GB2469201A

GB2469201A - Sheet support apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2469201A
Application number: GB1005489A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Philip Thomas Corkill; Jeffrey David Adams
Original assignee: STONEFORM MOULDINGS Ltd
Current assignee: STONEFORM MOULDINGS Ltd
Priority date: 2009-04-02
Filing date: 2010-04-01
Publication date: 2010-10-06
Also published as: GB0905747D0; GB201005489D0

Abstract

A support apparatus 10 locatable on a ladder 15 or ladder scaffold comprises support means 11 for supporting and retaining rigid sheet material and support hooks 13 to attach the apparatus to a ladder or ladder scaffold. Said support apparatus may be positioned at a suitable distance up the ladder, or ladder scaffold, to enable a person at the base of the ladder, or ladder scaffold, to stack sheets of board at a reasonable working height. Preferably, the support apparatus comprises a back plate 12 with adjustable clamping members. The apparatus may also include a front rail 14 or bar (21, Fig 2) to prevent sheet materials from sliding off. The support apparatus, supports the weight of the boards while the person at the bottom of the ladder, or ladder scaffold, lifts them further to enable the person at the top of the ladder, or ladder scaffold, to grasp and pull the board up to the upper floor.

Description

I

SUPPORT AEPARATUS

The present invention relates to a support apparatus, more particularly an apparatus for supporting large sheets of building materials, for example, plasterboard, wallboard or mdf sheets, to assist when such are required to be lifted onto upper floors dunng building construction At present large sheet materials, for example, of plasterboard, wallboard or nidf, when required to be moved to upper stories of buildings must be manhandled up a ladder, if there is no service lift, or crane available to facilitate their transport. The manual handling Of such materials can be difficult due to both the size and the weight of the sheets concerned, such sheets usually being produced as standard 8ff x 4ff sheets and can be difficult to manoeuvre and manage when endeavouring to move such materials onto upper floors With the: only access being via a ladder or scaffold. In view of health and safety requirements concerning manual handling, these sheets often have to be lifted manually by one person at the bottom of a ladder or ladder scaffold, passing these to another person located at the top of the ladder, through an appropnate opening in the floor/ceiling, and such efforts can prove cumbersome and is a potential risk to health and safety, due to the awkwardness of the size and Weight of the boards concerned.

ltis an object of the present invention to provide a support apparatus, which is preferably locatable on a ladder or ladder scaffold, said support apparatus being positionable at a suitable distance up the ladder, or ladder scaffold, to enable a person at the base of the ladder, or ladder scaffold, to stack sheets of board at a reasonable working height, the support apparatus supporting the weight of the boards while the person at the bottom of the ladder, or ladder scaffold, lifts them further to enable the person at the top of the ladder, or ladder scaffold, to grasp and pull the boards up to the upper floor. By having the boards located at a stable posthon at least partway up the ladder, or ladder scaffold, the support apparatus reduces the effort and the risks involved in manipulating large boards of sheet material up the ladder, or ladder scaffold.

According the present invention there is provided a support apparatus which is locatable at a predeterminable height on a ladder or ladder scaffold, said support apparatus having support means for supporting and retaining rigid sheet material, and support hooks for enabling the support apparatus to be attached to a ladder or a ladder scaffold.

Preferably, the support apparatus comprises a backplate to which the support members and retaining members can be attached at spaced apart intervals, the backplate also supporting adjustable clamping members, which for example can be adjusted to be in clamping engagement with the sides of a ladder to secure the support apparatus thereon. The support apparatus also includes a front rail or bar connected to the support members to prevent sheet materials stacked on the support apparatus from sliding off.

The present invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings) in which Figure 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the support apparatus is shown positioned on a ladder; and Figure 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the support apparatus.

With reference to the drawings, referring firstly to Figure 1, a basic first embodiment is illustrated according to which the support member 10 comprises a tray like portion 11 attached to a backplate 12 to which is attached a pair of hook like attachment members 13 which are engageable over a rung of a ladder 15, or a ladder scaffold. The front edge of the tray like portion 11 has a retaining lip 14.

The dimensions of the tray like member 11 are such as to be able to accommodate the full width of an Sft x 4ft sheet and may accommodate several sheets stacked in the tray 11. The support member 10 and tray 11 is positioned at a suitable height on the ladder 15, a ladder scaffold, so that a person standing on the ground can stack sheets in the tray 11 and then can assist in lifting the sheets from the tray 11 up the ladder) or a ladder scaffold, in collaboration with a person standing at the top of the ladder, or a ladder scaffold, to enable a safe and relatively simple lifting operation. to facilitate grasping of the bottom of the sheets, cut outs can be provided in the tray 11 at the front side thereof so that the person standing at the bottom of the ladder, or ladder scaffold, can insert their hands under the sheets as they are lifted.

Referring flow to Figure 2, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown, in which the support member 10' comprises a backplate 12' having a pair of attachment hooks 13' attached thereto and, instead of having a closed tray, a plurality of support members 20 are provided spaced along the length of the backplate 12' and secured thereto, each of the suppomembers 20 being interconnected and further secured to the backplate 12 by a front rail 21.

Additionally, adjustable locking/securing members 22 are provided which can be adjustably positioned on the backplate 12', being laterally adjustable in slots 23 provided in the backplate 12'. With this preferred embodiment, the support apparatus can be provided as a "flat-pack', which can be readily assembled and disassembled as required for ease of transportation, and the attachment means 13' and supporting members 20 and front rail 21 are all preferably provided of tubular material to minimise weight, whilst retaining strength, so that such provides a robust and usable assembly The spacing of the support members 20 within the apparatus 10' facilitates the grasping of the bottom of sheets of material stacked in the support apparatus, which is locatable on a ladder, or a ladder scaffold, in the same manner as that descnbed in connection with Figure 1, to provide additional security, securing members 22 can be slideably engaged against the outside edges of the sides of the ladder, or a ladder scaffold, to lock the apparatus in place when in use.