INSTALLING SAME

STATEMENT OF CORRESPONDING APPLICATIONS This application is based on the Provisional specification filed in relation to New Zealand Patent Application Number 601351 , and the Complete specification filed in relation to New Zealand Patent Application Number 604722, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The ^' present invention relates to a bracket for an edge protection system, arid methods of manufacturing and installing same. The invention has particular application for use as part of an edge protection system for a building under construction.

BACKGROUND ART

When working on the roof of a building under construction, it is desirable to have edge protection in place to prevent a worker falling from the roof.

It is known in the trade to temporarily fix guard rails about the perimeter of the roof space being worked on. The guard rails provide a temporary barrier should a worker slip or otherwise fall while working on the roof.

The guard rails are typically temporarily fixed to a series of upright brackets or the like attached to the building structure along the edge of the roof space.

These brackets can take a number of forms, but are usually lengths of tubular steel which may be welded or otherwise secured together. As a result such brackets are expensive to manufacture, and their weight makes them unwieldy and difficult to install. The tubular cross- section also makes stacking of the brackets difficult, which affects the ease of transporting and storing the brackets when the system is disassembled.

It can also be difficult to position the brackets on the building itself. The building will typically be under construction, and therefore at stages will consist simply of a framework. Some known bracket designs require bracing that extends to the ground - adding to the complexity of installing the edge protection system, and inhibiting the installation of cladding to the framework of the building. It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country. Throughout this specification, the word "comprise", or variations thereof such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a bracket for use with a guard rail, the bracket including: a main body, wherein the body includes: a foot portion including a mounting portion configured to engage with a building, the mounting portion including at least two bearing surfaces; and a post portion extending from the foot portion, wherein the mounting portion is located at a distal end of the foot portion relative to the post portion, and at least one recess located in the post portion, wherein the recess includes a bearing surface for directly or indirectly supporting a guard rail, wherein the main body is manufactured from flat sheet material.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an edge protection system, including: a plurality of brackets substantially as described above; and at least one guard rail spanning between the brackets, supported by the bearing surfaces of the respective recesses of each bracket. According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of installing an edge protection system substantially as described above, the method including the steps of: for each bracket, engaging the mounting portion with a frame member of a building such that the bearing surfaces are positioned on opposite surfaces of the frame member; fastening each mounting portion to the respective frame members; and positioning the at least one guard rail such that the rail spans between the brackets, and is supported by the bearing surfaces of the respective recesses of each bracket.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a bracket substantially as described above, the method including the steps of: cutting the bracket from a sheet of material; cutting tabs into the mounting portion of the bracket profile at locations for the bearing surfaces; and bending each tab to form a flange.

The present invention provides a simple and easy to use bracket to which a guard rail may be mounted. The bracket is manufactured from a flat sheet of material. In some embodiments cutting techniques are used to form tabs which may be bent relative to the main body of the bracket to form bearing surfaces against which guard rails and the beams of a building may bear against.

Although reference is made throughout this specification to the invention being used with roofing guard rails, persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be suitable for use in other structures apart from a roof and such use falls within the scope of the present application. For example, the invention may be used with walkways or the like.

In a preferred embodiment, the main body includes a post portion in which the at least one recess is located, and a foot portion in which the mounting portion is located. The bracket has a substantially 'L' or 'J' shaped profile, such that in use the post is substantially upright relative to the edge of the roofing space and the foot is substantially horizontal or lateral to the post.

Preferably the bearing surfaces of the mounting portion are flanges extending from the main body. Preferably the flanges are substantially perpendicular with the plane of the body. In a preferred embodiment, during manufacture of the bracket tab-like extensions may be cut into the mounting portion of the bracket. These tabs are then bent away from the plane of the main body to form the flanges which act as the bearing surfaces. Thus, the mounting portion of the bracket, including its bearing surfaces, can be formed as a unitary part. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the bracket is to be mounted to a frame member of a building.

In preferred embodiments the bearing surfaces, for example the flanges, of the mounting portion are vertically offset from one another, such that in use they may positioned on opposing surfaces of the frame member to which the bracket is mounted. For example, the flanges may bear against the upper and lower sides of the frame member respectively. In doing so, it is envisaged that the bearing surfaces may resist movement of the bracket when force is applied to the post or rail connected thereto.

In preferred embodiments, the bearing surfaces are horizontally offset from each other. More preferably, the upper bearing surface is positioned at a point on the mounting portion closer to the post that the lower bearing surface. In use, this means that the lower bearing surface is positioned closer to a wall of the building than the upper portion. It is envisaged that this arrangement may improve the ability of the bracket to resist rotational forces acting on the bearing surfaces created by the application of force to the post or guard rail. In a preferred embodiment the foot is curved, with the bearing surfaces located at a distal end of the foot relative to the post. In doing so the bracket may be connected to frame members of a building and extend around other frame members which protrude lower than the point of connection. By shaping the foot as a curve in comparison with a rectangular hook, it is envisaged that less material may be used (and thus weight reduced), sharp corners (and their associated safety hazard) avoided, and a more aesthetically pleasing shape created. However, it should be appreciated that reference to the foot being curved is not intended to be limiting.

It should be appreciated that the shape of the foot, the angle of the bearing surfaces of the mounting portion relative, and their vertical and horizontal offsets may be determined according to the type of frame member the bracket is intended to be fastened to. For example, the bracket may be configured to be fastened to the soffit beam (also known as a soffit sprocket or look out rafter) used in forming the soffit (the underside of the overhanging section of the eves of the roof of the building). These provide a surface against which sheet material such as Hardiflex™ board may be fixed, as well as fascia around the periphery of the roof space. The soffit beam is generally parallel with the ground, and as such the bearing surfaces of the mounting portion may be at right angles to the post.

In contrast, the bracket may be configured to connect to the top chord of the truss, or a rafter, which is at an angle to the ground. In order for the post to be upright relative to the edge of the roof when installed, the bearing surfaces of the mounting point need to be angled accordingly.

It should be appreciated that reference to a specific frame member and associated configuration of the bearing surfaces is not intended to be limiting, and that the bracket may be used with other frame members of the building.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the main body may include apertures or the like proximate to the mounting portion - particularly in the surface between the bearing surfaces. These allow the use of fasteners, such as screws, nails or bolts to fix the bracket to a frame member of the building.

In a preferred embodiment each recess includes an opening facing away from the foot. It is envisaged that the recess may be located in a protrusion extending laterally away from the post, with two spaced lines cut partway into the protrusion to create a tab. These lines may be cut substantially vertically, such that when the tab is bent out of alignment with the plane of the post a hook like shape is formed. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments the bracket may not include tabs, and that the bottom edge of the recess may act as a bearing surface for the guard rail.

It is envisaged that the spaced lines may be substantially parallel, such that the resulting recess is shaped to match the profile of rectangular guard rails. It is envisaged that in doing so, the rails may be made of timber beams commonly used within the building used and readily available to the likely users of the system.

It is envisaged that the tab may be bent to be substantially perpendicular with the post, creating a flange which may be used as a bearing surface which directly or indirectly supports the guard rail. Reference to the guard rail being directly or indirectly supported by the flange should be understood to mean that the rail may directly bear against the tab (for example where the guard rail has a rectangular profile), or be held by a fastener connected to the flange. For example, it is envisaged that a releasable fastener such as a clamp - more particularly a half clamp or half coupler - may be connected to the flange and used to secure a tubular guard rail to the bracket. Half clamps include a base which may be mounted to the flange, the base having a curved receptacle in which the rail may be received and supported. A hinged cover closes over the rail, and may be tightened or fastened to secure the rail to the clamp.

It is envisaged that the flange of the post may include one or more apertures for securing the rails to the flange. For example, the flange may include a first aperture through which a fastener such as a nail may be passed and driven into a wooden guard rail, and a second aperture of a larger diameter configured to receive a bolt attached to a clamp onto which a nut may be tightened to secure the clamp.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a bracket for use with a guard rail, the bracket including a main body, wherein the body includes a mounting portion to engage with a building, the mounting portion including at least two bearing surfaces; an upright portion including at least one flange extending laterally from the upright portion; and a releasabie fastener mounted to the flange, configured to releasably secure a guard rail to the bracket.

In a preferred embodiment the upright portion may be the main post substantially as herein described.

By providing the ability to releasably secure the guard rail to the bracket, it is envisaged that the ease of installing and disassembling the system may be improved. Any improvement in time efficiencies in setting up safety systems on a job site may reduce labour costs.

Further, it is envisaged that the releasabie fastener may be a clamp or clamps configured to receive standard scaffolding tubing. Such tubing may already- be used (or planned to be used at later stages of construction), and thus readily accessible for use in the edge protection system. Joiners for connecting lengths of such tubing together are readily available, enabling the guard rails to easily be adapted to the length required in comparison with timber rails which may need to be cut to size.

Being manufactured for use in temporary structures, such tubing has rigidity and strength properties suitable for use as a guard rail. Also, scaffolding tubing is often made of aluminium, and the resulting weight reduction in comparison with steel or timber guard rails is significant. As well as assisting in transportation of the disassembled system, this reduced weight may make assembly of the system easier, and improve the safety of the assembly process due to the lower likelihood of the tubing being mishandled.

By providing the flanges formed from tabs in the recess, the same bracket may be easily configured to be used with either a releasabie fastener, or having the recesses directly support guard rails such as wooden beams. This provides versatility for the end user - but also reduces the complexity of manufacture and subsequent stock management by having a single design which may be used in both configurations.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, three recesses or flanges are provided along the length of the post to allow the use of three roofing guard rails. However, this is not meant to be limiting. For example, depending on the height of the roofing guard rail, only one or two recesses may be required.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the main body of the bracket includes one or more cut outs. This may assist in reducing the weight of the bracket. Further, the cut out may provide a carry handle by which a user may grip the bracket during handling and transportation. Depending on the requirements of the user, the bracket may include additional hooks or the like to provide support for tools and working accessories.

It is envisaged that the bracket may be made in several pieces - for example a separate foot and post - and joined together using welding or a mechanical fastener. In doing so, it may be possible to reduce material wastage due to the more contained shape of the respective parts allowing for a greater number of parts to be cut from a sheet of material.

However, it should be appreciated that this is not intended to be limiting. In a preferred embodiment the bracket may be cut as a unitary part. In doing so it is envisaged that the manufacturing process may be simplified by eliminating the need to subsequently connect separate parts. Further, a join between two parts introduces a potential point of mechanical failure - which the unitary part does not have.

In a preferred embodiment the bracket is cut from the sheet of material using a laser cutting technique. It should be appreciated that reference to the bracket being laser cut is not intended to be limiting, but that there may be a number of advantages to this over other cutting techniques.

In comparison with mechanical cutting techniques, laser cutting is generally faster and enables relatively fine detail to be easily cut with high accuracy - enabling consistency between pieces. Curved lines (such as in the preferred embodiment of the foot) are also more easily produced. The cutting process may be performed in a single step, not requiring the sheet to be

repositioned or cut started by another device - reducing the time and complexity of

manufacture.

Laser cutting also generally results in a cleaner cut than plasma cutting, reducing the amount of post cutting processing required to remove splatter. Further, as the area of material subjected to heat is very small in laser cutting, it reduces the chances of warping of the material. By making the bracket of sheet material, it is envisaged that the weight of the unit may be kept down. This is particularly important during installation - both for the ease and speed with which the bracket may be positioned and secured, and also the resulting improvement in safety by reducing the likelihood of dropping the brackets from an elevated position.

Further, the flat profile of the bracket may allow the brackets to be easily stacked against each other for ease of transportation and storage.

Due to the loading that may be experienced by the bracket, not all materials may be suited for use as the material from which the bracket is to be formed. For example, many grades of aluminium will be too light and suffer metal fatigue for safe use as the bracket. However, it is not beyond the scope of the present invention that the bracket be formed from materials such as carbon fibre although this may add to the expense to the manufacture of the bracket. It is envisaged that the entire bracket may be made of a suitable metal.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the metal is mild steel, which may also be known as plain carbon steel. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that mild steel has sufficient density and rigidity to withstand reasonable impacts should a user fall and contact the guard rails or the brackets themselves.

In one embodiment of the present invention, mild steel of HR250 grade is used. However, this is not meant to be limiting.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the sheet of metal is 4 mm thick. This has sufficient strength to absorb to any reasonable impacts while not presenting an overly thin edge (which may cause severe injury should a worker fall against the edges of the bracket). This thickness is also suitable for manufacture of the bracket using the preferred laser cutting technique.

However, the specified thickness is not meant to be limiting and the bracket may be formed from sheet metal thicker (or thinner) depending on the type and grade of metal used to form the bracket.

The mild steel may be treated depending on the requirements of the user. For example, it may be powder coated.

Embodiments of the present invention may have a number of advantages over the prior art, including: · ease and speed of manufacture by forming the bracket from a sheet of material, enabling the use of cutting techniques such as laser cutting which may be performed by a single device and process;

• reduced weight due to the use of sheet material, making installation and transportation of the bracket easier; · ease of transportation and storage due to the use of sheet material allowing the brackets to be stacked in a compact form; and

• ability to be fitted to a variety of locations around the edge of a building in order to create a continuous guard rail around the elevated working space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary bracket according to one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the exemplary bracket of FIG. 1 in use within an exemplary edge protection system according to another aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side plan view of the exemplary bracket of FIG. 1 in use with another embodiment of a guard rail system according to an aspect of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a side plan view of another exemplary bracket according to an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side plan view of another exemplary bracket according to an aspect of the present invention, and

FIG. 6 is a side plan view of an exemplary bracket illustrating a method by which the bracket may be manufactured according to a further aspect of the present invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a bracket (generally indicated by arrow 1 ) for use in an edge protection. The bracket 1 is made as a unitary part laser-cut from a sheet of metal, and includes a substantially vertical post 2 and a foot 3 extending laterally relative to the post 2.

The foot 3 of the bracket 1 has a mounting portion 4 at its distal end from the post 2. The mounting portion 4 includes vertically and horizontally offset upper and lower flanges 5 and 6 respectively. The flanges 5 and 6 are formed from tabs cut into the profile of the bracket 1 which are subsequently bent to be substantially perpendicular to the surface of the foot 3. The mounting portion 4 includes apertures 7 proximate to the flanges through which the bracket may be fastened to a frame member of a building (as will be described with reference to FIG. 2)

The foot 3 is curved such that the mounting portion 4 is elevated relative to the remainder of the foot 3 to provide sufficient clearance for the guttering and roofing material of the building with which the present invention is to be used when mounted to the frame member. In particular it is envisaged that the internal radius R of the foot 3 will be in the order of 150 to 180 millimetres - although it should be appreciated that this radius may depend on the frame member to which the bracket is intended to be mounted. The post 2 of the bracket 1 is provided with protrusions 8 which have recesses 9 opening upwardly to form hooks into which guard rails (not shown) may be fitted. The recesses 9 are formed by cutting tabs 10 into the protrusions 8 which are bent to an angle perpendicular with the surface of the post 2. An aperture 11 passes through each tab 10 to allow the use of a fastener (not shown), such as screws or nails, in fixing the guard rail (not shown) to the bracket. Alternatively, the aperture 11 (or another aperture in the tab 10) may be used to bolt a clamp - for example a half-clamp as commonly used in scaffolding - to the tab 10 in order to hold tubular guard rails (as described further below with reference to FIG. 3).

The bracket 1 also includes a cut out 12 in the transition between the post 2 and the foot 3. The cut-out 12 assists in reducing the weight of the bracket 1 , but also provides a handle by which the bracket may be carried and otherwise handled.

FIG. 2 illustrates the bracket 1 as used in an edge protection system (generally indicated by arrow 20) for a building (generally indicated by dashed lines 21 ).

The building 21 includes wall section 22, angled truss chords or rafters 23, and soffit bearers 24 extending perpendicular from the wall section 22.

In the embodiment of the bracket 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 , the bracket 1 is mounted to the soffit bearer 24 such that upper flange 5 bears against the top side of the soffit bearer 24, and the lower flange bears against the bottom side of the soffit bearer 24. It may be seen that the lower flange 6 is closer to the wall section 22 that the upper flange 5. As a result, when force is applied to the post of the bracket 1 away from the building 21 , the positioning of the flanges 5 and 6 will provide a greater resistance to pivoting of the bracket 1 in comparison with the reversed orientation.

The bracket 1 is fixed to the soffit bearer 24 using fasteners such as screws through the apertures 7. It may be seen curvature of the foot 3 provides sufficient clearance the bracket 1 and building 21 for exterior components such as fascia 25 and guttering 26.

When brackets 1 have been installed along the edge of the building 21 which needs to be protected, guard rails 27 may be used to span the gap between brackets - located in position by the recesses 9 - to create the edge protection system 20.

FIG. 3 illustrates the bracket 1 configured for use in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2, but using tubes such as scaffolding tubes 30 as guard rails. Releasable fasteners in the form of half clamps 31 are mounted to the tabs 10 of the bracket 1.

The half clamps 31 each include a base 32 in which the tube 30 may be seated, and a hinged cover 33 configured to close over the tube 30 and be secured in a closed position using securing bolt 36. The half clamps 31 are mounted to the tab 10 by passing a mounting bolt 35 through the aperture 11 , and securing the clamp 31 to the tab by tightening nut 35.While FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary bracket 1 configured to be mounted to a soffit bearer, other embodiments of the present invention are envisaged.

FIG. 4 illustrates a bracket 40 generally configured in the manner of bracket 1 ; including a post 41 and a foot 42 having upper and lower flanges 43 and 44 respectively. However, bracket 40 is configured to be mounted to the truss chord 23 of the building 21. It may be seen that the angle 45 of the flanges 43 and 44 relative to the leading edge 46 of the post is less than the right angle of bracket . The curvature of the foot 42 is also deeper in order to accommodate for the angled truss cords and create the necessary separation to extend around the edge of the roof. FIG. 5 illustrates a bracket 50 generally configured in the manner of bracket 1 ; including a post 51 and a foot 52 having upper and lower flanges 53 and 54 respectively. Bracket 50 is configured for use in a mono-pitch roof (not illustrated). The flanges 53 and 54 may be at a slight angle relative to the leading edge 55, but it may be seen that the vertical offset of the flanges 53 and 54 is greater than that of brackets 1 and 40 to accommodate the greater height of rafter used in such a structure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative method by which a bracket of the present invention may be manufactured. While brackets 1, 40 and 50 are illustrated as being cut from sheet material in a single step to form a unitary part, bracket 60 illustrates how the post 61 and foot 62 may be cut as separate parts and subsequently joined at edges 63 and 64. Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.