GB2103261A

GB2103261A - Stage

Info

Publication number: GB2103261A
Application number: GB08216669A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sean Cavanagh; Anthony Douglas Harvey; Malcolm Clancy; Jeremy Robin Curry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-06-12
Filing date: 1982-06-09
Publication date: 1983-02-16
Also published as: GB2103261B

Abstract

A staging system comprises platform members (10) and various components which can be assembled together to form a legged supporting framework bed (11) on which the platform members (10) rest. These components include metal socket fittings (15) and base plates (16) of standardised design independent of the form of a stage to be built, and wooden support elements (14) and legs (13) the lengths of which determine the size, height and slope of a stage. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Versatile dismantlable stage The present invention relates to stages which are dismantlable for storage and to staging systems for constructing such stages; in particular, but not exclusively, the invention relates to stages and staging systems for use in theatres.

In theatrical productions it is often required to provide a temporary stage of a particular size, shape, Slope and height. In the past, it has generally been necessary either to construct the required stage in its entirety or to compromise on the stage specification so as to permit the use of existing stage components of predetermined characteristics. With respect to this latter approach, the stage components involved are normally collapsible four-walled box pens with fitting platform members, such components being readily storable. The lack of versatility of the storable stage components can be highly inconvenient and restrictive so that the expensive alternative of constructing a completely new stage for a single production is often adopted.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a versatile staging system for constructing stages which can be dismantled for storage.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a staging system comprising platform members, elongate support elements, multi-way socket fittings for interconnecting said support elements into a framework bed upon which the platform members are mountable, base fittings, and a plurality of legs each of which has an upper end portion releasably engageable in said socket fitting and a lower end portion engageable in, or integral with, a said base fitting whereby to enable said framework bed to be supported at a desired height above a surface upon which the base fittings are placed, said socket fittings being arranged to removably receive the end portions of the support elements in such a manner that in use of the staging system the support elements are constrained to lie in fixed mutual orientations, and at least one end portion of each leg being arranged to engage the corresponding fitting such that the leg is constrained against rotation relative to that fitting.

By using different leg lengths the height of the stage can be set as desired. Furthermore, by arranging for either the upper or lower end portion of each leg to pivotally engage the corresponding fitting, suitable variation in leg height can be used to form a sloping stage of any desired slope. Of course, where there is no requirement to vary the slope of the stage, there is no need for the legs to be pivotal and they can be arranged to nonrotatably engage both the socket fittings and the base fittings.

The area of a stage constructed using the staging system can be easily increased or decreased by adding or removing legs and support elements of the required length, this operation being facilitated by the use of socket fittings to interconnect these components.

Changes in the stage size, height and slope can thus all be readily implemented by use of support elements and legs made to the appropriate length, the socket fittings and base fittings being standarised and independent of the actual form of the stage. To facilitate this versatility, the support elements and legs are preferably of wood and the socket fittings and base fittings are preferably of metal, the form of the latter components being such that minimal work is required to render standard timbers suitable for use in the stage.

In embodiments of the invention in which each leg is arranged to pivot at its lower end, each base fitting preferably comprises a flat plate rigidly mounting a bar of circular or part-circular crosssection orientated such that its axis lies parallel to the plane of the plate. This bar locates in a groove formed either directly in the lower end of a leg or in a shoe (for example, or metal) carried by the lower end portion of the leg; by this arrangement the leg is free to pivot about the axis of the bar to enable the stage to assume the slope determined by the length of its legs.

Advantageously, the socket fittings are such that the support elements run in two perpendicular directions with the legs extending down at right angles to the support elements. A preferred embodiment of socket fitting takes the form of a central tubular stem for receiving the upper end of a leg, and a plurality of stub arms projecting out from the stem and arranged to receive support-element end portions. Each such fitting may comprise two, three or four stub arms for respectively interconnecting two elements in a right-angled connection, three elements in a Tconnection, or four elements in cruciform pattern.

Preferably, the upper end portion of each leg is formed with a shoulder arranged to engage the annular lower end face of the stem of a socket fitting.

The stub arms of each socket fitting can be of tubular or channel-section form; in this latter case, in use of the socket fittings, the channelsection stub arms would open upwardly, the weight of the support elements and the overlying platform members serving to keep the supportelement end portions properly seated in the channel-section stub arms and thus keep the support elements in fixed mutual orientations.

Rotational constraint of the support elements in the socket fittings can be enhanced by the use of fixing bolts passed through the end of portions of the support elements and through the opposed side walls of the corresponding socketfitting stub arms.

After a stage has been erected using the staging system of the invention, the platform members are preferably fastened down onto the underlying support elements (for example, by screws) not only to prevent undesirable movement of the platform members but also to provide bracing for the framework bed. The framework bed can, if required, be provided with elongate rigid tie elements interconnecting adjacent support elements intermediate the socket fittings and serving to give added rigidity to the framework and to the overlying platform members.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stage which is dismantable for storage and comprises a plurality of platform members carried on an underlying framework bed which is supported at a desired height above the ground or floor level by means of legs pivotal at their lower ends on respective base plates, said framework bed comprising a plurality of elongate support elements interconnected by multi-way socket fittings into which the end portions of said elements are removably inserted, the upper end of each said leg being removably inserted into a respective said socket fitting and each said fitting serving to hold the support elements and leg inserted therein in fixed mutual orientations, the slope of the stage being determined by the slope of the underlying ground or floor and the respective lengths of said legs.

A dismantable stage embodying the invention and the staging system components used to construct this stage, will now be particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of part of the stage with some of the platform members of the stage removed; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the part of the stage shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view to an enlarged scale, of a multi-way socket fitting of the stage, the end portions of a leg and support element of the stage also being shown; Figures 4 and 5 are respectively a plan view and a front elevation, both to an enlarged scale, of a base plate of the stage; Figure 6 is a side elevation, to an enlarged scale, of the Figure 5 base plate with the lower end portion of a stage leg being shown engaged therein;; Figure 7 is a side elevation, to an enlarged scale, of a metal shoe intended to be fitted on the lower end of a stage leg; and Figure 8 is a perspective view, to an enlarged scale, of a coupling plate intended to be fixed to the end of a tie element of the stage.

The stage shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises platform members 10 (only one of which is shown) carried on an underlying framework bed 11 which is supported at a desired height above a floor 12 by means of wooden legs 13.

The framework bed 11 is made up of a plurality of elongate wooden support elements 14 interconnected into a square grid arrangement by metal multi-way socket fittings 1 5. Each platform member 10 preferably has an area equal to that of one grid square, the marginal portions of the platform member 10 resting on the support elements 14.

The framework bed 11 is connected to the legs 13 by the engagement of each leg 13 in a respective one of the socket fittings 1 5. Each socket fitting 1 5 thus serves to interconnect four support elements 14 and one leg 13; as will be more fully described hereinafter, the manner of engagement of the support elements 14 and the leg 1 3 in the socket fitting 1 5 is such that the elements and leg are held in fixed mutual orientations.

The lower end of each leg 1 3 is pivotal on a respective metal base plate 1 6. Due to this pivotal connection of the legs 13 and base plate 1 6 the stage can be readily given a desired slope by using legs 13 of an appropriate length (see Figure 2).

If required, further support for the platform members 10 can be provided by the use of elongate rigid tie elements 1 7 to interconnect adjacent parallel support elements 14. The engagement of the tie elements 1 7 with the support elements 14 is facilitated by the use of coupling plates 1 8 fixed to both end of each tie element 17; these coupling plates 18 will be described in more detail hereinafter.

Referring now to Figure 3, each socket fitting 1 5 comprises a central tubular stem 20 of square cross-section from which project four tubular stub arms 21. The stub arms 21 are welded to each other and to the stem 20 and are of rectangular cross-section. The top of the stem 20 is flush with the top of the stub arms 21 while the bottom of the stem 20 projects below the stub arms 21.

Each stub arm 21 is arranged to removably receive one end portion of a respective element 14. In order to render the upper surface of a support element 14 flush with the upper surface of the fitting 1 5 and thereby provided a flat upper surface to the framework bed 11, the end portions of the elements 1 4 are rebated as shown, the dimensions of the elements 14 being such that the rebated end portions are a snug fit inside the stub arms 21. Conveniently, the internal dimensions of the stub arms 21 are chosen such that the support elements 14 can be constituted by standard sized timbers (for example, a two by three inch timber).

The upper end portion of each leg 13 is formed as a square cross-sectioned spigot 22 surrounded by an annular shoulder 23. The spigot 22 is dimensioned to be a snug fit inside the tubular stem of a socket fitting 1 5, the lower end face of the stem 20 being arranged to seat on the shoulder 23 of the leg 13.

With the described form of socket fitting 15, four support elements 14 and a leg 13 can be connected to one another in a manner fixing their mutual orientations, simply by the insertion of the end portions of the elements 14 and leg 13 into the corresponding sockets defined by the stub arms 21 and stem 20 of the fitting 15.The fixing of the mutual orientations of the elements 14 and leg 1 3 by each socket fitting 1 5 results from the snug fitting of the elements 14 and leg 13 into their corresponding sockets in the fitting 1 5. If desired, the elements 14 and leg 13 can be positively locked in position in a fitting 1 5 either by means of screws inserted through holes 40 (shown dashed) in the side walls of the stub arms 21 and stem 20 and screwed into the wood of the elements 14 and leg 13, or by means of through bolts passing between opposite walls of the stub arms 21 and stem 20 through machined apertures in the end portions of the elements 14 and leg 1 3 (such screws and through bolts are not shown in the drawings).

The socket fitting 1 5 shown in Figure 3 is a five-way fitting in that it is provided with four stub arms 21 arranged to receive respective support elements 14, and one stem 20 arranged to receive corresponding leg 1 3. Such a fitting 1 5 is suitable for use in the central zone of the framework bed 11; however, four-way socket fittings (three stub arms 21 and one stem 20) and three-way socket fittings (two stub arms 21 at right-angles and one stem 20) can be provided for use along an edge and at a corner respectively of the framework bed 11.

Figures 4 to 6 show a base plate 1 6 of the stage. This base plate comprises a plate member 24 arranged to rest on the floor 12, and a short length of circular rod 35 welded to the upper surface of the plate member 24. The lower end of each leg 1 3 is provided with a metal shoe 26 (see Figure 7).The bottom wall 27 of each shoe 26 is formed with a groove 28 which is shaped and dimensioned to seat on the length of circular rod 25 of a base plate 1 6 such as to provide a pivotal connection between the leg 1 3 carrying the shoe 26 and the base plate 1 6. Since the socket fittings 1 5 fix the mutual orientations of the components connected thereby, the stage is not rendered a mechanism by the provision of the pivotal connections between the legs 13 and the base plate 1 6 but remains a fixed-configuration structure.

To ensure that a leg 13 does not slip off the circular rod 25 of a base plate 16 in the axial direction of the rod, upstanding retaining plates 29 are preferably welded onto the plate member 24 at a short distance from both ends of the rod 25. The plate member 24 can be formed with holes 30 to enable the base plate 1 6 to be secured to the floor 12 by means of screws or nails; it should, however, be noted that in general the weight of the stage will itself ensure that the base plates do not move over the floor 12.

The retaining plates 29 may be provided with aligned holes 41 for receiving a locking pin, nail or bolt which passes through the leg 13 to locate the latter rigidly relative to the base plate 16, after the erection of the stage.

The legs 1 3 are preferably made of the same size of timber as the support elements 14; in the present example this results in each leg timber having to be substantially reduced in size at its upper end for it to fit into the stem 20 of a socket fitting 1 5. Advantage can be taken of this fact by offsetting the spigot 22 towards one side of a leg 1 3 and then arranging this spigot to be turned towards the higher end of a sloping state when in use; in this manner, the point of loading of the upper end of the leg 13 is brought more nearly into line above the lower end of the leg thereby minimising the moment transmitted by the leg.

Figure 8 shows in detail the form of a coupling plate 1 8 used to connect one end of a tie element 17 to a support element 14. As can be seen, the coupling plate 18 simply comprises a plate member which at one end carries a projecting pin member 31. The plate member is secured by screwing to the end portion of a tie element 1 7 such that the end of the coupling plate 18 carrying the pin member 31 projects beyond the end of the tie element 1 7. The end portion of the element 1 7 is rebated such that the top surface of the coupling plate 18 lies flush with the top surface of the element 17.The pin member 31 is arranged to engage in a blind hole formed midway along a support element 14, the zone of the element 14 around the hole being recessed and reinforced by a pre-drilled metal plate (not shown) secured to the element 14 such that the upper surface of the coupling plate 18 lies flush with the upper surface of the support element 14.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the platform members 10, support elements 14, socket fittings 1 5, legs 13 and base plates 1 6 together constitute the components of a staging system which can be used to construct a stage of almost any desired shape and size, the form of fittings 1 5 making erection and subsequent dismantling of the stage a relatively easy matter.

It will, of course, be understood that the number and length of the support elements 14 can be set as required to give a desired stage shape and size and it is not necessary to be limited to a uniform grid pattern for the framework bed 11. The length of the legs 13 is chosen to give a required height of the stage above the floor 12; variations in level of the floor 1 2 present no particular problems since each leg 13 can be appropriately dimensioned to take account of such variations.

Furthermore, by progressively decreasing or increasing the length of the legs 13 in one direction across the stage, the stage can be given a desired slope with the legs 1 3 tilting on their base plates 1 6 as necessary. Should it be desired to erect a stage in which the slope of the stage changes from one slope to another, then this can be achieved by the provision of socket fittings 1 5 in which the stub arms 21 are appropriately angled relative to one another rather than having their axes lying in the same plane. Specifically, the stub arms 21 could be fixed at specific angles to each other in the plan view of the fitting 15, for example, to allow the support of angled edge or corner parts of the stage.

The structural rigidity of an erected stage will generally be enhanced by the fact that the platform members 10 will normally be screwed down onto the support elements 14 to prevent the platform members 10 from squeaking as a result of movement over the stage.

The described stage and staging system can be used in many applications, notably in theatres and in other situations where it is desired to erect a temporary platform both.quickly and with the minimum of expense. After use, the stage can be dismantled and stored away in basic component form until required again. Since the platform members 10, the legs 13 and the support elements 14 are perfectly flat or straight, without extraneous fittings, they are well adapted for compact storage when not in use.Moreover, since the components determining the shape, size, slope and height of the stage (the elements 14 and 17 and the legs 13) are all of wood, it is a relatively simple matter to effect variations in the stage parameters, the more expensive metal components (the fittings 15, the base plates 16 and the coupling plates 18) being designed to be used each time the stage is erected regardless of its parameters.

Various modifications to the described stage are of course possible. For example, a stepped stage structure can be formed by utilising some of the socket fittings 15 to provide support for platform members 10 as described, while the supporting legs 13, of appropriate (in this case, square) cross-section pass through the tubular stems 20 of the fittings 1 5 and project upwardly beyond the latter to support further platform members at another level or levels. Each socket fitting 1 5 may be located securely on the respective leg 13 by means of a metal collar, affixed to the leg, for example by bolts, screws, nails or clamps, and providing a stop surface on which the socket fitting 1 5 rests and is supported.

The collar can be slid along the leg 13 and fixed to the latter at any desired position to form the required stop surface.

Other possible modifications include the pivoting of each leg 13 at its upper end rather than its lower end (each leg in this case being held in a fixed upstanding position by its associated base plate 16 and pivotally engaging the associated fitting 15). In certain applications where variation in stage slope is not required, each leg 1 3 can rigidly engage both its associated base plate and its associated socket fitting 1 5.

Claims

Claims

1. A staging system comprising platform members, elongate support elements, multi-way socket fittings for interconnecting said support elements into a framework bed upon which the platform members are mountable, basefittings, and a plurality of legs each of which has an upper end portion releasably engageable in, or integral with, a said base fitting whereby to enable said framework bed to be supported at a desired height above a surface upon which the base fittings are placed, said socket fittings being arranged to removably receive the end portions of the support elements in such a manner that in use of the staging system the support elements are constrained to lie in fixed mutual orientations, and at least one end portion of each leg being arranged to engage the corresponding fitting such that the leg is constrained against rotation relative to that fitting.

2. A staging system according to Claim 1, wherein the legs and support elements are made of wood and the fittings of metal.

3. A staging system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein both end portions of each leg are arranged to-engage their associated fittings such that the leg is constrained against rotation relative thereto.

4. A staging system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the upper end portion of each leg is arranged to pivotally engage a corresponding said socket fitting.

5. A staging system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the lower end portion of each leg is arranged to pivotally engage a corresponding said base fitting.

6. A staging system according to Claim 5, wherein each base fitting comprises a flat plate with an upstanding bar of circular or part-circular cross-section orientated such that its axis lies parallel to the plane of the plate, said bar being arranged to iocate in a groove formed either directly in the lower end of a said leg or in a shoe carried by the lower end portion of the ieg.

7. A staging system according to any one of Claim 3, 5 or 6, wherein each socket fitting takes the form of a central tubular stem for receiving the upper end of a leg, and a plurality of stub arms projecting out from the stem and arranged to receive support-element end portions, the stub arms being either tubular or channel-section in form.

8. A staging system according to Claim 7, wherein the stub arms and stem of each socket fitting are so arranged that in the assembled state of the staging system, the support elements run in two perpendicular directions with the legs extending down at right angles to the support elements.

9. A staging system according to Claim 7 or Claim 8, wherein the upper end portion of each leg is formed with a shoulder arranged to engage the annular lower end face of the stem of a socket fitting.

1 0. A stage which is dismantlable for storage and comprises a plurality of platform members carried on an underlying framework bed which is supported at a desired height above the ground or floor level by means of legs pivotal at their lower ends on respective base plates, said framework bed comprising a plurality of elongate support elements interconnected by multi-way socket fittings into which the end portions of said elements are removably inserted, the upper end of each said leg being removably inserted into a respective said socket fitting and each said fitting serving to hold the support elements and leg inserted therein in fixed mutual orientations, the slope of the stage being determined by the slope of the underlying ground or floor and the respective lengths of said legs.

11. A staging system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A dismantlable stage substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Search report issued 20/10/82.

Superseded Claims 1 New or Amended Claims:

1. A staging system comprising platform members, elongate support elements, multi-way socket fittings for interconnecting said support elements into a framework bed upon which the platform members are mountable, basefittings, and a plurality of legs each of which has an upper end portion releasably engageable in a said socket fitting and a lower end portion engageable in, or integral with, a said base fitting whereby to enable said framework bed to be supported at a desired height above a surface upon which the base fittings are placed, said socket fittings being arranged to removably receive the end portions of the support elements in such a manner that in use of the staging system the support elements are constrained to lie in fixed mutual orientations, and at least one end portion of each leg being arranged to engage the corresponding fitting such that the leg is constrained against rotation relative to that fitting.