U.S. patent application number 14/626877 was filed with the patent office on 2015-08-20 for multi-connection truss pick.
The applicant listed for this patent is Entertainment Structural Products. Invention is credited to Michael P.A. Chouinard.
Application Number | 20150233496 14/626877 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53797739 |
Filed Date | 2015-08-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150233496 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chouinard; Michael P.A. |
August 20, 2015 |
Multi-Connection Truss Pick
Abstract
A truss pick is provided for hanging tubular space frame truss.
The truss picks of the present invention allow multiple methods of
suspending truss from permanent structural objects.
Inventors: |
Chouinard; Michael P.A.;
(Swarthmore, PA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Entertainment Structural Products |
Essington |
PA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
53797739 |
Appl. No.: |
14/626877 |
Filed: |
February 19, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61942022 |
Feb 19, 2014 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
248/62 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04C 2003/026 20130101;
F16L 3/2235 20130101; F16L 3/237 20130101; F16L 3/1091 20130101;
E04C 3/04 20130101; H02G 3/32 20130101; F16B 7/0433 20130101; F16B
45/06 20130101; A63J 1/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F16L 3/237 20060101
F16L003/237; F16L 3/223 20060101 F16L003/223; F16L 3/10 20060101
F16L003/10; E04C 3/04 20060101 E04C003/04 |
Claims
1. A truss pick comprising a) A body; b) 2 of more saddles integral
with said body; and c) 2 or more clamp members attached to said
saddles; wherein said body comprises at least one hole and pocket
feature for securing a chain to the truss pick.
2. The truss pick as claimed in claim 1 wherein said body comprises
at least two hole and pocket features.
3. The truss pick as claimed in claim 2 wherein said body comprises
three hole and pocket features.
4. The truss pick as claimed in claim 2 wherein said body comprises
more than three hole and pocket features.
5. The truss pick as claimed in claim 1 wherein a pin is passed
through said hole of said hole and pocket feature and captures a
looped termination member.
6. The truss pick as claimed in claim 5 wherein said looped
termination member is a chain link.
7. A truss pick comprising a) A body; b) 2 or more saddles integral
with said body; c) 2 or more clamp members attached to said
saddles; and wherein said body comprises at least one hole through
which a tension member can be passed; said hole being largely
coaxial with the direction of the load.
8. A truss pick as claimed in claim 7 wherein said body comprises
at least two holes through which a tension member can be passed;
said holes being largely coaxial with the direction of the
load.
9. A truss pick as claimed in claim 8 wherein said body comprises
three holes through which a tension member can be passed; said
holes being largely coaxial with the direction of the load.
10. A truss pick as claimed in claim 7 wherein said body comprises
more than three holes through which a tension member can be passed;
said holes being largely coaxial with the direction of the
load.
11. A truss pick comprising a) A body; b) 2 or more saddles
integral with said body; c) 2 or more clamp members attached to
said saddles; and wherein said body comprises at least one hole and
pocket feature for securing a chain to the truss pick; and wherein
said body also comprises at least one hole through which a tension
member can be passed, said hole being largely coaxial with the
direction of the load.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of hanging truss.
There is a need in the construction industry for a truss pick which
can be used to hang tubular truss. It would be greatly beneficial
to have a truss pick which allows multiple methods of suspending
truss.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0002] The features of the present invention are set forth with
particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both
as to its organization and manner of operation, together with
further objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood with
reference to the following description, taken in connection with
the accompanying drawings in which
[0003] FIG. 1A is a side view of an embodiment of a truss pick;
[0004] FIG. 1B is a sectioned view of the embodiment of the truss
pick in FIG. 1A;
[0005] FIG. 2A is a side view of an embodiment of a truss pick;
[0006] FIG. 2B is a sectioned view of the embodiment of the truss
pick in FIG. 2A;
[0007] FIG. 3A is a side view of an embodiment of a truss pick;
and
[0008] FIG. 3B is a sectioned view of the embodiment of the truss
pick in FIG. 3A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0009] A truss pick is provided for hanging tubular space frame
truss. Tubular truss is used in the entertainment industry in both
temporary and permanent rigging systems to hold lights, speakers,
and other entertainment equipment. It would be beneficial to have a
single truss pick which would allow the hanging of tubular truss
from permanent structural objects using multiple methods.
[0010] Tubular space frame truss is made of various sized tubular
elements. The longitudinal elements are called truss chords or
chords. Truss chords can be of various diameters. The truss chords
are connected by webbing elements. A truss is a single unit of
truss chords along with the webbing that hold them together. Truss
has two or more chord elements and can have any number of webbing
elements sufficient to hold the truss together. The truss picks of
the present invention can be made to hang truss of various
diameters and configurations.
[0011] A truss pick is used to suspend truss from a secure fixture.
To do this, the truss pick must attach to the truss through the
truss chord tubes and carry the load from the chord tubes through
the body of the truss pick to a largely central location at which
the entire load is vertically supported by a tension member (chain,
cable, rod, etc.), which is itself secured to a fixture.
[0012] The truss picks of the present invention allow the truss to
be suspended from a permanent structure via attachment to a chain
or via attachment to a cable. To attach a truss pick to a chain,
the truss picks of the present invention have a pocket and hole
feature that allows the chain to be secured directly to the truss
pick without any intermediate form of attachment. The packet and
hole feature is a pocket at the top of the truss pick body and a
hole that is perpendicular to inside walls of the pocket. To attach
chain, a chain link is inserted into the pocket. The chain is then
secured to the truss pick by inserting a pin through a hole in the
body of the truss pick, thus capturing the chain link directly.
When thus attached, the forces are carried in shear by the pin to
the body. The pin can be secured by any means to axially restrain
it within the body of the truss pick. This mechanisms allows direct
connection of the tension member to the bodies of the truss picks
of the present invention without an intermediate connection, such
as a shackle. Alternatively, the pocket can be of such a size to
accept any looped termination member, such as a looped cable or a
swage eye cable termination.
[0013] To attach a truss pick to a tension member, the truss picks
of the present invention have an additional hole that goes from the
top of the truss pick through the bottom of the truss pick and is
largely coaxial with the load being carried. A tension member, such
as a cable or rod, can be passed through this hole. The tension
member can be secured to the truss pick by any termination fitting
known in the art, such as a swaged fitting or a nut.
[0014] In one aspect of the invention, the truss pick of the
present invention comprises a) a body; b) 2 or more saddles
integral with said body: and c) 2 or more clamp members attached to
said saddles; wherein said body comprises at least one hole and
pocket feature for securing a chain to the truss pick. In other
aspects of the invention, said body comprises at least two hole and
pocket features, three hole and pocket features, or more than three
hole and pocket features.
[0015] The truss picks of the present invention attach to space
frame truss by clamping onto truss chords. Truss chords sit inside
saddles integral with the body of the truss picks of the present
invention. Clamp members can attach to said body by any means known
in the art. The saddles and the clamp members can be of any shape
necessary to hold any size chord members of space frame truss.
[0016] In another aspect of the invention, the truss pick comprises
a) a body; b) 2 or more saddles integral with said body; and c) 2
or more clamp members attached to said saddles; wherein said body
comprises at least one hole through which a tension member can be
passed; said hole being largely coaxial with the direction of the
load. In other aspects of the invention, said body comprises at
least two holes through which a tension member can be passed; said
body comprises three holes through which a tension member can be
passed; or said body comprises more than three holes through which
a tension member can be passed.
[0017] In yet another aspect of the invention, the truss pick
comprises a) a body; b) 2 or more saddles integral with said body;
and c) 2 or more clamp members attached to said saddles; wherein
said body comprises at least one hole and pocket feature for
securing a chain to the truss pick; and wherein said body also
comprises at least one hole through which a tension member can be
passed, said hole being largely coaxial with the direction of the
load.
[0018] FIG. 1A is a side view of an embodiment of the truss pick of
the present invention. In this figure, the truss pick has a body
100. The body is integral with saddles 101. The truss pick also has
clamp members 102 which are attached to saddles 101 by a bolt 103.
The clamps 102 are attached to the body 100 by a bolt 104. The body
100 has a hole 105 that can be used in conjunction with a pin to
secure the truss pick to chain 106.
[0019] FIG. 1B is a section view of the embodiment of the truss
pick in FIG. 1A. The body 100 also has a pocket 107 which is both
deep and wide enough to hold chain 106 in the packet using a pin
through the hole 105. The pocket 107 is connected to a hole 108
that goes through the body 100.
[0020] FIG. 2A is a side view of an embodiment of a truss pick.
This embodiment has three pockets 107 and holes 108. Tension member
200 is shown going through the center hole 108. The tension member
200 can be a rod or a cable. The tension member 200 is secured to
truss pick by a nut 201.
[0021] FIG. 2B is a section view of the embodiment of the truss
pick is FIG. 2A.
[0022] FIG. 3A is a side view of an embodiment of the present
invention. This embodiment shows two chain links 106 inserted into
two of the three hole and pocket features.
[0023] FIG. 3B is a sectioned view of the embodiment of the present
invention shown in FIG. 3A.
[0024] Various embodiments having been thus described in detail and
by way of example, it will be apparent to those of skilled in the
art that variations and modifications may be made and still achieve
the desired outcome. The embodiments described herein include all
such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the
claims.
* * * * *