MX2008008436A - Slidable beam anchor - Google Patents

Abstract

A slidable beam anchor (100) has an elongate member (101) including a plurality of notches (105) along which at least one engaging member (130) is adjustable along the length of the elongate member (101) with an adjustment member (155) protected within a cavity (137) of the engaging member (130) below the elongate member (101) to prevent accidental release of the adjustment member (155) from the notch (105) of the elongate member (101).

Description

SLIDING BEAM ANCHOR FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sliding beam anchor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Several occupations put workers in precarious positions at relatively dangerous heights, creating the need for a safety fall protection device. Among other things, such an apparatus usually includes a security line interconnected between a support structure and a person working close to the support structure. During the construction of steel frame structures, for example, a slideway anchor, as is known and shown in the U.S. Patent. No. 6,962,234, it is commonly secured to an edged structural beam such as an I-beam and a tie-down connects the sliding beam anchor and a safety harness worn by a worker to protect the worker from a fall. Sliding beam anchors should not impede the ability of workers to perform tasks. Therefore, sliding beam anchors must be easily slidable along the length of the beam without having to trap or weld on the beam. In addition, the sliding beam anchors should also be lightweight and easy to secure and disconnect from the beam. Even more, sliding beam anchors should not be unintentionally uncoupled. The present invention addresses the problems associated with prior art devices and provides a sliding beam anchor which is light weight, which is easily slidable along the length of a beam, and is easily insurable and disconnectable from the beam, and it is not unintentionally uncoupled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION One aspect of the present invention provides a sliding beam anchor for anchoring a tie to a beam including an elongate member and at least one coupling member. The elongated member has a length, a first end, a second end, and a plurality of samples extending along at least a portion of the length proximate at least one of the ends. At least one coupling member includes a housing defining a quality in which an adjustment member is rotatably connected to the housing. The adjustment member has a closing portion and an activation portion and is rotatable between a coupled position and a released position. The closure portion engages one of the plurality of notches in the engaged position, and the closure portion engages the plurality of notches in the released position. The adjustment member is fully protected within the cavity when in the engaged position thereby preventing accidental release of the adjustment member from one of the plurality of notches. Another aspect of the present invention provides a slidable beam anchor for anchoring a tie to a beam including an elongate member, a first coupling member, and a second coupling member. The elongate member has a length, a first end, a second end, and a plurality of notches extending along at least a portion of the length near at least one of the ends. The first coupling member is slidably operatively connected to the first end. The first coupling member has a housing, a cavity and an adjustment member. The cavity is positioned within the housing and the adjustment member is positioned within the cavity and operatively connected in a rotatable manner to the housing. The adjustment member has a closing portion and an activation portion and is rotatable between a coupled position and a released position. The coupled position is when the closure portion engages one of the plurality of notches, and the released position is when the adjustment member is moved so that the closure portion disengages from one of the plurality of notches. The adjustment member is completely protected within the cavity in the engaged position to prevent accidental release of the adjustment member from one of the plurality of notches. The first coupling member is adjustable along the length of the elongated member. The second coupling member is operatively connected to the second end, wherein the beam is coupled by the first coupling member and the second coupling member to slidably connect the beam anchor thereto. Another aspect of the present invention provides a sliding beam anchor for anchoring to a beam to a beam including an elongate member and at least one coupling member. The elongate member includes a length, a first end, a second end, and a plurality of notches that extend along at least a portion of a bottom surface near at least one of the ends. At least one coupling member operatively connects slidably to one of the ends and includes a housing and an adjustment member. The housing includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion is configured and arranged to slidably engage the elongated member, and the lower portion includes a first side and a second side extending downwardly from the upper portion near a lower surface of the elongated member. The first side and the second side define a cavity between them. The adjustment member is operatively connected in a rotatable manner within the cavity between the first side and the second side. The adjustment member has a closing portion and an activation portion and is rotatable between a coupled position and a released position. The adjustment member is tilted in the engaged position. The closure portion extends upwardly and is configured and arranged to engage some of the plurality of notches within the housing when the adjustment member is in the engaged position. The activation portion extends downward and is configured and engaged to move inwardly relative to one of the ends which thereby causes the closure portion to move downward to decouple one of the plurality of notches to be in the released position. The closure portion and the activation portion are within the housing cavity in the engaged position thereby completely protecting the adjustment member within the housing in the engaged position. The housing and elongated member protect the adjustment member from accidental release of one of the plurality of notches by the lashing during use of the sliding beam anchor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a sliding beam anchor constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; Figure 2 is a front view of the sliding beam anchor shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a top view of the sliding beam anchor shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a side view of the sliding beam anchor shown in Figure 1; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of one end of the sliding beam anchor taken along lines 5-5 in Figure 3; Figure 6 is a top view of an elongate member of the sliding beam anchor shown in Figure 1 with hidden lines showing a plurality of notches in the lower surface of the elongated member; Figure 7 is a side view of the elongate member shown in Figure 6; Figure 8 is a front view of the elongate member shown in Figure 6; Figure 9 is a side view of a sliding beam anchor coupling member shown in Figure 1; Figure 10 is a front view of the coupling member shown in Figure 9; Figure 11 is a front view of a plate member of the sliding beam anchor shown in Figure 1; Figure 12 is a slidable view of the plate member shown in Figure 11; Figure 13 is a front view of a sliding beam anchor adjustment member shown in Figure 1; Figure 14 is a bottom view of the adjustment member shown in Figure 13; Figure 15 is a side view of the adjustment member shown in Figure 13; Figure 16 is a side view of a spring of the sliding beam anchor shown in Figure 1; Figure 17 is a front view of the spring shown in Figure 16; Figure 18 is a side view of an interconnecting member of the sliding beam anchor shown in Figure 1; Figure 19 is a front view of the interconnection member shown in Figure 18; Figure 20 is a front view of a slide beam anchor connector shown in Figure 1; Figure 21 is a side view of the connector shown in Figure 20; Figure 22 is a side perspective view of a slidable beam anchor constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention in a dockable position; and Figure 23 is a side perspective view of the sliding beam anchor shown in Figure 12 in a released position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED MODE A sliding beam anchor constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is designated by the numeral 100 in the drawings. The sliding beam anchor 100 is configured and arranged to slidably engage a beam such as an I-beam with an upper edge and a lower edge, and the sliding beam anchor 100 can be attached to the upper edge or lower edge of the beam. beam to provide an anchor point for a worker who performs tasks near the beam. It is recognized that the I-beam can be placed in several orientations also suitable for use with the sliding beam anchor 100. For example, the I-beam can also be oriented so that the edges extend along the sides of the beam rather than along the top and bottom of the beam in which case the sliding beam anchor 100 can be attached to either side of the beam. In addition, the sliding beam anchor 100 can also be used with a T-shaped beam with a single edge in various orientations also suitable for use with the sliding beam anchor 100. The sliding beam anchor 100 is described in the orientation in FIG. which will be when it is connected to the upper edge of the beam, but it is recognized that the sliding beam anchor 100 can also be oriented so that it can also be connected to the edge of a beam in various orientations. Therefore, the orientations can be adjusted accordingly. The sliding beam anchor 100 includes an elongate member 101, a connector assembly 109, and at least one coupling member 130. The elongate member 101 preferably is a bar having a generally circular cross section that includes a first end 102, a second end 103, and an intermediate portion 104 between the end end 102 and the second end 103.

The first end 102 includes a hole 102a extending laterally through this near the terminal end and a hole 102b extending diagonally from a middle portion of the terminal end down to the bottom of the first end 102 near the orifice 102a The second end 103 includes a hole 103a extending laterally through this near the terminal end. The holes 102a, 102b, and 103a show in FIGS. 6-8 A fastener 106 extends through the holes 102a and 103a and each fastener 106 is secured to the respective ends 102 and 103 The labels 123 can be connected to the elongated member 101 with a ring 122 through the hole 102b The inteiate portion 104 includes an opening 104a near a middle portion of the inteiate portion 104 that is extends from the bottom of to bring the half of the elongate member 101 closer. On the bottom surface along the longitudinal axis of the elongate member 101 is to a plurality of notches 105 The plurality of notch 105 is preferably located between the hole 102a and the opening 104a and the hole 103a and the opening 104a enter, but it is recognized that the plurality of notch 105 may be close to one end or the other different from near both ends of the elongated member 101 if only one coupling member 130 is used The plurality of notch 105 extends laterally from one side to the other side, which preferably has a perpendicular surface 105a on the side of the notch 105 further near the respective end 102 or 103, an inclination surface 105b on the side of the notch 105 in addition to the respective end 102 or 103, and an upper surface 105c along the upper part of the notch 105 which is connected to the perpendicular surface 105a and tilt surface 105b as shown in Figure 8. Connector assembly 109 includes a connector 110 and an interconnection member 115. Connector 110 is preferably a D-shaped ring that includes a ring portion 111 having an opening 113 and a connecting portion 112 having a slot 114 as shown in Figures 20 and 21. Interconnecting member 115 preferably it is U-shaped both from a side view and from a front view as shown in Figures 18 and 19. The interconnecting member 115 includes a bottom 119 and an upper portion 118 having a first end 118a and a second end 118b, which are interconnected by the bottom 119 to form a U-shape as shown in the side view in Figure 18. Between the first end 118a and the second end 118b is an opening 117a in a cavity 117 defined by the bottom 119 and ends 118a and 118b The interconnect member 115 also includes a 116 extending from the bottom 119 in the upper portion 118 to form another U shape and divide the bottom 119 in a first portion 119a and a second portion 119b as shown in the front view in Figure 19. Either of the portions 119a or 119b is inserted through the slot 114 of the connector 110 so that the connector 110 is close to the top 118 of the interconnect member 115. A fastener 120 is inserted into the slot 116 near the bottom 119 and in the opening 104a to connect the interconnect member 115 to the elongate member 101, thereby connecting the connector 110 to the elongate member 101. The anchor sliding beam 100 includes at least one coupling member 130. Preferably two coupling members 130 are used, only one of which must be slidable along the length of elongated member 101 near the plurality of notch 105. Alternatively, a coupling member 130 is used with another coupling member that is secured to elongated member 101. Coupling member 130 includes a slidable member 131, plate members 145, and an adjustment member 155. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the slidable member 131 is preferably a U-shaped member that includes an upper portion 132 and a lower portion 134. The upper portion 132 is preferably cylindrical and sleeve-like having a hole 133 through which the elongate member 101 is formed. extends and is slidable through this. An upper part 132a and a bottom 132b define the hole 133, the upper part 132a which is placed on the elongated member 101 and the bottom 132b which is placed under the elongate member 101. The bottom 132b does not extend the whole shape to the side of the member slidable 131 closer to the respective end 102 or 103 of the elongated member 101. The lower portion 134 extends downwardly under the elongated member 101 from the upper portion 132 near the middle of the upper portion 132 and the side closest to the respective end 102 or 103 The lower portion 134 includes a first side 135, a second side 136, and an interconnecting side 138 The first side 135 and the second side 136 extend downwards parallel to each other from near the front and rear of the elongated member 101, and interconnecting side 138 interconnects the first side 135 and the second side 136 near the side of the slidable member 131 further from the respective end 102 or 103 The first and second side 135 and 136 are preferably L-shaped with the upper portion of "L" tapering down towards the lower portion of "L" and the lower portion "L" extending away from the respective end 102 or 113 of that form, the upper portion of the upper portion is wider than the bottom of the upper portion of "L". The upper portion 132 extends parallel to the lower portion of "L", which thus defines a U-shaped member that has an opening 142 configured and arranged to engage the edge of the beam between the releasable members 131 near each end 102 and 103 The interconnecting side 138 includes a protrusion 138a extending between the sides 135 and 136 from the lower corner of "L" "at an angle down towards the underside closest to the respective end 102 or 103 A cavity 137 is defined between the first and second sides 135 and 136, the interconnection side 138, and the protrusion 138a The first and second sides 135 and 136 include corresponding openings 139, 140, and 141. The opening 139 extends through the lower portion 134 near the lower portion 132b of the upper portion 132 and the interconnecting side 138. The opening 140 extends through the openings. the lower portion 134 near the opening 139. The opening 141 extends through the lower portion 134 near the end of the lower portion of "L". The plate members 145 are generally U-shaped plates that correspond to the portion of the slidable member 131 that defines the opening 142. A plate member 145 is operatively connected to the front and back of each slidable member 131. A middle portion 148 is interconnected to an upper portion 146 and a lower portion 147 to form the U-shape defining an opening 151. The upper portion 146 is positioned near the bottom 132b of the upper portion 132, the lower portion 147 is positioned near lower "L" portion of the lower portion 134, and the middle portion 148 is positioned near the upper "L" portion of the lower portion 134. The opening 151 corresponds to the opening 142. The plate members 145 include openings 149 corresponding to the opening 139 and openings 150 corresponding to the opening 141 through which fasteners can be inserted to operatively connect the plate members 145 to the slidable members 131. An adjustment member 155, which preferably is a ratchet, includes an activation portion 156 and a closure portion 162. The activation portion 156 includes a contact portion that interconnects a first side 157 and a second side 158, which extend outwardly from the contact portion to define a cavity 159 therebetween. Near the union of the activation portion and the closure portion 162 is an opening 160 that extends through the first and second side 157 and 158. The closure portion 162 extends outwardly from the activation portion 156 in a angle and includes an end 163 corresponding to the surface 105a, 105b, and 105c of the plurality of notches 105. A spring 168 includes a first end 169 and a second end 170 interconnected by a spiral portion 171 that defines an opening 172 as shown in Figures 16 and 17. Spring 168 it fits within the cavity 159 of the adjusting member 155 so that the opening 172 corresponds to the opening 160 and the first end 169 extends between the opening 160 and the closing portion 162 and the second end 170 extends along the the contact portion 161. The opening 160 of the adjustment member 155 and the opening 172 of the spring 168 correspond to the opening 140 of the slidable member 131, and a fastener is inserted through these openings 140, 160, and 172 to connect them operatively . The spring 168 tilts the adjusting member 155 so that the closure portion 162 tilts upward to engage one of the plurality of notches 105. The activation portion 156 must move inward to overcome the force of the spring 168 to rotate the member. of adjustment 155 on the fastener which thereby moves the closure portion 162 downwardly to disengage the closure portion 162 from the notch 105. When the slide member 131 is pushed inward towards the connector assembly, the adjustment member 155 can rotate to release the closure portion 162 from the notch 105 because the end 163 can slide on the inclination surface 105b, but the slide member 131 can not be pushed out toward the respective end 102 or 103 without manually pushing the activating portion 156 inwardly to move closure portion 162 away from notch 105 because end 163 may not slip on the surface perpendicular 105a. The closure portion 162 and the plurality of notch 105 are configured and arranged so that the end 163 can slide on the inclination surface 105b by simply pushing the slide member 131 toward the connector assembly 109 but can not slide on the perpendicular surface 105a by pushing the slidable member 131 towards the respective end 102 or 103. The adjusting member 155 is completely protected within the cavity 137 when the closing portion 162 engages the notch 105. Because the bottom 132b does not extend all the way next to the slidable member 131, the adjusting member 155 can engage the notches 105 within the cavity 137. The sides 135 and 136 and the interconnecting side 138 protect the adjusting member 155 within the cavity 137, which includes the portion of closure 162 when coupled to notch 105. Protection of full adjustment member 155 in the engaged position ensures that adjustment member 155 is not released accidentally from the notch 105. If the closure portion 162 is exposed, the closure portion 162 may catch an object such as a tie, a lifeline, a worker's shoe, or any number of other objects to cause the closing portion 162 moves and releases notch 105 thereby allowing slidable member 131 to slide toward respective end 102 or 103 and release the edge of the beam which thereby releases the anchor point of the system of fall protection. Because the adjustment member 155, which includes the closure portion 162, is protected by the sides 135 and 136 and the interconnection side 138 in the engaged position, the worker must access the activation portion 156 within the cavity. 137 to release the adjustment member 155 from the notch 105. Furthermore, because the adjustment member 155 is placed under the elongate member 101, the elongated member 101 protects the release member 155 from accidental release because it is not accessible for the aforementioned objects. Therefore, the adjustment member 155 must be accessed under the elongate member 101 and within the cavity 137.

In operation, the sliding beam anchor 100 is positioned near the edge of a beam. The coupling members 130 are positioned near the end ends of the respective ends 102 and 103. The fasteners 106 act as stops so that the coupling members 130 can not slide out of the ends 102 and 103 of the elongate member 101. Coupling members 130 slide inward toward the connector assemblies 109 so that the edges of the beam are placed within the openings 142 and the coupling members 130 engage the edge of the beam. A mooring or beam line is operatively connected to the connector 110. The worker can perform tasks near the beam, and the sliding beam anchor 100 can slide along the length of the beam. When it is desired to disconnect the sliding beam anchor 100 from the beam, the worker can place a finger within the cavity 137 to press the activation portion 156 inwardly towards the connector assembly 109, which causes the closure portion 162 to move downward and release from notch 105. Figure 22 shows adjustment member 155 in a mated position, in which adjustment member 155 is completely protected within cavity 137, and Figure 23 shows the positioning member. setting 155 in a released position. In order to move and release the closure portion 162 from the groove 105, it may be necessary to first push the coupling member 130 inward to allow the closure portion 162 to clean the perpendicular surface 105a on the side of the groove 105 closer to the end. respective 102 or 103. In the released position, the coupling members 130 can slide outwardly close to the clip 106 of the respective end 102 or 103. The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims appended hereto.

Claims (9)

1. - A sliding beam anchor for anchoring a beam to a beam, comprising: a) an elongate member having a length, a first end, a second end, and a plurality of notches extending along at least one portion of the length near at least one of the ends; and b) at least one coupling member including a housing defining a cavity in which a fitting member is rotatably connected to the housing, the adjustment member having a closure portion and an activation portion and which is rotatable between a position coupled and a released position, the closure portion engages one of the plurality of notches in the engaged position, the closure portion is decoupled from the plurality of notches in the released position, wherein the adjustment member is fully protected within the cavity when in the engaged position thereby preventing accidental release of the adjusting member from one of the plurality of notches.

2. The sliding beam anchor according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of notches extends along at least a portion of a lower surface of the elongate member, the housing extends downwardly from the vicinity of the member elongated, the elongate member and the housing protecting the adjustment member in the engaged position.

3. - The sliding beam anchor according to claim 1, wherein the coupling member moves in a first inward direction to allow the closing portion to clean one of the plurality of notches before the activation portion is moved in. a second inward direction for moving the closure portion from the coupled position downwardly away from the plurality of notches to the released position.

4. The sliding beam anchor according to claim 1, further comprising: a) at least one engagement member slidable or operatively connected to the first end, the first engagement member has a housing, the cavity, and the member of adjustment, the cavity being positioned within the housing and the adjustment member being positioned within the cavity and operatively connected in a rotatable manner to the housing, the engaged position being when the closing portion engages one of the plurality of notches, the released position when the adjustment member is moved so that the closure portion is decoupled from one of the plurality of notches, the adjustment member is protected within the cavity in the engaged position to prevent accidental release of the adjustment member from one of the plurality of notches, at least one coupling member being adjustable along the length of the elongate member, and b) a second member of coupling operatively connected to the second end, wherein the beam is coupled by at least one coupling member and the second coupling member to operatively connect slidably the beam anchor thereto.

5. The sliding beam anchor according to claim 4, wherein the housing extends downwardly near the elongated member and the cavity is placed under the elongated member, the elongate member furthermore helps to prevent accidental release of the limb member. adjustment of one of the plurality of notches.

6. The sliding beam anchor according to claim 4, wherein the second coupling member is operatively connected slidably to the second end.

7. The sliding beam anchor according to claim 4, further comprising an interconnecting member interconnecting a connector and the elongated member, the connector near a top surface of the elongated member and which is configured and arranged for operatively connected to the mooring, the plurality of notches extends along at least a lower portion of the elongate member, the housing extends downward from the vicinity of the elongate member, the elongated member and the housing protecting the adjustment member in the engaged position thereby preventing accidental release of the adjustment member from one of the plurality of notches by the lashing during use of the beam anchor.

8. The sliding beam anchor according to claim 4, wherein the activation portion is accessible through an opening in the housing, wherein when the activation portion moves in an inward direction, the portion of closure moves from the coupled position downward away from the plurality of notches to the released position.

9. The sliding beam anchor according to claim 8, further comprising: a) the housing that includes an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion being configured and arranged to slidably engage the elongate member, the portion of the lower portion; The lower side includes a first side and a second side extending downwards from the upper portion near a lower surface of the elongate member, the first side and the second side define the cavity therebetween, the adjusting member being operatively connected in a rotatable manner within the cavity between the first side and the second side, and b) the adjusting member being biased in the engaged position, the closure portion extends upwards and is configured and arranged to engage one of the plurality of notches within the housing when the adjustment member is in the engaged position, the activation portion extends downward and configures and arranges to move it is inwardly relative to one of the ends which thereby causes the closure portion to move downwards to uncouple one of the plurality of notches to be the released position, the closing portion and the activation portion being inside of the housing cavity in the engaged position thereby protecting the adjustment member within the housing in the engaged position, the housing and the elongate member protect the adjustment member from accidental release of one of the plurality of notches by the mooring during use of the sliding beam anchor.