Removable Guard Rail

Abstract

A removable guard rail is disclosed comprising a stanchion having a tubular section adapted to receive and hold a downwardly projecting section of a hook, and means for mounting the stanchion to a platform. A frame is provided having at least one rail extending horizontally. A collar is slidably mounted to the frame rail and a hook secured to the collar. The hook includes a first hook section projecting laterally to one side of the frame rail and a second hook section projecting downwardly from the first hook section.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to guard rails, and particularly to removable type guard rails adapted to be manually mounted and dismounted to the perimeters of platforms.

Today, it is frequently desirable to provide guard rails along the perimeters of elevated platforms such as buildings under construction in order to provide a measure of safety for people walking and working on the platforms. In the case of buildings being constructed such guard rails are erected only for relatively short periods of time until permanent walls are finished. Such temporary type guard rails should therefore possess the attributes of ease of mounting and dismounting. In addition, they should be easily adjustable in length to guard platform perimeters of various lengths without the need of having to carefully align adjacent guard rail sections or fixed sectional components together. It is further desirable, both for economy in guard rail manufacture and in erection facility, that as many components of the guard rails as possible be identical in size and configuration to provide interchangeability.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved removable guard rail.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a removable guard rail which may be easily and quickly mounted and dismounted to platform perimeters.

Another object of the invention is to provide a removable guard rail having a length which may be easily adjusted.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a removable guard rail having sets of interchangeable components.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one form of the present invention a removable guard rail is provided comprising a stanchion having means for receiving and holding a downwardly projecting section of a hook and means for securing the stanchion to a platform. A frame is provided having at least one rail extending substantially horizontally. A collar is slidably mounted to the frame rail and a hook secured to the collar. The hook includes a first hook section projecting laterally to one side of the frame rail and a second hook section projecting downwardly from the first hook section.

In another form of the invention a removable guard rail is provided comprising a set of stanchions and first, second and third rails. First, second and third sets of collars are slidably mounted to the first, second and third rails, respectively. A hook is secured to each of the collars with the hooks secured to the first and third sets of collars hung on the stanchions with a hook secured to one collar of the second set of collars hung on the first rail, and with a hook secured to another collar of said second set of collars hung on the third rail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a guard rail embodying principles of the invention in one form;

FIG. 2 is a side view in elevation of the guard rail showing FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view partly in cross-section of a portion of the guard rail shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Referring now in more detail to the drawing there is shown a removable guard rail comprising a first frame 10, a second frame 11, and a third frame 12. Each frame is of identical rectangular shape and size and includes upper and lower parallel rails formed of angle irons and extending substantially horizontally above an edge of platform 15 with two vertical frame rails joining together the ends of the upper and lower rails. Upon each upper rail of each frame are slidably mounted two collars 17 to each of which is secured as by welding an L-shaped rod. These L-shaped rods are of identical shape and size and form hooks with each including a section projecting laterally to one side of the collar a distance 20 which distance is slightly greater than the width of the upper rail itself. Each hook also includes a section 21 projecting downwardly from the end of hook section 18 distal collar 17. With this size hook, configuration and mounting it will be apparent that the hooks slidably mounted to frame 11 may be hung on the upper rails of frames 10 and 12 as shown in FIG. 1. In addition, the hooks slidably mounted to frames 10 and 12, which are of the same size, shape and configuration as those mounted to frame 11, may be hung from stanchions secured to platform 15.

The stanchions themselves are each seen to comprise a threaded rod member 25 upon the upper end of which is welded a tubular member 26 having an upper aperture 28 and a lower aperture 29 formed therein. The upper aperture 28 is designed to receive a crank rod 30 which, upon insertion, may be manually gripped and rotated to thread the rod member 25 through nut 32 via tubular member 26 to threadably secure the stanchion member against the slab. The lower aperture 29 is provided as a drain for effluent liquid accumulation, such as rain. The tubular rod member of the stanchion is threaded through a nut 32 formed integrally with an end of a U-shaped element 33 disposed aside platform 15. A lower leg of the U-shaped element abuts the bottom surface of the platform while an upper leg projects over a portion of the upper surface of the platform. An angle iron 35 is welded to the lower inside corner of the U-shaped element in abutment with a lower corner of the platform. Continued threading of the stanchion through nut portion 32 of the U-shaped element thus brings the lower end of the stanchion rod member into abutment with the top surface of the platform. The stanchion and U-shaped element combination are thus made to grip platform 15 much as a vice and thereby secure themselves to the platform

With the stanchions secured to the platform frame 10 may be brought into juxtaposition with two adjacently mounted stanchions with the hooks slidably mounted to the frame easily aligned therewith by merely sliding the collars to which they are affixed along the upper frame rail. The downwardly projecting sections 21 of these hooks may then be inserted into the hollow upper end portions of stanchion tubular member 26. With the top rail now hung from the top of the stanchion the lower rail member of frame 10 swings into abutment with the lower portion of stanchion tubular element 26 as may be shown in FIG. 2.

Should the length of frame 10 be insufficient to guard an entire edge of platform 15 another set of stanchions may be secured in the same manner as previously described to the perimeter of the platform and a frame 12 hung therefrom spaced from frame 10. The spacing between frames 10 and 12 may then be guarded by hanging frame 11 to frames 10 and 12 as shown in FIG. 1 with one hook slidably mounted to the upper rail of frame 11 hung upon the upper rail of frame 10 and with the other hook slidably mounted to the upper rail of frame 11 hung upon the upper rail of frame 12. In accomplishing this it will be noted that there is no need to carefully align the hooks slidably mounted to frame 11 inasmuch as they may overlap frames 10 and 12 at various points. Should additional guard rail means be desired disposed directly upon the top of the platform one or more kickboards 36 may be passed between the upright portion of U-shaped element 33 and the stanchion threaded rod member 25 as shown in FIG. 2. In the event that a slab is of a thickness to prevent kickboards 36 from being inserted in the cavity formed between elements 25 and 33 they may simply be fixed to the element 25.

It is now seen that a removable guard rail is provided which may be assembled and disassembled with ease and which may be adjusted in length with a fixed height from the top of the rail to the top surface of the slab that is in keeping with safety regulations. It will also be noted that the components of each structurally independent section of the guard rail may be of identical size and shape in minimizing manufacture costs and in facilitating guard rail handling. Many modifications and additions may, of course, be made to the illustrated embodiment without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A removable guard rail comprising a stanchion having receiving means for receiving and holding a downwardly projecting section of a hook; means for securing said stanchion to a platform; a frame having a substantially horizontally extending rail; a collar slidably mounted to said frame rail, and a hook secured to said collar, said hook including a first section projecting laterally to one side of said frame rail and a second section projecting downwardly from said first hook section and removably received in said receiving means.

2. A removable guard rail in accordance with claim 1 wherein said hook consists essentially of an L-shaped rod.

3. A removable guard rail in accordance with claim 1 wherein said frame rail is of predetermined width, and wherein said first hook section projects laterally to one side of said collar a distance slightly greater than said predetermined width whereby said frame may be secured by said hook to a second frame having a second frame rail of said predetermined width.

4. A removable guard rail in accordance with claim 1 wherein said stanchion has an upwardly extending threaded post member and a tubular member mounted atop said threaded post member and wherein said means for securing said stanchion to a platform includes an upright support substantially paralleling a portion of said stanchion threaded post member; and wherein said removable guard rail further comprises at least one kickboard disposable between said stanchion threaded post member and said stanchion securing means upright support.

5. A removable guard rail in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a second frame supported on said first frame with said second frame having a second substantially horizontally extending rail, a second collar slidably mounted to said second frame rail, and a second hook secured to said second collar and including a third hook section projecting laterally to one side of said second frame rail upon the top of said first frame rail and a fourth hook section projecting downwardly from said third hook section aside said first frame rail.

6. A removable guard rail comprising a set of stanchions; first, second and third rails; a first, second and third set of collars slidably mounted to said first, second and third rails, respectively; and a hook secured to each of said collars with the hooks secured to said first and third sets of collars hung on said stanchions, with a hook secured to one collar of said second set of collars hung on said first rail, and with a hook secured to another collar of said second set of collars hung on said third rail.

7. A removable guard rail in accordance with claim 6 further comprising means for securing said stanchions to a platform.

8. A removable guard rail in accordance with claim 6 wherein each of said stanchions has an upright tubular member in which a downwardly projecting section of one of said hooks is held.

9. A removable guard rail in accordance with claim 6 wherein said hooks are of substantially identical shape and size.

10. A removable guard rail in accordance with claim 6 wherein each of said hooks consists essentially of an L-shaped rod.

11. A removable guard rail comprising, stanchion having receiving means at one end portion; clamp means connected to the other end portion of said stanchion for removably clamping said stanchion in an upright position to a platform; a frame having a horizontal rail; a slideable collar slideably carried by said rail; and hook means secured to said collar and removably engaged with said one end portion of said stanchion; said stanchion, when said hook means is installed in said one end portion, supporting said frame by said collar, said frame being movable horizontally of said stanchion by moving said rail within said collar, said stanchion being adapted to receive additional hook means for adjustably supporting additional frames.

12. The removable guard rail in accordance with claim 11 wherein said clamp means includes a rigid U-shaped element providing a pair of spaced opposed legs joined by an upright portion, and a threaded rod member fixed to and extending from said stanchion, said rod member being threadedly received in one of said legs of said U shaped member and projecting toward the other of said legs, whereby the rotation of said stanchion will cause movement of said threaded rod for clamping action.

13. A removable guard rail in accordance with claim 11 wherein said frame rail is of predetermined width, and wherein said hook means includes a first hook section projecting laterally to one side of said collar a distance slightly greater than said predetermined width whereby said frame may be secured by said hook means to a second frame having a second frame rail of said predetermined width.

14. A removable guard rail in accordance with claim 11 further comprising a second frame supported on said first frame with said second frame having a second substantially horizontally extending rail, a second collar slidably mounted to said second frame rail, and a second hook means secured to said second collar and including a first hook section projecting laterally to one side of said second frame rail upon the top of said first frame rail and a second hook section projecting downwardly from said first hook section aside the first mentioned frame rail.