Patent Application
20250043581
The present disclosure relates generally to attachment mechanisms. In particular, it relates to adjustable attachment mechanisms for use with an edge protection system.
Edge protection systems may be used to provide safety for workers operating at dangerous altitudes, such as on various levels of a building construction site. An edge protection system may include one or more temporary edge protection systems are disposed along the edges of a construction site to form a protective perimeter. The temporary edge protection systems may be composed of beam nets, frame barriers, mesh barriers, and/or the like. One or more attachment mechanisms may be used to secure the panels to the edges of the construction site.
Depending on a variety of factors (e.g., panel type, the type of material used at the construction site, and/or the like) one or more different types of attachment mechanisms may be required. For example, some attachment mechanism may require multiple fastening devices to connect to the structure of a building where the temporary edge protection system is utilized.
Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, Applicant has solved problems relating to attachment mechanisms for edge protection systems by developing solutions embodied in the present disclosure, which are described in detail below.
In general, embodiments of the present disclosure provide attachment mechanisms, systems, and/or the like.
In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure there is provided an attachment mechanism including an attachment plate including an attachment slot and an attachment groove, wherein one or more of the attachment slot and the attachment groove are configured to receive one or more fastening mechanisms to secure the attachment mechanisms to a fixed structure; a cross plate including a cross hole, wherein the cross plate is fixedly connected to the attachment plate, and wherein the cross plate is disposed perpendicular to the attachment plate.
In some embodiments, the cross hole defines a pivot point of the attachment mechanism.
In some embodiments, the cross hole is aligned with one or more of the attachment slot or the attachment groove.
In some embodiments, the cross plate is fixedly attached to the attachment plate via one or more weldments.
In some embodiments, the attachment slot is a keyhole-shaped slot.
In some embodiments, the attachment slot and the attachment groove are disposed on opposite sides of the cross plate, and wherein the attachment slot is disposed below the attachment slot.
In accordance with various embodiments there is provided an attachment system configured to support an edge protection system, wherein the attachment system includes an attachment mechanism including an attachment plate including an attachment slot and an attachment groove, wherein one or more of the attachment slot and the attachment groove are configured to receive one or more fastening mechanisms to secure the attachment mechanisms to a fixed structure; a cross plate including a cross hole, wherein the cross plate is fixedly connected to the attachment plate, and wherein the cross plate is disposed perpendicular to the attachment plate; a fixed beam fixedly attached to the attachment mechanism; and a running beam operably attached to the first beam such that the running beam is configured to move along a length of the fixed beam relative to the attachment mechanism.
In some embodiments the attachment system includes a sliding bracket, wherein the sliding bracket is fixedly attached to the running beam and operatively engaged with the fixed beam, such that the sliding bracket is configured to move along the length of the fixed beam relative to the attachment mechanism.
In some embodiments, the cross hole defines a pivot point of the attachment mechanism above the center of gravity of the fixed beam such that the fixed beam is prevented from rotating relative to the attachment mechanism.
In some embodiments, the cross hole is aligned with one or more of the attachment slot or the attachment groove.
In some embodiments, the cross plate is fixedly attached to the attachment plate via one or more weldments.
In some embodiments, the attachment slot is a keyhole-shaped slot.
In some embodiments, the attachment slot and the attachment groove are disposed on opposite sides of the cross plate, and wherein the attachment slot is disposed below the attachment slot.
The above summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example embodiments to provide a basic understanding of some embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described embodiments are merely examples. It will be appreciated that the scope of the disclosure encompasses many potential embodiments in addition to those here summarized, some of which will be further described below.
Having thus described the disclosure in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Various embodiments of the present disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the disclosure are shown. Indeed, this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. The term “or” (also designated as “/”) is used herein in both the alternative and conjunctive sense, unless otherwise indicated. The terms “illustrative” and “exemplary” are used to be examples with no indication of quality level. Like numbers may refer to like elements throughout. The phrases “in one embodiment,” “according to one embodiment,” and/or the like generally mean that the particular feature, structure, or characteristic following the phrase may be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure and may be included in more than one embodiment of the present disclosure (importantly, such phrases do not necessarily may refer to the same embodiment).
According to various embodiments, there is provided an attachment mechanism that may provide support for an edge protection system. The attachment mechanism may include an attachment plate fixed to a beam, post, wall, or other fixed object at a site (e.g., a construction site). In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism may include a fixed beam and a running beam configured to move along the fixed beam. The edge protection system may be attached to the running beam, and the running beam may be moved along the fixed beam to adjust the distance of the edge protection system from the fixed attachment plate.
The attachment plate may include an attachment slot and an attachment groove, each of which may be used to attach the attachment plate to the aforementioned fixed object. In some embodiments, a fastener may be fixed through the attachment slot, through the attachment groove, or both to fix the attachment plate to the fixed object. In some embodiments, the attachment plate may include a cross plate with a cross hole. In some embodiments, one or more fasteners may be disposed through the cross hole, which may be aligned with one or more of the attachment slot and/or the attachment groove.
In some embodiments, the attachment plate 102 may define a rear face 103A (shown in at least
In some embodiments, the attachment plate 102 may include an attachment slot 106. The attachment slot 106 may be a keyhole shaped slot, as shown in the figures. In some embodiments, the attachment slot 106 may be configured to receive one or more fastening mechanisms to secure the attachment plate 102 and/or various other components of the attachment mechanism 100 to a wall, beam, and/or the like, as will be described in greater detail later in this disclosure. In some embodiments, the one or more fastening mechanisms may be disposed through one or more locations on the attachment slot 106 (e.g., the “bottom,” circular section, or the “upper,” elongated section).
In some embodiments, the attachment plate 102 may include an attachment groove 108. Similar to the attachment slot 106, the attachment groove 108 may be configured to receive one or more fastening mechanisms to secure the attachment plate 102 and/or various other components of the attachment mechanism 100 to a wall, beam, and/or the like, as will be described in greater detail later in this disclosure. In some embodiments, the groove 108 may be an elongated cutout of the plate 102. The groove 108 may be rectangularly-shaped and include an arcing or curved portion defining one or more sides, as shown. In some embodiments, the attachment slot 106 and the attachment groove 108 may be disposed on separate locations of the plate 102. In some embodiments, the attachment groove 108 may be disposed on a “lower” portion of the plate 102, and the attachment slot 106 may be disposed on an “upper” portion of the plate 102 (“lower” and “upper” herein being in reference to a portrait orientation of the figures, with the figure label at the bottom, for reference).
In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism 100 may include a cross plate 110. The cross plate 110 may be a substantially rectangular, metal plate. In some embodiments, the cross plate 110 may be fixedly attached to the attachment plate 102. In some embodiments, the cross plate 110 may be fixedly attached via one or more weldments 107, as shown throughout the figures. It will be understood that multiple types of attachment mechanisms may be used to secure the cross plate 110 to the attachment plate 102.
In some embodiments, the cross plate 110 may include a cross hole 112. In some embodiments, the cross hole 112 may be a substantially circular hole disposed at or near the center of the cross plate 110. The cross hole 112 may be configured to be aligned with the attachment slot 106. In some embodiments, the cross hole 112 may be configured to receive one or more fasteners, similarly to the attachment slot 106 and the attachment groove 108, to secure the attachment plate 102, the cross plate 110, and/or various other components of the attachment mechanism 100 to a wall, beam, and/or the like, as will be described in greater detail later in this disclosure.
In some embodiments, the attachment system 200 may further include a running beam 204. The running beam 204 may be an elongated metal beam having one or more surfaces being cylindrical, rectangular, and/or both for various spans along the length of the running beam 204. For example, in at least
In some embodiments, the running beam 204 may be disposed perpendicularly to the fixed beam 202. In some embodiments, the running beam 204 may be attached to the fixed beam 202 by a sliding bracket 206. The sliding bracket 206 may be operably engaged to the fixed beam 202 and fixedly attached to the running beam 204, and the sliding bracket 206 may be configured such that the sliding bracket 206 may travel along the fixed beam and thereby move the running beam 204 closer or farther from the attachment mechanism 100, as desired. For example, the sliding bracket 206 may be secured to the fixed beam 202 via a fastener 207 (e.g., an adjustable bolt) such that the running beam 204 is fixed in a position on the fixed beam 202; in some embodiments, the fastener 207 may be loosened to enable the sliding bracket to slide along the fixed beam 202; the fastener 207 may then be tightened again such that the running beam 204 is fixed again to a position on the fixed beam 202.
In some embodiments, the running beam 204 may be adjustable such that its length can be increased or decreased as desired. For example, the running beam 204 may be lengthened such that more components of the edge protection system may be attached to the running beam 204. In some embodiments, the running beam 204 may be lengthened by attaching additional beams and/or the like in series with the running beam 204. In some embodiments, the running beam 204 may include an adjustable tube configured to be lengthened or shortened, as desired.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
