FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to safety devices used for construction of wood framed buildings. More particularly, the present invention relates to a safety rail system that can be configured as an adjustable wall-mountable safety rail post or scaffold bracket to prevent construction workers from falling from elevated work positions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The construction of wood frame buildings can be a dangerous process. Generally, wood framed buildings are constructed by a framing crew who assembles a series of vertical and horizontal members which define the floors, exterior walls, and interior partitions. When erecting multi-storied buildings, the framing crew is required to stand and work in locations elevated considerably from the ground. Workers risk serious injury or death due to falls from unsafe heights as subsequent floors are formed. As of now, some workers will simply nail boards to the outsides of wall studs to form an ad hoc safety rail. However, in light of efforts to improve the safety conditions of workers, this method does not meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for fall protection. In fact, the current method lends to giving workers a false sense of safety, which can be more dangerous than having no safety rail at all.
The present invention is a safety rail system to be used while framing multiple floors of a wood framed building in order to prevent falls from dangerous heights. The present invention mechanically fastens to framed walls at multiple points of contact and has a rigid construction that can withstand pressures exceeding requirements as set forth by OSHA. The present invention also has the advantage of being able to be configured as an adjustable safety rail post or scaffold bracket with safety rail.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the simplest embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the simplest embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a side view further detailing the alternate embodiment of the present invention from FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is detailed view of the at least one rail support bracket taken from circle 6 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is detailed view of the hanger bracket taken from circle 7 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 8 is detailed view of the at least one rail support bracket taken from circle 8 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 9 is detailed view of the hanger bracket taken from circle 9 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 10 is a detailed perspective view of the engagement between the first tubular member and the second tubular member for the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view for the implementation of at least two of the embodiment of the present invention in accordance to FIG. 5.
DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The present invention is a safety rail support for wood framed building construction or structural middle stud framing. The present invention is erected onto elevated stud structures of wood framed buildings in order to prevent injury or worse for construction personnel from falling from an elevated height. The at least two of the present invention are used in conjunction with each other in order for a set of horizontal rails to be efficiently constructed between the at least two of the present invention. The erected rails is able to sustain significant pressure to meet safety standards.
The present invention comprises a stud mount 1, an elongated vertical support 2, at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3, and a hanger bracket 4, in accordance to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The stud mount 1 secures the present invention onto a stud of a framing structure for a wooden framed building. The elongated vertical support 2 provided a support to which the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 and the hanger bracket 4 are mounted. The elongated vertical support 2 is preferred to have a square cross-section; however, the cross-section may be circular, oval, or any other appropriate shape. The elongated vertical support 2 comprises a first support end 5 and a second support end 6. The first support end 5 is opposite to the second support end 6 along the elongated vertical support 2. The elongated vertical support 2 is perpendicularly connected to the stud mount 1, adjacent to the first support end 5. The at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 assists in supporting and retaining a horizontal rail while being adjustable such that the position of the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 is variable along the elongated vertical support 2. The at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 is adjacently connected along the elongated vertical support 2. The hanger bracket 4 is adjacently connected along the elongated vertical support 2. The hanger bracket 4 secures the present invention onto the top of a stud, or vertical support of a wooden framed building structure, in order to provide a counter rotational force when pressure is applied to the horizontal rails. The hanger bracket 4 is oriented towards the stud mount 1 such that the hanger bracket 4 and the stud mount 1 are able to simultaneously engage the stud.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the elongated vertical support 2 is a single fixed tubular support. The hanger bracket 4 is positioned between the stud mount 1 and the second support end 6. The at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 is positioned between the stud mount 1 and the second support end 6. The at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 is oriented away from the hanger bracket 4 such that the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 extends away from the stud. This configuration allows for the possibility for the horizontal rail to be placed adjacent to the stud.
As previously mentioned, the position of the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 is able to be varied along the elongated vertical support 2. In some embodiments of the present invention, the present invention comprises a plurality of positioning apertures 7 and a plurality of locking fasteners 8. The plurality of positioning apertures 7 provides a set of points which the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 and the hanger bracket 4 to be mounted to the elongated vertical support 2. The plurality of locking fasteners 8 secures the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 and the hanger bracket 4 to the elongated vertical support 2. The plurality of positioning apertures 7 laterally traverses through the elongated vertical support 2. In accordance to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the plurality of positioning apertures 7 is evenly distributed along the elongated vertical support 2 to demark the positions which the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 and the hanger bracket 4 can be positioned along the elongated vertical support 2.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the position of the hanger bracket 4 is able to vary along the elongated vertical support 2 in order to adjust the counter moment which the hanger bracket 4 provides to the elongated vertical support 2 when pressure is applied to the horizontal rails. As shown in FIG. 7, the hanger bracket 4 is positioned adjacent to a selected aperture 9 from the plurality of positioning apertures 7. The selected aperture 9 is the aperture the user assesses to provide the best counter moment for their current application of the present invention. A locking fastener 10 from the plurality of locking fasteners 8 engages with the hanger bracket 4 and the selected aperture 9 in order to secure the hanger bracket 4 to the elongated vertical support 2.
Similarly shown in FIG. 6, the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 is positioned adjacent to a selected aperture 9 from the plurality of positioning apertures 7. The selected aperture 9 is assessed by the user to provide the best position for the horizontal rail to provide the most safety. Another locking fastener 10 from the plurality of locking fasteners 8 engages with a corresponding support bracket from the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 and the selected aperture 9 in order to secure the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 onto the elongated vertical support 2.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the elongated vertical member comprises a first tubular member 11, a receiving end 12, a second tubular member 13, and an insertion end 14, in accordance to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5. The first tubular member 11 and the second tubular member 13 allow for variably extension of the present invention vertically. The first tubular member 11 and the second tubular member 13 also allow the present invention to be modular such that the present invention can be disassembled for transportation or storage. The receiving end 12 is positioned opposite to the first support end 5 along the first tubular member 11. Similarly, the insertion end 14 is positioned opposite to the second support end 6 along the second tubular member 13. For such embodiments, the hanger bracket 4 is positioned between the stud mount 1 and the receiving end 12. The at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 is positioned between the insertion end 14 and the second support end 6.
Further within aforementioned embodiments of the present invention, the present invention comprises a first plurality of locking apertures 15 and a second plurality of locking apertures 16. The first plurality of locking apertures 15 laterally traverses through the first tubular member 11, and the first plurality of locking apertures 15 is distributed along the first tubular member 11. Similarly, the second plurality of locking apertures 16 laterally traverses through the second tubular member 13, and the second plurality of locking apertures 16 is distributed along the second tubular member 13. The first plurality of locking apertures 15 and second plurality of locking apertures 16 allow for multiple configurations of the present invention. For example, in one configuration, shown in FIG. 10, of the present invention, the insertion end 14 is telescopically engaged with the receiving end 12. A selected aperture 9 from the first plurality of locking apertures 15 is positioned adjacent to a selected aperture 9 from the second plurality of locking apertures 16. A locking fastener 10 from the plurality of locking fasteners 8 is able to engage with the selected aperture 9 from the first plurality of locking apertures 15 and the selected aperture 9 from the second plurality of locking apertures 16. Thus, the second tubular member 13 is able to be secured within the first tubular member 11 in accordance to a user's preference for the length of the second tubular member 13 to extend out from the first tubular member 11.
For another example for a configuration of the present invention, detailed in FIG. 5, the present invention comprises an elongated platform support 17. The elongated platform support 17 in conjunction with the at least two of the present invention allow for the support of a platform a user to step out beyond the boundaries of the wood framed building structure platform is mounted across each of the at least two of the present invention. The elongated platform support 17 is adjacently mounted to the first tubular receiver 18, adjacent to the stud mount 1. The elongated platform support 17 is oriented perpendicular to the first tubular member 11 and away from to the stud mount 1. The elongated platform support 17 comprises a tubular receiver 18. The tubular receiver 18 allows for the second tubular member 13 to be mounted onto the elongated platform support 17 in order to extend the horizontal rail out from the wooden structure to accommodate for the platform width. The tubular receiver 18 is perpendicularly mounted to the elongated platform support 17, opposite to the first tubular member 11. The insertion end 14 is selectively engaged to the tubular receiver 18 in order to mount the second tubular member 13 onto the elongated platform support 17.
In some embodiments for the aforementioned configuration, the present invention comprises an additional stud brace 19 and a reinforcement plate 20. The additional stud brace 19 and the reinforcement plate 20 provide additional support for the present invention as pressure is applied to the surface of a platform mounted onto the elongated platform support 17. The additional stud brace 19 is connected adjacent to the elongated platform support 17, opposite to the first tubular member 11. This positioning provides a counter-moment to the weight of a load distributed across the platform. The reinforcement plate 20 is centrally and perpendicularly connected to the additional stud brace 19. The reinforcement plate 20 is positioned perpendicular to the elongated platform support 17 and oriented towards the stud mount 1. The positioning of the reinforcement plate 20 prevents the present invention from rotating about the stud which the present invention is mounted by extending out from either side of the present invention.
For each of the configurations, the hanger bracket 4 and the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 similarly mount the present invention to the stud and allow a horizontal rail to be positioned in a manner to prevent injury or worse, as previously mentioned. In accordance to FIG. 9, the hanger bracket 4 is positioned adjacent to a selected aperture 9 from the first plurality of locking apertures 15 in order to position the present invention onto the stud to provide the most support for the present invention. A locking fastener 10 from the plurality of locking fasteners 8 is engaged with the hanger bracket 4 and the selected aperture 9 in order to secure the hanger bracket 4 to the first tubular member 11. As shown in FIG. 8, the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 is positioned adjacent to a selected aperture 9 from the second plurality of locking apertures 16 such that the height of the horizontal rail is positioned by the user for optimal safety. A locking fastener 10 from the plurality of locking fasteners 8 is engaged with a corresponding support bracket from the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 and the selected aperture 9 in order to secure the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 to the second tubular member 13.
In accordance to the preferred embodiment for the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3, the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 comprises a rail support member 21, a rail retaining member 22, and a rail mounting sleeve 23, as shown in FIG. 4. The rail support member 21 provides a base which a horizontal rail can be placed upon. The rail retaining member 22 prevents a horizontal rail from disengaging the present invention as pressure is applied to the horizontal rail. The rail mounting sleeve 23 allows the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 to translate along the elongated vertical support 2, as the rail mounting sleeve 23 is concentrically positioned about the elongated vertical support 2. The rail mounting sleeve 23 is slidably engaged with the elongated vertical support 2 such that the user can position the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3 according to their preference and safety. The rail support member 21 is perpendicularly connected to the rail mounting sleeve 23 in order to provide a horizontal base for a horizontal support. The rail retaining member 22 is perpendicularly and adjacently connected to the rail support member 21, opposite to the rail mounting sleeve 23. The rail retaining member 22 is oriented away from stud mount 1. This configuration of the rail retaining member 22, the rail support member 21, and the rail mounting sleeve 23 allows the present invention to secure onto the present invention.
In implementation of the present invention shown in FIG. 11, at least one horizontal rail 24 engages the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3, where the at least one horizontal rail 24 positioned adjacent to the elongated vertical support 2 on the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3, opposite to the stud mount 1. More specifically, the at least one horizontal rail 24 engages the rail support member 21 for of a first of the present invention and a second of the present invention. The at least one horizontal rail 24 is positioned between the rail retaining member 22 and the rail mounting sleeve 23 for both the first of the present invention and the second of the present invention. Thus, the at least one the horizontal rail 24 is supported at the studs allowing for pressure along the at least one horizontal rail 24 to be distributed to the stud which the present invention is mounted on.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the present invention comprises a bracket support 25, as detailed in FIG. 4. The bracket support 25 is a triangular structure to prevent the deformation of the at least one adjustable rail support bracket 3. The bracket support 25 is laterally mounted onto the rail mounting sleeve 23. The bracket support 25 is also adjacently mounted to the rail support member 21, opposite to the rail retaining member 22. This configuration allows the weight distributed on the rail support member 21 to be further distributed to the rail mounting sleeve 23. Therefore, the bracket support 25 allows heavier rails to be mounted onto the rail support member 21 which could deform less from pressure from a person, and increase the safety as the horizontal rail would be less likely to break from pressure, depending on the material for the horizontal rail.
In accordance to the preferred embodiment for the hanger bracket 4, the hanger bracket 4 comprises a stud support member 26, a stud retaining member 27 and a hanger mounting sleeve 28. The hanger mounting sleeve 28 allows the hanger bracket 4 to translate along the elongated vertical support 2 as the hanger mounting sleeve 28 is slidably engaged with the elongated vertical support 2. The stud support member 26 is perpendicularly connected to the hanger mounting sleeve 28 in order to secure the stud retaining member 27 to the hanger mounting sleeve 28. The stud retaining member 27 is perpendicularly connected to the stud support member 26, opposite to the hanger mounting sleeve 28. The stud retaining member 27 is oriented towards the stud mount 1. This configuration for the hanger bracket 4 allows the hanger bracket 4 to couple with the stud such that the hanger bracket 4 is connected to the opposite side of the elongated vertical support 2. Therefore, the hanger bracket 4 secures the present invention to the stud in order to provide a counter moment to forces applied to a horizontal rail.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
Patent Application
20160194889
