AU722213B3 - Support apparatus - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION PETTY PATENT Invention Title: SUPPORT APPARATUS Name of Applicant: ROBERT GORDON RICHARDS The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2 SUPPORT APPARATUS Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a support apparatus for fastening to a roof structure to act as a safety device for workers involved in roofing maintenance activities.

The device can be applied to roofs in domestic or industrial applications and will primarily be described with reference to this context. It should be remembered, however, that the invention has broader use in all manner of building and construction applications where provision of safe working conditions at heights is required.

Background Art The provision of a safe working environment for workers involved in the roofing trade is a difficult task.

Sloping roofs during wet weather are particularly hazardous workplaces and workers can frequently slip off the roof to their death if unrestrained. The use of ropes or retractable fall arresters is known in the art, where a worker wears a body harness connected via the cord of the fall arrester to a mounting device, which secures the arrester at one end. The arresters or ropes normally lie on the surface of the roof during use. There are often only limited places to screw or hammer a mounting device into position. Usually large areas of the roof tiles, shingles or sheets need to be removed to create a mounting position for the known mounting devices. The use of alternative devices such as a temporary fence constructed about the circumference of the roof also involves removing large areas of the roofing materials in order to fit the fence into position. This is a time consuming task, which is sometimes unlawfully avoided in the interest of expedience and can also lead to damage of the roof structure.

Spec: 35923 3 Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a support apparatus adapted to mount to a roof structure, said apparatus comprising: an elongate support element at or adjacent opposing ends being adapted to detachably mount to respective of a pair of vertically spaced structural members of the roof structure wherein one end of the elongate support element protrudes from the roof structure; and a coupling element connected to said one protruding end and being adapted to provide attachment for a fall arrester.

Preferably the elongate element at or adjacent opposing ends is adapted to detachably mount to a ceiling joist and a rafter respectively.

Preferably the coupling element is rotatably mounted to said protruding end.

Preferably the elongate element is a telescopic or nested pole.

Preferably one end of the elongate element is a downwardly facing U-shaped channel that is adapted for sitting on and receiving therein a ceiling joist.

Preferably the elongate element is additionally fastened through a fastening element mountable on the elongate element and slideable therealong, the fastening element having one or more lateral flanges adapted to be fastened to the roof structure. Most preferably the lateral flanges are mounted to one or more roof rafter/s by means of bolts or screws.

Preferably the elongate element comprises a pair of sleeve sections with a nesting section being nestable within the sleeve pair and able to be fastened in position to each sleeve by one or more fastening means. Most preferably the sleeve sections are concentric cylinders.

Preferably the fastening means is a pin or the like insertable through aligned holes in the sleeves and nesting Spec: 35923 4 section.

Preferably the coupling element is a hollow sleeve section fitted and rotatable on a member protruding from an upper sleeve of the sleeve pair and seated on a gasket which separates the element from the upper sleeve.

Preferably the coupling element has one or more outwardly projecting flanges, each adapted for the attachment of linkage elements, in turn attachable to a given fall arrester.

Brief Description of the Drawings Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred forms of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of a device, used in position as a support apparatus located in a roof, in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 shows a side view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1.

Modes for Carrying out the Invention Referring to the drawings, a support apparatus 10 is shown which is fastened to and protrudes up from a sloping roof structure 12. The apparatus comprises a main support shaft 14 able to be fastened to the structure 12 and a cap piece 16 at the uppermost end of the support shaft 14 which itself can be rotated with respect to the shaft 14. The cap 16 is fitted with couplings 18 to allow the connection thereto of fall arresting devices 52.

The shaft 14 is made up of a number of nested or telescopic poles and is seated and fastened to a ceiling joist 20 by means of a downwardly facing U-shaped channel 22 joined to the base of shaft 14. Because of its expansion properties, the apparatus 10 is therefore easily adaptable to a fit a range of roof structure heights which are of variable dimension depending upon the style of the premises. To stabilise the mounting of the apparatus 10 in Spec: 35923 5 the roof structure 12, the shaft 14 is fastened at an additional position to the rafters 24 of the structure 12.

In this regard sliding bracket 26 is mounted on the shaft 14 and can be located at various positions therealong.

Thus different roof sizes and spacings can be accomodated.

Bracket 26 shown has lateral flanges 28 adapted to be fastened to the rafters 24 by bolts or screws 30 etc, although in other embodiments it is be possible for various shaped flanges to be available depending on the mounting requirements.

In the embodiment shown, the support shaft 14 comprises a pair of concentric cylinder sleeve sections 32, 34 with a nesting section 36 located and nestable within the sleeve pair 32, 34. The sections can also be shaped from square or rectangular hollow sections etc. The nesting section 36 is able to be fastened in position to each sleeve 32, 34 by two fastening pins 38, 40 or similar.

Each fastening pin is insertable through any one of a number of pre-drilled and aligned holes in the sleeves 32, 34 and the nesting section 36 in order that the shaft 14 can be fastened in position over the height of a given roof space.

The rotatable cap piece 16 is a hollow sleeve section fitted onto a further nested member 42 projecting up from the upper sleeve 34. Member 42 can also be adjustable in height relative to sleeve 44 in further embodiments in order that the apparatus can protrude to various adjustable heights above the roof line. The cap piece 16 is seated on a nylon bush 44 which separates the cap 16 from the sleeve 34, the bush acting as a gasket to provide for free rotation of piece 16 on member 42 and to prevent wear of the opposing ends of cap 16 and sleeve 34. Cap piece 16 has four outwardly projecting flanges 46 with holes 48 adapted for the insertion of couplings 18 capable of attaching fall arresting devices 52 to the flanges 46, x although one or any number of flanges 46 can be provided.

Spec: 35923 6 In use the support apparatus 10 provides improved safety protection for workers involved in the roofing trade by providing a readily assembled support shaft 14 for mounting of personal fall arrester devices. The device prevents the normal arrester rope entanglement which occurs when more than one worker at a time is located on the rooftop when the cords lying on the roof become crossed.

The rotatable upper cap piece 16 ensures that cords are raised above roof height while the cap 16 revolves in order to allow the cords to become taut while the workers are moving about their various positions on the rooftop, reducing the likelihood of any entanglement. As well as its improvement of safety aspects by reducing the risk of workers tripping over entangled cables, the device creates minimum damage to the roof structure of the building during its installation, as only one roof tile is required to be removed to allow the support shaft 14 to project from the roof space 12.

In the present embodiment channel 22 is secured onto ceiling joist 20 by means of up to six 100mm long and 12mm diameter screws drilled transversely through the rafter.

Lateral flanges 28 are secured to rafters 24 by similar screws. The specific number and dimension of screws is dependant on the conditions found in the roof structure 12.

In a preferred construction example flanges 28 are thick plates. Sleeves 32 and 34 are made of 65mm diameter, 6.35mm thick pipe, and nesting sections 36 and 42 are made of 50mm diameter, 3mm thick pipe, although these nested sections can be solid sections. In this example nesting sections 36 and 42 are 3m and im in length respectively, while sleeves 32 and 34 are 0.6m and 4.0m in length respectively and cap piece 16 is 0.6m in length. In use when sliding bracket 26 is positioned across the apex of the roof structure, the upper end of the apparatus protruding above the roof tiles comprises a portion of sleeve 34, all of extendible nesting section 42 and all of Spec: 35923 7 rotating cap piece 16, which at maximum extended height protrudes l.8m. This is a convenient maximum height for a worker to reach up and attach a fall arrester 52 to a coupling 18.

The materials of construction of the apparatus can comprise any suitable lightweight and strong material which can be shaped, formed and fitted in the manner so described, such as aluminium or steel. Lightweight devices are preferable from the point of view of portability and ease of assembly by an individual.

Previously it has not been appreciated that such an easily installed apparatus can provide improved safety protection for workers involved in the roofing trade as well as creating minimum damage to the roof structure of the building. The device is easily adaptable to a range of roof structure heights. The device also prevents arrester rope entanglement when more than one worker at a time is actively located on the roof work space.

Whilst the invention has been described with reference to a number of preferred embodiments it should be appreciated that the invention can be embodied in many other forms.

In the claims that follow and in the summary of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the words "comprised" or "comprising" are used in the sense of "including", i.e. the features specified may be associated with further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Spec: 35923

Claims (2)

1. 2. A support apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the elongate element at or adjacent opposing ends is adapted to detachably mount to a ceiling joist and a rafter respectively.
2. 3. A support apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the coupling element is rotatably mounted to said protruding end. Dated this 26th day of May 2000 ROBERT GORDON RICHARDS By his Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Spec: 35923