support arm until the stop 54 projects into the slot 18. The sleeve 56 is secured against further relative sliding on the support arm by means of a locking bolt which screw threadedly engages the sleeve and when, tightened abuts the support arm. The stop 54 projects i into the slot 18 to the side of the support arm remote from the fulcrum 48 and flat 46. By means of a wedging action the stop urges thesupport arm 36 into abutment with the flat 46 and resists sufficient pivotal movement of the support arm to disengage the peg 38 from the upright leg 40 of the slot 18. To facilitate the wedging action the top wall 42 of the slot 18 adjacent the face of the wall 10 is shaped to extend parallel to the direction of extent of the support arm 36, as shown at 62, and therefore parallel to the flat 46. 1 In order to remove the support arm 36 from the slot 18, the stop 54 is withdrawn from the slot 18 permitting pivotal movement of the support arm about the fulcrum 48 by which the peg 38 is disengaged from the upright leg 40 of the slot, thereby enabling the support arm to be withdrawn.

Referring again to Figure l, a support post 64 of the stanchion post 58 is welded to and projects It upwardly from the mounting sleeve 56. The support post ii 64 projects from the opposite end of the sleeve 56 to the I stop 54 and the spacing of the post 64 from the wall 10 permits the gutter 16 to extend therebetween. However, if no gutter is supported from the wall, it may be desirable for the stanchion post to extend close to the I wall, and for thi prpose a second projecting stop 66 isI st ese1 prti pvt ove t o 25 flcru 48 y wich he pg 3 is isenage fro the^ upih e 0oftesoterb nbigth upr io 0 SG WO 90/02860 PCT/AU89/00384.

S14 welded to and projects from the end of the sleeve 56 adjacent the support post 64. This permits the sleeve 56 to be reversed on the support arm 36 and the second stop i 66 to engage the slot 18.

The support post 64 has a telescopic extension post 68 whose height may be fixed by a locking bolt 69, i ii and extension post 68 carries brackets 70 adapted to i receive respective barrier members 72 of a safety i0 barrier. The barrier members 72 extend between the h stanchion post 58 shown and a similar stanchion post located along the wall in a similar manner by a further slot 18, and are locked in position by wedges 74. The brackets 70 have top plates 76 which are flared slightly and the wedges 74 are shaped at their narrow ends to prevent total withdrawal from the top plates 76. Thus they may be withdrawn as shown in Figure 1 and held automatically in this position without fear of losing them as the barrier members are introduced between the plates of the brackets. In addition, or alternatively, j the stanchion posts 58 may carry netting therebetween as a further or alternative safety measure. The height of the extension post 68 is adjustable to vary the height of the upper bracket 70 and a further bracket may be provided on the support post 64 at approximately the height of the top of the wall 10. The lengths of the support arm 36 and mounting sleeve 56 may be increased to accommodate a walkway between the wall and the stanchion post 58. Alternatively, the stanchion post 58 and one or more adjacent stanchion posts may carry a different 4 assembly such as a display sign.

The illustrated features of the stanchion post 58, and modifications thereto, apart from the manner of mounting the stanchion post, are described in detail in mountea in a supporting aruc.ure, a suppor in itne structure comprising a substantially L-shaped slot with a iI WO90/02860 PCT/AU89/00384 S our copending patent applications nos. PCT/AU89/00155, PCT/AU89/00291 and AU 39410/89, whose disclosures are i incorporated herein by reference.

Referring now to Figures 5 to 8, Figures 5 and 6 correspond to Figure 2 and Figures 7 and 8 correspond to Figures 3 and 4 respectively but illustrate a modified mounting portion 78 of a stanchion post (not shown) such as the stanchion post 58 in Figure 1. However the mounting portion 78 is similar to the mounting portion 37 described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 and the same or similar parts of the mounting portion 78 will be given the same reference numerals as in Figures 1 to 4, followed by a The mounting portion 78 comprises a support arm 36' having a peg 38' projecting laterally therefrom adjacent the remote end of the support arm. The peg 38' comprises a base plate 80 welded to the support arm and an upstanding flange 82 of substantially smaller length than the base plate 80, the flange 82 extending from the base plate 80 at the end thereof remote from the adjacent end 84 of the support arm. The sleeve 56' carrying the stop 54' is slidably mounted on the support arm 36' and is securable in position on the support arm by means of the locking bolt 60', but in this embodiment is separate, from a mounting sleeve for the post. Thus, the post may be secured to a separate sleeve slidably mounted on the support arm 36', it may be welded or otherwise be secured directly to the support arm or it may, for example, extend integrally therefrom. A stop 86 on the support arm 36' restricts the sliding movement of the sleeve 56' away from the peg 38'.

As may be seen in Figure 7, the flange 82 of the peg 38' extends fully across the slot 18' in which the support arm is received.

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WO 90/02860 PCT/A 89/00384' 16 The slot 18' is of identical shape to the slot 18 in Figures 1 to 4, but is not formed by the hollow recess former 22 and is instead defined by the settable i material of the wall 10 itself. Since the shape of the slot 18' is identical to that of the slot 18 described in j detail hereinbefore, the slot 18' will not be described further, nor will the cooperation of the mounting portion j 78 with the slot 18' since except for those aspects described already the mounting portion 78 is identical to the mounting portion 37 described with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

The slot 18' is formed by a solid-walled recess former 88 shown in Figure 9 whose shape will not be described further since it is merely the male equivalent of the slots 18 and 18'. The recess former 88 has solid walls but may be hollow if desired. However, since the recess former 88 must be removed from the slot 18' after the settable material of the wall has set it should be formed from a material which can be readily removed from the slot. Preferably the recess former 88 is formed from foamed material such as polystyrene and is removed from the slot 18' by being cut and/or scraped out. Since access to the upright leg 40' of the slot 18' may be awkward, it is possible that the material of the former 88 may inadvertently be left in the upright leg. The flange 82 of the peg 38' is formed with a relatively narrow profile so that it may readily dig into any material inadvertently left in the upright leg 40' and V thereby ensure secure location of the flange 82 in the upright leg. The support arm is then restrained from displacement out of the slot 18' by the flange 82 abutting the inclined front wall 50' of the upright leg 40', and the stop 54' is used in the manner previously described with reference to the stop 54 to resist lateral j displacement of the peg 38' out of the upright leg '4 f 1 1 1 iI- 1 WO 90/02860 PCT/AU89/00384 i, 17 During pouring of the concrete for the wall 10, i it is important that the recess former 88 does not move and<a bracket 90 for alleviating this is shown in Figure 10. The bracket 90 has a front plate 92 which may be readily secured to formwork for the concrete for the wall I or may be merely seated on the formwork with the weight of concrete poured thereon being used to resist its i movement. A pair of side plates 94 project in spaced manner from the front plate 92, centrally thereof. Only one side plate 94 is shown in Figure 10, but together i with the front plate the side plates 94 define a U-shaped bracket within which the recess former 88 is closely 1 received as shown. The recess former may be bonded to the bracket 90, and if the bonding is sufficiently secure only one side plate 94 may be necessary. kfter the concrete of the wall 10 has set, the bracket 90 is i withdrawn from the slot 18' and any portions of the recess former 88 which are not drawn out with the bracket may be subsequently manually dug out, or possibly, i dissolved. i Referring now to Figure 11, the embodiment therein is identical to that of Figure 10 except that the slot 18' is formed in the top face 96 of the wall 10 with the first leg 34' of the slot extending generally downwardly and the second leg 40' extending generally parallel to the top face 96 of the wall. The support arm 36' is formed as a direct linear extension of the support post 64' and has a peg 38' at the remote end thereof.

The support arm 36' is therefore inserted downwardly into the slot 18' generally parallel to the extent of the i first leg 34' and is then tilted, as shown into the vertical condition, so as to engage the peg 38' into the i second leg 40' of the slot. The stop 54' is then moved so as to project into the slot 18' to resist tilting movement of the support post 64'. The slot 18' shown in i i lua-p. L1sng a rirst leg which extends generally inwardly from the face and a second leg remote from the Figure 11 could alternatively be formed in a floor (not shown) of the building or in some other substantially horizontal surface such as the .ground. Alternatively, again, the slot 18' shown in Figure 1. could be formed in a ceiling, such as the lower face of a concrete slab since the stop 54' ensures that the support arm 36' cannot be withdrawn from the slot until the stop is released. A support post could extend substantially fully between the floor and ceiling and be supported in slots 18' at both ends in which case it may be advantageous for the support arm at one or each end to be separable from the support post.

It will be appreciated also that the slots 18 and 18' do not have to extend in the plane shown but instead can be rotated through any suitable angle. It may be particularly advantageous to have the slots 18 and i 18' in Figures 1 to 11 rotated through 90 so that they are inclined in a plane in which it is desired that the support arm projects from the slot.

While the support arms illustrated have a hollow ti rectangular cross-section they may of course be solid and have any appropriate shape.

Referring now to Figure 12, there is shown an arrangement in accordance with the invention and similar to the embodiment of Figures 5 to 1il except that a support arm 98 for a post (not shown) is of circular cross-section and a first leg 1.00 of a slot 102 in which the support arm 98 is received is linear. The first leg 100 of the slot extends perpendicularly inwardly from a face 104 of a structure 106 such as the wall, floor, b: ceiling or ground previously described. At its inner end, the slot 102 has a second leg 108 which projects generally laterally of the first leg 100. The second leg 108 has an inclined front face 1i0. The first leg 200 suppor p j c fr h I. 4.a 3 WO 90/02860 PCT/AU89/00384 19 has a cross-section shaped to accommodate both the support arm 98 and a peg 112 projecting laterally from the support arm 98 as the support arm is introduced to the slot, and when the peg 112 is aligned with the second leg 108 of the slot the support arm is displaced laterally to the opposite side of the slot so as to engage the peg with the second leg.

The slot 102 is formed in the manner described i with reference to Figures 5 to 8 and 11 using a suitably shaped foam recess former (not shown) which is then removed from the slot after the settable mixture of the structure 106 has set, by for example cutting the foam out. The peg 112 is shaped similarly to the peg 38' in Figure 5 to ensure that it is capable of digging into any foam remaining in the second leg 108.

A stop 114 is slidably mounted on the support arm 98 by means of a sleeve 116 and can be displaced along the support arm to introduce the stop into the slot 102 on the opposite side thereof to the second leg 108 in order to resist lateral displacement of the support arm which would tend to withdraw the peg 112 from the second leg of the slot. A locking device 118 which screw threadedly engages the sleeve 116 can be ticcened into abutment with the support arm 98 to secure the stop in position.

SIt will be appreciated that the support arm 98 30 in Figure 12 may be of rectangular cross-section with the W slot 102 having a corresponding cross-section much as described with reference to the previous embodiments.

Referring now to Figures 13 and 14, a further embodiment of a post assembly in accordance with the present invention is shown using a circular cross-section support arm 120 from which extends an integral post (not 1 the 11 Si eth. th^;c n .a 1 1 L 1 1 1 1 l l l l l- "o 1 1 1 t.rs s l~a e a d i p a en: 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 l 1 1 w o u l d 1 it d ra t 1 i 1 1 1 1 1 1 t t 1 A___ig ld v c S c r l j; l

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WO 90/02860 PCT/AU89/00384 shown for convenience). The support arm has at one end a laterally extending peg 122 of arcuate outer periphery 124 as suggested in Figure 14. As also shown in Figure 14, the slot 126 is essentially of circular cross-section with an oversized section 128 of arcuate outer periphery I shaped to accommodate cthe peg 122 as the support arm 120 is introduced through a first leg 130 of the slot. The oversized portion 128 of the first leg 130 merges at the bottom 134 of the first leg with a laterally extending recess or second leg 132 which is shaped to accommodate the peg 122. Thus, the support arm 120 is introduced into the first leg 130 of the slot 126 with the peg 122 aligned with the oversized arcuate portion 128 and, when the support arm abuts the bottom 134 of the slot the support arm is rotated about its axis to insert the peg into the second leg 132.

As may be clearly seen in Figure 14, the oversize arcuate portion 128 is of a sufficient size to accommodate the support arm 120 itself so that in this case the support arm may be introduced into the slot 126 with the peg 122 axially aligned with the second leg 132 and the support arm is then displaced laterally to insert the peg into the second leg 132 substantially in the manner described with reference to Figure 12. However, the peg 122, second leg 132 of the slot and the oversize arcuate portion 128 may be sized to prevent this so that the only possible method of securely locating the support arm in the slot is by the aforedescribed rotation method. A stop 136 is slidably sleeved on the support j arm 120 and is shaped to in use extend the full length of the first leg 130 of the slot in the oversized arcuate portion 128 to thereby prevent the peg 122 from being t rotated into alignment with the oversized arcuate portion 128. A pin 138 passes through aligned openings 140 in I the support arm 120 immediately above the sleeved stop v 1 i Y'-rYYii range 0.5° to 450, preferably 50 to 20*, but an inclined WO90/02860 PCT/AU89/00334 -21- 136 to prevent the stop being withdrawn from the tp wtdraw slot.

S: The pin 138 may also pass through aligned ~apertures in an extended sleeved stop 136, in a manner not shown, in which case it is not necessary for the stop 136 to extend the full length of the first leg 130 of the slot since the support arm 120 can then only rotate with the stop 136 and the stop is prevented from rotation by its engagement in the oversized arcuate portion 128.

It will be appreciated that other locking i devices than the pin 138 may be utilised with the embodiment of Figures 13 and 14.

Referring now to Figures 15 to 17, there is shown a mounting arrangement for a post which is particularly suited to posts which are to extend in a I generally upright manner in a non-vertical surface and from which it may be desired to remove the post for an extended period. Examples of this are temporary fence and barrier posts in playgrounds, parade grounds, playing fields, roadways and other open areas.

In Figures 15 to 17, a slot 18 defined by a fixed recess former 142 of identical shape to the recess former 22 in Figures 1 to 4 except at the outer end adjacent the face 144 of the structure 146 comprising settable mixture in which the recess former 142 is located. For convenience, the shape of the slot 18 in the recess former 142 will noc be repeated except insofar as it differs at the outer end. The portion of the recess former 142 defining the slt 18 has a pair of flanges 148 and 150 respectively extending from the top and bottom walls 42 and 44, with the flange 148 being i somewhat longer than the flange 150. An upstanding wall 152 extends from the side walls, 28 of the portion of the recess former 142 defining the slot 18 and continuously I/ I

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I~-I I onuwaIy a Inuu-zaiiea mounting portion being introduced to or removed from a modified slot; WO 90/02860 PCT/AU89/00384" S- -22around the flanges 148 and 150, with a pair of opposed recesses 154 also being defined by the wall 152 as shown in Figure 17. The wall 152 extends to the face 144 of I the structure 146.

A cover 156 is supported on the opposed flanges 148 and 150 inside the continuous wall 152 and, when the slot is not in use to support a support arm 36', closes the open end of the slot 18.

The cover 156 is pivotally mounted in thewall 152 by means of a generally U-shaped pivot pin 158 having out-turned end portions 160 rotatably received in the portions of the continuous wall 152 defining the recesses 154. The legs 162 of the U-shaped pivot pin 158 are received in the respective recesses 154 between the cover 156 and the wall 152. The base 164 of the U-shaped pivot pin 158 passes through a longitudinally extensive slot 166 which extends through the width of the cover 156 so that the base 164 of the pin is displaceable longitudinally in the slot, the cover 156 is pivotable about the pivot pin and the pivot pin is pivotable about the side wall 152.

To open the cover 156 to permit the support arm 36' to be located in the slot 18, the end of the cover 156 sitting on the flange 148 is raised by a pivoting action of the other end about the flange 150, and for this purpose the cover 156 is made somewhat shorter than 30 the outer end of the recess former 142 defined by the wall 152 so that a screw driver or other implement may be introduced into the gap 168 to ease the adjacent end of the cover upwards. The cover may then be displaced to move the base 164 of the pivot pin 158 towards the opposite end ofthe slot 166 and then stood up on the flange 148 so asl to leave the slot 18 clear to receive the support arm 36'.

1. 1 I' 1 WO 90/02860 PCT/AU89/00384 23 The support arm 36' has a peg 38' extending laterally therefrom, both as described with reference to Figures 5 to 8 and the support arm 36' is introduced to the slot 18 and the peg 38' engaged with the second leg in the manner described with reference to Figures to 8 except that no stop 54' is required in this instance since the cover 156 doubles as a stop.

Thus, from its upstanding position on the flange 148, the cover 156 may be displaced off the flange 148 j|| and introduced to the slot 18 between the support arm 36' j and the flat 62. The cover 156 then acts in exactly the same manner as the stop 54'. ii A tooth 170 projects from the underside of the 4{ cover 156 so as to enable a lever to be used to ease the cover 156 out of the slot 18.

The recess former 142 may be formed from plastics material as in the embodiment described with ireference to Figures 1 to 4 and may include the webs 26 1 i to facilitate its location during pouring of the settable mixture defining the structure 146, but is preferably formed of a metallic material such as steel with the cover 156 also being formed from a metallic material and the pivot pin 158 being formed from a metallic wire.

3:F r In the embodiment described with reference to -'Figures 15 and 17, the support arm preferably merges 1| linearly with the post and the post may be provided with lugs or other appropriate fastening means to receive wire sfencing or other barrier devices. Alternatively the post |f 1,1may form, f or example, part of a roadway or other display sign. The structure 146 may comprise the ground defined by a settable mixture such as concrete or asphalt.

1 -o 1 1 1 L" 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 1 1 1 1 1 'u i' 1 1 F 'F i "i l i ii il i i i i i i l l l l l l i l 1 poured. A cap 32 is hinged to theannular flange 24 so A -J

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i I WO 90/02860 PCT/AU99/00384 24 It will be appreciated from the above description that one or more of the features of any one of the described embodiments may be used in any other described embodiment.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. It is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations and modifications which fall within its spirit and scope.

Claims (12)

1. A combination of a post mounted in a supporting I }i structure, a support in the structure comprising a I substantially L-shaped slot with a first leg extending generally inwardly from a face of the structure and a 1 second leg remote from the face and extending generally laterally of the first leg, the post being supported by a mounting portion comprising an elongate support member i and a peg which projects generally laterally of the i support member, the support member and peg being received in the substantially L-shaped slot with the support member in said first leg and the peg in said second leg, the first leg of the slot being oversized in one dimension compared to the support member so that the peg can be passed through the first leg with the support member and engage the second leg of the slot, and wherein a stop is disposed in the first leg of the slot to resist lateral displacement of the support member therein which would enable the mounting portion to be withdrawn from the slot.

2. A combination according to Claim 1 wherein the stop is carried by the supporting-structure and is displaceable from a first position in which it engages the slot to resist lateral displacement of the support member to a second position remote from the slot.

3. A combination according to Claim 2 wherein the stop comprises a cover for the slot and is displaceable i i into a further position in which it closes the slot when 4 the mounting portion of the post is removed therefrom

4. A combination according to Claim 3 wherein the stop is pivotally supported by the supporting structure. A combination according to Claim 1 wherein the IV J 1 1 1 1 1 i WO 90/02860 PCtI/AU8900384' 1 stop is displaceably mounted on the support member and locking means is provided to secure the stop in position.

6. A combination according to Claim 1 wherein the mounting portion comprises a sleeve from which the post extends, the sleeve being slidably received on the support member, and locking means to selectively resist the relative sliding movement.

7. A combination according to Claim 1 wherein the post is connected directly with the support member.

8. A combination according to Claim 7 in which the post is integral with the support member. ii

9. A combination according to Claim 1 wherein the i: peg has a narrow profile. A combination according to Claim 1 wherein the i first leg of the slot is inclined relative to the 1 longitudinal extent of the support member when the peg is I engaged in the second leg, said inclination being generally laterally away from the second leg and wherein a first portion of the slot wall adjacent the face of the structure and on the side of the first leg remote from the second leg extends substantially parallel to the adjacent portion of the support member.

11. A combination according to Claim 10 wherein the I support member abuts a second portion of the wall of the 4 l first leg adjacent and on the same side of the first leg as the second leg and wherein said second portion extends i substantially parallel to the abutting portion of the support member.

12. A combination according to Claim 10 or Claim 11 wherein the stop biasses the support member into abutment i SINTL. .NATINAL SEARCH REPOR' i S-" S WO 90/02860 PCT/AUS9/00384

27- with the first portion of the slot wall. 13. A combination according to Claim 1 wherein the l i first leg of the slot extends parallel to the Sj longitudinal extent of the support member when the peg is i engaged in the second leg, said oversizing of the first leg being sufficient to at least partly receive the support member therein and said support member and peg being laterally displaceable in the first leg when the i peg is aligned with the second leg to introduce the peg into the second leg, the stop being locatable in said oversized position of the first leg to prevent withdrawal i i of the peg from the second leg. 14. A combination according to Claim 1 wherein the i first leg of the slot extends parallel to the i longitudinal extent of the support member when the peg is it engaged in the second leg, said oversizing of the first leg being adapted to receive the peg therein and being angularly offset from the second leg and wherein the oversizing of the first leg merges with the second leg whereby the support member is introduced to the first leg with the peg in the oversized portion thereof and the i i support member is rotatable in the first leg to introduce the peg into the second leg, the stop being locatable in the oversized portion of the first leg to resist rotation of the peg out of the second leg. I A combination according to Claim 1 wherein a front face of the second leg of the slot engaged by the H peg to resist withdrawal of the support member from the slot provides a wedging surface to urge the support member further into the first leg of the slot with I increasing penetration of the peg into the second leg. 16. A combination according to Claim 1 wherein the Slot is defined in a hollow recess former in the i S;: WO 90/02860 PC/AU89/00384 -28- supporting structure. 17. A combination according to Claim 16 wherein the or a cover for the slot is pivotally mounted in the H hollow recess former. 18. A combination according to Claim 17 wherein the hollow recess former is of thermoplastics materials and I the cover is integrally hinged to the recess former. 19. A combination according to Claim 16 wherein the hollow racess former includes means to facilitate its location in the supporting structure during casting of a settable mixture therefor around the recess former. I A combination according to Claim 1 wherein the slot is defined directly in the material of the ii supporting structure. 21. A combination according to Claim 20 wherein the i material of the supporting structure is settable and the slot is defined by a removable recess former. i 22. A post assembly having a mounting portion comprising an elongate support member and a peg which projects generally laterally of the support member, the I support member and peg being adapted to be received in a substantially L-shaped slot in a supporting structure for withdrawal of the support member from the slot and wherein a stop is displaceably mounted on the support member and locking means is provided to secure the stop in position on the support member, the stop being adapted to be received in the slot to resist lateral displacement of the support member therein. 23. A post assembly according to Claim 22 wherein the stop is slidably mounted on the support member and the locking means is effective to selectively resist' displacement of the peg 38' out of the upright leg i i 9 r i i i-9 ;il -29- relative sliding movement between support member. 24. A post assembly according to stop comprises or is carried by a on the support member. A post assembly according to post extends from the sleeve. the stop and the Claim 23 wherein the sleeve slidably mounted Claim 24 wherein the 0* 0 600 00 0 S 0S 00 OSOO 26. A post assembly according to Claim 25 wherein the sleeve has opposed ends and the post projects from the sleeve closer to one of the ends than to the other, and wherein the stop projects from a first of the opposed 15 ends and a further stop projects from a second of the opposed ends. 27. A post assembly substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

28. A combination of a post mounted in a support structure, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 19th day of March, 1992. CORNELIS JOHANNES GRIEK and ANTHONY KENNETH MITCHINSON By their Patent Attorneys 30 DAVIES COLLISON CAVE 0S S S S 0o a 0@ 0 920319,PI4HAT.117,42255-89.Iet,29