Fence with Stackable Supports

Abstract

Stackable supports for supporting upright fence posts are arranged in overlying relationship, forming an “X” shape with sockets (30) extending from the support blocks (22) up through openings (44) of the cross blocks that receive the end portions of the fence posts (15), with lock pins (50) that extend through the aligned openings of the sockets and the fence posts.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention concerns a portable fence assembly for use in hazardous conditions, such as on sloped surfaces, particularly in the roofing construction business where workers are required to install roof coverings, such as shingles, on a sloped roof surface that is high above the ground.

The workers that install roof structures work in hazardous conditions and are required to move about the roof surface while removing old roof materials, disposing of the removed roof materials, bringing the new roof materials up to the level of the roof, retrieving new roof materials, and installing new materials on the support surfaces of the roof structure.

The work is hazardous, particularly after the workers have worked for an extended time on the roof. Also, atmospheric conditions such as heat, cold, wind, precipitation and other physical conditions of the environment may be undesirable and dangerous while performing the work. Therefore, it is highly desirable to reduce the hazards that a roofer is exposed to, particularly the hazard of falling from the roof.

In order to avoid the unbalance and falling of a worker on a typical roof, a portable guard rail usually is, and sometimes must be installed on the roof structure. The prior art guard rail or “fence” usually is a very heavy structure so as to assure that the structure is stable and likely capable of arresting the fall of a roofer and possibly arresting the fall of materials off the roof structure.

The typical roof fence has a series of heavy bases that support the fence posts. The bases of the posts each usually weigh more than 100 pounds and are difficult to lift, move, install and readjust the typical roof fence because of the excessive weight of the bases of the fence. The workers are exposed to substantial hazard just by bringing the parts of a portable guard rail up to the roof surface and then arranging and installing it on the roof.

It would be desirable to have portable roof guard rails that are convenient to bring to and take away from a roof surface, that are formed in segments that weigh less than the segments of the prior art fences so the fence is stable and can be easily assembled and disassembled, thereby reducing the physical hazards associated with the roofer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly described, the present invention concerns a portable guard rail assembly for mounting on roof structures and other sloped structures that are light in weight, easy to install, and improve the safety of the work conditions of the worker.

More particularly, the invention includes two-piece nestable pole supports for supporting vertical fence poles and the horizontal fence rails of a fence. The weight of the pieces of the nestable pole supports may weigh approximately 75 pounds, which is about one half of the weight of the prior art fence pole supports, and together would weigh more than the prior art fence pole supports. The pole supports are sized and shaped so a worker can pick them up and move and install them only one at a time while arranging the fence poles and other parts of the fence, thereby substantially reducing the hazard of assembling the fence. And the components of the pole supports are shaped to “nest” together so that the worker does not have to bolt them together.

Also, the two-piece fence mounting assembly can be placed in a nested configuration to form a heavier portable base of a fence that is built progressively and that meets the standards and requirements provided in OSHA rules.

The components of the improved base assembly are formed so that they can be separated into components with handles for lifting, carrying and placing about the roof structure. The base assembly is formed in segments that nest together to form a single base. These segments and the fence posts are placed at appropriate intervals about the roof structure, and the fencing is installed on adjacent ones of the posts.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of an assembled fence showing one of the heavy base assemblies at the intersection of the fence rails.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the support block, showing the top surface.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cross block showing the top surface, with dash lines showing how the upper cross block can nest with lower support block.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the nested assembly, showing the upper cross block in its nested position on the lower support block.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of both the lower support block and upper cross block with the lower support block positioned on top of and in alignment with the upper cross block, for convenience and storing and ground transportation.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, similar to FIG. 5, but showing multiple ones of the pairs of lower support blocks nesting and the upper cross blocks nesting in stacked pairs for storage and transportation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a segment of the portable fence assembly 10 that includes fence segments 11, 12 and 13 having vertical fence posts 15 and horizontal fence rails 16. The fence segments are conventional in the art.

FIG. 1 shows the vertical posts at one end of each fence segment supported by the assembled support base 18, with a board, such as a 2″×4″ board 20, supported at one end by the assembled support base 18.

The assembled support base 18 is formed in two main pieces, support block 22 in FIG. 2 and cross block 24 in FIG. 3. The upper surface of support block 22 includes enlarged end portions 25 and 26 and recessed support platform 27 extending between the end portions and upwardly facing recessed cross groove 28. A plurality of sockets 30 is mounted to the recessed support platform 27, with the sockets including a circular side wall 31, axial opening 32, and opposed side openings 34 that intersect the axial opening 32.

The enlarged end portions 25 of the support block 22 each define a handle opening 35 and an end slot 37. A resilient boot is formed about the end and lower surface of the enlarged end portions 25 and 26 of the support block 22 that forms a shape for receiving the end portion of the board 20 (FIG. 1).

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the cross block 24 includes enlarged end portions 40 and 41 and recess support platform 42 extending between the enlarged end portions. Socket openings 44 are formed in the recessed support platform 42, and the recessed support platform 42 of the cross block 24 forms a downwardly facing cross groove 46.

The enlarged end portions 40 and 41 also include end slots 47 for the purpose of supporting the ends of boards 20 (FIG. 1).

Handle openings 45 are formed through the enlarged end portions 40 and 41.

The downwardly facing cross groove 46 of the cross block 24 is sized and shaped to straddle the recessed support platform 27 of support block 22, with the socket openings 44 receiving the sockets 30, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The shapes of the support block 22 and cross block 24 allow the cross block 24 to “nest” with the support block 22, with the upper end portions of the sockets 30 of the support block protruding through the socket openings 44 of the cross block 24, with the opposed side openings 34 exposed at the upper surface of the cross block 24.

When the blocks 22 and 24 are assembled as shown in FIG. 4, fence posts 15 are inserted down into the sockets 30, and connector pins 50 are inserted through the aligned openings 34 of the sockets and the pin openings 51 in the lower end portions of the vertical fence posts 15, thereby locking the fence segments 11 to the support block 22, and locking the cross block 24 to the support block 22.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cross block 24 is configured so that it may receive a support block 22 on its top surface so that the cross block and support block are aligned with one another.

FIG. 6 shows that a multiple number of pairs of support blocks 22 and cross blocks 24 may be vertically stacked for shipment and storage.

Once the blocks 22 and 24 are received at a work site, the workers can retrieve the support block from the top of the stack of blocks and next retrieve the cross block so that the blocks are movable in organized sequence from the delivery site to the roof surface. The workers are able to grasp the support block in one hand and the cross block in the other hand.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lock pins 50 may be initially stored between the cross block 24 and support block 22 while the blocks are arranged in vertical pairs of stacked blocks, and when a part of support block and cross block are moved from the stack of FIG. 6, the pins 50 tend to travel with the moving blocks to the erection site. Typically, cords 51 are looped around the opposed ends of the lock pins 50 and through an opening 44 of the cross block 24 during storage of the lock pins.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications of the disclosed embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A fence with stackable supports comprising:

inner fitting stackable blocks including a support block and a cross block for supporting guard rails of a portable guard rail assembly

the support block including enlarged end portions and an upwardly facing cross groove formed between the enlarged end portions of the support block forming a recessed support platform extending between the enlarged end portions of the support block,

a plurality of pipe receiving sockets supported by the recessed support platform and extending upwardly from the recessed support platform,

the cross block including enlarged end portions and a downwardly facing cross groove formed between the enlarged end portions of the cross block forming a recessed connector platform, the upwardly facing cross groove of the support block and the downwardly facing cross groove of the cross block sized and shaped to nest the cross block with the support block with the enlarged end portions of the support block and of the cross block forming an X-shape, and

the recessed connector of the cross block defining openings that are sized and positioned to telescopically receive the pipe receiving sockets of the supported by the recessed support platform of the support block.

2. The fence with stackable supports of claim 1, and wherein at least one of the sockets defines side openings, and further including a fence guard rail having upwardly extending support posts and at least one support post including a lateral lock pin opening that registers with the side opening of a socket, and

a lock pin sized and shaped to extend through the lateral lock pin opening of the support post and the side opening of the socket.

3. The fence with stackable supports of claim 1, wherein when the support block and cross block are assembled the enlarged end portions of the cross block and the enlarged end portions of the support block have bottom surfaces that extend in the same plane.

4. The fence with stackable supports of claim 3, wherein the support block and cross block each have handle openings in the enlarged end portions.

5. The fence with stackable supports of claim 3 and further including boots that conform in shape about the enlarged end portions of each of the support block and cross block.

6. A fence with stackable supports for supporting the posts of a fence comprising

a support block and a cross block both defining mating grooves that nest together for forming an X-shaped support block assembly,

socket openings extending through the cross block at the groove of the cross block,

sockets extending from the support block at the groove of the support block and through the socket openings of the cross block, and

posts of a fence inserted down into the sockets.

7. The fence with stackable supports of claim 6, and wherein the sockets define side openings, the posts of a fence defining side openings that align with the side openings of the sockets, and further including lock pins for inserting through the aligned side openings for locking the posts to the support block.

8. The fence with stackable supports of claim 6, wherein the support block and the cross block have enlarged ends each with bottom surfaces that extend in the same plane when the cross block is nested with the support block.

9. The fence with stackable supports of claim 6, wherein the support block and cross block have handle openings.

10. The fence with stackable supports of claim 6, wherein the support block and the cross block are the same in both length and width.

11. The fence with stackable supports of claim 6, wherein the support block and the cross block both have end grooves sized to receive an end of a two by four board.

12. The fence with stackable supports of claim 6, wherein both the support block and cross block have boots mounted on the enlarged end portions and that conform in shape to the enlarged end portions.