Patent Grant
11952789
This disclosure is related to grid shoring systems for building construction and, more particularly, to a universal prop system for assembling a variety of differently configured prop assemblies from a variety of interchangeable prop stands, interchangeable drop heads, and interchangeable stringer jacks with a variety of different stringer heads.
When constructing buildings, parking garages and other structures, grid shoring systems are often used to carry a load while structural concrete sets or permanent beams are fixed in position. The grid shoring systems may include platform supports that support multiple main beams on head assemblies that include seats. The main beams are typically installed by lowering each main beam onto the seats of adjacent head assemblies, and the main beams and seats may support a plurality of secondary beams extending between parallel main beams. One or more panels may rest on the main beams and secondary beams to form a platform that carries the load.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,024,069, which is incorporated by reference, describes a grid shoring system in which a platform support, also referred to as a “prop,” is raised or lowered to position concrete forms and other structures at the correct height while the concrete is poured and allowed to set. The props often utilize drop head assemblies that ease the removal of the concrete forms and other structures supported by the prop after the concrete has set. A drop head assembly typically includes a drop seat that is held in position by a slot plate, which is retained in an upper position by a pin extending through the drop head assembly. When the slot plate is rotated to align the slot with the pin, both the slot plate and the seat pass over the pin, dropping the seat to a lower position. This drops the concrete forms and other structures supported by the prop head seat allowing for easy removal of the concrete forms and other structures. This patent described props with upper drop heads and lower seats with fixed seat plates. While reducing the total number of props required to support the concrete forms by the system, the lower seats are fixed in position on the drop head assembly, which only facilitates removal of the concrete forms supported by the upper drop heads. In addition, in this grid shoring system, the seat plates on the drop head and lower seats have fittings specifically configured to removably interlock with corresponding fittings on standard manufactured beams, which restricts the types of beams that can be supported by the props to these specific manufactured beams.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,711,472, which is also incorporated by reference, describes a grid shoring system in which the props include both upper and lower drop heads allowing the props to position two platforms at different heights with support structures at different levels, while allowing the upper and lower drop seats to be lowered to facilitate removal of the concrete forms. Prior drop heads were not configured for this adaptation because a pin extending through the drop head prevented a prop shaft from extending through the lower drop head, which prevented the use of a telescoping-type assembly to adjust the height of the lower platform support. In other words, in the prior dual-seat props described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,024,069, the lower seat plate was fixed in position. Instead of the conventional pin passing through the drop head, the improved drop head utilizes a strut and rotating slot collar on the outside of an unobstructed bore to releasable support a drop seat allowing a telescoping prop shaft to extend through the drop head. Again, in this improved grid shoring system, the seat plates on both drop heads have fittings specifically configured to removably interlock with corresponding fittings on standard manufactured beams, which restricts the types of beams that can be supported by the props to these specific manufactured beams. There remains a need for improved, more versatile, and more cost effective grid shoring systems.
The presently claimed subject matter may be embodied in a universal prop assembly for a grid shoring system for building construction that includes an interchangeable prop stand, an interchangeable drop head, and an interchangeable stringer jack. The interchangeable drop head removably interconnects the interchangeable prop stand with the interchangeable stringer jack and includes a drop seat defining a bottom rail interface to removably support a bottom rail of the grid shoring system. The drop seat is selectively movable between an upper drop seat position and a lower drop seat position to move the bottom rail between an upper bottom rail position and a lower bottom rail position top rail position. The stringer jack includes a threaded rod, a threaded collar movably captured on the threaded rod, and a stringer head connected to the threaded rod to support a top rail of the grid shoring system. The stringer jack telescopically interconnects with the drop head to selectively move the stringer head with respect to the drop head between an upper stringer head position and a lower stringer head position in response to rotation of the threaded collar to move the top rail between an upper top rail upper position and a lower top rail position.
It will be understood that specific embodiments may include a variety of features and options in different combinations, as may be desired by different users. Practicing the invention does not require utilization of all, or any particular combination, of these specific features or options. The specific techniques and structures for implementing particular embodiments of the invention and accomplishing the associated advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the appended drawings and claims.
The above presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the following more detailed description, appended drawings, and claims.
Illustrative embodiments of the subject matter claimed below will now be disclosed. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort, even if complex and time-consuming, would be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
The present disclosure is best understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It is emphasized that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described for every example in this specification. It will be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions may be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort, even if complex and time-consuming, would be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
Embodiments of the presently claimed subject matter universal props, a universal prop system, and grid shoring systems using the universal prop system for building construction, such as concrete parking garage construction. The universal props include a variety of interchangeable prop stands, interchangeable drop heads, and interchangeable stringer jacks with a variety of different types of stringer heads. The interchangeable drop heads interconnects the interchangeable stringer jacks with the interchangeable prop stands.
The interchangeable drop heads are designed to support a variety of different types of rails, such as beams, joists, rafters, pipes, etc. The interchangeable stringer jacks include a number of different stringer heads configured to support a variety of different stringers. The different stringer heads include, for example, U-heads, spindle forks and jack plates, with and without detachable threaded shafts. The improved universal prop system results in increased versatility and cost effectiveness over conventional grid shoring systems, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,024,069 and 10,711,472.
The upper beam 210 is a standard manufactured beam with interface fittings configured to removably interlock with corresponding fittings represented by the enumerated fitting 306 (element numeral added) on the drop seat plate 305. Once the concrete of the upper platform 202 has sufficiently set, the slot plate 304 is rotated to align the slot with the pin 303 allowing the drop seat plate 305 to drop to the lower position 307 (element numeral added) to facilitate removable of the top rail 210 supporting the upper concrete platform 202.
The bottom of the threaded rod 404 is received within a seat 301, which sits on top a prop 402. Adjustment of the position of the collar 406 on the threaded rod 404 allows the screw jack 400 to be telescopically received within the seat 301. The collar 406 may be adjusted so that the threaded rod 404 extends through an unobstructed bore through the center of the seat 301. Referring also to
Like the top rail 210, the bottom rail 212 is a standard manufactured beam with interface fittings configured to removably interlock with corresponding fittings represented by the fitting 309 (element numeral added) on the fixed seat plate 308. Unlike the drop head 300, however, the seat 301 does not include a feature that would allow the fixed seat plate 308 to drop to facilitate removal of the bottom rail 212 and associated concrete forms because the pin would obstruct the bore through the seat 301 preventing the threaded rod 404 from extending telescopically through the seat.
FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 10,711,472 (the “472 patent”) is substantially the same as
The designs of the conventional prop assemblies 100 and 200 shown in
The drop head 503 is configured to interface with a variety of interchangeable stringers jacks represented by the enumerated stringer jacks 504a-504f. Referring to enumerated stringer jack 504a as representative, this stringer jack includes a threaded rod 505a carrying a threaded collar 506a and a detachable stringer head 507a that removably attaches to the top of the threaded rod 505a. The threaded rod 505a is telescopically received with an unobstructed bore 515 through the drop head 503.
Rotating the threaded collar 506a moves the collar along the threaded rod 505a to change the height of the stringer head 507a with respect to the drop head 503. This particular stringer jack 504a includes a detachable U-plate stringer head 507a, while the stringer jack 504b includes an attached U-plate stringer head, the stringer jack 504c includes a detachable spindle fork stringer head, the stringer jack 504d includes an attached spindle fork stringer head, the stringer jack 504e includes an attached jack plate stringer head, and the stringer jack 504f includes a detachable jack plate stringer head. The various stringer jacks 504a-504f are designed to interface with a variety of different types of stringers represented by the stringers 5008a-508e. Embodiments of the subject matter claimed below are not limited to these specific examples as other types of stringer jacks with other types of stringer heads supporting other types of stringers may be utilized as a matter of design choice, such as stringer heads designed to support pipes, posts, angles, flanges, preconfigured fittings on a variety of structures, and other suitable interfaces of the grid shoring system.
The drop head 503 for removably attaches to the top of a selected one of the interchangeable prop stands 502a-502b. The drop head 503 includes a drop seat 510 that defines a rail interface 505 configured to removably support one or more bottom rails of the grid shoring system. The drop seat 510 can be selectively moved between an upper position (upper drop seat position) and a lower position (lower drop seat position), which moves the bottom rail of the grid shoring system between an upper position (upper bottom rail position) and a lower position (lower bottom rail position) to facilitate installing and removing concrete forms for constructing a concrete structure supported by the grid shoring system.
The universal prop system 500 can be used to assemble a wide range of different universal props 501. Each universal prop includes a selected interchangeable prop stand, a selected drop head, and a selected interchangeable stringer jack. In a representative example, the selected stringer jack 504a includes a threaded rod 505a, a threaded collar 506a rotatably captured to move along the threaded rod by rotating the threaded collar, and a selected stringer head 507a sitting on top of the threaded rod.
The selected stringer jack removably slides into the selected drop head 503 with the threaded rod 505a telescopically received through an unobstructed bore 515 of the drop head 503 until the threaded collar 506a bears against the top of the drop head. The threaded collar 506a is rotated, typically with a wrench, to adjust the height of the stringer head 507a above the drop head 503 to a desired height. The stringer head 507a removably supports a selected stringer 508a which, in turn, removably supports a top rail of the grid shoring system.
After a concrete structure supported by the grid shoring system has sufficiently set, the drop seat 510 of the drop head 503 is dropped, typically by rotating the slot plate 506a with a wrench, which drops the bottom rail from its upper position (upper bottom rail position) to its lower position (lower bottom rail position) to facilitate removal of the concrete forms. Similarly, the threaded collar 506a of the stringer jack 504a is rotated, typically with a wrench, to drop the stringer head 507a from an upper position (upper stringer head position) to a lower position (lower stringer head position), which drops the stringer 508a from an upper position (upper stringer position) to a lower position (lower stringer position), which in turn drops the top rail from its upper position (upper top rail position) to a lower position (lower top rail position) to further facilitate removal of the concrete forms. The universal prop can then be disassembled for subsequent use of the component parts to assemble other universal prop assemblies on an as-needed, where-needed basis.
To further illustrate the versatility of this system,
In alternative embodiments, the drop head 503 of different universal props may include drop seats 510 different types of fittings, such as conventional beam fittings, selectable fixed fittings, or universal interfaces. Referring also to
In
To illustrate the versatility of the universal prop system, the universal prop 606a is referred to as a “Type-A” universal prop topped with a first type of stringer head referred to as a “Type-A” stringer 607a supporting a first type of stringer referred to as a “Type-A” stringer 608a. Similarly, the universal prop 606b is referred to as a “Type-B” universal prop topped with a second type of stringer head referred to as a “Type-B” stringer head 607b supporting a second type of stringer referred to as a “Type-B” stringer 608b. In general, “Type-A” stringer heads may be specifically designed to support “Type-A” stringers, “Type-B” stringer heads may be specifically designed to support “Type-B” stringers. In practice, the universal prop system allows the construction workers to select among the various types of rails and rail interfaces, as well as various types of stringers and stringer heads, on an as-needed, where-needed basis. This innovation provides a much greater degree of flexibility and cost effectiveness over conventional grid shoring systems, which are limited to using drop heads with fittings specifically designed to interconnect with corresponding fittings on prefabricated beams.
To further illustrate the versatility of the universal prop system,
The “Type-A” universal prop assembly 706a is illustrated with a “Type-A” stringer head configured to support a “Type-A” stringer, the “Type-B” universal prop assembly 706b is illustrated with a “Type-B” stringer head configured to support a “Type-B” stringer, the “Type-C” universal prop assembly 706c is illustrated with a “Type-C” stringer head configured to support a “Type-C” stringer, and the “Type-D” universal prop assembly 706d is illustrated with a “Type-D” stringer head configured to support a “Type-D” stringer. These universal props assemblies operate as described previously with reference to
Step 801 is followed by step 802, in which the building fabricator selects stringer and bottom rail from the inventory for a desired portion of grid shoring system. Step 802 is followed by step 803, in which the building fabricator selects from the inventory drop heads with desired bottom rail interfaces and desired stringer jacks with desired stringer heads to fabricate universal props for the desired portion of a grid shoring system. Step 802 is followed by step 803, in which the building fabricator assembles the universal props and the desired portion of grid shoring system using the universal prop assemblies. Step 804 is followed by step 805, in which the building fabricator determines whether to construct an additional portion of the grid shoring system. If the building fabricator decides to construct an additional portion of the grid shoring system, the “yes” branch is followed from step 805 back to step 802 to begin assembly of the next portion of the grid shoring system.
If the building fabricator decides not to construct an additional portion of the grid shoring system, the “no” branch is followed from step 805 to step 806, in which the building fabricator pour the concrete for the portion of the building supported by the grid shoring system and allows the concrete to set. Once the concrete has set sufficiently, step 806 is followed by step 807, in which the building fabricator drops the stringer heads and drop head seats, and disassembles the grid shoring system and concrete forms. Step 807 is followed by step 807, in which the building fabricator returns the universal prop components to inventory for subsequent use on an as-needed, where-needed basis.
As used in this disclosure, the article “a” is intended to have its ordinary meaning in the patent arts, namely “one or more.” Herein, the term “about” when applied to a value generally means within the tolerance range of the equipment used to produce the value, or in some examples, means plus or minus 10%, or plus or minus 5%, or plus or minus 1%, unless otherwise expressly specified. Further, herein the term “substantially” as used herein means a majority, or almost all, or all, or an amount with a range of about 51% to about 100%, for example. Moreover, examples herein are intended to be illustrative only and are presented for discussion purposes and not by way of limitation.
The words “couple,” “adjacent” and similar terms do not necessarily denote direct and immediate connections, but also include connections through intermediate elements or devices. Certain descriptors, such “first” and “second,” “top and bottom,” “upper” and “lower,” “inner” and “outer,” “leading” and “trailing, “proximal” and “distal”, “vertical” and “horizontal” or similar relative terms may be employed to differentiate structures from each other in representative embodiments shown in the figures. These descriptors are utilized as a matter of descriptive convenience and are not employed to implicitly limit the presently claimed subject matter to any particular position or orientation.
The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required to practice the systems and methods described herein. The foregoing descriptions of specific examples are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive of or to limit this disclosure to the precise forms described. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above disclosure. The examples are shown and described in order to best explain the principles of this disclosure and practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize this disclosure and various examples with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of this disclosure be defined by the claims and their equivalents below.
This application claims filing priority to commonly-owned U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/485,087 filed Feb. 15, 2023, which is incorporated by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4870789 | Clark | Oct 1989 | A |
| 6481912 | Shih | Nov 2002 | B2 |
| 7255312 | Melic | Aug 2007 | B2 |
| 10024069 | Bond | Jul 2018 | B2 |
| 10711472 | Bond | Jul 2020 | B2 |
| 20120042600 | Bacon | Feb 2012 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63485087 | Feb 2023 | US |
