WALL HUNG SAFETY BRACKET

Abstract

A bracketed scaffold system configured for attachment to a wall prior to the wall construction which uses a hook adapter to hang the scaffold bracket over the top of the wall and a securing plate that is secured to the stud inside the wall to secure the scaffold to the wall. The hook adapter is attachably connected to the upper end of a vertical wall bar and the securing plate is longitudinally parallel with and attachably connected to the lower end of the vertical wall bar. A horizontal rail is perpendicular to the vertical wall. A connecting brace is attachably connected to the lower end of the vertical wall bar and the distal end of the horizontal rail, thereby forming a triangular configuration. The vertical wall bar is braced against the surface of the wall using a horizontal brace.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to the field of scaffolding used in building construction. More specifically, the present invention relates to a bracketed scaffolding system used to secure a scaffold to a wall before the wall is erected.

2. Description of Related Art

Scaffolding has traditionally been used in building construction projects to provide raised platforms or ramps that are used for pedestrian movement as well as the passage of building materials or to support structures such as the roof during construction. Scaffolding has traditionally consisted of tube and coupler designs wherein the uprights, or posts, rise from the ground or some other source of solid support. However, there are building scenarios where the scaffold may be difficult to level and stabilize due to lack of solid support. As a result, scaffold designs have been modified to hang from a portion of the structure rather than rely on ground support.

There are many structure-supported scaffold designs in the prior art. Most attach temporarily to the roof while others are attached to a wall using permanent anchors to secure to the completed wall structure. However, there still exists a need for a wall supported scaffold design that can be secured to the wall before the wall is erected and can be detached from the wall after use, such that permanent anchors are not required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to address several challenges in previous attempts to design a wall supported scaffolding system. The bracketed scaffold system of the present invention is configured for attachment to the wall prior to the wall construction. The scaffold bracket generally uses a hook adapter to hang the scaffold bracket over the top of the wall and a securing plate that is secured to the stud inside the wall to secure the scaffold to the wall. The hook adapter is attachably connected to the upper end of a vertical wall bar and the securing plate is longitudinally parallel with and attachably connected to the lower end of the vertical wall bar. A horizontal rail is perpendicular to the vertical wall. A connecting brace is attachably connected to the lower end of the vertical wall bar and the distal end of the horizontal rail, thereby forming a triangular configuration. The vertical wall bar is braced against the surface of the wall using a horizontal brace.

Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention wherein similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the scaffold bracket of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the scaffold bracket system of the present invention showing its operation and use.

FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the scaffold bracket system of the present invention with means to adjust the horizontal rail placement along the vertical wall bar.

FIG. 4 is a detailed perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the scaffold bracket system of the present invention with means to adjust the horizontal rail placement along the vertical wall bar that includes a view of the hook adapter.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the placement of the hook adapter and securing plate of the scaffold bracket of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning to FIG. 1, the scaffold bracket of the present invention is shown generally. The vertical wall bar 1 may have a substantially flat surface and has an upper end and a lower end. The vertical wall bar is attachably connected at its upper end to a hook adapter 7. The hook adapter 7 hangs over the top of a wall or wall support structure 10 (shown in greater detail in FIGS. 4-5). A securing plate 8 is longitudinally parallel to and attachably connected to the lower end of the vertical wall bar 1. As shown in further detail in FIG. 5, the securing plate 8 passes through a slot in the plywood of the wall support structure and is secured to a stud 14. The securing plate 8 can be accessed from the inside of the wall when it is to be removed. The hook adapter 7 can be securely fastened to the top of the wall 10 using nails, screws, nuts, bolts and/or a combination thereof. The securing plate 8 can be securely fasted to the stud inside the wall using nails, screws, nuts, bolts and/or combinations thereof.

In one embodiment of the bracket scaffold of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1, a horizontal rail 4 has a proximal end and a distal end and is perpendicular to the vertical wall bar 1, with the horizontal rail 4 proximal end being attachably connected to the vertical wall bar 1. In an alternative embodiment of the bracket scaffold of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 2-4, a plate 13 is longitudinally parallel to the vertical wall bar 1 and perpendicular to the horizontal rail 4. The plate 13 is attachably connected to the vertical wall bar 1 with the proximal end of the horizontal rail 4 adjustably attachable to the plate 13. As shown in FIG. 2-4, the horizontal rail 4 can be adjusted along the plate 13 using attachment holes drilled within the plate 13 or other suitable adjustable attachment device on plate 13.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, a connecting brace 5 is attachably connected at its proximal end to the lower end of the vertical wall bar 1 and attachably connected at its distal end to the distal end of the horizontal rail 4. The vertical wall bar 1, horizontal rail 4 and connecting brace 5 form a triangular configuration. A horizontal brace 9 is perpendicular to and attachably connected to the vertical wall bar 1. The horizontal brace 9 rests against the outer surface of the wall in order to stabilize the placement of the scaffold bracket. The horizontal rail 4 and the horizontal brace 9 are detachably secured to the vertical wall bar 1 through the use of bolts or other suitable fasteners.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, a vertical railing post 3 is adjustably attached at its lower end to the horizontal rail 4. One or more adjustable railing brackets 6 are selectably connected to the vertical railing post 3 through the use of bolts or other suitable fasteners.

The vertical wall bar 1, hook adapter 7, securing plate 8, horizontal rail 4 and connecting brace 5 can be substantially made of metallic, polymeric, wood and/or composite materials as well as combinations thereof.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, a bracketed scaffold system is shown in FIGS. 2-4. A plurality of scaffold brackets as shown in FIG. 1 and described above are used to form a bracketed scaffold system. A plurality of vertical wall bars 1 may have a substantially flat surface and have an upper end and a lower end. The plurality of vertical wall bars are attachably connected at their upper end to a plurality of hook adapters 7. The hook adapters 7 hang over the top of a wall or wall support structure 10 (shown in greater detail in FIGS. 4-5). A plurality of securing plates 8 are longitudinally parallel to and attachably connected to the lower end of the vertical wall bars 1. As shown in further detail in FIG. 5, the securing plates 8 pass through a slot in the plywood of the wall support structure and are secured to the studs 14. The securing plates 8 can be accessed from the inside of the wall when they are to be removed. The hook adapters 7 can be securely fastened to the top of the wall 10 using nails, screws, nuts, bolts and/or a combination thereof. The securing plates 8 can be securely fasted to the stud inside the wall using nails, screws, nuts, bolts and/or combinations thereof.

In one embodiment of the bracket scaffold system of the present invention, a plurality of horizontal rails 4 have a proximal end and a distal end and are perpendicular to the vertical wall bars 1, with the horizontal rails 4 proximal end being attachably connected to the vertical wall bars 1. In an alternative embodiment of the bracket scaffold system of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 2-4, a plurality of plates 13 are longitudinally parallel to the vertical wall bars 1 and perpendicular to the horizontal rails 4. The plates 13 are attachably connected to the vertical wall bars 1 with the proximal end of the horizontal rails 4 adjustably attachable to the plates 13. As shown in FIG. 2-4, the horizontal rails 4 can be adjusted along the plates 13 using attachment holes drilled within the plates 13 or other suitable adjustable attachment device on plates 13.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, a plurality of connecting braces 5 are attachably connected at their proximal ends to the lower end of the vertical wall bars 1 and attachably connected at the distal end to the distal ends of the horizontal rails 4 with bolts or other suitable fasteners. The vertical wall bars 1, horizontal rails 4 and connecting braces 5 form a triangular configuration. A plurality of horizontal braces 9 are perpendicular to and selectably connected to the vertical wall bars 1 with bolts or other suitable fasteners. The horizontal braces 9 rest against the outer surface of the wall in order to stabilize the placement of the scaffold bracket.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, a plurality of vertical railing posts 3 are adjustably attached at their lower ends to the horizontal rails 4. As illustrated, the vertical railing post 3 may be carried on sleeves or other suitable means operable to be slidable and selectably secured to the horizontal rails 4. One or more adjustable railing brackets 6 are selectably connected to the vertical railing posts 3 through the use of bolts or other suitable fasteners.

The vertical wall bars 1, hook adapters 7, securing plates 8, horizontal rails 4 and connecting braces 5 can be substantially made of metallic, polymeric, wood and/or composite materials as well as combinations thereof.

A plurality of adjustable railing brackets 6 on a plurality of vertical railing posts 3 are used to support a plurality of parallel boards, as shown in further detail in FIGS. 2-4 so as to form a barrier around the edge of the roof proximate to the edge of thereof.

A scaffold system can be prepared for a wall of a building using the bracketed scaffold system as described above by hanging the plurality of hook adapters 7 over the top of the wall 10 and attaching each of the plurality of securing plates to a stud inside the wall 10, shown in detail in FIG. 5.

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference has been made to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language has been used to describe these embodiments. However, this specific language intends no limitation of the scope of the invention, and the invention should be construed to encompass all embodiments that would normally occur to one of ordinary skill in the art. The particular implementations shown and described herein are illustrative examples of the invention and are not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the invention in any way. For the sake of brevity, conventional aspects of the method (and components of the individual operating components of the method) may not be described in detail. Furthermore, the connecting lines, or connectors shown in the various figures presented are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical or logical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships, physical connections or logical connections might be present in a practical device. Moreover, no item or component is essential to the practice of the invention unless the element is specifically described as “essential” or “critical”. Numerous modifications and adaptations will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A scaffold bracket, comprising:

a vertical wall bar having an upper end and a lower end;

a hook adapter attachably connected to the upper end of the vertical wall bar, wherein the hook adapter is hangable over a top of a wall;

a securing plate longitudinally parallel with and attachably connected to the lower end of the vertical wall bar, wherein the securing plate is attachable to a stud inside the wall;

a horizontal rail having a proximal end and a distal end and is perpendicular to the vertical wall bar, wherein the proximal end of the horizontal rail is attachably connected to the vertical wall bar;

a connecting brace, having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the proximal end of the connecting brace is attachably connected to the lower end of the vertical wall bar, and wherein the distal end of the connecting brace is attachably connected to the distal end of the horizontal rail.

a horizontal brace perpendicular to the vertical wall bar, wherein the horizontal brace is attachably connected to the vertical wall bar.

2. The scaffold bracket of claim 1, further comprising a plate longitudinally parallel to the vertical wall bar and perpendicular to the horizontal rail, wherein the plate is attachably connected to the vertical wall bar and the proximal end of the horizontal rail is adjustably attachable to the plate.

3. The scaffold bracket of claim 1, further comprising a vertical railing post having an upper end and a lower end, wherein the lower end of the vertical railing post is adjustably attachable to the horizontal rail.

4. The scaffold bracket of claim 3, further comprising one or more adjustable railing brackets, wherein the one or more adjustable railing brackets are attachably connected to the vertical railing post.

5. The scaffold bracket of claim 1, wherein the vertical wall bar, hook adapter, securing plate, horizontal rail, and connecting brace are substantially made of materials selected from the group comprising metals, polymers, wood, composite or combinations thereof.

6. The scaffold bracket of claim 1, wherein the vertical wall bar has substantially flat surfaces.

7. The scaffold bracket of claim 1, wherein the hook adapter is securely fastened to the top of the wall using a securing device selected from the group comprising nails, screws, bolts, nuts or combinations thereof.

8. The scaffold bracket of claim 1, wherein the securing plate is securely fastened to a stud inside the wall using a securing device selected from the group comprising nails, screws, bolts, nuts or combinations thereof.

9. A bracketed scaffold system for securing a scaffold to a wall, comprising:

a plurality of vertical wall bars, each wall bar having an upper end and a lower end;

a plurality of hook adapters, each hook adapter attachably connected to the upper end of one of the plurality of vertical wall bars, wherein each hook adapter is hangable over a top of the wall;

a plurality of securing plates, each securing plate longitudinally parallel with and attachably connected to the lower end of one of the plurality of vertical wall bars, wherein each securing plate is attachable to a stud inside the wall;

a plurality of horizontal rails, each horizontal rail having a proximal end and a distal end and is perpendicular to one of the plurality of vertical wall bars, wherein the proximal end of each one of the plurality of horizontal rails is attachably connected to one of the plurality of vertical wall bars; and

a plurality of connecting braces, each connecting brace having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the proximal end of each one of the plurality of connecting braces is attachably connected to the lower end of one of the plurality of vertical wall bars, and wherein the distal end of each one of the plurality of connecting braces is attachably connected to the distal end of one of the plurality of horizontal rails.

10. The bracketed scaffold system of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of horizontal braces, each horizontal brace perpendicular to one of the plurality of vertical wall bars, wherein each horizontal brace is attachably connected to one of the plurality of vertical wall bars.

11. The bracketed scaffold system of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of vertical railing posts, each railing post having an upper end and a lower end, wherein the lower end of each vertical railing post is adjustably attachable to one of the plurality of horizontal rails.

12. The bracketed scaffold system of claim 11, further comprising:

a plurality of adjustable railing brackets, wherein each adjustable railing bracket is attachably connected to one of the plurality of vertical railing posts

a plurality of parallel boards, each parallel board supported by one of the plurality of vertical railing posts.

13. The bracketed scaffold system of claim 9, wherein the vertical wall bars, hook adapters, securing plates, horizontal rails, and connecting braces are substantially made of materials selected from the group comprising metals, polymers, wood, composite or combinations thereof.

14. The bracketed scaffold system of claim 9, wherein the vertical wall bars have substantially flat surfaces.

15. The bracketed scaffold system of claim 9, wherein the hook adapters are securely fastened to the top of the wall using a securing device selected from the group comprising nails, screws, bolts, nuts or combinations thereof.

16. The bracketed scaffold system of claim 9, wherein the securing plates are securely fastened to a stud inside the wall using a securing device selected from the group comprising nails, screws, bolts, nuts or combinations thereof.

17. A method of applying a scaffolding system for a wall of a building, comprising:

providing a bracketed scaffold system having: a plurality of vertical wall bars, each wall bar having an upper end and a lower end; a plurality of hook adapters, each hook adapter attachably connected to the upper end of one of the plurality of vertical wall bars, wherein each hook adapter is hangable over a top of the wall; a plurality of securing plates, each securing plate longitudinally parallel with and attachably connected to the lower end of one of the plurality of vertical wall bars, wherein each securing plate is attachable to a stud inside the wall; a plurality of horizontal rails, each horizontal rail having a proximal end and a distal end and is perpendicular to one of the plurality of vertical wall bars, wherein the proximal end of each one of the plurality of horizontal rails is attachably connected to one of the plurality of vertical wall bars; and a plurality of connecting braces, each connecting brace having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the proximal end of each one of the plurality of connecting braces is attachably connected to the lower end of one of the plurality of vertical wall bars, and wherein the distal end of each one of the plurality of connecting braces is attachably connected to the distal end of one of the plurality of horizontal rails.

hanging each of the plurality of hook adapters over the top of the wall; and

attaching each of the plurality of securing plates to a stud inside the wall.

18. The method of preparing a scaffolding system for a wall of a building of claim 17, wherein the bracketed scaffold system further includes:

a plurality of horizontal braces, each horizontal brace perpendicular to one of the plurality of vertical wall bars, wherein each horizontal brace is attachably connected to one of the plurality of vertical wall bars;

a plurality of vertical railing posts, each railing post having an upper end and a lower end, wherein the lower end of each vertical railing post is adjustably attachable to one of the plurality of horizontal rails; and

a plurality of adjustable railing brackets, wherein each adjustable railing bracket is attachably connected to one of the plurality of vertical railing posts.

a plurality of parallel boards, each parallel board supported by one of the plurality of vertical railing posts;

19. The method of preparing a scaffolding system for a wall of a building of claim 17, wherein the vertical wall bars, hook adapters, securing plates, horizontal rails, and connecting braces are substantially made of materials selected from the group comprising metals, polymers, wood, composite or combinations thereof.

20. The method of preparing a scaffolding system for a wall of a building of claim 17, wherein the hook adapters are securely fastened to the top of the wall using a securing device selected from the group comprising nails, screws, bolts, nuts or combinations thereof; and wherein the securing plates are securely fastened to a stud inside the wall using a securing device selected from the group comprising nails, screws, bolts, nuts or combinations thereof.