WO2011055393A1

WO2011055393A1 - A quick coupling device for scaffold nets

Info

Publication number: WO2011055393A1
Application number: PCT/IT2009/000495
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antonio Pieri
Original assignee: Alesia Innovation S.R.L.
Priority date: 2009-11-03
Filing date: 2009-11-03
Publication date: 2011-05-12

Abstract

A coupling device for the protection nets of scaffolds comprising at least one coupling structure made of plastic or metal material suitably shaped so as to medially form at least one single reduced-size spiral called the elastic portion (101), suitable for conferring elasticity to the two ends forming the two gripping arms (103). Said gripping arms (103) are made so as to enclose at least a semicircular area called the coupling portion (104) used for being stably engaged on any one suitably shaped upright (107), independent of whether such upright is installed in a vertical or horizontal position and characterized in that the terminal portions of said two gripping arms (103) both open externally outward but terminate such that one of the ends, called the perforation end (105) suitable for perforating the mesh of the nets to be fixed, is suitably shaped and such that the other end, called the anti-entanglement end (106), is folded on itself like a U, in centripetal direction with respect to the coupling portion (104).

Description

"A quick coupling device for scaffold nets"

Field of the art

The present invention patent application generally refers to the field of coupling devices employed for quickly and easily fastening vertical or horizontal protection nets or sheets to supports; more particularly the invention describes an innovative quick coupling device capable of stably fastening the nets for protecting scaffolds to the relative tubular support means.

The invention, object of the present patent application, is applicable to any field where one such device can be advantageously used, but preferably is directed towards the field of installation and construction sites in the widest and most generic meaning of the term.

Prior art

Scaffolds are defined "temporary works", i.e. structures of temporary type that do not make up an integral part of the structure, but are prepared or used for the obtainment, maintenance and recovery of construction works. The scaffold is certainly the first and most indispensable collective protection device in any construction site. In Italy, metal element scaffolds were adopted in the 1930s, nearly entirely substituting those made of wood.

Metal scaffolds, on the basis of the type of constituent elements, are divided into "tube and joint" scaffolds or "prefabricated frame" scaffolds.

The "tube and joint" scaffold is recommended for works in which it is necessary to follow particular shapes of buildings, and therefore components are necessary which can be mounted according to the work being done, without shape or size constraints. The tubular elements can be made of type 1 steel (extra-soft or soft) or type 2 steel (semihard or hard), with outer diameter of 42 mm or 48 mm and are normally assembled by means of joints.

In reality, the scaffold is constituted by a series of elements which must be used in the correct manner, according to current laws and regulations, such that starting in the 1950s, lawmakers issued laws and ministerial decrees for regulating this field. In order to regulate both the mounting and the characteristics of a structure so delicate and important in a construction site, lawmakers were obliged to issue specific technical directives, reviewed and corrected over the years. The first example of a will for establishing technical standardization is the issuing of D.P.R. 164/56 "Norme per la prevenzione degli infortuni sul lavoro nelle costruzioni" ["Regulations for preventing work accidents in building construction sites "J. The main part of the Law examines the various scaffold types, seeking to regulate their mounting, use and dismantling and specifying the elements which must compose the structure. Specifically, art. 28 of DPR 164/56 establishes the obligatory nature of a continuous closure with screens on the front of the scaffold at the transit and stationary places. Said screens, commonly called "nets for protecting scaffolds", are generally made of strap or single-fiber fabric material and are necessary in the building field for protecting the scaffolds themselves, i.e. to prevent the outflow of dirt and water during work operations and to prevent sand, stones and rubble from falling outside, damaging people or objects.

Currently, for fastening said nets to the vertical and/or horizontal uprights of the scaffold, it is common practice to use fastening means such as iron wires, self-locking ties or clips made of plastic material. The entire fastening procedure, nevertheless, is a long and laborious operation, since the operator situated inside with respect to the net to be installed, generally already extended on the front of the scaffold, is obliged to sequentially execute the following: move the fastening means out through the net, rotate such means around the scaffold upright, move said fastening means back through said net and finally bind the stable tie of the ends of the same fastening means. Such sequence of operations, in addition to being complex, requires long execution time periods both in installation and dismantling step and is therefore particularly disadvantageous also from an economical standpoint. Another non-negligible disadvantage of the aforesaid conventional fastening means is the fact that said internal tie creates obstacles projecting along the inner walkways of the scaffolding itself, projections which could entangle the clothing of the scaffold operators.

Therefore, the object of the present invention consists of obtaining and describing a coupling device of said nets or sheets that is highly innovative, capable of easily fastening, with removable modality and without leaving particular holds or projections, any one net or sheet to a circular support with suitable diameter. Moreover, the innovative device allows standardizing said fastening, ensuring seal uniformity over the entire structure. More specifically, one object of the present invention is that of obtaining a so-called "coupling device" equipped with specific characteristics that render it directly and quickly usable for stably installing any one of the more common nets or sheets used for the protection of scaffolds.

Other advantages of the invention, object of the present patent application will be clear from the following detailed description of an exemplifying and non-limiting description thereof.

Description of the invention

The innovative concept underlying the present invention consists of providing for an innovative quick coupling device that can be reused an unlimited number of times, capable of fixing the common nets for protecting scaffolds in a simple, fast, safe, standardized and economical manner.

Said innovative quick coupling device is composed of a suitably shaped semicircular coupling structure, to be stably inserted on the outer side of any tube of the scaffolding so as to envelop/cover most of this. Said quick coupling device is equipped in an outer medial position with at least one spiral of size equal to about ¼ of said semicircle, called the elastic portion. Said semicircle is composed of two arms made so as to form a semicircular area overall, preferably coplanar with the area subtended by the aforesaid elastic portion, called the coupling portion. Said coupling portion is in turn equipped with two ends opening outward and respectively terminating as follows: one free end, with the termination obtained so as to facilitate crossing the net, and the other end with the termination folded on itself in U form, in a centripetal direction with respect to the aforesaid coupling portion.

In addition to the above-described characteristics, said innovative coupling device is also perfectly compatible with the environment, since the aforesaid inventive devices are made of non-polluting material and can be reused an infinite number of times, i.e. they are capable of being installed and uninstalled an unlimited number of times due to their intrinsic elasticity characteristic.

With regard to the constituent materials of said quick coupling inventive device, these can be selected by the man skilled in the art so as to meet the technical characteristics in this particular field; such characteristics include solidity, strength and stability with regard to oxidation. Said materials can comprise plastic type polymers, any material of metal type and still more preferably steel, special steel, brass, copper, bronze, aluminum alloy or any other metal alloy. Also, said plastic polymer materials or metal materials can comprise those having galvanized outer finishing and/or having colored outer finishing and/or also having plasticized outer finishing.

With regard to the size of said inventive coupling device, it is purely indicative and non- limiting, such that the versatility characteristic constituting the coupling device itself renders it adaptable for fastening any one sheet or net to any one suitable support.

Nevertheless, the size of said inventive coupling device can be expressed, with regard to the inner diameter of the elastic portion, in the range of 4 mm - 40 mm and more preferably is 14 mm, with regard to the inner diameter of the coupling portion in the range of 10 mm - 100 mm, more preferably 42 mm - 48 mm, and still more preferably is 48 mm. With regard instead to the size of the constituent diameter of the same coupling structure, this can vary depending on the rigidity that one intends to obtain and in any case can be in the range of 1 mm - 10 mm, and more preferably is 4 mm. Other characteristics of the present invention are described in the following detailed description of one or more specific embodiments, protected by the various dependent claims. Brief description of the drawings

The preceding advantages, as well as other advantages and characteristics of the present invention, will be illustrated by making reference to the enclosed drawings, which should be considered merely illustrative and non-limiting or non-binding for the purposes of the present patent application, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a coupling device of the nets for protecting scaffolds according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side perspective view of the coupling device of Fig. 1 ;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective and internal view of the scaffold of the installed coupling device of Fig. 1 , which fastens an intermediate point of a net on an upright;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective and external view of the scaffold of the installed coupling device illustrated in Fig. 3;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective and internal view of the scaffold of two coupling devices installed and used for joining two separate sheets on a single upright; FIGURE 6 is a perspective and external view of the scaffold of a coupling device installed and applied to the head of the upright from which one begins to spread the net.

As expressed above, it is suitable to confirm that the borders, shapes and areas of the coupling device shown in the aforesaid figures should not at all be considered limiting of the invention, but serve only as descriptive aids, since the invention can be obtained of any type, size, diameter, color, translucence and shape provided that it does not depart from the intrinsic concept of coupling device of nets for protecting scaffolds.

Description of the preferred embodiments

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the figures and a preferred embodiment shown therein will be described in which identical reference numbers were used in all the figures for the same components.

With reference to the different figures, these show an inventive coupling device of the nets for protecting scaffolds.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the innovative quick coupling device 100 described in the present invention comprises a quick coupling structure portion that is suitably shaped so as to form, nearly medially, at least one reduced-size spiral called the elastic portion 101 capable of conferring the necessary elasticity to the two ends forming the two gripping arms 103, which in turn enclose a semicircular area, preferably coplanar with that occupied by said elastic portion 101, called the coupling portion 104. The terminal portions of said gripping arms 103 both open outwards and end such that one of the ends, called the perforation end 105, is suitably obtained so as to easily cross the mesh of said sheet, and such that the other end, called the anti -entanglement end 106, is folded on itself, U-shaped, in a centripetal direction with respect to the coupling portion 104.

As can be observed in Figures 3-6, the versatility characteristic of said innovative coupling device 100 results from the possibility to use the same in all those situations where one must fasten any one protection net 108 to protect a common scaffold. Indeed, as can be observed in Figures 3 and 4, by simply perforating the same net 108 with the perforation end 105, said coupling device 100 allows stably coupling the quick coupling portion 104 on the same upright 107, thus allowing the fastening of any one intermediate point of any one net 108 or sheet to said metal tubular upright. As can be observed in FIG. 5, two of said coupling devices 100, suitably situated, allow easily and stably obtaining the junction of two separate nets 108 or sheets on a single upright 107. Finally, as can be observed in FIG. 6, a coupling device 100, suitably situated on an end upright 107, allows fastening the net 108 or the sheet at the point where the spreading of the same begins.

It must be related that such different use possibilities of said inventive coupling device 100 are obtained without in any manner affecting the aforesaid inventive characteristics of the device itself. Also, as a practical and economical benefit, said coupling device 100 is easily obtainable on an industrial scale, using components of standard type which can be easily found on the market, and therefore the production is fully sustainable from an economical and environmental standpoint.

Another characteristic of the coupling device 100, according to the present invention, is that its mounting and dismantling occurs in the simplest and safest manner. In particular, the coupling on the upright 107 occurs easily by gripping and simply pressing the quick coupling device, operating on the elastic portion 101. The release from the upright 107 occurs in just as easy a manner, by gripping and pressing in this case on the anti- entanglement end 106. Said pressure allows the opening of the end 107 and the consequent disengagement of the entire quick coupling device from the scaffold on which it is installed. It must be noted that the object of the anti-entanglement end 106 is therefore two-fold. On the one hand, due to its U-shaped centripetal bending, operators inside the scaffold are prevented from colliding and being accidentally entangled with the aforesaid end, and on the other hand it constitutes an effective grip for the dismantling of the same.

It results from the above that the above-described characteristics can be advantageous even for those who do not work in the building sector, since the coupling device 100 can also be used for firmly and easily fastening any type of net 108 or sheet to a vertical and/or horizontal upright 107 of variable shape and size on the basis of the inventive device. The present invention provides for further alternative embodiments corresponding with several variants of its structure and component shape.

In particular, even if up to now one of the two ends of the gripping arms 103 has been described as terminating with an anti-entanglement end 106 folded on itself in centripetal direction with respect to the coupling portion 104, an alternative solution of the present invention provides that said anti-entanglement end 106 terminates free, without bending, and then is protected by a small cap preferably made of plastic polymer so as to prevent accidental and undesired rubbing.

Finally, a further aspect that is of particular importance in the achievement of the invention is that in those cases in which the sections of the uprights 107 do not have circular shape, it is provided that the coupling portion 104 made by the two gripping arms 103 can be constituted by any one open shape of polygonal or elliptical type, or in any case mating with the shape of the section of the aforesaid uprights 107, provided that such modification does not depart from the coupling device inventive concept 100. It must be added that the present invention was described as illustrative but non-limiting according to several preferred embodiments, but it should be intended that possible variations and/or modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the relative protective scope, as defined by the following dependent claims.

Claims

1. A quick coupling device for protection nets of scaffolds, characterized in that it comprises at least one quick coupling portion (104) suitably shaped for being coupled to any one structure of a scaffolding and having in nearly medial position at least one reduced-size spiral, called the elastic portion (101), conferring elasticity since it is connected to the coupling ends of said quick coupling portion (104) formed by the two gripping arms (103) enclosing a semicircular area, preferably coplanar with that occupied by said elastic portion (101), it being moreover characterized in that said terminal portions of the two gripping arms (103) both open outward and terminate such that one of the ends, called the perforation end (105), is sharpened and the other end, called the anti-entanglement end (106), is folded on itself, in U-shape, in a direction preferably centripetal with respect to the aforesaid coupling direction (104).

2. A quick coupling device according to claim 1, characterized in that the constituent material comprises any polymer material of plastic type or preferably any material of metal type and still more preferably steel, special steel, brass, copper, bronze and aluminum alloy or any other alloy available on the market.

3. A quick coupling device according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the polymer plastic constituent materials or the metal constituent materials can comprise those having galvanized outer finishing and/or having colored outer finishing and/or having plasticized outer finishing.

4. A quick coupling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the size of the inner diameter of the elastic portion (101) is in the range of 4 mm - 40 mm, more preferably is 14 mm.

5. A quick coupling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the size of the inner diameter of the coupling portion (104) is in the range of 10 mm - 100 mm, more preferably is 42 mm - 48 mm and still more preferably is 48 mm.

6. A quick coupling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the size of the diameter of the constituent structure, diameter of the wire, of said quick coupling is in the range of 1 mm - 10 mm, more preferably is 4 mm.

7. A quick coupling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the anti-entanglement end (106) terminates free.

8. A quick coupling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said anti-entanglement end (106) is protected by a small cap preferably made of plastic polymer.

9. A quick coupling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coupling portion (104) made by the two aforesaid gripping arms (103) is made in any one open shape of polygonal or elliptical type.

10. A quick coupling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it can be used for fastening any one net (108) or sheet to any one vertical or horizontal upright (107) suitable for coupling by simply pressing on said coupling device after having positioned it with the two gripping arms in contact with said upright (107).

1 1. A quick coupling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it can be disengaged after having fixed any one net (108) or sheet to any one vertical or horizontal upright (107), simply by pressing on said anti-entanglement end