U.S. patent application number 16/123491 was filed with the patent office on 2020-03-12 for fixture securing system and method of use.
This patent application is currently assigned to Christie Lites Enterprises Canada Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Christie Lites Enterprises Canada Inc.. Invention is credited to Huntly Gordon Christie.
Application Number | 20200079408 16/123491 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 68241125 |
Filed Date | 2020-03-12 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200079408 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Christie; Huntly Gordon |
March 12, 2020 |
FIXTURE SECURING SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USE
Abstract
A system for securing at least one fixture for transport or
storage is described. The system comprises at least one rod from
which the at least one fixture may be hung by an associated clamp
that is attached to the top of the fixture. A locking bar
associated with each of the at least one rod is provided, along
with a locking mechanism, which may be actuated by a worker to move
the locking bar between an open and a closed position. When the
locking bar is in the closed position, it secures all clamps to the
at least one rod simultaneously. When the locking bar is in an open
position, any hung fixtures are released and can be removed from
the rod. Described also is a method for securing a fixture.
Inventors: |
Christie; Huntly Gordon;
(Orlando, FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Christie Lites Enterprises Canada Inc. |
Toronto |
|
CA |
|
|
Assignee: |
Christie Lites Enterprises Canada
Inc.
Toronto
CA
|
Family ID: |
68241125 |
Appl. No.: |
16/123491 |
Filed: |
September 6, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62B 3/04 20130101; F21V
21/088 20130101; B62B 3/10 20130101; F21W 2131/406 20130101; B62B
2203/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B62B 3/04 20060101
B62B003/04; B62B 3/10 20060101 B62B003/10 |
Claims
1. A securing system to secure at least one fixture, the at least
one fixture having a clamp, the securing system comprising: a
frame; at least one rod attached to the frame from which the at
least one fixture can be hung using the clamp, wherein the at least
one rod is to engage the clamp of the at least one fixture; a
locking bar associated with each of the at least one rod; and at
least one locking mechanism attaching the locking bar to the frame,
wherein the at least one locking mechanism is actuatable to move
the locking bar between an open position and a closed position;
wherein actuating the at least one locking mechanism to move the
locking bar from the open position to the closed position causes
the locking bar to move towards the associated at least one rod and
allows the locking bar to act upon the clamp to pin it securely to
the associated at least one rod, wherein actuating the locking
mechanism to move the locking bar from the closed position to the
open position moves the locking bar away from the associated at
least one rod and allows the clamp to be released, and wherein the
at least one fixture comprises a light fixture.
2. The securing system of claim 1 further comprising. a dolly
comprising at least one portion, wherein the at least one portion
is integral with the frame of the securing system.
3. The securing system of claim 1 further comprising: a storage
rack comprising at least one portion, wherein the at least one
portion is integral with the frame of the securing system.
4. The securing system of claim 1 wherein the locking mechanism
comprises: a pivot arm connected at a first end to the frame and
connected at a second end to the locking bar, wherein actuating the
locking mechanism causes the pivot arm to pivot about the first end
thereby causing the locking bar to trace an arc in space as the
locking bar moves between the open position and the closed
position.
5. The securing system of claim 4 further comprising: a dolly
comprising at least one portion, wherein the at least one portion
is integral with the frame of the securing system.
6. The securing system of claim 4 further comprising: a storage
rack comprising at least one portion, wherein the at least one
portion is integral with the frame of the securing system.
7. The securing system of claim 4 wherein the locking mechanism
further comprises: a plunger attached to the pivot arm and passing
through the pivot arm such that one end of the plunger is retained
in an association space in the frame; and wherein actuating the
locking mechanism requires pulling the plunger from the associated
space in the frame thereby allowing the pivot arm to pivot about
the first end.
8. The securing system of claim 7 further comprising: a dolly
comprising at least one portion, wherein the at least one portion
is integral with the frame of the securing system.
9. The securing system of claim 7 further comprising: a storage
rack comprising at least one portion, wherein the at least one
portion is integral with the frame of the securing system.
10. The securing system of claim 1 further comprising a biasing
mechanism that exerts a force to keep the locking bar in the closed
position.
11. The securing system of claim 4 further comprising a biasing
mechanism that exerts a force to keep the locking bar in the closed
position.
12. The securing system of claim 1 wherein the locking bar is
coated with a deformable coating.
13. The securing system of claim 12 wherein the deformable coating
comprises a vinyl cushion.
14. (canceled)
15. A method of securing a fixture, the fixture having a clamp,
comprising: hanging the fixture from a rod attached to a frame by
the clamp, wherein the claim engages the rod; actuating a locking
mechanism to release a locking bar from an open position wherein in
the open position the locking bar is spaced apart from the rod; and
moving the locking bar toward the rod causing the locking bar to be
in a closed position and thereby causing the locking bar to exert a
force on the clamp causing the clamp to be pinned to the rod,
wherein the fixture comprises a light fixture.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein actuating the locking mechanism
causes a pivot arm connected at a first end to the frame and
connected at a second end to the locking bar to pivot about the
first end causing the locking bar to trace an arc in space as it
moves to the closed position.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein actuating the locking mechanism
further comprises: pulling a plunger attached to the pivot arm that
passes through the pivot arm from an associated space in the frame
thereby allowing the pivot arm to pivot.
18. (canceled)
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to a device for
securing fixtures for transport or storage and, more specifically,
it relates to a device that allows for the rapid and secure locking
and unlocking of fixtures to a moveable dolly or storage rack.
TECHNICAL BACKGROUND
[0002] Fixtures, such as light fixtures, are used in staging, for
example, to illuminate theatre productions, concerts, trade shows,
and corporate events. Stage lighting is also a mainstay of the film
industry, where it is similarly used to illuminate sets when
filming scenes for movies or television shows. Stage lighting
usually comprises a truss network or scaffolding from which light
fixtures may be securely hung at elevation to light a space.
[0003] Fixtures, including light fixtures, are generally bulky and
heavy. As such, a dolly or case is normally used to transport light
fixtures between locations, for example, to and from storage or to
and from a set. The dolly usually comprises a set of elevated rods
or pipes, running the length of the dolly, from which light
fixtures can be hung by a worker or workers. Each light fixture is
hung from one of the dolly's rods or pipes and must be locked in
place to secure it during transport. A clamp, which may generally
utilize a threaded bolt, is used to secure each light fixture to
the dolly's rod or pipe.
[0004] Light fixtures are similarly stored by hanging the fixtures
from rods or pipes running the length of a storage rack. Clamps,
also generally utilizing a threaded bolt, are used to secure the
light fixtures to the pipes or rods on the storage rack for safe
storage.
[0005] However, the process of hanging each light fixture from a
rod or pipe and securing each, clamp by clamp, is both tedious and
time consuming. Each clamp generally requires individual hand
tightening using a twisting handle, or activation of a similar
mechanism, by a worker to create a secure grip. Time that could be
used building or dismantling a concert stage, for example, must
instead be spent securely clamping each light fixture in place.
SUMMARY
[0006] A dolly and a storage rack each comprise at least one rod
from which a worker may hang multiple fixtures using individual
clamps. The worker may then secure all such hanging fixtures to
that rod at the same time and in one simple movement, thereby
increasing efficiency and decreasing the overall time spent on the
activity.
[0007] Provided is a dolly and storage rack that includes a locking
bar corresponding to each rod and moveable with respect to each rod
as between an open position and a closed position. Each fixture
also has an associated clamp. A worker first hangs each fixture
from the rod of the dolly or storage rack by its associated clamp.
Each clamp is first in an open position so that it may be placed
around the rod. In this open position the clamps are not securely
affixing the fixture to the rod.
[0008] Instead of manually closing and tightening the arms of each
clamp around each rod, a worker need only actuate a locking
mechanism to move the locking bar to a closed position thereby
causing all clamps to be simultaneously engaged by the locking bar.
Hand tightening of each clamp by a worker or workers is no longer
required as the force of the locking bar keeps the clamps
secured.
[0009] When fixtures need to be removed from the dolly or storage
rack, a worker simply releases the locking mechanism, which
releases the locking bar and causes it to move from a closed
position to an open position. Moving the locking bar from a closed
position to an open position releases the clamps so that the
fixtures can be removed from the rod. The worker may then remove
some or all of the light fixtures as needed, quickly and
efficiently.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The following drawings illustrate, by way of example only,
embodiments of the present disclosure, in which like reference
numerals describe similar items throughout the various
drawings.
[0011] FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment, including attached
light fixtures.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a front view of one embodiment, including attached
light fixtures.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a top view of one embodiment, including an
attached light fixtures.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of one embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 5 is an is isometric view of one embodiment, including
attached light fixtures.
[0016] FIG. 6 is an enlarged isometric view of a detail of the
embodiment of FIG. 5.
[0017] FIG. 7 is an enlarged isometric view of a detail of one
embodiment of FIG. 5.
[0018] FIG. 8 is an exploded isometric view of a locking rod for
use with one embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] A detailed description of the embodiments will be given in
the following. It will be appreciated that the figures provided
herein are for illustration only and are not meant to be
restrictive. Any references to directions, such as "up" or "down",
"top" or "bottom", are exemplary and refer only to the directions
shown in the figures.
[0020] With reference to FIG. 1, provided is a transport dolly 10.
The dolly 10 may be approximately 2 metres in height, although
different heights may also be used and are contemplated herein. As
shown in FIG. 1, the dolly 10 comprises multiple distinct but
substantively identical portions, a top portion 11 and a bottom
portion 12, each capable of accommodating hanging fixtures. A dolly
with a single portion may also be used. With reference to the
figures, the fixtures may include a light fixture 30 hanging in the
upper portion 11 and a light fixture 31 hanging in the lower
portion 12. Each portion, 11 and 12, may be a sufficient height to
accommodate a hanging fixture. There may be more than two portions
provided. However, depending on the size of the dolly and the
weight of the fixtures, additional or excessive dolly height may
increase the risk of the dolly tipping over or falling. With
reference to FIG. 1, there are two portions 11 and 12, each with an
associated frame 13 and 14 and each portion being about 80 cm in
height although, again, other heights may be used.
[0021] In one embodiment, the dolly 10 is about 1.2 m in length and
about 60 cm in width. The dolly 10 may be any width and length so
long as the length and width are such that they allow an individual
worker or pair of workers to easily move the dolly around a
warehouse or work site. The dolly's width may also correspond to
its height in such a manner that it does not create a tipping
hazard.
[0022] With reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the dolly may have
three upper rods 20A, 20B, 20C, running the length of the top of
the upper portion 11 of the dolly 10 and, similarly, the dolly may
have lower rods 30A, 30B, 30C running the length of the top of the
lower portion 12 of the dolly 10. In one embodiment, the upper rods
20A, 20B, 20C and the lower rods 30A, 30B, 30C are spaced at least
15 cm apart from each other. In this configuration, multiple
fixtures may be hung side by side from the outer rods, 20A, 20C,
30A, 30C as those rods are spaced far enough apart from each
other--i.e. 20A from 20C and 30A from 30C--to reduce the risk of
the fixtures interfering with each other and causing damage to each
other if the fixtures were to swing side to side and collide while
the dolly 10 is in motion. Larger or heavier light fixtures, or
other large and bulky objects, may be hung from central rods 20B
and 30B. If large objects or light fixtures are hung from the
central rods 20B, 30B such objects may limit the space available to
hang light fixtures from the outer rods. In such case, the outer
rods may remain unused while a large object is being transported,
or the dolly may be made wider to accommodate the large object.
Alternatively, the objects may be hung in a staggered, or zigzag
pattern. It should also be noted that hanging larger or heavier
objects from outer rods 20A, 20C, 30A, 30C may increase the risk of
the dolly tipping over, particularly as it is loaded or
unloaded.
[0023] With reference to FIG. 2, fixtures 30, 31 may be hung from
rods 20A, 30A respectively by associated clamps 40, 41. The clamps
40 and 41 may be of the quick-release variety, or may utilize a
threaded bolt, and are hand operable by a worker, such as trigger
clamps offered by the applicant. Other items to be hung on the
dolly may be hung by similar clamps, with the clamps chosen to be
strong enough to hang the associated fixture without breaking. With
reference to FIG. 2, the clamps may be in an open position when
fixtures or objects are hung on the rods. When the clamps are in an
open position, the light fixtures 30 and 31 or objects are not
secured to rods 20A, 30A of the dolly 10.
[0024] Although one embodiment comprises three rods running the
length of each portion of dolly 10, any number of rods may be used.
For example, rods 20A, 20C, 30A, 30C need not be present on the
dolly 10, and only central rods 20B and 30B need be present.
Alternatively, rods 20B and 30B need not be present leaving rods
20A, 20C, 30A, 30C in place. Additional rods may also be included
and each portion of the dolly 10 may comprise four, five or more
such rods. In any case, the rods may be made from a rigid material,
preferably a seamless steel bar. The bar is preferably sufficiently
stiff to not deform or bend under the weight of hanging fixtures
and objects.
[0025] With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, mobility for the dolly
10 may be provided by a set of wheels attached under its base,
which are generally of the caster 50 variety. The casters 50 allow
the dolly 10 to be moved about a warehouse or worksite with ease by
a worker or pair of workers. The casters 50 must be sufficiently
strong to allow loading of the light fixtures and potentially other
heavy and bulky items while retaining structural integrity. An
alternative arrangement of wheels may be used, such as fixed
wheels. Wheels may also only be present at one end of the dolly 10
with fixed supports at the other end of dolly 10. Alternatively,
the dolly 10 may not have wheels such that the dolly 10 may be
transported using an external means, such as with a fork lift.
[0026] With reference to FIG. 5, provided on the dolly 10 may be
one or more locking bars, each associated with a corresponding rod.
With reference to FIG. 5, shown is a locking bar 60 corresponding
with rod 20C and locking bar 70 corresponding with rod 30A. For
ease of description only locking bars 60 and 70 and the locking
mechanism associated therewith shall be described herein. However,
it should be understood that the locking mechanism described in
association with the locking bars 60 and 70 and rods 20C and 30A
may apply to other rods on the dolly 10.
[0027] FIG. 6 represents a locking bar 60 in an example open
position while FIG. 7 represents a locking bar 70 in an example
closed position. Locking bar 60 may be transitioned from its
illustrative open position to a closed position and locking bar 70
may be transitioned from its illustrative closed position to an
open position. Transitioning a locking bar, whether 60 or 70, from
an open position to a closed position may involve operating a
locking mechanism that maintains the locking bar in the open and/or
closed position. Releasing a locking mechanism may allow the
locking bar to swing toward, or otherwise move toward, or move
away, from its associated rod, 20C or 30A.
[0028] In one instance of a locking mechanism, provided at one or
both ends of each locking bar 60, 70 may be spring loaded plungers
61 and 71 that can be actuated by an operator to lock each locking
bar 60, 70 into an open or closed position. The locking bar 60 may
be attached at each end to a rotatable arm 64. The rotatable arm 64
may be attached to the frame at a pivot point and capable of
rotating about the pivot point. Alternatively, the locking bar 60
may be attached to a mechanism, such as a rail system, that allows
the locking bar to move up and down, with respect to its associated
rod, without rotation, when the locking mechanism is actuated.
[0029] With reference to FIG. 6, a spring loaded plunger 61 may
attach to the rotatable arm 64 and pass through the rotatable arm
64. One end of the plunger 61 may sit within a corresponding first
hole or first space in the frame 13 of the upper portion 11 of the
dolly 10. The plunger 61 may be biased by a spring so that the
plunger 61 is maintained within the corresponding hole or space. In
an exemplary closing operation, an operator may remove the
spring-loaded plunger 61 from the first hole or space by countering
the biasing spring within the plunger, and then rotate the arm 64
around a pivot point so that the locking bar 60 moves towards rod
20C. Alternatively, an operator may actuate a locking mechanism
that allows the locking bar 60 to drop down, for example along a
rail system, onto the rod 60 without rotation.
[0030] Any clamp that is in an open position on the rod 20C will be
acted upon by the force of rod 20C bearing on it, pinning an arm of
the clamp to the rod. In such a manner, an operator may securely
pin multiple clamps to a rod in one simple motion. The locking bar
60 may then be secured in place when the operator releases the
associated spring-loaded plunger 61, and the bias spring, now
released, causes one end of the spring-loaded plunger 61 to plunge
into a second associated hole or space in the frame of the dolly
10. This locked position of the locking bar can best be seen in
FIG. 7 where one end of plunger 71 is located in its second
associated hole. As can also be seen in FIG. 7, locking rod 70 is
shown bearing down on clamp 41, pinning its arm against rod 30A. A
similar locking position may be obtained if the locking 70 is
dropped down from a rail system.
[0031] With further reference to FIG. 7, in an exemplary opening
operation, an operator pulls plunger 71 from its second associated
hole, countering the force of the bias spring, and swings locking
bar 70 up and away from its corresponding rod 30A. Moving locking
bar 70 away from rod 30A releases the force acting on any arms
corresponding to the clamps positioned on rod 30A, thereby
unpinning and releasing them. The operator then releases the
spring-loaded plunger 71, causing the biasing spring to release and
causing the spring-loaded plunger 71 to plunge into the first
associated hole or space in the frame 14 of the dolly 10. In this
manner, the operator may release multiple clamps in one simple
motion and may thereafter begin removing hanging light fixtures.
Alternatively, the operator may lift the locking bar 70 up and
along a rail system for example instead of swinging or rotating it
away from the associated rod 30A.
[0032] If multiple locking mechanisms are present, such as at each
end of the locking bar 60, 70, for example, a worker may need to
actuate each such locking mechanisms to move the locking bar from
an open position to a closed position and from a closed position to
an open position. In such an embodiment, each locking mechanism may
work in the manner described above. If multiple locking mechanisms
are used, each of the mechanisms may need to be operated
separately, or the mechanisms may be interconnected, by for example
as using a lever arm, pin, rod or wire so that an operator activing
one locking mechanism, also mechanically activates a second locking
mechanism.
[0033] Clamps and clamp arms used to affix lights or other objects
to the rods of a dolly 10 need not be uniform and may instead be of
varying sizes and still work with the locking bar. A deformable
coating may be applied to the outer surface of each locking rod,
allowing for some compression to occur around larger clamps. In
such an embodiment, the large clamps cause the deformable coating
of the locking bar to indent, allowing the coating to deform around
them, thereby allowing any remaining and non-deformed coating on
the rod to contact and secure the smaller clamps. The coating may
be a soft rubber coating, a vinyl foam cushion, or any similar
coating that is capable of deformation.
[0034] The coating applied to a locking bar may also help protect
clamps, and the rods to which they are attached, as it keeps the
clamps secured tightly in place and prevents them from bouncing
along, or up and down, on the rods as the dolly 10 is moved.
Further, the coating may help absorb vibrations as the dolly 10 is
moved. Absorbing vibrations also helps prevent the locking bar from
accidently opening if the dolly 10 is required to be moved across
bumpy terrain and it experiences any large shocks. The coating may
also protect the clamps from being scratched or damaged by the
locking bar.
[0035] With reference now to FIG. 8, provided is one embodiment of
a locking bar 60, which may be coated by a vinyl cushion 62. Each
end of the locking bar 60 may be provided with a locking mechanism,
however, for the sake of ease of description, only one such
mechanism will be described in detail. The locking mechanism may
comprise a spring-loaded plunger 61, which is capable of locking
the locking bar in either a closed or open position. A spring in
the spring-loaded plunger 61 may bias a pin to extend into a
corresponding receiving hole as described above. A spigot 63 may be
used to allow the locking bar 60 to rotate. The locking bar 60 may
be attached to the frame of a corresponding dolly by a rotatable
arm 64, as described above. A spacer 65 may be included to allow
the arm to rotate from a closed position to an open position, and
from an open position to a closed position, without snagging on the
frame. The locking bar 60 may be fixed to the arm 64. Similarly the
arm 64 may be attached to the frame so that the arm 64 can rotate
about the pivot point and allowing the locking bar 60 to trace an
arc as the arm 64 rotates.
[0036] In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the
locking bar 60 may be biased so that it swings or drops towards its
corresponding rod 20C when not restrained, such as by a
spring-loaded plunger or within a rail system. In this embodiment,
an operator need not manually move the locking bar 60 down or swing
it towards rod 20C as the biasing mechanism, which may comprise a
weight, itself will cause the movement to occur. This embodiment
may be suited for use when the clamps that are being used to affix
the fixtures, or other objects, are sufficiently large so as to
prevent the locking bar 60 from dropping or swinging and getting
close enough to its corresponding rod 20C to allow the spring
loaded plunger to reach a second associated hole or space in the
frame.
[0037] In this embodiment, to open the locking bar 60, a worker may
simply exert a force on the locking bar 60 that is greater than the
biasing force. Exerting such a force will allow the worker to lift
or swing the locking bar 60 away from its corresponding rod 20C.
Once the locking bar is lifted or swung away, any clamps held
pinned to their corresponding rods by the locking bar 60 will be
released. The spring-loaded plunger 61 may secure the locking bar
60 in the open position when the plunger is driven back into a
corresponding hole or space in the frame by the decompression of
its associated spring.
[0038] In an embodiment, there may be more than two holes for the
plunger, such that an available hole may be used to lock the
locking bar in position depending on how open or closed the locking
bar is.
[0039] Although the present invention has been described above as
used with a moveable dolly, the same locking system and rods may be
used with a fixed storage rack. Similar to a dolly, a storage rack
may comprise one or more rods. Some or all such rods may have a
corresponding locking bar as described above.
[0040] While the dolly has been described with reference to rods
and locking bars, the rods and locking bars may have any suitable
shape having sufficient structural strength to support the fixtures
and hold them in position. Preferably, the rods and locking bar are
pipes, although sold cylindrical shapes, hollow or solid square,
triangular, or L-shapes may be used. Alternatively, the rod and
locking bar may be formed so as to be able to mate with each other.
The rod may also be formed with a lip from which the clamps may be
hung and the locking bar may secure the clamps to the lip.
[0041] Various embodiments of the present invention have been
described above in detail by way of example and it will be apparent
to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may
be made without departing from the invention. The invention
includes all such variations and modification as fall within the
scope of the claims.
* * * * *