US1441806A - Scaffold machine - Google Patents

Description

P. HUHSMA.

SCAFFOLD MACHINE.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

FILED TES, 25, |922.

Patented Jan.. 9, i923.

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" i PETER HOITSMA, `OIE PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

SCAFFOLD MACHINE.

Application filed February 25, 1922. Serial No. 539,174.

Be it known that I, Pieri-:R Horrsam, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Paten son, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improveinentsin scaffold Machines, of which the following is a specification.V

This invention relates to climbing supports'and particularly to climbing supports for use in scaffolding required by workmen in constructing or working upon a building, and where the scaffolding includes one or more (usually at least two) upriglits spaced from the wall of the building. The object of the invention is to provide a climbing support which will obtain a secure hold on the upright and be at all times proof against unintentional downward ,y slip ping thereon and which the. workmen` while supported thereby, can operate with facility so as either to climb or descend relatively to the upright and which will further be quite simple in construction. C

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. l is a sideelevation of an uprightaiid shows the improved climbing support -thereon in vertical section; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-72,

Fig. 4, looking toward the right;

Fig. 3 is aplan View of two of the ini-l proved supports arranged on two uprights, which appear in section` vand planking resting on `the supports iand forming therewith and with the uprights a scaffold;

Fig. @L is a side elevation of what is seen in Fig. 3.

Let a designate one of thefuprights which' will rest on the 'ground and preferably consist of wooden lengths (as 2 X eps) and further will be progressively extended up- `wardly -to any desii'ed heightby lap-jointing or otherwise joining the ends of said lengths, the uprights being secured to the building at successive elevations by braces (not shown). Usually there will be at least two of these uprights andtwo of the improved supports, one on each upright, and the supports will carry planking as shown in Fig. `3.'

Each support or supporting structure is constructed as follows, having reference to the particular example shown in the drawings: Two strips of angle iron Zr are bent at corresponding points in their lengths so that each forms an acute angle, one arm b of which is shorter than the other b2 and is adapted to bear fiat against one upright face ot' the upright a., so that it stands vertically. c is a horizontal brace which connects "the upper ends of the two arms L, bt. Each thus-bent strip 7) and its brace c are rigidly connected together and to the other strip and brace, so as to form what I tei-in the loadecarrying member, by bolts which penetrate spacing sleeves e arranged between the two strips Z).

A bolt extending through the two apices of the strips affords a pivot for a shackle member g, which is astrip of metal bent into the forni of the letter U and is adapted -to embrace the upright a, in such manner that itsfree ends traverse the latter. Connecting the extremities of the member g is a gripping device 7L adapted to bear againstl the adjoining face of'the upright and which in order to obtain an effective hold thereon has a biting edge 7L adjacent thereto. as by being square in cross-section, said device being kept from turning by being fitted in square holes in member 1f/. The load-carrying member affords as toits port-ion b a device which coacts with device z to grip the upright 'when the weight of said member is on the shackle member and 7L obtains a hold on the upright. .The shackle is norinally urged upwardliY on bolt as a pivot by a spring i which is coiled about the bolt and has one end bearing upon lthe bolt (l and the other end against the bend or iniiei' 'end of the. shackle. The construction is such that the supporting structure may easily slip upwardly on the upright but immediately gravity becomes active to move the structure dmvnwardly. it obtains a perfectly secure grip on the upright on account of the spring. As will appear, the grip thus effected can however be disestablished by pressing downwardly on the end of the shackle member having the gripping device 71.

Given a supporting structure having the foregoing or any other means to grip the upright which is normally freely slidable upwardly but not downwardly thereon. .l providea lifting means. as follows. which .in the present example also in a measure coacts, When not lifting, with said gripping means to sustain the load. A shackle member is formed by a. strip bent into the shape of `theletter U and having grips /c 7a2 4connecting its two side portions, said shackle member 4being adapted to embrace the upright so that the latter stands between the two grips; one of the grips, as s, may be a plain bolt, while the other or relatively outer one, lag,- is preferably a bolt having a square cross section, and arranged so as to present one of its edges k3 as al biting edge to the upright, being kept against turning by being fitted into square holes in the shackle. It will be apparent that when both grips engage the opposite faces of the upright and a load is applied to the shackle at a point thereof nearer one grip (as f) than the other the shackle will grip the upright and oppose downward movement of the load-positively, if the other grip has an effective hold on the upright. A fulcrum support is providedon the shackle, the same in this linstance consisting of a pair of links Z which are pivotally suspended from a cross-bolt m connecting the sides of the `shackle. and having their lower ends connected by a bolt a on which is a rollerl la. On the bolt An is fulcrumed a lever o formed by two. metal strips the outer ends o'f which are rigidly connected byl a bolt [2 and a spacing sleeve Q'penetra-ted by the bolt and arranged between the strips and the inner ends of which are pivoted on a bolt Q outwardly of the upper ends ot the portions b of the load-carrying member, in which the bolt gvis arranged. The shackle is preferably normally urged to turn on the pivot afforded by bolt m in the direction to elevate the grip 702 by a spring r which is coiled about the bolt my and has lone end overlappingthe bendl or inner end of the shackle and .the other end engaged with a cross bolt s joining the links Z.

Operation.' Normally the load is sup-- portedby the means b g; the load-carrying member'b vis at this time kept `'from tilting away from the upright on a pivot by the Contact of a with the upright so that to this extent at least, and even if the gripper y' were moved so` as to'depress'its grip 7a2 and thus cause a release of the gripper, lthe lifting means coacts withthe means b-g to sustain the load. To cause the supporting structure to climb, the operator, who is on the platform afforded by the planking t, de presses the free end of lever o, which at this time is supported by the means jl, thereby raising the load-carrying member and at the endv of the stroke the means 7) f/ assumes a fresh grip on the upright. To rise another stage, the lever is elevated, thereby raising the gripper y' to a new elevation (where it instantly assumes a fresh grip on the upright both because of the specified relation of the two grips to each other and to the pivot m. and because of the means r operating to elevate the free end of the grip per), and on nowdepressing the.` lever the lifting operation is repeated as before.

In descending, the operator sits on the planking t shown in Figs. 3 and l. straddling the upright, with .his feet on the ends of the gripping device t. He then raises the lever to cause the upright to be gripped with a slip grip between g and n', and having released' the shackle g with his foot and the gripper y' with his free hand allows the supporting structure to fall, subject to such slip grip, whereupon he releases the shackle so that' the supporting means becomes locked to the upright at the new or lower elevation. (Or the upward pressure on the lever whereby the slip-grip is controlled may be effected by utilizing a rope o which will be lashed to the-upright as shown in Fig. et and passed around the bolt p of the lever and held under control at its free end by the operator). Quite independently of the shackle and gripper, t" erefore, the lever o with its gripping device n-n is a factor useful in effecting controlled descent. Descent may also be effected step by step thus: by depressing the lever, having first released the gripper, and allowing the gripper to re-engage the upright in the new or lower position. aud then, while holding the shackle released with the foot, allowing the supporting structure to descend a stage subject to the operators control effected through the lever, and finally permitting the shackle to re-engage the upright; and so on, step by step downwardly.

To afford a foot-hold on the shackle y] and a handhold on the gripper j the ends of the devices It and 7a2 may be prolonged as shown in F ig. 2.

To adapt the shackle g and gripper j to uprights of differentY cross sections additional holes u may be provided in them for the reception of the devices 71. and 71:2.

Having thus fully described my invention` what claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. In combination, with an upright and Vwith a load-carrying member at one side of the upright having means to engage the upright normally freely movable upwardly but not downwardly on the upright, lifting mechanism including a lever pivotally connected with'said member and movable upwardly and downwardly relatively thereto. and means in which the lever is fulcrumed having a gripper engaging thc upright and also normally freely movable upwardly but not downwardly thereon, said lever having means to'bear laterally against the upright.

2. In combination, an upright, a load-carrying member having means to engage the upright normally freely movable upwardly llO but not downwardly with respect thereto, and lifting means including a shackle having' grips engaging opposite faces ofthe upright, a lever piyotally connected with said member, a link plvoted to the shackle nearer one grip than the other und affording a fulcrum support for the lever, and a spring tion to elevate the grip \vhich is remote fromv the link.

In testimonywhereof I aix my signature.

PETER HorrsMA.

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