CN108350703B

CN108350703B - Protective safety cap for a column

Info

Publication number: CN108350703B
Application number: CN201680059607.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 布拉德利·马文; 玛尼·里德里希
Original assignee: Cmi Construction & Mining Industries Supplies Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Cmi Construction & Mining Industries Supplies Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2015-08-27
Filing date: 2016-08-26
Publication date: 2020-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 2036-08-26
Also published as: AU2016312976B2; AU2016312976A1; CN108350703A; WO2017031546A1

Abstract

A safety cap for a post including an outer flange, wherein the safety cap comprises: a housing having an upper opening and a lower opening; a lid openable and closable with respect to the upper opening; a plurality of pairs of inner flanges inside the housing to vertically slidably receive the outer flanges of the posts; and a releasable quick-fit connection internal to the pair of internal flanges for releasably quick-connecting with an upper portion of one of the external flanges; wherein the safety cap is held: when the cover is opened, the cover is close to the upper end part of the upright post; and is located above the upper end of the post when the lid is closed.

Description

Protective safety cap for a column

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a protective safety cap for a post.

Background

The exposed top end of a metal or plastic post, such as a star pile (or safety post, Y-post or star-rod), presents a safety hazard and injury risk to personnel and livestock on a worksite or farm. These posts are difficult to see and have a sharp, jagged and deformed top edge at their exposed top end, which is caused by the hammer hammering and striking into the ground.

Existing protective caps for star pickets have several disadvantages. They typically have a soft plastic cap that is fixedly mounted on the sharp, jagged and deformed top edge of the star pickets. When these capped star pickets are re-hit into the ground, the sharp, jagged and deformed top edges cut and penetrate the soft plastic cap, re-exposing the dangerous top ends of the star pickets. In addition, existing protective caps are easily knocked down by wind and rain, contact during handling on site, and contact during transportation, all of which can easily cause the cap to fall, exposing people or livestock to the risk of injury.

In this context, there is a need for an improved protective safety cap for a post.

Disclosure of Invention

According to the present invention there is provided a safety cap for a post comprising an outer flange, wherein the safety cap comprises:

a housing having an upper opening and a lower opening;

a lid hingedly openable and closable relative to the upper opening;

a pair of inner flanges located inside the housing to vertically slidably receive the outer flanges of the posts; and

a releasable, quick-fit connection located internally of the pair of internal flanges for releasable, quick connection with a vertical aperture in the upper portion of one of the external flanges of the upright;

wherein, in use, the safety cap is retained:

when the cover is opened, the cover is close to the upper end part of the upright post; and is

Above the upper end of the post when the lid is closed.

The quick-fit connector includes a slide-in fit connector, a press-in fit connector, or a friction fit connector. For example, the quick-fit connector may include a pair of snap-fit ribs.

The quick-fit connector may be quick-connect with a vertical hole in the upper portion of one of the outer flanges.

The vertical bore may include a vertical slot, wherein the safety cap is vertically slidable in the vertical slot near the upper end of the post when the lid is opened.

The cover may be hingedly coupled to the upper opening of the housing. The lid may be closed relative to the upper opening of the housing by a releasable, snap-fit connection. For example, the snap-fit connection may include a snap-fit connection, a press-fit connection, or a friction-fit connection.

A pair of horizontal notches may be provided on opposite sides of the upper opening of the housing to horizontally receive the flag cord.

The outer flanges of the post and the pairs of inner flanges inside the housing may be arranged in a Y-shaped or T-shaped cross-section. For example, the posts comprise star-shaped piles.

The safety cap may be integrally molded in a plastic material. The plastic material may include a high visibility color additive, a luminescent additive, a fluorescent additive, a reflective additive, or a combination thereof.

The present invention also provides a system comprising a post comprising outer flanges and a safety cap as described above removably quick-connectable to an upper portion of one of the outer flanges of the post.

The invention also provides a fence or barricade comprising the system.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective safety cap for a post according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the protective safety cap;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the protective safety cap showing a pair of frictional engagement ribs;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the protective safety cap;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the protective safety cap;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the protective safety cap in the closed position;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the protective safety cap in an open position;

figures 8 and 9 are perspective views of the protective safety cap slidingly received on the star-shaped peg;

figures 10 and 11 are perspective views of another embodiment of the protective safety cap in the open position;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the protective safety cap in the closed position;

FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the protective safety cap;

figures 14 and 15 are exploded perspective views of the protective safety cap;

figures 16 and 17 are perspective views of the protective safety cap in the closed position;

FIG. 18 is a photograph of the protective safety cap in the closed position when the marker band is fitted;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a protective safety cap having a notch for receiving a marker tether; and

fig. 20 is a top view of the safety cap of fig. 19.

Detailed Description

Referring to the drawings, a protective safety cap 10 for a post according to the present invention generally comprises an elongated hollow shell 12, the elongated hollow shell 12 comprising a cap 14 at one upper end and an opening 16 at the other lower end. The housing 12 may have an inverted, generally conical shape. One or more pairs of inner flanges 18 may be provided within the housing 12 to slidably receive a corresponding one or more outer flanges 20, respectively, of a post 22.

A removable quick-fit connection 24 may be provided on the inside of at least one pair of inner flanges 18 to removably and quickly connect the housing 12 to the upper portion of one of the outer flanges 20. In use, the safety cap 10 may be held close to the upper end of the post 22 when the lid 14 is open, and the safety cap 10 may be held on the upper end of the post 22 when the lid 14 is closed. The removable quick-fit connector 24 may comprise a snap-fit connector, a press-fit connector, or a friction-fit connector. For example, the quick-fit connector 24 may include a pair of snap-fit ribs. The quick-fit connector 24 may be quick-connect to a vertical hole 38 in the upper portion of one of the outer flanges 20. The vertical bore 38 may include a vertical slot 38, wherein the safety cap 10 is able to slide vertically in the vertical slot 38 near the upper end of the post 22 when the lid 14 is opened.

The lid 14 may be hingedly attached to the upper opening of the housing 12. The lid 14 may be closed relative to the upper opening of the housing 12 by a releasable snap-fit connection. For example, the snap-fit connection may include a snap-fit connection, a press-fit connection, or a friction-fit connection. Referring to fig. 18-20, a pair of horizontal notches 40 may be provided on opposite sides of the upper opening of the housing 12 to horizontally receive the

flag cords

42, 44.

In one embodiment, a pair of snap-fit ribs 24 may be provided on the interior of at least one of the plurality of inner flanges 18 of the housing 12 for snap-fit into or onto the posts 20. The pair of snap-fit ribs 24 may be a pair of opposing male ribs that converge vertically toward one another to resiliently and removably snap-fit into or onto the post 22. The pair of snap-fit ribs 24 may snap-fit onto vertical, horizontal, or angled holes, recesses, grooves, channels, ridges, or tracks formed on or in at least one of the plurality of outer flanges 20 of the post 22. Further or alternatively, the pair of snap-fit ribs 24 may snap-fit into vertical, horizontal, or angled openings, holes, or slots formed through at least one of the plurality of outer flanges 20 of the post 22. Other equivalent or alternative removable quick connect or snap fit members may also be used.

For example, as shown in fig. 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, and 15, the pair of snap-fit ribs 24 may be snap-fit into an elongated vertical slot 38 formed through one of the plurality of outer flanges 20 of the post 22 near the upper end of the post 22. The protective safety cap 10 is held close to the upper end of the post 22 by the snap-fit of a pair of snap-fit ribs 24 inside the vertical slot 38 when the lid 14 is opened. This may advantageously allow the protective safety cap 10 to be slid down the post 22 to expose the upper end of the post, thereby allowing the post 22 to be hammered into the ground.

The snug fit of the pair of opposing ribs 24 may advantageously allow the protective safety cap 10 to be parked or positioned adjacent the upper end of the post 22 rather than being free to slide down the post 22 under the force of gravity and fall to the ground. After the post 22 is hammered into the ground, the protective safety cap 10 can be quickly removed from the post 22 and slid up the post 22 to cover the exposed top end of the post. The lid 14 can then be closed over the exposed top end of the post 22 to safely protect and enclose the sharp, jagged and deformed edges caused by hammering the post 22 into the ground. Also, the pair of snap-fit ribs 24 may collectively function as a snap-fit retention mechanism to removably secure the protective safety cap 10 to the post 22 and thereby inhibit or prevent the protective safety cap 10 from being forcibly removed from the post 22 during handling, shipping, or exposure to those factors.

The plurality of outer flanges 20 of the post 22 may be arranged in a Y-shaped, T-shaped, I-shaped, H-shaped, square, circular, or triangular cross-section. The posts 22 may be made of metal, plastic or wood. For example, the posts 22 may be star-shaped piles. Other equivalent or alternative posts may also be used. For example, the post may comprise a single outer flange to be received in a pair of inner flanges 18 of the protective safety cap 10.

The housing 12 may have an inverted, generally conical shape. The cover 14 may be integrally formed with the housing 12. The lid 14 may include a hinge 26 and a hollow dome. The lid 14 may also include a plurality of reinforcing ribs 28 inside the hollow dome.

The cover 14 may be releasably locked to one end of the housing 12 by a snap-fit locking mechanism. The snap-fit locking mechanism may include a lip 30 and a groove 32 integrally formed in the interior of the lid 14 and the upper end of the housing 12, respectively. Alternatively, the snap-fit locking mechanism may include a locking protrusion 34 and a complementary locking recess 36 integrally formed on the lid 14 and the housing 12, respectively. Other equivalent or alternative removable quick connect mechanisms or snap fit locking mechanisms may also be used.

The housing 12 and the cover 14 may be integrally molded together in a rigid or semi-rigid plastic material. The rigid or semi-rigid plastic material may be selected from polypropylene, polyethylene or nylon, for example.

The protective safety cap 10 may be one or more of reflective, luminescent, fluorescent, or illuminated for high visibility. High visibility reflection, luminescence or fluorescence may be provided by incorporating luminescent, fluorescent or reflective additives into the rigid or semi-rigid plastic material used to form the high visibility protective safety cap 10. Further or alternatively, high visibility reflection, luminescence or fluorescence may be provided by applying a luminescent, fluorescent or reflective layer coating, paint or tape to high visibility protective safety cap 10.

High visibility illumination of the high visibility protective safety cap 10 may be provided by a light source (not shown) and a power source (not shown) positioned on or in the cover 14. The light source may be, for example, an LED, and the power source may be, for example, a solar cell and/or a battery. Other equivalent or alternative illumination sources may also be used.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a protective safety cap for eliminating or reducing the risk of injury to humans and animals from accidentally contacting the exposed serrated, sharp top ends of studs (e.g., star studs). Star pickets are widely used in mining, construction, agricultural industry and home gardening to provide temporary or long-term fencing and/or containment solutions, among other products. They are also used to support formwork for concrete panels. As occupational health and safety measures in these areas become a primary concern for each company, the risks posed by the use of star pickets need to be controlled, not only to prevent injury to personnel, but also to prevent injury to livestock in agricultural applications. As described above, steel star pickets are made of steel and present a risk of laceration, bruising and puncture at all sites, and they can often cause serious injury to people and animals. Currently, industry uses push-in plastic safety caps to mitigate these hazards, but the design and function of current products is such that they can be dropped by wind or by contact, and once dropped, can then expose the hazard to personnel. Once the plastic safety cap is dropped, it is no longer suitable for its purpose and further work is required to restore the safety cap, which results in increased labor costs. Embodiments of the present invention provide an integrated system of safety caps and posts. By including a vertical slot on the stud, the cap is releasably secured to the stud, ensuring that the cap does not fall off by contact or wind when it is bonded at the top of the stud. The inclusion of a vertical slot allows the cap to be disengaged from the post and slid vertically downward so that the post can be installed into the ground using a ram or hammer. The design also ensures that the posts and caps remain a complete system during transport or while in storage. This safety cap design has the additional advantage that when engaged, the cap secures the marker rope at the top of the safety post, ensuring that it remains upright. Embodiments include a high visibility strip around the circumference of the cap to increase visibility of the fence and barricaded obstacles at night. This means that mining, construction and farming personnel will be able to clearly identify the fence and barricade under the illumination of a torch or vehicle headlight at night.

For the purposes of this specification, the word "comprising" means "including but not limited to," and the word "having" has a corresponding meaning. The foregoing description includes terms of relative position or orientation, such as "top," "bottom," "upper," "lower," "horizontal," "vertical," "above," "below," as well as derivative terms, such as "horizontally," "downwardly," and the like. These and other terms should be understood to refer to the orientation or position then described or illustrated in the drawings, and not to the orientation or position of the actual elements described or illustrated. These terms are for convenience of description and understanding, and do not necessarily describe a device as being constructed or operated in the described position or orientation. Terms concerning mechanical attachment, coupling, and the like (e.g., "connected," "attached," "mounted," "coupled") refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable and rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise.

The above embodiments have been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A safety cap for a post including an outer flange, wherein the safety cap comprises:

a housing having an upper opening and a lower opening;

a lid hingedly openable and closable relative to the upper opening;

a pair of inner flanges located inside the housing to vertically slidably receive the outer flanges of the post; and

a releasable, quick-fit connection located internally in one pair of internal flanges for releasable, quick-connect with a vertical aperture in an upper portion of one of the external flanges of the post;

wherein, in use, the safety cap is retained as:

Above the upper end of the post when the lid is closed.

2. The safety cap of claim 1, wherein the quick-fit connector comprises a snap-fit connector, a press-fit connector, or a friction-fit connector.

3. The safety cap of claim 2, wherein the quick-fit connector comprises a pair of snap-fit ribs.

4. The safety cap of claim 1, wherein the vertical aperture comprises a vertical slot, and wherein the safety cap is vertically slidable in the vertical slot near the upper end of the post when the lid is opened.

5. The safety cap of claim 1, wherein the lid is lockably closable relative to the upper opening of the housing by a releasable snap-fit connection.

6. The safety cap of claim 5, wherein the quick-fit connection comprises a snap-fit connection, a press-fit connection, or a friction-fit connection.

7. The safety cap of claim 1, wherein a pair of horizontal notches are provided on opposite sides of the upper opening of the housing for horizontally receiving a marker rope.

8. The safety cap of claim 1, wherein the outer flanges of the post and the plurality of pairs of inner flanges inside the housing are arranged in a Y-shaped or T-shaped cross-section.

9. The safety cap of claim 8, wherein the post comprises a star-shaped peg.

10. The safety cap of claim 1, wherein the safety cap is integrally molded in a plastic material.

11. The safety cap of claim 10, wherein the plastic material comprises a high visibility color additive, a luminescent additive, a fluorescent additive, a reflective additive, or a combination thereof.

12. A system comprising a post comprising outer flanges and a safety cap according to any preceding claim releasably quick connectable with a vertical aperture in an upper portion of one of the outer flanges of the post.

13. A fence or barricade comprising the system of claim 12.