GB2438469A - An accessory tray for use with a scaffold system - Google Patents

Abstract

An accessory tray, for use in connection with a scaffold tower, comprising a base 1 and four sides 2. One side 2e, referred to as the back, is extended upward and curved at a point 3 to form an engaging means for a horizontal scaffold pole or rail. The tray also has a bracket 4 for engaging with a vertical scaffold pole offering the tray support and stability. The tray may also be compartmented to form a storage section 5 to accept tools and accessories.

Description

<p>AN ACCESSORY TRAY FOR USE WITH A SCAFFOLD TOWER</p>

<p>The present invention is a tray which can be easily attached, particularly but not exclusively to a scaffold tower of the type used on building sites and constructed from a series of connected round scaffolding poles. The tray is simply placed in position without the need for further fixing. The tray is intended for the temporary storage of tools and accessories so as to make them easily accessible to anyone using the tower or scaffold.</p>

<p>Keeping working tools easily to hand has long been a problem for persons working on scaffold particularly the easily moveable tower systems which tend to be self supporting and mobile. These systems unlike semi permanent scaffold arrangements are often moved about many times in a working day, sometimes by just pushing them along on their own built in wheels and sometimes by disassembling them and reassembling them in a different location. Wheeled scaffold towers in particular tend to be designed for ease of dismantling they are constructed from standard round scaffold poles and are too large to be equipped with the built in storage features often found in smaller and lighter aluminium type folding workstation type arrangements.</p>

<p>There are many solutions in the art to the problems associated with accessibility of tools when working on ladders, roofs and folding work platform assemblies. A few example are given as follows: -US 5 052 581 Is a typical ladder accessory tray which is specifically designed to hook on to the flat rung of a ladder and is held in position by a support stay which in turn is screw clamped on to a lower rung. Typically this type of tray has a hole for taking paint containers.</p>

<p>US 2005 029 041 Is a roofing accessory tray designed with a stay support system which can be adjusted to suit different roof angle.</p>

<p>CN 1 572 994 Is an aluminium work platform equipped with a utility tray specially designed for that particular platform and incorporating support stays fixed to the main structure of the platform.</p>

<p>There are many other trays to be found in the art and the above are given as examples only, but it can be seen that each these is very specific in their intended use. The roofing tray provides a solution only for roofs, the ladder tray is intended to be part of a particular type of ladder and the folding platform incorporates it's own tray as part of the assembly. However none of these tray systems is suitable for use on a building site in conjunction with a standard round pole scaffold system.</p>

<p>The present invention is designed to be used with any standard round pole scaffold system as used on the majority of building sites today though it is envisaged that the majority of applications for the invention will be using the tray in conjunction with a mobile scaffold tower. In this application the tray is particularly useful providing storage for material which would otherwise be lying around ones feet and causing a safety hazard.</p>

<p>According to the invention there is provided a tray consisting of a base and four sides, one side of which is extended upwards and curved to follow the profile of a standard scaffold pole so that this curved portion will engage with a horizontal scaffold pole.</p>

<p>In a second preferable feature of the invention Support brackets are provided to stabilise and support the tray which in use would be resting upon an adjacent vertical pole, these brackets are provided on the left and right hand side of the tray to provide for left and right hand mounting.</p>

<p>In a third preferable feature of the invention various moulded shapes may be included to hold and segregate miscellaneous small parts.</p>

<p>The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example with reference to the drawings in which: -Figure 1 Shows the tray with a moulded shape incorporated for the storage of miscellaneous small parts.</p>

<p>Figure 2 Illustrates the tray in use on a mobile scaffold tower where the nearest top horizontal longitudinal support has been made transparent in order to illustrate the tray which would otherwise be obscured.</p>

<p>Referring now to figure 1, The tray has a base 1 and four sides 2, these sides identified as the front 2a, the left side 2c, the right side 2b and the back 2e.</p>

<p>The back of the tray is extended upwards and curved at 3, to wrap around the scaffold pole on which it is mounted.</p>

<p>The tray is further equipped with a side support or bracket 4 shown on the right hand side and this bracket would be repeated on the left hand side.</p>

<p>In use the tray is shown in figure 2. This figure illustrates a conventional scaffold tower which is normally found on building sites. Construction of the scaffold tower is usually two vertical ladder like sides 6a and b, joined by a horizontal platform 8 and at the top by two stabilising horizontal bars 9a and b.</p>

<p>In this illustration the horizontal bar 9a has been shown transparent at one end so as not to obscure the view of the scaffold tray in position on the top right hand side of the scaffold tower. The curved portion 3, of the scaffold tray is show engaged with the horizontal bar 10 and the bracket 4 can be seen resting on the vertical support 11 which forms the side of end piece 6b.</p>

<p>It will be understood that the illustration shown of the scaffold tray is just one example of the possible layout of such a tray there being an infinite combination of possible configurations for internal layout of the tray.</p>

<p>In this particular embodiment Figure 1 shows a storage section 5, designed to accept accessories such as rotary drills and the like.</p>

<p>It should also be understood that there are a variety of different forms of construction for the tray itself and that the present invention is intended to encompass any design where the tray is fixed by gravity to a horizontal bar.</p>

<p>This could include a hook means attached to a tray.</p>

<p>A further extension of the design is intended to encompass any tray where the tray is stabilised by engaging by any means with one vertical member of the scaffold tower. In a design not show in the drawings for example the tray is moulded to engage the body of the tray with the vertical pole 11.</p>

Claims (1)

1. <p>CLAIMS</p>

   <p>1. An accessory tray for use with a scaffold tower consisting of a base and four sides where at least one of said sides includes means for engagement with a horizontal scaffold pole.</p>

   <p>2. An accessory tray as claimed in claim I in which said means for engagement with a horizontal scaffold pole is provided by extending at least one of the said four sides and forming it so that in use it engages with a horizontal scaffold pole.</p>

   <p>3. An accessory tray as claimed in claim I or claim 2 which is provided with means for engaging with a vertical scaffold pole.</p>

   <p>4. An accessory tray as claimed in claim 3 in which the said means for engaging with a vertical scaffold pole consists of a bracket * . extending from on of the sides of the tray positioned so that in use it *. rests upon a horizontal scaffold pole. *S*. * .. * . I Is. S</p>

   <p>5. An accessory tray as claimed in any previous claim which is divided * : internally so that in use the contents of the tray may be segregated. 5.I*</p>

   <p>I</p>

   <p>* *SS.. * I</p>