WO2003091512A1

WO2003091512A1 - Scaffolding coupler

Info

Publication number: WO2003091512A1
Application number: PCT/AU2003/000225
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yu Shing So
Original assignee: Wui Loong System Scaffolds Company Limited; Gibbs, John
Priority date: 2002-04-18
Filing date: 2003-02-21
Publication date: 2003-11-06
Also published as: KR20030083548A; GB0208882D0; HK1046213A2; TW588146B; GB2387618A; CN2667072Y; TW200305689A; KR100701854B1; AU2003263228A1; TW521116B

Abstract

A scaffolding coupler (1) includes a body part (2) and a cover (3) that clamp a pipe (6) therebetween. The cover (3) is secured in place by a latching rod (4) and an eccentric rotational assembly (5), e.g. a crank axle (18), rotation of which allows the latching rod (4) to be drawn towards the body part (2) to clamp the cover (3) in place or allows the rod (4) to hang freely to enable it to be placed on or removed from the cover (3). A flange or arm (22) on which the eccentric assembly (5) is located may be extended in length so as to provide a support surface for a pipe that is to be mounted horizontally.

Description

Scaffolding Coupler

The present invention relates to couplers for connecting scaffolding pipes to one another and/or to other elements.

Scaffolding systems are used as supporting frameworks in many different situations. These range from temporary structures for seating or display to platforms for people working at heights above the ground, e.g. when renovating or finishing the outside of a building.

Scaffolding generally consists of a large number of scaffolding poles/pipes/tubes that are connected to one another and/or to other scaffolding elements by various couplers so as to provide a strong and stable structure. These other scaffolding elements may include for example beams, planks for decking, railing elements and the like.

The couplers may take many different forms, which may depend on whether the couplers are to connect a pipe to another pipe or to another type of scaffolding element, and on the orientation of the connection, e.g. whether the elements are to be connected together in a lapped, transverse or other orientation.

Although there are various forms of coupler, they generally use the same arrangement for gripping the scaffolding pipes. This arrangement takes the form of a cover and co-operating threaded securing bolt, which are respectively hinged at opposite ends of the coupler body.

In order to grip a pipe, the coupler body and cover are placed around the pipe, and the bolt is pivoted to lie in a slot in the free end of the cover. A nut is then threaded over and along the bolt to engage the cover at the slot, and is tightened with a wrench to clamp the cover against the coupler body.

Such fastening arrangements are well accepted within the scaffolding industry, but do have drawbacks. For example, the couplers generally need a relatively high level of maintenance in order to ensure that the bolt thread and nut are kept free from cement, dirt and the like. Also, the time taken to install the couplers onto pipes and to remove them is not insignificant, and removal can be further problematic if cement or dirt has entered the screw thread or nut during use. Such problems are magnified by the fact that there are generally a large number of couplers in any one scaffolding assembly.

The present invention provides alternative forms of scaffolding coupler.

Viewed from one aspect, the present invention provides a scaffolding coupler having a body part, a cover and a securing device for securing the cover with the body part, wherein the securing device includes a latching element and a rotatable eccentric element, rotation of the eccentric element drawing on the latching element so as to urge the cover and body part together (this thereby enabling a pipe to be gripped between the cover and body part).

A user of a scaffolding coupler in accordance with the present invention can place the coupler body part and cover (which is preferably hinged to the body part at one end) about a pipe, engage the latching element with e.g. the cover, and can then clamp the pipe between the cover and body part simply by rotating the eccentric element to tighten the latching element against the cover. Removal is simply the reversal of this procedure.

The coupler is thus simple and quick to use, requiring e.g. only a half a turn of the eccentric device, and does not require the threading or unthreading of a securing nut along the length of a threaded bolt. It can therefore reduce the labour costs involved in the assembly and dismantling of a scaffold.

Also, maintenance will generally be less than for prior art couplers, as there are no nuts and narrow bolt threads to keep clean.

The eccentric element may take any suitable form that will convert its rotational motion to suitable movement of the latching element, and it should be noted that "eccentric element" includes assemblies in which the latching element can engage with, e.g. pivot about, an assembly part that is off-axis from the axis of rotation of the assembly.

The latching and eccentric elements are preferably mounted on the coupler body part. This allows the coupler to be of a simple form requiring only a landing/engagement portion with which the latching element may engage. It would however be possible to mount both elements on the cover (in which case the latching element would engage with a portion of the coupler body part). As a further alternatively, the mounting of the latching and eccentric elements could be split between the body part and the cover. In this case, for example, a latching element could be pivotally mounted to the cover and could be configured to releasably engage with an eccentric element on the body part, e.g. by a hook.

The latching element may take any suitable form, and preferably comprises a rod with a cross-piece, e.g. a T-shaped rod, the cross-piece of the rod engaging with a pair of arms e.g. of the coupling cover. Alternative configurations are however also possible. For example, the latching element could have an eye, hook or inverted U-shaped configuration for engaging with e.g. an end or projection of the coupling cover.

Preferably, the eccentric element is a crank element. Preferably, the crank element is of a bent axle configuration, e.g. it comprises an axle having a central portion of U-shaped form with which the latching element engages. When using a crank axle, the position of the bent portion of the axle will determine the draw on the latching element, so that in one position the latching element will be loose and e.g. able to be placed over the cover, whilst in rotating to a second position the axle will engage the latching element to draw it e.g. towards the body part and to clamp the cover against an enclosed pipe.

Alternatives to the crank axle are possible, such as a camming arrangement. For example, the latching element could be attached to the periphery of a disc mounted on an axle.

The latching element may connect with the eccentric element in any suitable manner, e.g. pivotally, and may include a hook or eye portion through which e.g. a crank axle of the eccentric element may extend.

A stop may be provided to prevent the eccentric element from over- rotating so that the latching element is loosened. This may comprise a stop flange on the eccentric element that engages with a stop on the body part of the coupler.

The eccentric element may have a head element at one or both ends for engagement by a wrench or the like to facilitate rotation of the element. In one preferred form, the head elements are of triangular configuration, but other configurations are also possible, such as square or other polygon cross- sections.

The body part and cover may include suitably configured bearing surfaces to accept a tubular scaffolding pipe. They may also however be configured to accept pipes of any cross-sectional shape, including for example pipes of square or rectangular cross-sections.

The cover and body part may be configured so as to accommodate a range of pipe sizes, e.g. for tolerance purposes. For example, the cover may be configured to receive the latching element at a number of locations along its length, larger pipes being accommodated by engaging the latching element closer towards a free end of the cover.

The cover may include one or more notches therein for receiving a free end of the latching element. The portion of the latching element engaging the notch or notches may be of wedge-shaped configuration to facilitate location and retention in the notches. Other shapes are also however possible.

In one preferred form, where the scaffold coupler may be used to secure a scaffolding pipe in a horizontal position, the coupler may include a support arm that extends out from the body part to a sufficient extent such that the coupler is able to support a scaffolding pipe in place on the arm without requiring the locking of the coupler.

This allows a user to mount a scaffolding pipe horizontally e.g. between two vertical scaffolding pipes without assistance. Thus, a user can place one of the couplers on each of a pair of vertical pipes, with each coupler oriented such that the coupler base portion is vertical (with the end of the base part from which the support arm extends being the lower end). The user can next rest the pipe on the two arms, and can then fasten the pipe in place to each of the couplers in turn using the securing device and cover. Previously, it has been necessary for two people to carry out this task, with one person holding one end of what is often a 6 m long pipe, as a second person fastened the other end of the pipe in place. It should be noted that the use of eccentric elements to fasten the pipe on the couplers allows the procedure to be completed quickly, so that the pipe need only rest unlocked on a support arm for a short period of time. Thus, the overall procedure of mounting a scaffolding pipe horizontally may be made much more simple using couplers of the present invention, in that it is both faster and can be carried out by only one person. The eccentric element or the cover element may be mounted on the support arm.

A further advantage of the support arm and eccentric element combination is that when a pipe is being positioned horizontally, before final fastening of the couplers, the coupler covers may be loosely held over the horizontal pipe with the latching elements in place, but without being fully tightened by the eccentric elements. In this case, if a pipe were to be inadvertently knocked or the like, it would hit against the cover of a coupler and engage the latching element further, e.g. through engaging with notches in the cover. This can therefore help to prevent the pipe from rolling off of the couplers before the couplers are tightened, e.g. through being accidentally knocked or the like.

The support arm may extend to whatever extent is required to provide a suitable support surface for a pipe. It may for example be greater in length than a radius of the pipe to be supported. For example, the support arm may have a length of about 55 mm for a typical 49.6 mm diameter pipe.

The support arm may be further configured so as to inhibit a pipe from rolling off of the coupler. For example, although extending generally directly out from the body portion, the support arm may also be inclined somewhat towards the opposing end of the body portion, so that when the body portion is vertically mounted, the support arm is inclined upwards from the horizontal. The support arm could also or alternatively include a stop or lip portion for checking movement of a pipe, and the support surface may be curved upwardly towards its free end, and e.g. may be complimentary to the contour of the circumference of a typical pipe.

Preferably, the body portion has an arm extending outwards from each of its ends, between which a pipe may be positioned, with at least one of the arms being of a suitable length so as to provide in use the above-mentioned support arm. The eccentric element may be mounted on one of the arms, and the cover element may be mounted on the other arm. Preferably the eccentric element is mounted on the support arm.

As well as the above-mentioned features, a coupler in accordance with the present invention may include any further connection means or the like to connect a pipe gripped by the coupler with another pipe or other scaffolding element.

In one preferred form, the coupler includes two or more coupling units, each coupling unit including a securing device/cover arrangement in accordance with the present invention. These units may be side-by-side or arranged oppositely each other. For example, a pipe cover and securing device could be provided on either side of a single coupler body part.

The two or more coupling units may face the same orientation or be arranged transverse to one another, e.g. at 90° or at some other angle. The coupling units may be fixed in orientation or mounted to rotate with respect to one another so as to allow for a variable angle of connection.

The body part, cover and securing device of a coupling unit may be configured to clamp more than one pipe therebetween, e.g. one on top of another or in a side-by-side configuration.

The coupler may be made from any suitable materials and in any suitable manner. Preferably, the body and cover are made from steel, e.g. grade 43 steel or higher, as are preferably the crank axle and latching element. They may be made by casting or the like.

The present invention is particularly well embodied by the use of a crank axle, and, viewed from a second aspect, the present invention provides a scaffolding coupler including a base member, a cover member and a securing device, the securing device including a latching element mounted on a crank axle. Preferably, the crank axle is mounted on the base member at the opposite end of the base member to the cover member. Further preferably, a support arm extends outwardly from the base member, the support arm extending sufficiently such that a scaffolding pipe may rest on the support arm without locking of the coupler, whilst the pipe is being mounted in a horizontal position. The crank axle is preferably mounted on the support arm.

Viewed from another aspect, the present invention provides a scaffolding coupler including a body part having a cover element pivotally mounted towards one end thereof and a rotatable eccentric element mounted towards the other end thereof, the eccentric element co-operating with a latching element in use to draw on the latching element and urge the cover element and body part together so as to clamp a scaffolding pipe therebetween.

Viewed from a further aspect, the present invention provides a scaffolding coupler including a base portion, a cover element pivotally mounted to one end thereof, a rotatable eccentric element mounted to the other end thereof, and a latching element mounted on the eccentric element, the arrangement being such that the base portion and cover element are mountable about a scaffolding pipe, with the latching element able to engage with the cover element, rotation of the eccentric element causing the latching element to draw the cover element towards the base portion to clamp a scaffolding pipe therebetween.

Viewed from a still further aspect, the present invention provides a scaffolding coupler including a base portion, a cover element, a latching element and a rotatable eccentric element for drawing on said latching element to urge said base portion and cover elements together to clamp a scaffolding pipe therebetween, the base portion including a support arm on which a scaffolding pipe can rest without locking of the coupler.

Viewed from another aspect, the present invention provides a scaffolding coupler including: a base part having an arm portion towards each end thereof; a cover element pivotally mounted to one of said arm portions; a rotatable eccentric element mounted to the other of said arm portions, and a latching element, rotation of said eccentric element in use drawing on said latching element to urge said cover element and base part together to clamp a scaffolding pipe therebetween, and at least one of said arm portions being of sufficient length such that when a scaffolding pipe is placed between said arm portions, with said one arm portion below said pipe, said one arm portion is able to support said pipe in position.

The invention extends to a scaffolding system using a coupler in accordance with any of the aforementioned features, and further extends to a method of constructing scaffolding using a coupler in accordance with any of the aforementioned features.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the particularity of the drawings does not supersede the generality of the preceding description of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a scaffold coupler in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front-end elevation of the coupler of Fig. 1 ;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the cover of the coupler of Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is a top view of the cover of the coupler of Fig. 1 ;

Figure 5 is a bottom view of the base part of the coupler of Fig.1 ;

Figure 6 is a cross-section through line A-A of Fig. 5;

Figure 7 is a side elevation of the latching rod of the coupler of Fig. 1 ;

Figure 8 is a front elevation, partly in cross-section, of the latching rod of Fig.7;

Figure 9 is a side elevation of the eccentric axle assembly of the coupler of Fig. 1 ;

Figure 10 is a cross-section through the line B-B of Fig. 9;

Figure 11 is a schematic perspective view of a scaffold coupler in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 12 is a side-elevation of the coupler of Fig. 11 , partly in cross- section and mounted about a scaffolding pipe;

Figure 13 is a bottom view of a base part of the coupler of Fig. 11 ;

Figure 14 is a side-elevation of a coupler in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, partly in cross-section and mounted about a scaffolding pipe;

Figure 15 is a bottom view of a base part of the coupler of Fig. 14;

Figure 16 is a side elevation of a scaffold coupler in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 17 is a front-end elevation of the coupler of Fig. 16; and

Figure 18 is a side elevation of a coupler formed from a pair of coupling units each having the form of the coupler of Fig. 16, the coupler being mounted to a vertical scaffolding pipe and supporting a horizontal scaffolding pipe.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a scaffolding coupler 1 includes a base or body part 2, a cover element 3, a latching or locking rod 4 and an eccentric axle assembly 5. These parts are further shown separately in Figs. 3 to 10.

The coupler 1 is shown in its fully closed position in Figs. 1 and 2, clamped about a scaffolding pipe 6. The cover element 3 is pivotally mounted on a U-shaped upstanding flange or arm 7 of the base part 2 by a rivet 8 that passes through holes 9 and 10 of the base part 2 and cover element 3 respectively. The cover element 3 has a pair of arms 11 at its free end that include latching notches 12.

The base portion 2 and cover element 3 are configured so as to accommodate the scaffolding pipe 6 therebetween, and have suitably shaped bearing portions 13 and 14 respectively for engaging the outer surface of the pipe 6. By suitably shaping and sizing the various parts, the coupler 1 could of course be configured for clamping pipes of alternative cross-section (e.g. of box section), and/or for clamping two or more pipes together between the body part 2 and cover element 3.

The latching rod 4 has an eye portion 15 at its base end, through which the eccentric axle assembly 5 extends. It also has a T-shaped portion 16 at its free end whose cross-piece defines a pair of wedge-shaped catches 17 that are configured to engage with the notches 12 on the cover arms 11 so as to hold the cover element 3 in place.

The eccentric axle assembly 5 includes a crank axle 18 (best seen in Fig. 9) including a central U-shaped crank portion 19 that engages with the latching rod 4, and a pair of bearing portions 20 that mount the axle 18 within openings 21 in a U-shaped flange or arm portion 22 of the base part 2.

The assembly 5 also includes end portions 23, which (in this case) are triangular in shape to allow rotation of the axle 18 by a suitably configured socket wrench. The assembly 5 further includes a stop flange 24 for engaging with a stop 25 on the base part 2, in order to prevent over-rotation of the axle 18 past its latching position.

The central crank portion 19 has a curved inner surface 26 that complements the curvature of the inner surface 27 of the eye portion 15 of the latching rod 4, so as to allow the axle 18 to smoothly and positively engage with the inner surface 27 when the axle 18 is rotated towards and into the latched position.

In use, the eccentric axle assembly 5 is rotated between an unlatched position, in which the central crank portion 19 is at its upper position, when seen in Fig. 1 , and in which the latching rod 4 is free to be moved over the cover element 3, and a latched position, in which the central crank portion 19 is at its lower position, when seen in Fig. 1 , and in which the latching rod 4 is drawn towards the base part 2 and holds the cover element 3 tight against the pipe 6. Fig. 1 shows the latched position, with the central crank portion 19 of the axle 18 in the position shown in Fig. 9.

In more detail, initially, the latching rod 4 will not be attached to the cover element 3, and will hang freely from the eccentric axle 18. In order to clamp the coupler 1 to a pipe 6, the body part 2 is placed adjacent the pipe 6, and the cover 3 is pivoted over the pipe 6. The axle 18 is then rotated so that the central crank portion 19 is towards the top of the flange 22, so that the latching rod 4 is free to pivot over and between the cover arms 11 , and so that the catch portions 17 can be placed into the cover notches 12.

The axle 18 is then turned, e.g. with a wrench engaging one of the triangular end portions 23, so that the central crank portion 19 rotates towards its lower position and engages the inner wall 27 of the rod eye portion 15 and draws the rod 4 towards the base part 2. As the central portion 19 of the crank axle 18 moves downwardly, the rod 4 is drawn further down, and so pulls down the cover element 3 and clamps the pipe 6 in place.

The axle 18 is rotated to a suitable extent such that it stays in place at or about its lower position. The eye portion 15 and axle 18 are automatically held in position, as they are pressed tight against one another through the tension in the latching rod 4 resulting from the pipe clamping action, and so resist any loosening movement. The stop flange 24 and stop 25 ensure that the axle 18 is not over-rotated so that the central crank portion 19 does not begin to rise again and so free the latching rod 4. Generally, the crank axle 18 needs to be turned sufficiently so that the force acting on the latching rod 4 through the cover 3 cannot pull the crank portion 19 back around to its upper position.

It should be noted that the eye portion 15 of the latching rod 4 is suitably sized so that when the central crank portion 19 of the axle 18 is at its upper position, the rod 4 is not prevented from engaging the cover notches 12 by the inner surface 27 of the eye portion 15 abutting the central crank portion 19. It is also sized so that the latching rod 4 is able to be drawn down by a suitable amount to clamp the pipe 6 when the central crank portion 19 is at or towards its lower position. The cover arms 11 have a number of the notches 12 in order to provide tolerance to pipe sizes and to accommodate different sizes of pipe 6. Thus, although standard steel scaffolding pipes are about 48 mm in diameter, the pipes may vary about this value. Accordingly, for larger pipes 6, the latching rod 4 will engage notches 12 further towards the end of the cover arms 11.

To disconnect the coupler 1 , the axle 18 need only be rotated in the reverse direction to free the latching rod 4 and allow for its removal from the cover arms 11.

The base part 2 of the coupler 1 may include openings or the like for allowing it to be fastened to one or more other elements, e.g. to be bolted to a wooden beam.

The coupler 1 may include further coupling means either of similar structure to the pipe coupling already described or of different structure, e.g. for clamping timber boards or the like.

The coupler 1 may comprise two or more coupling units, each made up of a base part, a cover and a securing device of the above-described form. These units may be fixed with respect to one another or may swivel to allow for different pipe coupling orientations.

Figs. 11-15 show two such couplers 1' and 1". In these drawings, parts corresponding to those of the coupler of Figs. 1-10 are given the same reference numeral, except dashed for the coupler of Figs. 11-13 and double dashed for the coupler of Figs. 14 and 15. Also, the parts are labelled as either "a" or "b", depending on whether they belong to a first or a second coupling unit.

Referring to Figs. 11-13, the coupler 1 ' comprises two coupler units 50 and 60, each having parts similar to those of the first embodiment, but with their base portions 2a' and 2b' coupled together by a central rivet element 70 that allows the two coupler units 50 and 60 to rotate with respect to one another. This arrangement allows the coupler 1' to mount a pair of scaffolding pipes 6 at any angle with respect to one another.

The coupler 1 " of Figs. 14 and 15 is similar to the coupler 1 ' of Figs. 11 - 13, but the coupler units 50 and 60 are connected together by four separate rivet elements 80 that hold the units 50 and 60 in a set orientation at 90 degrees to one another. This arrangement allows the coupler 1" to fixedly mount a pair of scaffolding pipes transverse with respect to one another. These latter two embodiments show couplers 1',1" made from two separate coupling units 50,60 that are riveted together. The couplers could however also be of one-piece construction, in which the two coupling units 50 and 60 would be mounted on opposing sides of a common base portion 2 (which could e.g. take on the shape of a cross for a transverse coupler). The two-piece construction can provide greater flexibility and can be less costly to manufacture than the one-piece construction.

The couplers 1 ,1',1" may be made from e.g. grade 43 or higher steel, e.g. by a casting process.

A coupler in accordance with the present embodiment is quick and simple to attach and remove, requiring only the pivoting into position of the cover element 3 about the pipe 6, and the engagement of the latching rod 4 and a half turn of the crank axle 18. It is therefore able to save on labour costs, especially in situations where, as is usual, a large number of couplers are required. Furthermore, the present coupler will generally require less maintenance than the prior art couplers that use threaded bolt fasteners.

The coupler may be for general-purpose use, e.g. for coupling steel or other metal scaffolding pipes together.

A further coupler 1'" is shown in Figs. 16 and 17, this is similar to the previous couplers, except that the flange portion or arm 22'" on which the eccentric element 5'" is mounted has been extended in length so as to provide a support surface 90 on which a horizontal scaffolding pipe may rest when the coupler 1'" is mounted vertically (so that the support arm 22'" is below the arm portion 7'" to which the cover element 3'" is mounted).

This feature aids in the unassisted mounting of horizontal scaffolding pipes, and allows a user to place a horizontal scaffolding pipe unfastened between a pair of the couplers. The user can then adjust the horizontal positioning of the pipe as desired before fastening the pipe in each of the couplers in turn. Previously, such a procedure would have required two men. It should also be noted that the ability to fasten the pipe on the couplers through a simple turning of the eccentric element 5'" ensures that the overall installation is further speeded up, and reduces the time that the horizontal pipe is held in an unfastened manner. Fig. 18 shows a two-pipe coupler 1^1V having coupling units 50"',60'" configured in the same manner as the coupler 1'" of Fig. 16. A horizontal pipe 6_h can rest on the support surface 90 of the support arm 22'" without the coupling unit 60'" needing to be fastened. This allows a scaffolder to secure a coupler 1^ιv to each of a pair of vertical scaffolding poles 6v, and then place the horizontal scaffolding pole 6h between the couplers 1^ιv in an unfastened condition. Once suitably positioned, a scaffolder can rotate the eccentric elements 5'" of first one and then the other coupler in order to clamp the pipe 6_h in place.

Whilst positioning the horizontal pipe 6_h, a scaffolder may have the latching element 4'" loosely engage the notches 12'" in the cover element 3'", so that should the pipe 6_h be moved it will strike the cover element 3'" and urge it into engagement with the latching element 4'". This helps to prevent the pipe 6_h from inadvertently rolling off of the support surface 90.

It is noted that the arm 7'" that mounts the cover element 3'" could instead be extended so as to provide the support arm. Also, the support surface 90 could include further features to retain a pipe in place. For example, the support surface 90 could be angled so that when the coupler is mounted in a position for securing a horizontal pipe, the support surface 90 is inclined upwardly. Also, the outer end of the support surface 90 could be curved upwardly, e.g. to follow the curve of the pipe circumference, or could include some other stop feature, such as a lip.

The coupling units 50'", 60"' of the Fig. 18 coupler could be fixedly connected together, e.g. as in the Fig. 14 embodiment with rivets 80, or could be rotatably connected together, e.g. as in the Fig. 12 embodiment with a single rivet 70.

It is to be understood that various alterations, additions and/or modifications may be made to the parts previously described without departing from the ambit of the present invention.

For example, the crank axle 18 could be replaced by some other mechanism for converting a rotary action to the appropriate motion of the latching rod 4, e.g. a camming device could be used, such as a wheel eccentrically mounted on an axle. Also, the crank axle 14 and latching rod 4 could be mounted on the cover element 3 instead of on the body part 2, or could be mounted separately between the base part and cover element. The latching rod 4 could take various different forms, e.g. a hook or inverted U- shaped form.

Claims

1. A scaffolding coupler having a body part, a cover and a securing device for securing the cover with the body part, wherein the securing device includes a latching element and a rotatable eccentric element, rotation of the eccentric element drawing on the latching element so as to urge the cover and the body part together.

2. The coupler of claim 1 , wherein the eccentric element is mounted on said coupler body part.

3. The coupler of claim 1 or 2, wherein the eccentric element includes a crank axle.

4. The coupler of claim 1 , 2 or 3, wherein the latching element is mounted on said eccentric assembly.

5. The coupler of claim 4, wherein the latching element includes an eye portion within which the eccentric element extends.

6. The coupler of any preceding claim, wherein the latching element is of T-shaped configuration, and the cover has a pair of arms into which the latching element is able to pivot in use.

7. The coupler of any preceding claim, wherein the cover is configured to engage with the latching element at a plurality of positions along its length.

8. The coupler of any preceding claim, wherein the cover includes a plurality of notches therein with which the latching element engages.

9. The coupler of any preceding claim, wherein said securing device is mounted on one end of said body part, and said cover is pivotally mounted at an opposite end of said body part.

10. The coupler of any preceding claim, wherein the coupler includes a support arm that extends out from the body part to a sufficient extent such that the coupler is able to support on the arm a scaffolding pipe that is to be mounted horizontally.

11. The coupler of any preceding claim, wherein the coupler body part includes an arm portion at each end thereof, between which a pipe is able to be located in use, and wherein at least one of the arm portions is of sufficient length such that when a scaffolding pipe that is to be mounted horizontally is positioned between the arm portions with said one arm portion below said pipe, said one arm portion is able to support said pipe in place.

12. The coupler of claim 11 , wherein the eccentric element is mounted on said one arm portion.

13. A scaffolding coupler including a base member, a cover member and a securing device, the securing device including a latching element mounted on a crank axle.

14. The coupler of claim 14, wherein the crank axle is mounted on the base member at the opposite end of the base member to the cover member.

15. The coupler of claim 13 or 14, wherein a support arm extends outwardly from the base member, the support arm extending sufficiently such that a scaffolding pipe may rest on the support arm without locking of the coupler, whilst the pipe is being mounted in a horizontal position.

16. The coupler of claim 15, wherein the crank axle is mounted on the support arm.

17. A scaffolding coupler including a body part having a cover element pivotally mounted towards one end thereof and a rotatable eccentric element mounted towards the other end thereof, the eccentric element co-operating with a latching element in use to draw on the latching element and urge the cover element and body part together so as to clamp a scaffolding pipe therebetween.

18. A scaffolding coupler including a base portion, a cover element pivotally mounted to one end thereof, a rotatable eccentric element mounted to the other end thereof, and a latching element mounted on the eccentric element, the arrangement being such that the base portion and cover element are mountable about a scaffolding pipe, with the latching element able to engage with the cover element, rotation of the eccentric element causing the latching element to draw the cover element towards the base portion to clamp a scaffolding pipe therebetween.

19. A scaffolding coupler including a base portion, a cover element, a latching element and a rotatable eccentric element for drawing on said latching element to urge said base portion and cover elements together to clamp a scaffolding pipe therebetween, the base portion including a support arm on which a scaffolding pipe can rest without locking of the coupler.

20. A scaffolding coupler including: a base part having an arm portion towards each end thereof; a cover element pivotally mounted to one of said arm portions; a rotatable eccentric element mounted to the other of said arm portions, and a latching element, rotation of said eccentric element in use drawing on said latching element to urge said cover element and base part together to clamp a scaffolding pipe therebetween, and at least one of said arm portions being of sufficient length such that when a scaffolding pipe is placed between said arm portions, with said one arm portion below said pipe, said one arm portion is able to support said pipe in position.

21. A coupler including two or more coupling units, each coupling unit including a coupler in accordance with any preceding claim.

22. A scaffolding system including scaffolding poles and a plurality of couplers in accordance with any preceding claim.

23. A method of assembling a scaffolding system including the step of coupling a scaffolding pole of the scaffolding system to another scaffolding pole and/or to other scaffolding elements using a coupler according to any of claims

1 to 21.

24. A method of assembling a scaffolding system including the step of fastening a scaffolding coupler according to any of claims 10 to 12, 14, 15, 20 or 21 , to each of a pair of vertical scaffolding elements, and placing a horizontal scaffolding pipe between said scaffolding couplers, such that said scaffolding pipe rests on said support surfaces or arms of said scaffolding couplers, and securing said pipe to each of said scaffolding couplers in turn.