Patent Application
20090146120
This patent document pertains generally to lift and hoist mechanisms. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, this patent document pertains to a lift assembly that can be employed for raising and lowering a load in theatrical and staging environments, wherein the lift assembly is a modular self contained unit that can be readily and securely installed in a wide variety of building configurations.
Performance venues such as theaters, arenas, concert halls, auditoriums, schools, clubs, convention centers and television studios employ battens or trusses to suspend lighting, scenery, drapery and other equipment which is moved relative to a stage or floor. These battens usually include pipe or joined pipe sections that form a desired length of the batten. The battens can be fifty feet or more in length. To support heavy loads, or where suspension points are spaced fifteen to thirty feet apart, the battens may be fabricated in either ladder, triangular or box truss configurations.
Battens often need to be lowered for exchanging and servicing the suspended equipment. To reduce the power necessary to raise and lower the battens, the battens are often counterweighted. The counterweights reduce the effective weight of the battens and any associated loads.
A number of elevating or hoisting systems are available for supporting, raising and lowering battens. One of the most common and least expensive batten elevating systems is a counterweighted carriage that includes a moveable counterweight for counterbalancing the batten and equipment supported by the batten.
Another common elevating or hoisting system employs a winch to raise or lower the battens. The winch may be either hand or electrically operated. Occasionally, in expensive operations, a motorized winch or hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder device is used to raise and lower the battens.
More recently, modular lift assemblies have been employed to raise and lower battens. An example of a modular lift assembly is shown in
Modular lift assemblies 1, such as those shown in
Such loads may result in deformations of the lift assembly 2, which may maliciously affect components of the lift assembly 2. For example, a shaft (not shown) driven by the motor 4 to rotate the one or more drums 6 about which the cables 8 are wound, may be up to seven feet in length, and even slight bending thereof may cause misalignment of the shaft with respect to bearings (not shown) in which the shaft rotates. As a result, a wobble of the rotating components with respect to each other can be created, potentially shortening the life of the bearings, shaft, and/or drums, and increasing noise created by the lift assembly.
The present inventor has recognized, among other things, that a need exists for a modular lift assembly providing increased stiffness, which results in increased life and efficiency of the assembly. A need further exists for a lift assembly, which provides for secured attachment to existing structures within an environment.
The present subject matter provides an improved lift assembly that can be easily mounted within a theater or other performing arts venue. Moreover, the present subject matter provides an improved clamping mechanism allowing for easier and more effective clamping of modular lift assemblies to structures existing in the theater or other performing arts venue.
In an aspect of the present subject matter, a lift assembly configured for attachment to two parallel support beams includes a chassis having a plurality of grooves formed in one surface thereof, at least one lift component attached to an opposing surface of the chassis, a telescoping or other adjustable stiffener, and at least one attachment assembly. The telescoping or other adjustable stiffener is disposed in at least one of the grooves and engages facing surfaces of adjacent parallel support beams. The at least one attachment assembly is disposed in another of the grooves formed in the chassis for engaging at least one of the adjacent support beams.
In another aspect of the present subject matter, a lift assembly for translating a load includes an elongated chassis, at least one first clip assembly, at least one second clip assembly, and a telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member. The at least one first clip assembly is disposed on the chassis to engage one of a pair of adjacent support beams. At least a portion of the first clip assembly is movable relative to the chassis. The at least one second clip assembly is disposed on the chassis to engage a second of the adjacent support beams. At least a portion of the second clip assembly is movable relative to the chassis. The telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member is disposed longitudinally on the chassis and is movable relative to the chassis. A first end of the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member is in mechanical communication with the first clip assembly, and a second end of the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member, opposite the first end, is in mechanical communication with the second clip assembly, such that movement of the first clip assembly and the second clip assembly relative to the chassis moves the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member relative to the chassis.
In a further aspect of the present subject matter, a theater lift assembly for raising and lowering objects relative to a stage includes an elongated chassis, at least one lifting drum attached to the chassis, at least two attachment assemblies connected to the chassis, and a telescoping or other adjustable support beam, extending longitudinally on and attached to the chassis along its length. The elongated chassis is configured for attachment to at least two parallel support beams positioned above the stage. The attachment assemblies are configured for attaching the chassis to the support beams. The telescoping or other adjustable support beam is configured to engage the support beam at its ends.
In a still further aspect of the present subject matter, a lift assembly for raising and lowering a batten or battens relative to a stage includes a chassis mountable to a pair of adjacent, substantially parallel support beams positioned above the stage, at least one first clip assembly disposed on the chassis, and a telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member disposed longitudinally on the chassis. The first clip assembly includes a first portion for engaging a side of a first of the adjacent support beams and a second portion for engaging a flange of the first of the adjacent support beams. The telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member has a first end for engaging the side of the first of the adjacent support beams and a first cutout proximate the first end for engaging the flange of the first of the adjacent support beams. At least one of (i) the first portion of the first clip assembly is substantially co-planar with the first end of the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member, and (ii) the second portion of the first clip assembly is substantially co-planar with the first cutout of the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member.
These and other examples, advantages, and features of the present lift assembly will be set forth in part in following Detailed Description. This Summary is intended to provide an overview of the subject matter of the present patent document. It is not intended to provide an exclusive or exhaustive explanation of the present subject matter. The Detailed Description is included to provide further information about the present patent document.
In the drawings, like numerals have been used to describe similar components throughout the several views. Like numerals having different letter suffixes have been used to represent different instances of similar components. The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various embodiments described in the present document.
One embodiment of the present subject matter will now be described with reference to
Referring to
Although the term “batten” is generally used in connection with theatrical and staging environments, including scenery, staging, lighting equipment, and sound equipment, for example, it is understood that, as used herein, the term encompasses any load connectable to a windable cable.
The term “cable,” as used herein, should be understood to encompass any wire, metal, cable, rope, wire rope or any other generally inelastic windable material.
The term “building,” as used herein, should be understood to encompass any structure or facility to which the lift assembly is connected, such as, but not limited to, performance venues, theaters, arenas, concert halls, auditoriums, schools, clubs, educational institutions, stages, convention centers, television studios, showrooms, and places of religious gathering. Building is also understood to encompass cruise ships which may employ arenas.
Throughout this application, location terms, such as, for example, top, bottom, side, inner, and outer, are used only to describe relative locations of features of the present subject matter. Such terms are not limiting, inasmuch as it would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the features could be placed in different relative positions, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter.
Referring to
In the lift assembly 102, one or more of the drive mechanism 104, drums 106, and pulleys 110 preferably are attached to a chassis 120. The chassis 120 comprises a portion of a frame 114. The frame 114 and chassis 120 protect the components of the assembly from environmental contaminants, and encapsulate the moving parts of the assembly.
In addition to providing an attachment point for portions of the lift assembly 102, the chassis 120 also preferably supports structure for attaching the lift assembly to support structure, for example substantially parallel I-beams 116, native to the environment in which the lift assembly 102 is to be mounted. More specifically, the chassis 120 includes a plurality of grooves 122 (
As described in more detail below, one or more attachment assemblies 130 are preferably disposed within the outer grooves 122a, 122c, and a telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member 140 is disposed within the central slot 122b. As will also be described, the attachment assemblies 130 and/or the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member 140 facilitate attachment of the chassis 120, and therefore the lift assembly 102, to existing I-beams 116 or similar structure commonly found in performing arts venues.
A novel attachment assembly 130 according to an embodiment of the present subject matter will be described first, with particular reference to
As illustrated, the attachment assembly 130 of the first embodiment of the present subject matter includes a plurality of clip assemblies 131 (
A single clip assembly 131 is shown in, and will be described with particular reference to,
The threaded member 133 is preferably attached to the outer jaw 132a with the inner jaw 132b threadably engaged with the threaded member 133. In this manner, when the outer jaw 132a is held stationary, rotation of the threaded member 133, i.e., via the head 134 of the member, which head may be a hex-head, flat head, Phillips head or the like, will result in selective loosening, i.e., widening of the distance between the outer and inner jaws, and tightening, i.e., narrowing of the distance between the outer and inner jaws, of the clip assembly.
Of course, the threaded member may be attached to the inner jaw, with the outer jaw threadably engaged with the threaded member. That is, the head of the threaded member may be arranged proximate the inner jaw. As will be described below, however, adjustment of the clip assembly to attach the lift assembly to I-beams is more easily done with the head of the threaded member disposed proximate the outer jaw.
As illustrated, the inner jaw 132b and outer jaw 132a preferably are substantially identical, with each jaw including a base 135, an intermediate, angled portion 136, and a distal flange 137. The jaws may also include a slot formed through the intermediate portion 135, the function of which will be described in more detail below. The base 135 of the jaws 132a, 132b includes one or more horizontal channels 135a on either side thereof, positioned such that the jaw is receivable in one or more of the longitudinal, t-shaped grooves 122 formed along the length of the top of the chassis 120. Specifically, this base configuration allows the jaws to be slidable within the outer grooves 122a, 122c of the chassis 120, relative to the chassis 120. The intermediate portion 136 of the jaws can extend from the base at a substantially 45-degree angle, and terminates at the distal flange 137. As will be described in more detail below, when the jaws 132a, 132b are used to clamp an I-beam 116, the distal flange 137 can contacts a sidewall 116a of the I-beam 116 and the intermediate portion 136 can contacts a lower flange 116b of the I-beam 116.
Each outer jaw 132 also preferably includes one or more apertures 139 extending vertically therethrough. When the clip assembly 131 is disposed in one of the grooves 122 of the chassis 120, screws or similar fastening means can be passed through the apertures 139 to fix the jaw 132a with respect to the chassis 120. Threaded holes may be provided in the chassis 120 to receive bolts passed through the apertures 139. Alternatively, self-tapping screws, set screws, or the like may be passed through the apertures 139 for engagement with the chassis. The inner jaws may also include the apertures 139, although it is generally not preferable to fix both the outer and inner jaws 132a, 132b to the chassis.
As shown in
The manner in which the lift assembly is attached to the I-beams 116 will now be described. In one embodiment, the outer jaws 132a of the first clip assemblies 131a are fixed to the chassis, and the inner jaws 132b of the first clip assemblies 131a are spaced far enough from the outer jaws 132a to allow for acceptance of the first I-beam 116 between the outer and inner jaws 132a, 132b. Once the lift assembly is raised such that the top of the chassis 120 abuts the bottom of the first I-beam 116, the lift assembly 102 is placed such that the fixed outer jaws of the first clip assemblies 131a engage the first I-beam. In particular, the angled portion 136 contacts the lower flange 116b of the I-beam 116, and the distal flange 138 engages the sidewall 116a of the I-beam 116. The threaded members 133 of the first clip assemblies 131a are selectively tightened to decrease the distance between the outer jaws 132a and the inner jaws 132b of the first clip assemblies 131a, until the substantially 45-degree, e.g., angled intermediate portions of each of the inner jaws 132b contacts the lower flange of the I-beam, and the distal flange of the each of the inner jaws contacts the inner sidewall 116a of the I-beam. In this manner, each of the first clip assemblies 131a contacts the I-beam 116 at opposite sidewalls 116a, i.e., inner and outer surfaces thereof, and at positions on the lower flange 116b.
As should be understood, because the outer jaws 132a of first clip assemblies 131a can be fixed to the chassis 120 prior to attachment of the lift assembly 102 or to the I-beams 116, the outer jaws 132a of second clip assemblies 131b, for engaging the second of the adjacent I-beams 116, cannot also be fixed to the chassis 120 prior to engaging the chassis 120 to the I-beams 116. Accordingly, the second clip assemblies 131b are freely slideable within the grooves of the chassis 120. When the first clip assemblies are in position to secure the chassis 120 to the first of the adjacent I-beams 116, as just described, the second clip assemblies 131b are moved within the slots such that the distal flange 137 of the outer jaws 132a of the second assemblies 131b contacts the outer a sidewall 116a of the second I-beam 116, and the intermediate, angled portions 136 of the outer jaws 132a contact the (outer) lower flange 116b of the second I-beam 116. So arranged, setscrews or self-tapping screws are inserted into the vertical apertures 139 formed in the base 135 of the outer jaws 132a, to fix the outer jaw 132 with respect to the chassis 120. The threaded member 133 of each of the second assemblies 131b is then rotated to clamp the outer jaws 132a and inner jaws 136 about the second of the adjacent I-beams 116, in substantially the same manner as which the first assemblies 131a were tightened about the first of the adjacent I-beams.
The foregoing discussion makes reference to fixing the outer jaws with respect to the chassis prior to clamping the clip assembly 131 on the I-beam. In this manner, the head of each of the clip assemblies is easily accessible from ends of the lift assembly, without having to access the area between the adjacent I-beams. Of course, it is also contemplated that the head of the threaded member be disposed proximate the inner jaw. In this manner the inner jaw may be fixed relative to the chassis and with the outer jaw being movable relative to the inner jaw.
While it is contemplated that the four clip assemblies shown in
Accordingly, in various embodiments, the present subject matter also includes a telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member 140 disposed in the central groove 122b, e.g., on the top of the chassis 120. As shown in
Substantially 45-degree cutouts 143 are formed at the bottom of distal ends of the channels 141 forming the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member 140. Preferably, each of the cutouts forms an angle substantially identical to the angle forwarded by the intermediate portion 136 of the inner jaws 132b of the clip assemblies 131.
When the chassis 120 is mounted to adjacent I-beams 116 native to the environment in which the lift assembly 102 is to be mounted, the two channels 141 comprising the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member 140 are moved relative to each other to make the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member 140 longer, until the distal ends of the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member 140 contact the adjacent I-beams 116. Specifically, at least a portion of the distal end of each channel 141 contacts the sidewall 116a of the beam 116, while the angled cutout 143 contacts the lower flange of the existing I-beam 116.
Thus, as described in this embodiment of the present subject matter, clip assemblies 131 and a telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member 140 are provided for attachment of a modular lift assembly to existing adjacent I-beams in a performing arts venue. As should be appreciated because the angle of the cutout formed at the distal ends of the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member mimics the angle of the intermediate portion of the jaws of the clip assemblies, each of the angled cutouts contacts the lower flange of an existing I-beam in the same manner in which the intermediate portion of the inner jaws of the clip assemblies contacts the lower flange at the I-beam. Moreover, the distal ends of the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member contact facing sidewalls of the adjacent I-beams in the same manner in which the distal flanges of the inner jaws of the multiple clip assemblies contact the facing sidewalls of the adjacent I-beams. As also should be appreciated, the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member is attached to the chassis along the entire length of the chassis between the adjacent I-beams. In this manner, the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member serves as a rigid backbone for the lift assembly, substantially countering rotational and translational loads applied to the lift assembly and support structure.
The clip assemblies and the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member may operate independently of one another, thereby requiring adjustment of each of these features. Alternatively, the clip assemblies and telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member operate as a single assembly. More specifically, as shown in the figures, in a portion of the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member proximate to the cutout regions formed at the distal ends thereof a through-hole or aperture 144 is formed. In one embodiment, a threaded rod 145 is passed through this aperture 144 (the aperture may be threaded to receive the threaded rod) and nuts 146 are threaded onto either side of the rod 145 to stabilize the rod 145. The distal ends of the rod extend transversely from either side of the channel 141 through which the rod 145 is passed. These ends of the rod 145 are disposed within the horizontal slots 138 formed through the intermediate portions 136 of the inner jaws 132b of adjacent clip assemblies 131.
With this configuration, when the clip assemblies 131 are tightened, i.e., the inner jaw is moved closer to the outer jaw, the distal end of the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member will move with the inner jaw. Thus, tightening of one bolt will result in clamping of the clip assembly and will extend the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member. By repeating this process on both ends of the assembly, a secure and reliable mounting of the modular assembly to the existing I-beams is achieved.
The mechanical connection of the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member to the clip assemblies may also preferably ensure (i) that the ends of the telescoping or other adjustable member are substantially co-planar with the distal flange of the inner jaws of adjacent clip assemblies and (ii) that the cutout portion is substantially co-planar with the intermediate portion of the inner jaws. Thus, maximum engagement is achieved between the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member, clip assemblies, and I-beams.
Of course, modifications to the various embodiments also are contemplated.
For example, the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member is not limited to the back-to-back channel construction. For example, the members comprising the member need not be C-shaped in cross-section. L-Shaped, substantially square, rectangular, or any number of other cross-sections may be used. Regardless of the cross-sections used, the members preferably are disposed on the chassis to support the chassis, and are movable with respect to each other and with respect to the chassis. Of course, when different cross-sections are used for the channels forming the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member, the formation of the clips will vary.
Moreover, although the grooves 122 formed in the chassis 120 are described as being T-shaped in cross-section, such is not necessary. Any number of cross-sections may be used, so long as the clip assemblies and/or the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member are receivable therein. For example, the grooves may have any cross-section including linear and/or curvilinear surfaces. Moreover, the grooves for receiving the clip assemblies may be different in cross-section than the grooves for receiving the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member.
Additionally, the grooves 122, although described as being formed on a top of the chassis, may alternatively be formed on the side or bottom of the chassis, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter. Alternative groove locations may require that the attachment assemblies and/or the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member include extensions or the like to contact the inwardly facing sides of the I-beams, and/or the lower flanges as described above.
As described above, a slot 138 is preferably formed through the intermediate portion of each of the inner and outer jaws. The slot 138 serves to accept longitudinal ends of the rod connected to the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member, to mechanically couple the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member to an adjacent clip member. However, the slot also is preferably formed to reduce vibration of the lift assembly. Specifically, the slot is dimensioned taking into account the natural frequency of the lift assembly, and acts to dampen noise created in the lift assembly.
Furthermore, in the various embodiments described above, a rod extends longitudinally from the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member and is received in an adjacent clip assembly to provide a mechanical connection between the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member and clip assemblies. However, any number of means may be used to couple the telescoping or other adjustable stiffener member to one or more clip assemblies. For example, such coupling means may include bolts, screws, rivets, or any other mechanical connection.
The above Detailed Description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the Detailed Description. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. These embodiments are also referred to herein as “examples.” All publications, patents, and patent documents referred to in this document are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, as though individually incorporated by reference. In the event of inconsistent usages between this document and those documents so incorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated references should be considered supplementary to that of this document; for irreconcilable Inconsistencies, the usage in this document controls.
In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one, independent of any other instances or usages of “at least one” or “one or more.” In this document, the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that “A or B” includes “A but not B,” “B but not A,” and “A and B,” unless otherwise indicated.
In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” Also, in the following claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are open-ended, that is, a system, assembly, device, article, or process that includes elements in addition to those listed after such a term in a claim are still deemed to fall within the scope of that claim. Moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.
The above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or more features thereof) can be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments can be used, such as by one of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Also, in the above Detailed Description, various features can be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This should not be interpreted as intending that an unclaimed disclosed feature is essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter can lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b), to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/410,128 filed Apr. 24, 2006, the specification of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11410128 | Apr 2006 | US |
| Child | 12343122 | US |
