US2940599A - Combined mortar pan and scaffold support - Google Patents

Description

June 14, 1960 E. GKGENTNER 2,940,599

COMBINED MORTAR PAN AND SCAFFOLD SUPPORT Filed Dec. 24, 1958 as m 23 -26 26" INVENTOR 0 WA RD 6. GE/vT/vER ATTORNEYS United States Patent COMBINED MORTAR PAN AND SCAFFOLD SUPPORT Edward G. Gentner, Millersville, Md.

Filed Dec. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 782,714

1 Claim. (Cl. 211-71) This invention relates to stands or supports and more particularly to a combined mortar pan and scaffold support for use in masonry construction.

This is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application Serial No. 673,886, filed July 24, 1957, and now abandoned.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a stand for supporting both a conventional mortar pan and a scaffold member upon which bricks or other building material may be placed so that both the pan and the bricks are at approximately waist level, thereby lessening the fatigue and time required of a mason when,

the mortar and bricks must be lifted from foot level to the working level of the wall as has been usual heretofore.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined mortar pan and scaffold support which is exceptionally stable.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a combined mortar pan and scaffold support whose entire base area has supporting engagement withthe ground or other horizontal surface so that more than usual displacement is required over the edge of the surface, as for example the edge of the usual building scaffold, before the support of the invention will fall.

A still further object of the invention is the provision Y of a combined mortar pan and scaffold support which provides positive restrained support for the mortar pan so that this cannot be accidentally dislodged and also provides restrained support for the scaffold so that once located in its position of use it cannot be moved so as to accidentally tilt or tip over an unguarded edge.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a combined mortar pan and scaffold support which accomplishes all of the foregoing objects yet is exceptionally economical to manufacture and has the further feature of being constructed in a skeletal truncated pyramidal shape so that when not in use the support of the invention may be easily stored by nesting with other supports constructed in accordance with the invention.

Other objects and their attendant advantages will become apparent as the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the combined mortar pan and scaffold support constructed in accordance with the present invention, and

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a pair of combined mortar pan and scaffold supports showing the intended manner of use of the invention, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention. I

Referring now to Fig. l, designates the combined mortar pan and scaffold support of the invention which, it will be observed, is a skeletal structure of truncated pyramidal shape composed throughout of welded tube, pipe or rod materials. The structure of the invention is designed to provide raised, restrained support for a conventional mortar pan and a scaffold, both of which are preferably located at substantially waist level, with the bricks to be laid being carried on the scaffold, so that the total distance which a mason must lift the bricks and mortar to the working level of the wall should never exeeed one-half the distance which he would have to lift these were they to be located at foot level which has frequently been the case heretofore.

Specifically, the combined stand or support of the invention comprises an upper rectangular horizontal frame 11 having sides 12 and 14 whose lengths are slightly greater than the bottom side edges 16 of a mortar pan 17 so that when this is seated on thestand the bottom thereof will project below the plane of the frame 11 and the pan will be thereby restrained from being accidentally shoved over or slid off the top of the stand as might be the case were the top merely a flat platform.

The base of the stand 10 comprises a rectangular horizontal frame 20 having sides 22 and 24 which are substantially longer than the corresponding sides 12 and 14 of the upper frame 11 so that when the corners thereof are connected to the corresponding corners of the lower frame 20 by inwardly sloping legs 25, a truncated pyramidal structure is formed wherein the base is substantially larger than the upper end to provide exceptional stability to the structure. In addition to providing stability against ordinary lateral forces, the continuously closed frame of the base provided by the side members 22, 24 lessens the danger of the structures dropping over the edge of the usual building scaffold should a portion thereof accidentally project over the edge. In fact, substantially onehalf of the base would have to project over the edge before the structure would fall and thus there is eliminated one of the dangers inherent in ordinary four-legged stands which would probably fall immediately if even one leg were to be moved only slightly over the edge of a scaffold.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the structure of the invention as so far described provides a stable restrained support for a mortar pan to locate this in an elevated position most convenient to the mason. In addition to supporting the mortar plan, the invention provides the additional important feature of supporting scaffolding upon which bricks may be placed at a convenient height to the mason so that only a minimum effort need be required of him to move both mortar and bricks to the working face of the wall under construction. The scaffold here referred to, which may comprise boards or similar members, should be distinguished from the usual building scafiold upon which the stand of the invention would rest and on which the mason usually stands during construction.

The scaffold supporting means of the invention comprises a pair of lateral struts 26 which are disposed in the same horizontal plane between two opposed pairs of legs 25. As illustrated in Fig. 2, a scaffold member 28 rests on the struts 26 and these are located near the upper ends of the legs so as to support the scaffold 28 near to but just below and out of contact with a mortar pan seated in the upper frame 11. Since the scaffold when seated on the struts 26 is encompassed on all four sides by the upper end 27 of the leg members 25 and the side members 12 of the upper frame 11, it will be apparent that once in position the scaffold cannot in any way be displaced laterally from its supported position without the forceable displacement of the entire stand.

. Hence bricks 30 stacked on the scaffold would be in no greater danger of falling on persons below than would be if stacked at foot level on the ordinary building scaffold.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3 is substantially identical in all respects to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 except that in lieu of the closed upper frame 11 shown in Fig. 1, the side rails 12 are eliminated.

invention.

' embodiment of Fig. l the scafi old must be inserted lengthwiseinto the opening between the rails .22 and 26;

. Mortar pans used by masons are almost universally of the same construction comprising rectangular receptacles having outwardly sloping sides. The combinedmortar pan and scatfold supports described herein have been introduced'to the trade for use with conventional pans and have found immediate acceptance. The saving in time and effort with the resultant accomplishment of greater production with less fatigue by locating both the mortar and the bricks at'a convenient working level has been met with approbation in the trade and among employers. The practical elimination of the danger of the stands ,falling by projecting over the edge of a'building scaifold, a danger inherent in four-legged structures, has rendered the stand of the invention acceptable from a safety point of view. The pyramidal structure which renders the stand inherently stable against accidental tilting also makes the stands extremely easy to store when not in use since they may be nested one in the other to take up little more space than a single stand by itself. Being a rigid welded structure, derangement to hinges and/ or flexible platform supporting elements is eliminated and the danger of the pans slidingofi a platform is entirely eliminated through its seating engagement with the upper frame 11 of the The restrained but readily disengaged support of the scaffold with the stand renders the former not only suitable for carrying bricks but also if desired the scafiold could be safely used for standing on by construction workers.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the combined mortar pan and scaffold support could be varied in dimension to suit the circumstance. It will also be apparent that it is susceptible of various other modifications and changes without, however, departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claim.

What is claimed is: i

A combined mortar pan and scalfold support comprising a horizontal rectangular base frame, inwardly and upwardly sloping leg member s rigidly connected to the of said struts lying in the same horizontal plane parallel to but sufliciently below a plane through said side members that a mortar pan seated thereon is out of contact with a scafiold seated on said struts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 578,012 Harris Mar. 2, 1897 1,766,085 Rumer g 1 June 24, 1930 2,480,018 Greenberg Aug. 23, 1949 2,799,401

Douchin July 16, 1957 t i l

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