GB2563070A

GB2563070A - Working apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2563070A
Application number: GB1708832.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jon Massey Christopher
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-06-02
Filing date: 2017-06-02
Publication date: 2018-12-05
Also published as: GB201708832D0

Abstract

The extension apparatus 16 includes an elongate member 18 with a tool mounting arrangement 46 at an upper end thereof, in use, to mount a tool, for instance a drill 50. A ground engaging base arrangement 26 is provided with a pedal section 36 which an operator can use to urge the drill upwardly against the concrete panel 10. The apparatus facilitates accessing high work areas with a tool, for instance, to create drain holes 12 in a concrete panel 12. The base arrangement may include a cranked member with the apex of the crank engaged in use on the ground, with one end of the crank connected to the elongate member, and the other end as a pedal, whereby an operative may press down on the pedal to urge the elongate member upwardly.

Description

Working Apparatus

This invention concerns working apparatus to enable working at height by an operative spaced below.

In a number of instances it is necessary for work to be carried out at height. For instance such work may include draining holes in concrete panels used as floors in buildings. Such panels generally include a plurality of spaced holes in a regular pattern across the width of the panel. Such holes tend to fill with water and require draining. Otherwise such water can seep out over time, leading for instance to damp ceilings and other potential problems.

Conventionally it is necessary to use scaffolding for workers to drill above their heads to drain such holes. This work can be unpleasant, time consuming and hazardous. Working above one’s head can be difficult, and debris and trapped water can fall onto workers. Such water can be corrosive due to the alkalinity of the concrete. Therefore such work is at least unpleasant if not hazardous for workers. With scaffolding it is necessary to dismantle and move the scaffolding when drilling a number of such holes, and if moving for instance between rooms it may be necessary to at least partially dismantle the scaffolding.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is providing working apparatus to enable working at height by an operative spaced below, the apparatus including an elongate member with a tool mounting arrangement at am upper end thereof in use, and a ground engagable base arrangement with which an operative can engage to urge the elongate member and hence tool mounting arrangement upwardly.

The base arrangement may be configured such that an operative can engage therewith with one of their feet to urge the elongate member upwardly.

The base arrangement may include a cranked member, with the apex of the crank engageable in use on the ground, with one end of the crank connected to the elongate member, and the other end acting as a pedal, such that an operative can press down with their feet on the other end to urge the elongate member upwardly.

The elongate member may be pivotally connected to the one end of the crank member.

The working apparatus may include control apparatus to enable an operative to control a tool in the tool mounting arrangement.

The working apparatus may include a handle extending from the elongate member to facilitate control of the working apparatus by or adjacent an operative. The control apparatus may include a control part provided on the handle, which control apparatus may be operatively connectable to a tool in the tool mounting arrangement.

The elongate member may be length adjustable and may include a telescopic component. The elongate member may be collapsible for storage and/or transportation.

The tool mounting arrangement may be configured so as to enable an electric drill to be mounted therein.

The apparatus may include an electric drill in the tool mounting arrangement.

The apparatus may include a waste receiving unit for receiving material dislodged during working using the apparatus. The waste receiving unit may include a suction unit for sucking material into a receptacle or otherwise, which waste material may include liquid and/or solids.

The waste receiving unit may include a receiving member which surrounds a drill bit of the drill.

The apparatus may include a marking tool for marking on a ceiling, for instance where holes should be drilled. The marking tool may include a transverse member with a plurality of spaced markers each to provide a mark on the ceiling corresponding to where holes should be drilled.

The marking tool may include a spaced pair of engagement members engageable with the ceiling and extending from the transverse member beyond the spaced markers, the engagement members being spring urged such that as the elongate member is urged upwardly against the spring urging of the engagement members, the markers are bought into contact with the ceiling to produce marks thereon.

The markers may be in the form of pens.

The apparatus may include a fixing locator tool for locating a wall plug or screw anchor in a hole to subsequently receive a screw, the fixing locator include a projection to locate a wall plug or screw anchor thereon such that the wall plug or screw anchor can be pushed into the hole as the elongate member is urged upwardly.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view through a concrete panel;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of working apparatus according to the invention;

Figs 3 and 4 are detailed parts as ringed in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a similar view to Fig. 2 but with part of the apparatus removed;

Figs. 6 and 7 are diagrammatic side and perspective views of an upper part of the apparatus of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of part of the apparatus of Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic side view of a lower part of the apparatus of

Fig. 2;

Figs. 10 and 11 are diagrammatic perspective views of lower parts of the apparatus of Fig. 2;

Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view showing the apparatus of Fig. 2 in use;

Fig. 13 is a further perspective view of a further tool usable with the apparatus of Fig. 2;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a still further tool usable with the apparatus of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of an upper part of the tool of Fig. 14 in use.

Fig. 1 diagrammatically shows a concrete panel 10 usable for instance as a floor and/or a ceiling. As can be seen a plurality of through holes 12 are provided in the panel 10 which can fill up with water 14 as indicated. As noted above it is desirable to drain this water 14 from the holes 12, but conventionally this has proved to be a difficult and unpleasant job.

Figs. 2 to 12 show a working apparatus 16 for working at height to for instance drain the holes 12 in the concrete panel 10. The apparatus 16 includes an elongate member 18 which as shown has upper 20 and lower parts 22 joined by a central part 24 in a telescopic manner to enable the length of the elongate member 18 to be varied for working with different height ceilings.

A ground engaging base arrangement 26 is provided pivotally mounted to the lower end of the lower part 22. The base arrangement 26 includes a first part 28 which pivotally mounts at one end to the lower end of the lower part and extends to a transversely extending apex part 30 with two faces 32/34 inclined at approximately 135°to each other. One of the faces 32 is substantially coplanar to the first part 28 and is ground engaging in a rest condition as shown in Fig. 11. A pedal section 36 extends from the opposite side of the apex part 30 and is inclined upwardly in the rest condition as shown for instance in Fig. 11. The pedal section 36 is parallel to the other face 34. In use the elongate member 18 can be urged upwardly by a user pressing down usually with one of their feet, on the pedal section 36 causing the base arrangement 26 to pivot about the apex part 30 urging the elongate member 18 upwardly.

Towards an upper end of the lower part 22 of the elongate member a handle 38 is provided to enable a user to hold the elongate member 18 in position. The handle 38 is mounted on the elongate member 18 by a collar 40 position of the handle 38 on the elongate member 18 could be adjustable. A trigger arrangement 42 is mounted to the handle 38 and has a cable 42 extending upwardly therefrom.

A tool mounting arrangement 46 is provided on the upper end of the elongate member upper part 20, and includes a bracket 48 for receiving a drill 50. A ratchet strap 52 can be provided on the bracket 48 for retaining a drill 50 thereon as shown in Fig. 8. A pivotally mounted transverse bar 52 is provided connected to the bracket 48 and also connected to the cable 44, such that pulling on the cable 44 by operation of the trigger arrangement 42, causes the bar 52 to pivot downwardly thereby engaging against a switch 54 on the drill 50 held in the bracket 48 by the ratchet strap 52.

A debris receiving collar 60 is adjustably mounted to an upper end of the bracket 48 so as to be able to surround a drill bit 62 on the drill 50, and may be in the form of a flexible member with a bellows configuration. A hose 64 extends from a lower end of the collar 60 and can lead to a wet and dry vacuum cleaner 66 which could be worn for instance by an operative 68 as shown in Fig. 12.

Fig. 12 shows the working apparatus 16 in use with an operative 68 having one hand on the handle 38 and trigger arrangement, and another hand holding the elongate member 18 at a higher point. As can be seen the user 68 has a foot 70 on the pedal section 36 such that pushing down thereon would urge the elongate member 18 and hence drill 50 held on the bracket 50, upwardly. The user 68 can operate the drill 50 with the trigger arrangement 42 such that a hole can be drilled in the ceiling above the user, with debris from the drilling being collected in the collar 60 and passing down to the vacuum cleaner 66.

Therefore as shown the user 68 can carry out drilling above his head whilst standing on the ground, with debris being collected from the drilling. This therefore makes the process of drilling for instance into the holes 12 in a concrete panel 10, a much more straightforward, safe and pleasant job, than as described above, and alleviates the requirement for scaffolding or working at height in any way.

Fig. 13 shows a marking tool 72 mountable at the upper end of the elongate member 18, in place of the tool mounting arrangement 46. The marking tool 72 includes a transverse elongate member 74 which extends perpendicularly relative to the elongate member 18. As shown the transverse elongate member 77 mounts seven marker pens 76, which pens 76 are adjustably mounted on the transverse member 74 such that they can be located in required positions and spacings. Engagement members 78 are provided at each end of the transverse elongate member 74. Each engagement member 78 comprises a plate 80 extending transversely relative to the transverse elongate member 74. Each plate 80 is spring mounted in a holder 82, such that in a rest position the plates 80 extend above the marker pens 76.

In use the apparatus with the marking tool 72 can be located in a required position. Pressing on the pedal section 36 will cause the elongate member 18 to rise. As the plates 80 on the engagement members 78 engage against the ceiling, these will be pressed into the holders 82 such that the pens 76 will come into contact with the ceiling providing markings at required places to drill.

Figs. 14 and 15 show a locator tool 84 mountable on the elongate member 18 in place of the tool mounting arrangement. The locator tool 84 can locate a wall plug 86 or screw anchor into a hole to permit for example an item to be mounted thereto. The locator tool includes an upwardly extending elongate member 88 with at its upper end a projection 90 of a size to locate the wall plug 86 or screw anchor thereon. The apparatus 16 can then be used in a similar manner with the elongate member 18 being urged upwardly by pressing on the pedal section 36 to urge the wall plug 86 or screw anchor into the hole until the wall plug/screw anchor 36 is gripped in the hole. The locator tool 84 can then be lowered leaving the wall plug/screw anchor 36 in place.

There is thus described apparatus which enables a number of tasks to be carried out at height by a user standing on the ground. The apparatus is however of relatively straightforward construction and can thus be manufactured inexpensively to provide long term operation, to provide a range of tasks in different locations. With the length of the elongate member being adjustable a tool can operate at different heights. The different parts of the apparatus can also be disassembled for transportation or storage.

It is to be realised that other tasks could be carried out using 10 appropriate tools or apparatus, such as for instance filling holes.

A wide range of other modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance the drill or another tool held by the apparatus could be controlled differently, and could be controlled remotely. A different arrangement may be provided for collecting material. A different configuration for the elongate member and/or base arrangement could be used.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims

1. Working apparatus to enable working at height by an operative spaced below, the apparatus including an elongate member with a tool mounting

5 arrangement at an upper end thereof in use, and a ground engagable base arrangement with which an operative can engage to urge the elongate member and hence tool mounting arrangement upwardly.

2. Working apparatus according to claim 1, in which the base

10 arrangement is configured such that an operative can engage therewith with one of their feet to urge the elongate member upwardly.

3. Working apparatus according to claim 2, in which the base arrangement includes a cranked member, with the apex of the crank

15 engageable in use on the ground, with one end of the crank connected to the elongate member, and the other end acting as a pedal, such that an operative can press down with their feet on the other end to urge the elongate member upwardly.

20

4. Working apparatus according to claim 3, in which the elongate member is pivotally connected to the one end of the cranked member.

5. Working apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, in which the working apparatus includes control apparatus to enable an operative to

25 control a tool in the tool mounting arrangement.

6. Working apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, in which the working apparatus includes a handle extending from the elongate member to facilitate control of the working apparatus by or adjacent an operative.

7. Working apparatus according to claim 6 when dependent on claim 5, in which the control apparatus includes a control part provided on the handle.

8. Working apparatus according to claims 5 or 7, in which the control apparatus is operatively connectable to a tool in the tool mounting arrangement.

9. Working apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, in which the elongate member is length adjustable.

10. Working apparatus according to claim 9, in which the elongate member

10 includes a telescopic component.

11. Working apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, in which the elongate member is collapsible for storage and/or transportation.

i— 15

12. Working apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, in which the tool mounting arrangement is configured so as to enable an electric drill to

Ί” be mounted therein.

1

13. Working apparatus according to claim 12, in which the apparatus

20 includes an electric drill in the tool mounting arrangement.

14. Working apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, in which the apparatus includes a waste receiving unit for receiving material dislodged during working using the apparatus.

15. Working apparatus according to claim 14, in which the waste receiving unit includes a suction unit for sucking material into a receptacle or otherwise, which waste material may include liquid and/or solids.

30

16. Working apparatus according to claims 14 or 15 when dependent on claims 12 or 13, in which the waste receiving unit includes a receiving member which surrounds a drill bit of the drill.

17. Working apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, in which the apparatus includes a marking tool for marking on a ceiling, for instance where holes should be drilled.

18. Working apparatus according to claim 17, in which the marking tool includes a transverse member with a plurality of spaced markers each to provide a mark on the ceiling corresponding to where holes should be drilled.

10

19. Working apparatus according to claim 18, in which the marking tool includes a spaced pair of engagement members engageable with the ceiling and extending from the transverse member beyond the spaced markers, the engagement members being spring urged such that as the elongate member is urged upwardly against the spring urging of the engagement members, the

15 markers are bought into contact with the ceiling to produce marks thereon.

Ί” 20. Working apparatus according to claims 18 or 19, in which the markers are in the form of pens.

20

21. Working apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, in which the apparatus includes a fixing locator tool for locating a wall plug or screw anchor in a hole to subsequently receive a screw.

22. Working apparatus according to claim 21, in which the fixing locator 25 includes a projection to locate a wall plug or screw anchor thereon such that the wall plug or screw anchor can be pushed into the hole as the elongate member is urged upwardly.