GB2293811A - Support Structures - Google Patents

Abstract

A support structure for a hoist 11 comprising two ground engageable support members 12, a track 13 along which the hoist 11 can run, the track being connected, or connectible, between the two support members so as, in use, to extend substantially horizontally at an elevated position, at least one stabiliser 17 comprising an elongate stabilising member which can be connected to, or engaged with, a wall or ceiling, means (27, 32) for supporting the stabilising member in a first orientation in which the stabilising member is relatively moveable substantially parallel to the track for connection to, or engagement with a wall and in a second orientation in which the stabilising member is relatively moveable substantially vertical to the track for connection to, or engagement with, a ceiling, and means for releasable fastening of the stabilising member against such movement. <IMAGE>

Description

Support Structures This invention relates to a support structure for a hoist, e.g. an invalid hoist.

It is known to secure a track for an invalid hoist to a ceiling. This is done when it is required to provide transportation of invalids on a permanent or semipermanent basis from one position to another, e.g. from a bed in a hospital ward to a toilet or bathroom. There are, however, occasions when it is required to support the track of an invalid hoist on a less permanent basis and, on such occasions, it is known to provide a support structure which comprises two or more spaced apart, ground engageable support members, e.g. A-frames, and to secure the track between these support members.

However, these known support structures leave something to be desired in terms of stability and the present invention seeks to provide a support structure which is more stable.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a support structure for a hoist, comprising two ground engageable support members, a track along which a hoist can run, the track being connected, or connectible, between the two support members so as, in use, to extend horizontally or substantially horizontally at an elevated position, at least one stabiliser comprising an elongate stabilising member which can be connected to, or engaged with, a wall or ceiling, means for supporting the stabilising member in a first orientation in which the stabilising member is moveable relative to the support members and track in a direction parallel or substantially parallel to the track for connection to, or engagement with, a wall and in a second orientation in which the stabilising member is moveable relative to the support members and track in a vertical or substantially vertical direction for connection to, or engagement with, a ceiling, and means for releasably fastening the stabilising member against such movement.

Preferably, the supporting means for the stabilising member comprises a sleeve in which the stabilising member is slidably movable and, in this case, releasable fastening means, e.g. in the form of a grub screw or the like, may be provided between the sleeve and the stabilising member.

Preferably, the support structure has two stabilising members. These may be extendible relative to the track in opposite directions for connection to, or engagement with, two opposing walls. In this latter case, the stabilising members are preferably supported above the track and offset laterally from one another.

The or each stabilising member may have connection means in the form of a plate-like element which can be connected to a wall or ceiling, such as by screws, or engagement means which can be clamped against the wall or ceiling. In the case of engagement means to be clamped against a wall, the support structure will have two stabilising members so that the clamping force of one stabilising member can be reacted by the other stabilising member.

Advantageously, the connection or engagement means is finely adjustable relative to the stabilising member, such as by mutually engageable screw threads.

Conveniently, the support members are in the form of A-frames.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a support structure for a hoist, comprising two ground engageable support members, a track along which a hoist can run, the track being connected, or connectible, between the two support members so as, in use, to extend horizontally or substantially horizontally at an elevated position, two elongate stabilising members which can be connected to, or engaged with, a wall and means for supporting the stabilising members for movement, in use, relative to the support members and track and for releasably fastening the stabilising members against such movement, the two stabilising members being extendible relative to the track in opposite directions for connection to, or engagement with, two opposing walls and the stabilising members being supported above the track and offset laterally from one another.

The invention also comprises a hoist in combination with the support structure, the hoist comprising a body transversible, preferably by motorised means, along the track, a winch and a flexible elongate element which can be extended and retracted by the winch. In this case, the lower end of the flexible elongate element is preferably provided with a sling attachment device, and more particularly but not exclusively, with an attachment device for a body support sling.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a supporting structure according to the invention, showing the stabilisers in a retracted condition; Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the stabilisers in an extended condition; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the stabilisers extended in an alternative orientation; Figure 4 is a side view, partly sectioned, of one of the stabilisers on an enlarged scale; and Figure 5 is a side view of a fixing member which can be used as an alternative to the clamping member shown in Figures 1 to 4.

Referring to the drawings, the supporting structure shown therein is in the form of a gantry 10 supporting an invalid hoist 11.

The gantry comprises two A-frames 12 and a track 13 connected therebetween. Each A-frame comprises two inclined legs 14, a cross-member 15 and a bracket 16. The brackets 16 are secured to opposite ends of the track 13, such as by welding, and each bracket 16 is connected to the upper ends of two legs 14 by bolts. The cross-member 15 is connected to the two legs 14 also by bolts.

The gantry also comprises two stabilisers 17. Each stabiliser (see, in particular, Figure 4) comprises an elongate, tubular stabilising member 18, a plug 19 push fitted in one end of the stabilising member 18, a threaded collar 20 having a projecting sleeve 21 welded in the other end of the stabilising member 18 and a clamping member 22. The clamping member 22 comprises a pad 23, a threaded rod 24 threadably engaged with the collar 20 and a lock nut 25. The pad 23 is connected to the outer end of the threaded rod 24 by a ball joint 26 to allow limited universal movement of the pad 23 relative to the rod 24. The position of the pad 23 relative to the stabilising member 18 is finely adjustable by releasing lock nut 25 and rotating the rod 24 relative to the collar 20.

Each stabiliser 17 also comprises a plate 27 to which is secured a sleeve 28 for slidably receiving a respective stabilising member 18. The two plates 27 are connected to the upper ends of the two A-frames 12, respectively, by bolts so that the sleeves 28 are disposed above the track 13. The sleeves 28 are offset from the centre of respective plates 27 so that the two stabilising members 18 are offset laterally from one another and are slidably extendible and retractable in a direction parallel to one another and to the longitudinal extent of the track 13. Grub screws 29 co-operate with threaded apertures in the sleeves 28 to releasably secure the stabilising members 18 in selected positions relative to respective sleeves 28.

When the gantry has been erected, the stabilising members 18 may be extended in opposite directions until the pads 23 engage two opposing walls. The grub screws 29 can then be tightened to lock the stabilising members 18 in position.

Any fine adjustment to increase the clamping force, can be made by loosening one or both lock nuts 25 and rotating one or both rods 24 relative to respective collars 20.

The clamping member 22 can be replaced by a fixing member 30 (see Figure 5) if desired. The fixing member 30 comprises a fixing plate 31 secured to the end of a threaded rod 24'. The plate 31 has screw holes (not shown) so that the plate can be screwed to a wall. This fixing member 30 is used instead of the clamping member 22 when it is not possible or inconvenient to clamp between two walls. In this case, one of the stabilising members 18 is left in a retracted condition.

Angled brackets 32 (see Figure 3) are provided so that one or both stabilisers 17 can be clamped against, or fixed to, the ceiling. The angled bracket(s) 32 is/are bolted between A-frame(s) 12 and plate(s) 27. The orientation of the stabilisers can, therefore, be changed at will according to the location of the support structure.

The hoist 11 comprises a body 40 transversible along the track 13 by motor driven wheels (not shown) inside the track, a motorised winch (not shown) inside the body 40 and a flexible elongate element 41 which is extended and retracted by the winch. A sling attachment device, such as is described in GB 2272679A, may be secured to the free end of the element 41.

The hoist is intended primarily as an invalid hoist but may have other applications.

The embodiment described above is given by way of example only and various modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, only one stabiliser may be provided for fixing to a wall or for clamping against, or fixing to, a ceiling.

Claims (15)

1. A support structure for a hoist, comprising two ground engageable support members, a track along which a hoist can run, the track being connected, or connectible, between the two support members so as, in use, to extend horizontally or substantially horizontally at an elevated position, at least one stabiliser comprising an elongate stabilising member which can be connected to, or engaged with, a wall or ceiling, means for supporting the stabilising member in a first orientation in which the stabilising member is moveable relative to the support members and track in a direction parallel or substantially parallel to the track for connection to, or engagement with, a wall and in a second orientation in which the stabilising member is moveable relative to the support members and track in a vertical or substantially vertical direction for connection to, or engagement with, a ceiling, and means for releasably fastening the stabilising member against such movement.

2. A support structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting means for the stabilising member comprises a sleeve in which the stabilising member is slidably movable.

3. A support structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the releasable fastening means is provided between the sleeve and the stabilising member.

4. A support structure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein there are two stabilising members.

5. A support structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the two stabilising members, when in said first orientation, are extendable relative to the track in opposite directions for connection to, or engagement with, two opposing walls.

6. A support structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the stabilising members are supported above the track, and offset laterally from one another.

7. A support structure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the or each stabilising member includes connection means in the form of a plate-like element which can be connected to a wall or ceiling, such as by screw.

8. A support structure as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6, wherein each stabilising member has engagement means which can be clamped against a respective wall, the clamping force of one stabilising member being reacted by the other stabilising member.

9. A support structure as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the connection or engagement means is finely adjustable relative to the stabilising member.

10. A support structure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support members are in the form of A-frames.

11. A support structure for a hoist, comprising two ground engageable support members, a track along which a hoist can run, the track being connected, or connectible, between the two support members so as, in use, to extend horizontally or substantially horizontally at an elevated position, two elongate stabilising members which can be connected to, or engaged with, a wall and means for supporting the stabilising members for movement, in use, relative to the support members and track and for releasably fastening the stabilising members against such movement, the two stabilising members being extendible relative to the track in opposite directions for connection to, or engagement with, two opposing walls and the stabilising members being supported above the track and offset laterally from one another.

12. A support structure for a hoist, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. A hoist in combination with the support structure of any one of the preceding claims, the hoist comprising a body transversible along the track, a winch and a flexible elongate element which can be extended and retracted by the winch.

14. The combination of claim 13, wherein the lower end of the flexible elongate element is provided with a sling attachment device.

15. The combination of claim 13, wherein the attachment device is for a body support sling.