GB2456863A

GB2456863A - Shaft gate

Info

Publication number: GB2456863A
Application number: GB0823243A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher Robert Cole
Original assignee: EASI EDGE Ltd
Current assignee: EASI EDGE Ltd
Priority date: 2008-01-25
Filing date: 2008-12-22
Publication date: 2009-07-29
Anticipated expiration: 2028-12-22
Also published as: GB0801402D0; GB0823243D0; GB2456863B

Abstract

A shaft gate 1 is provided for temporary location in a rectangular access point 9 to a shaft to a lift or other shaft. The gate 1 comprises a rectangular frame 3, 4, 5, 6 and a displaceable side abutment member 7 which allows the gate to be held against the jambs 11 of the access point 9. The gate is spragged in situ against the jambs 11. The gate also comprises a top member 14 adjustably connected to sides 5, 6 of the frame so that the gate 1 can be fitted to a range of different height access points 9. The frame may be of box section material. The abutment member 7 may be an infill panel. One abutment member 7 may be provided each side of the gate. Adjustment means for the abutment member and the top member may be screw means. There may be one top member each side of the gate. A hinged door may be provided between the sides of the frame. The door may be of mesh or may be of parallelogram linkage openwork structure which raises to open.

Description

Title of the Invention

Shaft gate.

Field of the invention

This invention relates to a shaft gate particularly, but not exclusively, for temporary location at a rectangular access point to a lift or other shaft in the course of construction of a high rise building, the access point being where the lift doors would later be installed.

Background of the Invention

In the construction of buildings of more than a few floors either of commercial or domestic premises, there is a requirement for installation of a lift, requiring a shaft extending from ground floor or a basement to the upper floors. Clearly, the presence of such a shaft, and in particular the rectangular access point to the shaft at every floor level, presents a safety hazard to workers on all floors, and the installation of rudimentary fencing has provided some degree of protection. However, it is not uncommon for the shaft to be used, before installation of components of the lift, for the supply of building materials to upper floors, and possibly the removal of debris to ground level, hence requiring access.

Object of the Invention A basic object of the present invention is the provision of an improved gate for temporary location in the vicinity of an access point of a lift, or other shaft, in the course of construction of high rise building.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention there is provided a shaft gate for temporary location in a rectangular access point to a lift, or other shaft, in the course of high rise building construction comprising:- (i) a rectangular frame comprising an upper beam and a parallel lower beam interconnected by parallel, upright side columns; (ii) at least one side beam being provided with a laterally displaceable abutment member, with means to adjust, within limits, the lateral position of this member, whereby the gate may be spragged, in situ, against the jambs of a rectangular access point to a lift shaft; and (iii) a top member connected to an upright side column in an adjustable manner, whereby the gate may be fitted, within limits, to a range of different height access points.

Advantages of the Invention The shaft gate in accordance with the invention may be pre-fabricated and delivered on site for ready installation to close off an otherwise open access point to a lift shaft.

Similarly, removal of the shaft gate e.g. for installation of lift doors may rapidly be effected by a reverse procedure releasing the or each abutment strip or pad from the jambs of the access opening.

Preferred or optional features of the Invention The upper and lower beams, and the side columns, are of box section material.

The, or each laterally displaceable abutment member takes the form of an inf,ll panel.

The, or each infihl panel is provided with top and bottom spigots adapted to shidably engage top and bottom sockets carried by the rectangular frame.

A range of infill panels of various widths is provided, to suit a range of lift access point widths.

A hinged door is supported from one of the parallel side columns.

The shaft gate, in addition or as an alternative to its hinged door, has an additional safety gate.

The safety gate is of openwork construction, whereby operatives may reach through the safety gate to gain access to the shaft during the raising of building materials and/or the lowering of debris.

The openwork structure is provided by a top bar, a parallel middle bar, and a parallel bottom bar, all connected at each end to common side struts.

The bottom bar is constituted by a kickflat or kickstrip extending upwardly e.g. by 100mm from the floor.

The connection of the bar ends to the side struts is via pivot pins whereby the safety gate comprises a parallelogram linkage structure with a handgrip whereby, by grasping the handgrip the safety gate may be raised to provide unobstructed access to the lift shaft.

The safety gate is counterbalanced by at least one gas strut connected between a portion of the rectangular frame and a portion of the linkage structure.

A top member is provided at each upright side column.

Each top member is provided with a downwardly directed spigot, adapted to be slidably engaged in a socket fixed to the upper end of each upright side column, with means to secure the spigots in user-selected positions to set the height of the top members and hence the height of the shaft gate.

The means to secure the spigots with respect to their receiving sockets may be a screw means whereby, the upper beam is, within limits, infinitely adjustable.

An abutment member is provided on both side beams.

The means to adjust the, or each abutment member comprises a screw means.

A screw means is provided at both the top and the bottom of the, or each side beam.

Each screw means comprises a hexagonally headed bolt or stud and an associated nut.

The upper and lower beams are of hollow section to slidably or telescopically receive a spigot or stub shaft attached to the, or each abutment strip or pad, whereby the latter is slidably carried by the upper and lower beams.

The rectangular frame is of welded steel construction.

The hinged door comprises a rectangular frame with at least one wire mesh panel, whereby an operator may see through the hinged door.

The upper beam is provided with at least one upward projection for location against an upper portion of the access point.

Two spaced-apart upward projections are provided.

The or each upward projection is provided with at least one through hole to receive a fixing bolt or stud passing into concrete etc above the access point, should it be thought necessary to additionally secure the shaft gate by bolting to adjacent concrete etc structure.

The lower beam is provided at each lateral side, with a cleat or other member.

The cleats are each provided with at least one through hole, to receive a fixing bolt or stud passing into concrete etc. adjacent the bottom of the access point whereby should it be thought necessary the lower beam and hence the lower end of the shaft gate may be bolted to a portion of a concrete floor adjacent the access point.

Brief Description of the Drawings

One example of lift shaft gate in accordance with the invention is shown by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure 1 is a front elevation of a shaft gate in partly exploded form; Figure 2 shows the shaft gate of Figure 1 fitted across a rectangular access point of a lift shaft; Figures 3, 4 and 5 are, respectively a front elevation, side elevation, and rear elevation of the hinged door of Figures 1 and 2; Figures 6, 7 and 8 are, respectively a front elevation, side elevation and top plan of the left hand side-beam of Figures 1 and 2; Figures 9 and 10 detail the safety gate of Figures 1 and 2; Figures 11, 12 and 13 are, respectively exploded front elevation, and opposite side elevations of the rectangular frame of the shaft gate of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 14 is a top plan of Figure 13; Figure 15 is a section on the line XV-XV of Figure 14; and Figures 16, 17 and 18 show adjusting screw details.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

In the drawings a lift shaft gate 1 has a rectangular frame 2 with an upper beam 3 and a parallel lower beam 4 interconnected by parallel upright side columns 5, 6, the side columns each having a laterally displaceable abutment member in the form of an infill panel 7 with a screw means 8 (Figures 5 and 6) to adjust the position of the panels 7, whereby the gate I may be sprigged in a rectangular access point 9 to a lift shaft 10 against the vertical jambs 11 of the access point 9.

A socket 12 is provided at the upper end of each column 5, 6, to receive a spigot 13 of a top member in the form of a strut 14 adjustable, within limits, with the upper end of each strut 14 carrying an angle piece 15 adapted to engage a right angle corner of a lintel portion 16 of the access point 9, whereby the gate 1 may additionally be sprigged against the lintel portion 16, the struts 14 being secured in their selected extended positions by screws 17.

A hinged door 18 is provided, supported on one upright side column 6, and additional to the hinged door 18, there is provided a safety gate 19. The safety gate 19 is of openwork construction whereby with the door 18 open, operatives can reach through the safety gate 19 to gain access to the shaft during the raising of building materials up the lift shaft 10 and/or the lowering of debris down the lift shaft 10. The safety gate 19 has a top bar 20, a parallel middle bar 21 and a parallel bottom bar 22 each pivotally connected at one end to a link bar 23 and at their other ends to a side column 5.

The bars 20, 21, 22 and 23 form as a parallelogram linkage structure with a handgrip 24, to allow the safety gate 19 to be raised as and when unobstructed access to the lift shaft 10 is required, whilst the weight of the safety gate 19 is counterbalanced by a gas strut 25 pivotally connected between the safety gate 19 and the upright side column 5.

On the lower beam 4, the gate 1 has flanges 26 extending horizontally from the beam 4, the flanges 26 having drilled holes to allow the gate to be bolted to the floor adjacent the access point 9 to the lift shaft 10.

Figures 16-18 indicate the rectangular box section of upper beam 3 (lower beam 4 being of the same material) and an adjusting screw 27, whilst the upright beams 5 and 6 are indicated of "L"-section material.

For an access point 9 of such a width that one or both infill panels 7 are required, spigots 28 of the panels 7 are dimensioned to be a sliding fit within the rectangular box section of the upper and lower beams 3, 4.

Claims

Claims 1. A shaft gate for temporary location in a rectangular access point to a lift, or other shaft, in the course of high rise building construction comprising:- (i) a rectangular frame comprising an upper beam and a parallel lower beam interconnected by parallel, upright side columns; (ii) at least one side beam being provided with a laterally displaceable abutment member, with means to adjust, within limits, the lateral position of this member, whereby the gate may be spragged, in situ, against the jambs of a rectangular access point to a lift shaft; and (iii) a top member connected to an upright side columns in an adjustable manner, whereby the gate may be fitted, within limits, to a range of different height access points.
2. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the upper and lower beams, and the side columns, are of box section material.
3. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the, or each laterally displaceable abutment member takes the form of an infill panel.
4. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the, or each infill panel is provided with top and bottom spigots adapted to slidably engage top and bottom sockets carried by the rectangular frame.
5. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein a range of infill panels of various widths is provided, to suit a range of lift access point width. * 8
6. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 3 and any claim appended thereto, wherein an infihl panel is provided at each side of the shaft gate.
7. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 3 and any claim appended thereto, wherein the means to adjust the or each infill panel comprises a screw means.
8. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 7, wherein a screw means is provided at both the top and the bottom of the/or each side column.
9. A shaft gate as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a hinged door is supported from one of the parallel side columns.
10. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 9 and any claim appended thereto, wherein the hinged door comprises a rectangular frame with at least one wire mesh panel, whereby an operator may see through the hinged door.
11. A shaft gate as claimed in any preceding claim, provided with a safety gate.
12. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the safety gate is of openwork construction, whereby operatives may reach through the safety gate to gain access to the shaft during the raising of building materials and/or the lowering of debris.
13. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the openwork structure is provided by a top bar, a parallel middle bar, and a parallel bottom bar, all connected at each end to common side struts.
14. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 13, where the bottom bar is constituted by a kickflat or kickstrip extending upwardly e.g. by 100mm from the floor.
15. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 13 or Claim 14, wherein the connection of the top, middle and bottom bar ends to the side struts is via pivot pins, whereby the safety gate comprises a parallelogram linkage structures with a handgrip, whereby by grasping the handgrip the safety gate may be raised to provide unobstructed access to the lift shaft.
16. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 3 and any claim appended thereto, wherein the safety gate is counterbalanced by at least one gas strut connected between a portion of the rectangular frame and a portion of the linkage structure.
17. A shaft gate as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a top member is provided at IS each upright side column.
18. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 17, wherein each top member is provided with a downwardly directed spigot, adapted to be slidably engaged in a socket fixed to the upper end of each upright side column, with means to secure the spigots in user-selected positions to set the height of the upper beam and hence the height of the shaft gate.
19. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 18, wherein the means to secure the spigots with respect to their receiving sockets is a screw means, whereby the upper beam is, within limits, infinitely adjustable. l0
20. A shaft gate as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each top member is provided with at least one through hole to receive a fixing bolt or stud passing into concrete etc above the access point.
21. A shaft gate as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the lower beam of the rectangular frame is provided at each lateral side, with a cleat or other securing member.
22. A shaft gate as claimed in Claim 21, wherein the cleats are each provided with at least one through hole, to receive a fixing bolt or stud passing into concrete etc adjacent the bottom of the access point.
23. A shaft gate substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.