GB2367326A

GB2367326A - Adjustable ceiling panel installation apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2367326A
Application number: GB0120262A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Young
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-08-24
Filing date: 2001-08-21
Publication date: 2002-04-03
Also published as: GB0020758D0; GB0120262D0

Abstract

The apparatus has a frame 1 to 5 on which a support cradle 7 for carrying a sheet of plasterboard is movable between a loading position and an installation position. An adjustable support strut 57 supports the support cradle 7 and allows for adjustment of the plane of the support cradle 7 to match the plane of the ceiling supports. The support cradle 7 may be moved by manually or electrically operated winch assembly 4.

Description

Title: Method and apparatus for use in fixing sheet material, especially plasterboard, to a ceiling DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to a method of fixing sheet material, especially plasterboard, for forming a ceiling and to apparatus for use in the method.

Plasterboard is the most common material for forming a ceiling surface. It is nailed to ceiling joists and then plastered by a plasterer. A typical sheet is 2,400 mm by 1,200 mm. One man cannot hold such a large sheet up to a ceiling and nail it in position without assistance. Most usually, at least one assistant is required so that the sheet can be held up to the ceiling and secured in place. At present if an installer is working alone he has no option but to cut the board into more manageable pieces which is undesirable, as it has the disadvantage of creating further joins which have to be covered with scrim before plastering, as well as making the job more time consuming.

The present invention aims to provide a solution.

Accordingly, the present invention provides apparatus for use in installing sheet material to form a ceiling, the apparatus comprising a frame provided with ground engaging support feet, a support cradle receiving, in use, the sheet material to be installed and defining a support plane therefore, the support cradle being moveably mounted with respect to the frame between a loading position and an installation position, and adjustment means to permit alignment of the support plane and hence the sheet material with the plane of the ceiling supports.

Conveniently the frame comprises an upright with respect to which the support cradle is moveably mounted. The support cradle is set to one side of the upright. In the installation position the support cradle extends beyond the upper extent of the upright.

The upright may be mounted adjustably with respect to a mounting post of the frame. Conveniently the upright comprises an elongate channel whose section is generally Cshaped. A carriage assembly cooperates with the upright and comprises first and second guide elements. Conveniently the first guide element cooperates with one side of the upright and preferably comprises wheel or roller means. The second guide element is disposed longitudinally offset below the first guide element and conveniently also comprises wheel or roller means which preferably engages with an opposite side of the upright. Preferably the first guide element is disposed at that side of the upright which is remote from the support cradle. In an alternative either or both of the first and second guide elements may be retained within the channel section.

Conveniently the support cradle is mounted pivotably with respect to the carriage assembly to allow the support cradle to be moved between a loading position in which the plane of the support cradle is inclined to the horizontal and typically approaching the vertical, and an intermediate position disposed in a plane parallel to the installation position, which in most cases will be substantially horizontal. A support strut is provided which acts between the support cradle and the carriage to support the support cradle in the aforesaid intermediate position. Conveniently, the support strut has a quick release connection with the carriage which facilitates rapid movement of the support cradle between the loading position and the intermediate position. The support strut may be provided with adjustment means to facilitate adjustment of the plane of the support cradle with respect to the plane of the ground engaging support feet. Alternatively, and/or additionally the ground engaging support feet may be adjustable to facilitate adjusting the plane of the support cradle to be substantially parallel to the plane of the ceiling supports. Conveniently, the ground engaging support feet comprise wheels and at least one of which may be of caster type to facilitate steering of the apparatus. A braking mechanism may be provided for the wheels. The aforesaid adjustment means and/or clearances in the connection between the carriage and the upright facilitate alignment of the sheet material with the ceiling supports.

Means is provided for elevating the support cradle when loaded with the sheet material to move it to the installation position. Conveniently the elevation means comprises a hand operated cable winch with ratchet provisions. Optionally an electrically powered motorised winch may be used. The winch is mounted to the frame and has a cable which runs over a pulley mounted to the upright and the remote end of the cable engages with the carriage to facilitate movement up and down the upright. By this means the sheet material can be raised into contact with the ceiling supports.

Another aspect of the invention provides a method of installing sheet material to ceiling supports to form a ceiling utilising the afore-described apparatus, the method comprising placing the sheet material on the support cradle in a loading position, elevating the support cradle to bring it and the sheet material into an installation position in which the sheet material is in contact with the ceiling supports, and fixing the sheet material to the supports.

The method preferably further comprises adjusting the plane of the support cradle to be substantially parallel to the plane of the ceiling supports and moving the sheet directly or indirectly to achieve the desired alignment of the sheet material with respect to the ceiling. This may be by movement of the sheet on the cradle or by movement of the apparatus as a whole or a combination thereof. The method further preferably comprises displacing the support cradle into an inclined loading position displaced substantially from a horizontal plane before lifting the sheet material onto the support cradle and thereafter displacing the support cradle from the inclined loading position to an intermediate position disposed substantially parallel to the installation position but displaced downwardly therefrom prior to raising the sheet material into the installation position. Once the material is installed, the movements of the apparatus are performed in reverse order ready for loading of the next sheet. The apparatus can be used for installing full size or reduced size sheets.

The present invention will now be described further, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings; in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus according to the invention, Figures 2 and 3 are side and plan views respectively of a carriage assembly used in the apparatus of Figure 1, Figure 4 is a plan view of a support strut using the apparatus of Figure 1, Figure 5 is a sectional side view on AA of Figure 4, Figures 6 is a plan view of the support cradle used in the apparatus of Figure 1, and Figure 7 is a sectional side view on AA of Figure 6.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus for use in installing sheet material for forming a ceiling comprises a frame made up of a mounting post 1, a pair of legs 3, which are connected to the post 1 by mounting brackets 2 and which splay outwardly therefrom, and an upright 5.

The apparatus further comprises a support cradle 7, for the sheet material and a carriage 9 to which the support cradle is pivotably connected, and which is moveably mounted for movement along the upright 5. A winch assembly 4 is provided for controlling movement of the carriage.

The upright 5 comprises an elongate member which has a generally C-shaped cross-section having an open mouth 13 bounded by side faces 15,17.

The carriage 9 comprises a channel section elongate member having side flanges 19, 21 connected by a base 22. Joumalled between the side flanges are first and second guide rollers 23,25. The first guide roller 23, engages one side 26 of the upright and the second guide roller 25 engages the other side of the upright, making contact with side faces 15, 17. The longitudinal offset positioning of the guide rollers permits the carriage to pivot about either of those rollers to a limited extent. An abutment element 31 has legs 32 which contact the inside of the channel to limit the pivotable movement of the carriage when loading. The abutment 31 is connected to the carriage by an adjustable strut 33, which passes through the open mouth 13 of the channel section upright 5.

The winch assembly comprises a rotatably winch body 35 mounted on the post 1 and carrying cable 37 which is arranged to pass over a pulley 39 mounted to the top of the upright and then down the channel. The free end 41 of the cable has a hook which engages with a convenient abutment of the carriage. The winch body incorporates a ratchet mechanism which acts to prevent desent of the carriage when loaded with sheet material.

The support cradle comprises an open framework having two main rails 43,45, connected by laterals 47,49. Laterals 47 carries a pair of drop plates 50 which are connected to the carriage at an upper end thereof by a pivot connection 51. Lateral 49 carries a yoke 53 which is connected by way of a pivot connection 55 to one end of a support structure 57. The other end of the support strut has a quick release connection 59 with the carriage. The support strut has length adjusting mechanism 61. The support strut has a pair of limbs 63,65 whose ends are provided with a respective quick release connection comprising a slot 66 with a hooked retention portion 68 to locate with respective projecting pegs 67 of the carriage. The carriage is received between the limbs 63, 65 and when the connection is released, the limbs can slide on the pegs 67. A cross bearer 71 limits the amount of sliding movement and hence the rest angle of the support cradle when in a loading position. The length of the strut determines the angle of the support cradle with respect to the upright when the quick release connection is engaged.

Additional transverse supports 73 project beyond the rails and will usually have a length approaching the length of the sheet material to be installed so as to limit the bending of the sheet. The rails have a length just greater than the width of the sheet to be installed. The ends 75,77 remote from the pivot connection each have a hole 78 to receive a releasable abutment peg 79.

The upright 5 is vertically adjustably moveable with respect to the post 1 and in use the upright is positioned on the support post so that its upper end terminates just short of the level of the ceiling. The support post has a plurality of spaced holes 80 to permit fitting of the upright in alternative positions. When it is desired to load a piece of sheet material onto the apparatus the support cradle and the support strut 57 is lifted slightly to enable the quick release connection to be displaced from the pegs 67 whereupon the support cradle can be pivoted downwardly about pivot connection 51 to a loading position in which the cross bar 71 engages the carriage 9 and causes the support cradle to lie at an angle of approximately 55'to the vertical-but could be any other angle. The releasable abutment peg 79 is fitted to the end of each rail. Where damage to the edge is to be avoided the pin can be replaced by a support peg/ledge which may bridge the two rails. A sheet is loaded onto the support ledge and rests against the support cradle whereupon the operator pivots the support cradle upwardly until the quick release connection engages with the peg 67. In this intermediate position the carriage will usually be in its lower most position in which sides of the carriage engage with a plate 80 secured to the top of the support post 1. The support pegs/ledge is then removed (at least where its height is greater than the thickness of the sheet material, otherwise it may be left in position and may be of fixed design). The installer then operates the winch to move the cradle up the upright and thereby raise the support cradle towards the ceiling level. Usually the installer will have carried out a trial installation without sheet material applied to the cradle in order to be able to adjust the plane of the support cradle to correspond to the plane of the ceiling by adjusting the length of the support strut using adjusting mechanism 61. The castors may also be adjustable to further fine tune the plane of the support cradle. However, as noted above, the cradle is received on the upright with some degree of freedom so as the cradle is raised up to the ceiling level with sheet material thereon, the winching action is such that, as the cradle contacts the ceiling, the clearances will allow movement of the carriage relative to the upright and thereby allow the sheet material to be brought into engagement with the ceiling, taking up any misalignment. Prior to the final engagement with the ceiling, the installer will move the apparatus to ensure that the sheet material is in the desired position to align with the ceiling joists and/or any adjacent sheet which have already been installed. The installer can then nail the sheet material to the ceiling joist.

Thereafter the cradle can be lowered to the intermediate position and subsequently to the loading position for repeating the operation.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Apparatus for use in installing sheet material to form a ceiling, the apparatus comprising a frame provided with ground engaging support feet, a support cradle receiving, in use, the sheet material to be installed and defining a support plane therefor, the support cradle being moveably mounted with respect to the frame between a loading position and an installation position, and adjustment means to permit alignment of the support plane and hence the sheet material with the plane of the ceiling supports.
2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the frame comprises an upright with respect to which the support cradle is moveably mounted and wherein the support cradle is set to one side of the upright.
3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which, in the installation position, the support cradle extends beyond the upper extend of the upright.
4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or 3 in which the upright is mounted adjustably with respect to a mounting post of the frame.
5. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 2,3 or 4 in which the upright comprises an elongate channel whose section is generally C-shaped.
6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5 and further comprising a carriage assembly which cooperates with the upright and comprises first and second guide elements.
7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which the first guide element cooperates with one side of the upright.
8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 in which the first guide element comprises wheel or roller means.
9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6,7 or 8 in which the second guide element is disposed longitudinally offset below the first guide element.
10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 in which the second guide element comprises wheel or roller means.
11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 or 10 in which the second guide element engages with an opposite side of the upright to the first guide element.
12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 in which the first guide element is disposed at that side of the upright which is remote from the support cradle.
13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, when appended to claim 5, in which either or both of the first and second guide element are retained within the channel section.
14. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 13 in which the support cradle is mounted pivotably with respect to the carriage assembly to allow the support cradle to be moved between a loading position in which the plane of the support cradle is inclined from the horizontal towards the vertical, and an intermediate position disposed in a plane parallel to the installation position.
15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 14 in which a support strut is provided which acts between the support cradle and the carriage to support the support cradle in the aforesaid intermediate position.
16. Apparatus as claimed in claim 15 in which the support strut has a quick release

connection with the carriage which facilitates rapid movement of the support ID cradle between the loading position and the intermediate position.
17. Apparatus as claimed in claims 15 or 16 in which the support strut is provided with adjustment means to facilitate adjustment of the plane of the support cradle with respect to the plane of the ground engaging support feet.
18. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the ground engaging support feet are adjustable to facilitate adjusting the plane of the support cradle to be substantially parallel to the plane of the ceiling supports.
19. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the ground engaging support feet comprise wheels and at least one of which is of caster type to facilitate steering of the apparatus.
20. Apparatus as claimed in claim 19 in which a braking mechanism is provided for the wheels.
21. Apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims and comprising means for

elevating the support cradle when loaded with the sheet material to move it to the ZD installation position.
22. Apparatus as claimed in claim 21 in which the elevation means comprises a hand operated cable winch with ratchet provisions.
23. Apparatus as claimed in claim 21 in which the elevation means comprises an electrically powered motorised winch.
24. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22 or 23 when appended to any one of claims 6 to 21, in which the winch is mounted to the frame and has a cable which runs over a pulley mounted to the upright and the remote end of the cable engages with the carriage to facilitate movement up and down the upright.
25. Apparatus constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
26. A method of installing sheet material to ceiling supports to form a ceiling utilising an apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising placing the sheet material on the support cradle in a loading position, elevating the support cradle to bring it and the sheet material into an installation position in which the sheet material is in contact with the ceiling supports, and fixing the sheet material to the supports.
27. A method as claimed in claim and further comprising adjusting the plane of the support cradle to be substantially parallel to the plane of the ceiling supports and moving the sheet directly or indirectly to achieve the desired alignment of the sheet material with respect to the ceiling.
28. A method as claimed in claim 27 in which alignment is adhered by movement of the sheet on the cradle or by movement of the apparatus as a whole or a combination thereof.
29. A method as claimed in any one of claims 25, 26 or 27 and further comprising displacing the support cradle into an inclined loading position displaced substantially from a horizontal plane before lifting the sheet material onto the support cradle and thereafter displacing the support cradle from the inclined loading position to an intermediate position disposed substantially parallel to the installation position but displaced downwardly therefrom prior to raising the sheet material into the installation position.
30. A method of installing sheet material substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.