Portable seating support

Abstract

A portable seating support for use in a roof structure, for example in a building, including a saddle defined by a bridge portion and a pair of legs which are cantilevered downwardly from opposite edges of the bridge portion, and a seat supported on the bridge member by an upright post. The bridge portion has a pair of end edges which extend transversely between the legs, and at least one of these end edges defines thereon at least one tooth for engaging a support member of the roof structure. Additionally, the saddle is configured for positioning on a horizontally-oriented member of the roof structure, if space permits.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 61/269 993, filed Jul. 1, 2009, hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a portable seating support, particularly a seating support for use in an environment having a support structure defined by individual horizontal, vertical and/or diagonal members, such as inside the roof structure of a building composed of rafters fabricated from dimensioned lumber.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

During the construction and maintenance of wood frame structures, such as residences, the tradesman or homeowner may find it necessary to operate within the roof structure of the building, e.g. the attic. Although it is known in some structures to have a finished floor, it is common for a roof area formed from prefabricated wood trusses to lack a structural floor due to the presence of cross-bracing members that can generally prevent the construction of a supporting floor and prevent a tradesman and homeowner from walking upright in the “attic space” of the residence. The tradesman or homeowner is thus required to perform a delicate balancing act by stepping from rafter to rafter to avoid falling through the open space therebetween or placing his weight on the non-structural wallboard secured to the rafters and forming the ceiling of the room below. Once in a position to perform work, the tradesman must remain balanced on one or more trusses and generally crouched over the work due to the lack of headroom in the attic space. This positioning is not only precarious, it is tiring. The work performed therefore is not only dangerous but is inefficient and more likely to result in errors as the tradesman's attention is divided between maintaining a safe purchase on the rafters and performing the work in a satisfactory manner.

It would accordingly be advantageous to the worker to have a safe and ready perch from which to accomplish his work. The construction of a platform in the attic space, while effective, is not efficient, as any such platform must be moved to each work location within the attic space. Further, any work performed in the attic space may be a one-time exercise, not warranting construction of a permanent platform. Such a platform, which would generally be constructed from wood, is also bulky and would require multiple trips by the tradesman into the attic space to convey the wood to the work site.

A more practical portable support for the tradesman would likely lie in the form of a stool that can support the weight of the worker in a crouched position, obviating the need of the worker to support his own weight in the crouched position, resulting in fatigue. An analogous example of a body support is found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,325,868 (West et al.). West et al. disclose a tool for providing support to the human upper body when having to lean over to work. In one disclosed example, the tool includes a base member configured to rest upon an axle, shaft or other support arm member, such as in a motor vehicle, and includes a body support portion supported above the base member by a telescoping height-adjusting member. However, the base of the tool disclosed by West et al. is adapted for engaging a tubular member. The tool base is not well adapted for engaging a member having a rectangular cross section, nor is it well adapted for positively engaging a non-horizontal member, such as the diagonal or vertical bracing members of a roof truss.

Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a working support in the form of a portable seat having a base member particularly configured to engage a rectangular structural element such as a board in a roof truss, and more particularly configured to positively engage a non-horizontal member, such as a vertical or a diagonal support member in a roof truss.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable seating support according to the invention in a use position on a horizontal support shown in dotted lines.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the portable seating support of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the portable seating support of FIGS. 1-2, illustrating the support with an adjustable length post.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top view of the portable seating support of FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the portable seating support, without the seat member thereon.

FIG. 5A is a top view of a further alternative embodiment of the portable seating support, without the seat member thereon.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the portable seating support engaged in a roof structure shown in dotted lines, which roof structure includes a vertically oriented member and a diagonal member.

FIG. 6A is a side view of the portable seating support engaged in a roof structure, which roof structure includes two diagonally oriented members.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged detail view of the adjustable length post illustrated in FIG. 3.

Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience and reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, the words “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “rightwardly” and “leftwardly” will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the arrangement and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, a portable seating support 100 is illustrated and includes a saddle member 110 that is configured to engage a horizontal, inclined or upright dimensioned lumber member, such as is commonly used for the construction of roof trusses in wood construction such as residential buildings. The saddle 110 includes a horizontal bridge portion 115 and two depending leg portions 120, 125 extending downwardly from opposing side edges 130, 135 of the bridge portion 115. In the illustrated embodiment, leg portions 120, 125 are each oriented at a generally right angle relative to bridge portion 115. This configuration of bridge portion 115 and leg portions 120, 125 results in a downwardly and sidewardly opening space or recess 128 which is generally rectangular in cross-section. In a longitudinal direction, the leg portions 120, 125 are generally shown as being longer than the bridge portion 115. This gives the effect of the bridge portion 115 being notched out or recessed at 127 on the ends between the further-extending ends of the depending leg portions 120, 125. However, the notching out is not square, as can be seen in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5. FIGS. 1 and 4 show that the end 138 of the bridge portion 115, which end 138 extends transversely between the respective edges 130, 135 of leg portions 120, 125, includes a tooth element 140. The tooth element 140 can include a single tooth, shown as being triangular in shape, or can be embodied by a number of teeth 145 or serrations as shown in FIG. 5. FIGS. 4 and 5 show a single tooth 140 or teeth 145 on one end 138 of the bridge portion 115. However, it is foreseeable that a tooth or teeth would be provided on both ends 138, 139 of the bridge portion 115 for the purpose of increasing the flexibility or the reversibility of the saddle member 110, and also to allow the ends 138, 139 to securely engage two adjacent and spaced-apart non-horizontal support members of a roof structure as discussed below. This embodiment is shown in FIG. 5A, and includes teeth 200 on one end of bridge portion 115 and a tooth 201 on the opposite end. It will be appreciated that the ends of bridge portion 115 may alternatively have identical tooth configurations.

A post member 150 is fixed to and extends upwardly from the bridge portion 115 of the saddle member 110, opposite the direction of the depending leg members 120, 125. The post member 150 can be square or circular in cross section, and can be of fixed length or, as shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 7, the post member 155 can have an adjustable length. The length of the post member can be adjustable in any well known manner. The pictured method includes a plurality of holes 160, 165 defined in each of first and second telescoping portions 170, 175 of the post 155, and a cross-pin 180 removably inserted through vertically-aligned ones of the respective holes 160, 165 to lock the post member 155 at a selected length.

Referring to FIG. 2, a seat member 190 is secured to the upper end 195 of the post member 150 and is adapted for supporting the weight of a user, normally by sitting. The seat member 190 can be rigid or cushioned, depending on the preference of the user. The seat member 190 can be any number of shapes, and in the illustrated embodiment the seat 190 is round. Further, the seat member 190 can be rotationally fixed on the post member 150, or can be rotatably mounted in the manner of a swivel seat. Additionally, in one embodiment, seat member 190 may include an opening 205 (shown in dotted lines in FIGS. 1 and 2) adjacent an outer edge thereof and which in one embodiment extends completely through seat member 190. This opening 205 can be used to define a handle for manipulation and transport of the support 100.

Referring to FIG. 1, in use, the portable seating support 100 is carried by the tradesman or homeowner into an attic or roof truss area, and the saddle member 110 can be lowered over a horizontal member H, if space permits. In the extreme case shown in FIG. 6, the portable seating support 100 is placed in a crook between a diagonal member D and a vertical member V of a truss structure T. One or more of the teeth 140 or 145 (FIGS. 4 and 5) can directly engage either the vertical member V or the diagonal member D to prevent sliding of the seating support 100 in the crotch formed between the non-horizontal members. In this situation, it would be advantageous to have a tooth 140 or teeth 145 formed on both ends 138, 139 of the bridge portion 115 of the saddle 110 so that the saddle 110 securely engages both vertical member V and diagonal member D. For example, when the support 100 is to be used in a truss structure T as shown in FIG. 6, the support shown in FIG. 5A can be used, wherein the support can be oriented so that the tooth 201 is oriented towards and engaged with the vertical member V and the teeth 200 are oriented towards and engaged with the diagonal member D. Utilizing the larger single tooth 201 with the vertical member V provides a sturdy engagement between the support and the vertical member V.

As mentioned above, the seating support 100 may be used on a horizontal member H, with the saddle member 110 straddling the horizontal member H, if the horizontal member H is sufficiently unobstructed. The width of the bridge portion 115 of the saddle member 110, and thereby the distance between the depending leg members 120, 125, is chosen to match the common width of lumber. It is also foreseeable to provide an adjustable saddle member, whereby the distance between the depending legs can be adjusted to match the dimension of lumber in use at the current work site, or for use where multiple boards are secured together to form a single structural member.

The seating support may also be used in a truss structure having two adjacent diagonal members D as shown in FIG. 6A, wherein the teeth or tooth on one side of the bridge portion engage one diagonal member D and the teeth or tooth on the other side of the bridge portion engage the other diagonal member D.

Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A portable seating support for use inside a roof structure defined by a plurality of support members, said seating support comprising:

a post member having vertically-spaced upper and lower ends;

a seat fixed to said upper end of said post member; and

a saddle fixed to said lower end of said post member, said saddle being defined by a bridge portion and a pair of leg portions cantilevered downwardly from respective opposed and spaced-apart edges of said bridge portion, said bridge portion having a pair of spaced-apart end edges which extend transversely between upper end portions of the respective said leg portions, one of said end edges defining a tooth thereon for engaging a non-horizontal support member of a roof structure.

2. The seating support of claim 1, wherein said leg portions are horizontally spaced from and generally parallel to one another and each said leg portion is oriented at a substantially right angle relative to said bridge portion so as to define a downwardly-opening space therewith such that said saddle can accommodate in said space a support member having a generally rectangular transverse cross-section.

3. The seating support of claim 1, wherein both of said end edges of said bridge portion define a tooth thereon for engaging two spaced-apart non-horizontal support members of a roof structure.

4. The seating support of claim 1, wherein said bridge portion has a longitudinal length defined between said end edges which is less than longitudinal lengths of the respective said leg portions so as to define a pair of recesses which project inwardly towards said post member on opposite longitudinal ends of said seating support, each said recess opening sidewardly outwardly on said opposite longitudinal ends of said seating support for respectively receiving therein a vertically-oriented support member of a roof structure and a diagonally-oriented support member of a roof structure located adjacent but horizontally spaced from the vertically-oriented support member.

5. The seating support of claim 4, wherein both of said end edges of said bridge portion define a tooth thereon such that said end edges engage the vertically-oriented support member and the diagonally-oriented support member of the roof structure.

6. The seating support of claim 5, wherein said post member is vertically adjustable.

7. The seating support of claim 1, wherein said one end edge of said bridge portion defines a plurality of teeth thereon.

8. The seating support of claim 3, wherein said end edges of said bridge portion each define a plurality of teeth thereon.

9. The seating support of claim 1, wherein said bridge portion has a longitudinal length defined between said end edges which is less than longitudinal lengths of the respective said leg portions so as to define a pair of recesses which project inwardly towards said post member on opposite longitudinal ends of said seating support, each said recess opening sidewardly outwardly on said opposite longitudinal ends of said seating support for respectively receiving therein a diagonally-oriented support member of a roof structure.

10. The seating support of claim 9, wherein both of said end edges of said bridge portion define a tooth thereon configured to engage the respective diagonally-oriented support members of the roof structure.

11. The seating,support of claim 4, wherein one said end edge of said bridge portion defines a plurality of teeth thereon, and the other said end edge of said bridge portion defines a single tooth thereon which is larger the respective ones of said teeth of said plurality of teeth for engagement with the vertically-oriented support member.