US3727721A

US3727721A - Collapsible window scaffold

Info

Publication number: US3727721A
Application number: US00231635A
Authority: US
Inventors: W Kulesa
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-03-03
Filing date: 1972-03-03
Publication date: 1973-04-17
Anticipated expiration: 1990-04-17

Abstract

A scaffold which is positionable in a window opening to extend outward therefrom for supporting a workman and equipment exteriorally of a window mounted in the opening. The scaffold includes a platform having a flat surface, with a hook portion on one end of the platform and a pair of cross-bar holding ears adjacent to the hook. A cross-bar is removably mounted in the ears for engagement with the interior of a building wall. A safety rail is mounted on the platform adjacent to the end, extendable exteriorally of the window. A support brace is hingedly connected to the bottom of the platform and is engageable with the exterior of a building wall to support the platform. The support brace and the safety rail are interlocked when in an extended attitude, and both may be folded against the platform.

Description

United States Patent 1 Kulesa 1 Apr. 17, 1973 COLLAPSIBLE WINDOW SCAFFOLD Walter Kulesa, 2445 West Moffat, Chicago, Ill. 60647 [22] Filed: Mar. 3, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 231,635

[76] Inventor:

[52] U.S.Cl ..l82/62, 182/113 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47l 3/02 [58] Field of Search "182/57, 58, 59, 60, 182/61, 62, 113

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,601,471 9/1926 I Fowler ..l82/62 2,823,957 2/l958 Otani.. .....182/60 2,292,379 8/1942 Jirasek .....l82/62 3,010,534 11/1961 Borke ..l82/58 Primary Examiner-Reinaldo P. Machado Attorney-Anthony S. Zummer ABSTRACT A scafiold which is positionable in a window opening to extend outward therefrom for supporting a workman and equipment exteriorally of a window mounted in the opening. The scaffold includes a platform having a flat surface, with a hook portion on one end of the platform and a pair of cross-bar holding ears adjacent to the hook. A cross-bar is removably mounted in the ears for engagement with the interior of a building wall. A safety rail is mounted on the platform adjacent to the end, extendable exteriorally of the win- .dow. A support brace is hingedly connected to the bottom of the platform and is engageable with the exterior of a building wall to support the platform. The support brace and the safety rail are interlocked when in an extended attitude, and both may be folded against the platform.

3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures NT APR 1 1197s 7, 7 21 SHEET -3 OF 3 COLLAPSIBLE WINDOW SCAFFOLD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a particular form of scaffold, that is, one which is mountable in a window opening so that a platform extends outwardly from a window opening while a portion of the platform is secured inside the window opening. The scaffold construction is such that a workman may step out onto the scaffold to work on or about the window. Scaffolds of this general type are well-known. Individuals using a scaffold of this type are generally in a hurry to accomplish their job. Many scaffolds have provisions for safety devices, but a workman often fails to use a safety device for the sake of expediency. The result is that a workman may be seriously injured for failure to utilize a protective device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The scaffold which is the subject of the present invention is one which is adapted for mounting in a window opening. The present scaffold is collapsible in that it may be folded up into a compact unit to facilitate handling and for installation in a window opening. The scaffold construction is such that when the scaffold is installed in a window opening, the scaffold includes a guard rail which protects a workman who stands on the scaffold. The construction is such that in order to mount the scaffold in a window, the guard rail must also be erected, thereby requiring a workman to utilize a guard rail.

The scaffold includes a substantially flat platform which has a hook portion at one end. A pair of ears is mounted adjacent to the hook portion, which ears removably receive a cross-bar, which cross-bar is engageable with the interior of a building wall. A safety rail is hingedly mounted on the platform adjacent to the other end of the platform. A support brace is hingedly connected to the platform adjacent to the same exterior end of the platform. The support brace and the safety rail are interlocked when the support brace is placed into an attitude for supporting the platform and the guard rail is in a raised position.

It is therefore one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide an improved construction for a collapsible window scaffold which includes a safety rail.

It is another object of the herein-disclosed invention to provide a collapsible window scaffold having a platform with vertical supports adjacent to the opposite ends of the platform.

It is still another object of the instant invention to provide a collapsible window scaffold which may be mounted on buildings having walls of various thicknesses.

Other objects and uses of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a perusal of the following specification in light of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a scaffold embodying the herein-disclosed invention, shown in an extended attitude;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional elevational view, showing the scaffold of FIG. I mounted in a window opening;

FIG. 3 is a partial end elevational view of a portion of the scaffold of FIG. 1, with a portion of a platform broken away in order toshow better'theconstruction of the scaffold;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 2;

Y FIG. 5 is a side elevational view, with a portion of the platform broken awayin order to show betterthe construction of the instant scaffold, but showing the scaffold in a partially collapsed attitude; and

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the scaffold of FIG. 1, shown in a collapsed attitude.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, and especially to FIGS. 1 and 2, a scaffold embodying the present invention and generally indicated by numeral 10 is shown therein. The scaffold 10 generally includes a continuous sheet platform 12, with a frame 14 mounted on the upper surface of the platform adjacent to one end thereof. A safety rail 16 is hingedly connected to the frame 14. A support brace generally indicated by numeral 18 is hingedly onnected to the underside of the platform 10 adjacen to said one end and is releasably engageable with a portion of the safety rail 16. A lock bar 20 is removably connected to the platform 12 adjacent to the other end thereof for holding the scaffold in a window opening, as will be described in detail hereinafter.

The platform 12 has a continuous aluminum sheet support surface 22 substantially uniform in width, with a hook portion 24 formed integral with the end adjacent to the lock bar. A rubber cover 26 is secured to the hook portion. The platform 12 hasa pair of apertured bar ears 28 formed integral with the sheet support surface 22. The ears 28 are perpendicular to that surface and are adapted to receive slideably the lock bar 20. A hand aperture 30'is formed in the sheet support surface 22 to provide a convenient means for grasping the platform while handling the scaffold 10. A

door-track 32 is fixed to the underside of the support surface 22 and slideably receives an aperture door 34, which slides along the door track 32 to provide a closure for the aperture 30. The door 34 includes a tab 36 to provide a convenient means for grasping the door 34 while sliding it along the track 32. The platform has a pair of reinforcement channels 38 fixed to the underside thereof along the lateral edges of the platform. The reinforcement channels 38 do not extend the length of the sheet support surface, but rather terminate short of the-hook portion. The support surface 32 includes a lock aperture 40 at the end opposite the hook portion 24 to receive a part of the support brace, as will be described below.

As may be best seen in FIG. 1, the frame 14 includes a pair of outer uprights 42, which are formed integral with the support surface 22. A pair of inner uprights 44 is also formed integral with the support surface. The outer and

inner uprights

42 and 44 are perpendicular to the support surface. A pair of side bars 46 is fixed to the upper ends of each of a pair of the outer and

inner uprights

42 and 44 and extend therebetween parallel to the reinforcement channels 38. An outer bar 48 is fixed to the upper ends of 'theouter uprights 42. The frame 14 includes a pair'of sockets 50, which sockets are fixed to respective inner uprights44.

As was mentioned above, the safety rail' 16 is pivotedly connected to the frame 14. The safety rail includes a pair of pivot posts 52, each of which is pivotedly connected to a respective outer upright 42 by means of a respective bolt 54. A rail lock bar 56 extendsbetween the lower ends of the pivot posts 52. A

reinforcement gusset 58 is fixed to each of the pivot posts and the rail lock bar 56 at the intersection of each pivot post with the rail lock bar. At the top of each of the pivot posts, there is a pair of outer hinge plates 60. Each of the pairs of hinge plates is fixed to its pivot post and pivotedly receives a hand rail 62 between each pair of outer hinge plates. The hand rail includes a pair of hand rail arms 64, which hand rail arms are pivotedly connected to respective pairs of outer hinge plates, as may be seen in FIG. I. A back or cross-member 66 is formed integral with the arms 62. A pair of inner hinge 'plates 68 is pivotedly connected to each of the free ends of the hand rail arms 64. An iniier post 70is fixed to each pair of inner hinge plates 68. Each inner post 70 has a postoffset 72 which slideably fits into its respec-tivesocket 50.,A pair of rail clips 74isfixed to the support surface 22 adjacent to inner upright 44 for releasable engagement with its respective inner post 70, as will be described hereinafter.

The construction ofthe support brace may bebest seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. The support brace includes two pairs of brace plates 76 mounted on the underside of the support surface 22 and being spaced away from the hook portion 24. A U-shaped lock bracket 78 is pivotedlyconnected to thepairs of brace plates 76. The

U-shaped lock bracket includes a pair of arms 80, with a collar 82 mounted on each of thearms. A bolt 84 extends through each pair of brace plates 76 through the respective collars 82.andv the respective arms 80. The

bolts 84 act as pivot pins for thelock bracket 78. The lock bracket also-includes a head 86 formed integral with .thearms 80. A latch8 8 isfixed to the head 86 and is positionable in the lock .aperture 40. The latch has a notch 90, which receives the rail lock bar 56 of the hand rail to lock safety rail. Y 1

The support brace 18 also includes an abutmentbracket 92. Bracket 92 has a pair of hollow arms 94 which slideably receive the respective arms 80 of the U-shaped lock bracket. The arms 94 have an abutment head 96 formed integral therewith for engagement with an exterior wall of a building. A tabular spacer 98 is positioned between the'end of each of the hollow arms 94 and the'respective collars 82 so as to adjustthe overall length of the supportbrace, thereby accommodating the length of the brace to a building wall thicknessA pair of brace clips 100 is fixed to the "underside of the support surface 22 for releasable engagement with the arms 94 of the abutment bracket 92.

As may be seen in FIG. 6, the instant scaffold may be folded to a compact-unit for ease in handling. Once it is determined that'the scaffold is to be erected, the

thickness of'a building wall is determined andappropriate sized spacers 98, are positioned between the ends of the hollow arms 94 and the respective collars 82. The operatorof the scaffold then raises a window 102 ;and positions a portion of thescaffold in awindow aperture 104. He opens the door 34, which allows him to place his hand in an aperture for manipulatingv the overall scaffold. With a portion of the scaffold resting releasably the support brace to the 7 in the window aperture, he inserts the lock bar 20in through the bar ears 28 and then-pushes the scaffold forward. The support brace 18, which had been released from the brace clips 100, drops down. By

vertical support at the furthermost or outer end of the platform 12; and the inner end adjacent to the hook portion is supported vertically by'the building wall. The hand rail 16 is raised, andthe inner post offsets 72 are positioned in the sockets 50 to hold the safety rail in an upright position; and the rail lock bar 56 is positioned in the notch of latch 88 to interlock the safety rail and the support bracket. With the safety rail in the upright position and interlocked with the support bracket, a workman then may proceed to step onto the platform 12 and be supportedthereby.

- As may be seen in FIG. 2, the support surface 22 is very thin at the point that the support surface 22 engages thebuilding wall. Window 102 may be closed substantially all the way. Thus, a workman may either wash a window or repair a window entirely from the outside. The instant scaffold provides a continuous surface for standing and working, with no obstructionsin the surface, andhas a substantially uniform width. The frame 14 provides asafety railing for equipment such as buckets-or other tools so that there is less likelihood of anything dropping from the platform and providing a hazard to workmen or unsuspecting third persons walking below the platform. Furthermore, the' frame also provides a lower retaining rail, which further'prevents a workman'frorn easily slipping off the platform. There are no obstructions in the work surface between the locking bar 20 and the rail lockbar 56 of the safety rail.

' the platform adjacent to the hook portion is supported by: a window frame; and the outer end of the platform. is supported by the support brace. The weight of the workmanis between the two ends of the support so that there is no likelihood of the platform tipping during normal working. r

In order to remove the platform, the workman need only leave the platform and then the scaffold may be removed from the window. The removal of the scaffold may 'be accomplished in either of two methods. Should the window opening be high enough, it is possible for the scaffold-to be removed in an erected attitude simply by raising the window, grasping the support surface through the aperture and raising the platform so that the head 96 of theabutr nent bracket .is raised to aposition to bemoved into the window aperture. If the window opening is'too small to accept the erected scaffold, then the scaffold may be partially folded while in the mounted position. The platform is tilted slightly .to

release the support brace from engagement with the building wall, thereby allowing the interconnection between the safety rail and the support brace to be disengaged, thereby allowing the safety rail to be lowered and thus pull the scaffold in through the window aperture. Once the scaffold is brought in through the window aperture, the inner posts 70 are positioned in the rail clips 74 to hold the-hand rail against the platform; and the hollow arms 94 are placed into engagement with the brace clips 100 to keep the support brace up against the platform. This allows the scaffold to be folded easily and to be handled easily once it is folded. The construction of most of the parts of the scaffold is aluminum, which renders the scaffold to be of light weight and economical to manufacture.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described in detail above, it is readily apparent that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and changes in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is to be expressly understood that the present invention is limited only by the-appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A scaffold adapted for mounting in a window opening and extending outward therefrom for supporting a workman exteriorally of the window, comprising, a continuous platform, a pair of bar ears connected to the platform adjacent to one end thereof, a cross-bar removably mounted in the bar ears, a safety rail hingedly connected to the platform adjacent to the other end thereof, said safety rail being foldable to an attitude substantially parallel to the upper side 'of the platform, a support brace hingedly connected to the platform and being positioned adjacent to the underside of the platform, said support brace having a pair of arms and an abutting bracket being positionable substantially parallel to the underside of the platform, said support brace including a latch extendible through the platform, said safety rail includes a first pair of uprights hingedly connected to the platform, a lock bar connecting the first pair of uprights and releasably engageable with the latch, a U-shaped hand rail hingedly connected to the first pair of uprights, a second pair of uprights, each of said uprights of the second pair having one end hingedly connected to the hand rail and the other end releasably locked to the platform, and means interconnecting the support brace and the safety rail, whereby pivoting of the safety rail releases the support brace from an attitude for supporting the platform for pivoting to an attitude adjacent to the platform.

2. A scaffold adapted for mounting in a window opening and extending outward therefrom for supporting a workman exteriorally of the window, comprising, a continuous platform, a pair of bar ears connected to the platform adjacent to one end thereof, across-bar removably mounted in the bar ears, a safety rail hingedly connected to the platform adjacent to the other end thereof, said safety rail being foldable to an attitude substantially parallel to the upper side of the platform, said safety rail including a pair of pivot posts hingedly connected to the platform, a U-shaped hand rail hingedly connected to thepivot posts, a pairof inner posts having one end hingedly connected to the hand rail and the other end being releasably locked to the Platform in an upright attitude, a support brace hinged y connected to the platform and being positioned adjacent to the underside of the platform, said support brace having a pair of arms and an abutting bracket being positionable substantially parallel to the underside of the platform, and means interconnecting the support brace and the safety rail, whereby pivoting of the safety rail releases the support brace from an attitude for supporting the platform for pivoting to an attitude adjacent to the platform.

3. A scaffold adapted for mounting in a window opening and extending outward therefrom for supporting a workman exteriorally of the window, comprising; a continuous platform; a pair of bar ears connected to the platform adjacent to one end thereof; a cross-bar removably mounted in the bar ears; said continuous platform including a thin sheet support surface having a substantially uniform width for the length of the platform, and a pair of reinforcement members mounted on the underside of the support sheet extending from the end opposite the end adjacent to the bar ears and terminating a distance between the reinforcement members and the bar ears great enough to accommodate a building wall between the ends of the reinforcement members and the lock bar; a safety rail hingedly connected to the platform adjacent to the other end thereof; said safety rail being foldable to an at titude substantially parallel to the upper side of the platform; a support brace hingedly connected to the platform and being positioned adjacent to the underside of the platform; said support brace having a pair of arms and an abutting bracket being positionable substantially parallel to the underside of the platform; a frame mounted on the upper side of the platform and extending from the end opposite the end adjacent to the pair of bar ears toward the bar ears, said frame having a pair of inner uprights formed integral with the supporting surface and a pair of outer uprights formed integral with the supporting surface; said safety rail being hingedly mounted on the frame and including a pair of pivot posts pivotedly connected to the outer uprights of the frame, a hand rail pivotedly connected to the pair of pivot posts, and a pair of inner posts pivotedly connected to the hand rail and being releasably engageable with the frame to allow the safety rail to be folded against the upper surface of the platform; said support brace having a U-shaped lock bracket pivotedly connected to the underside of the platform, said abutment bracket being slideably engageable with the arms of the support brace, and spacers removably positionable in engagement with the ends of the abutment bracket for determining the length of the support brace; a rail lock bar fixed to the pivot posts of the safety rail and a latch releasably engageable with the rail lock bar and being fixed to the U- shaped'lock bracket for interconnecting the support brace and the safety rail; whereby pivoting of the safety rail releases the support brace from an attitude for supporting the platform for pivoting to an attitude adjacent to the platform.

Claims

1. A scaffold adapted for mounting in a window opening and extending outward therefrom for supporting a workman exteriorally of the window, comprising, a continuous platform, a pair of bar ears connected to the platform adjacent to one end thereof, A cross-bar removably mounted in the bar ears, a safety rail hingedly connected to the platform adjacent to the other end thereof, said safety rail being foldable to an attitude substantially parallel to the upper side of the platform, a support brace hingedly connected to the platform and being positioned adjacent to the underside of the platform, said support brace having a pair of arms and an abutting bracket being positionable substantially parallel to the underside of the platform, said support brace including a latch extendible through the platform, said safety rail includes a first pair of uprights hingedly connected to the platform, a lock bar connecting the first pair of uprights and releasably engageable with the latch, a U-shaped hand rail hingedly connected to the first pair of uprights, a second pair of uprights, each of said uprights of the second pair having one end hingedly connected to the hand rail and the other end releasably locked to the platform, and means interconnecting the support brace and the safety rail, whereby pivoting of the safety rail releases the support brace from an attitude for supporting the platform for pivoting to an attitude adjacent to the platform.

2. A scaffold adapted for mounting in a window opening and extending outward therefrom for supporting a workman exteriorally of the window, comprising, a continuous platform, a pair of bar ears connected to the platform adjacent to one end thereof, a cross-bar removably mounted in the bar ears, a safety rail hingedly connected to the platform adjacent to the other end thereof, said safety rail being foldable to an attitude substantially parallel to the upper side of the platform, said safety rail including a pair of pivot posts hingedly connected to the platform, a U-shaped hand rail hingedly connected to the pivot posts, a pair of inner posts having one end hingedly connected to the hand rail and the other end being releasably locked to the platform in an upright attitude, a support brace hingedly connected to the platform and being positioned adjacent to the underside of the platform, said support brace having a pair of arms and an abutting bracket being positionable substantially parallel to the underside of the platform, and means interconnecting the support brace and the safety rail, whereby pivoting of the safety rail releases the support brace from an attitude for supporting the platform for pivoting to an attitude adjacent to the platform.

3. A scaffold adapted for mounting in a window opening and extending outward therefrom for supporting a workman exteriorally of the window, comprising; a continuous platform; a pair of bar ears connected to the platform adjacent to one end thereof; a cross-bar removably mounted in the bar ears; said continuous platform including a thin sheet support surface having a substantially uniform width for the length of the platform, and a pair of reinforcement members mounted on the underside of the support sheet extending from the end opposite the end adjacent to the bar ears and terminating a distance between the reinforcement members and the bar ears great enough to accommodate a building wall between the ends of the reinforcement members and the lock bar; a safety rail hingedly connected to the platform adjacent to the other end thereof; said safety rail being foldable to an attitude substantially parallel to the upper side of the platform; a support brace hingedly connected to the platform and being positioned adjacent to the underside of the platform; said support brace having a pair of arms and an abutting bracket being positionable substantially parallel to the underside of the platform; a frame mounted on the upper side of the platform and extending from the end opposite the end adjacent to the pair of bar ears toward the bar ears, said frame having a pair of inner uprights formed integral with the supporting surface and a pair of outer uprights formed integral with the supporting surface; said safety rail being hingedly mounted on thE frame and including a pair of pivot posts pivotedly connected to the outer uprights of the frame, a hand rail pivotedly connected to the pair of pivot posts, and a pair of inner posts pivotedly connected to the hand rail and being releasably engageable with the frame to allow the safety rail to be folded against the upper surface of the platform; said support brace having a U-shaped lock bracket pivotedly connected to the underside of the platform, said abutment bracket being slideably engageable with the arms of the support brace, and spacers removably positionable in engagement with the ends of the abutment bracket for determining the length of the support brace; a rail lock bar fixed to the pivot posts of the safety rail and a latch releasably engageable with the rail lock bar and being fixed to the U-shaped lock bracket for interconnecting the support brace and the safety rail; whereby pivoting of the safety rail releases the support brace from an attitude for supporting the platform for pivoting to an attitude adjacent to the platform.