Platform system

Abstract

A platform system comprising a platform structure having at least one modular platform unit with platform connection features on a side surface thereof to which other components can be connected, the other components including at least two of the following: another modular platform unit, a stair unit, a tower unit, a handrail unit, and a ladder unit. A stair assembly is connected to the platform structure via said connection features, the stair assembly comprising a plurality of stair units connected together to provide a number of steps equal to the sum of steps of the stair units.

Claims

1. A stair assembly for use in a platform system, said stair assembly comprising: a plurality of web plates; a plurality of stair units each comprising a pair of left and right side plates having a plurality of spaced apart steps extending therebetween; said plurality of stair units being arranged such that left side plates of the plurality of stair units are axially aligned with each other and right side plates of the plurality of stair units are axially aligned with each other; left side plates of adjacent stair units of said plurality of stair units being rigidly interconnected and right side plates of adjacent stair units of said plurality of stair units being rigidly interconnected by at least two of the web plates, the web plates being respectively attached to an outer side surface of the left and right side plates using upper stair connection features of one of the adjacent stair units and lower stair connection features of another of the adjacent stair units; said left and right side plates of a lowermost stair unit of said plurality of stair units having respective removable base elements attached to the lower stair connection features of said left and right side plates of the lowermost stair unit; and said left and right side plates of an uppermost stair unit of said plurality of stair units having respective removable upper termination elements attached to the upper stair connection features of said left and right side plates of the uppermost stair unit, wherein the web plates are attached to said side plates instead of said removable upper termination elements using the upper stair connection features of a first stair unit of the plurality of stair units and the web plates are attached to said side plates instead of said removable base elements using the lower stair connection features of a second stair unit of the plurality of stair units such that the web plates are connected to both of the first stair unit and the second stair unit at an interconnection location between the first and second stair units with the second stair unit being above the first stair unit in the stair assembly, and further wherein the removable upper termination elements are respectively attached to the left and right side plates of the uppermost stair unit without use of any of the web plates and the removable base elements are respectively attached to the left and right side plates of the lowermost stair unit without use of any of the web plates, wherein the upper stair connection features and the lower stair connection features comprise a plurality of holes through which bolts extend.

2. The stair assembly for use in the platform system as set forth in claim 1, wherein adjacent said left side plates being in end-to-end abutment and adjacent said right side plates being in end-to-end abutment.

3. The stair assembly for use in the platform system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said left side plates, said right side plates, and said web plates are L-shaped.

4. The stair assembly for use in the platform system as in claim 1, wherein handrail sections of said plurality of stair units are connected to form a continuous handrail along a length of said stair assembly.

5. The stair assembly for use in the platform as in claim 1, wherein each of said stair units has at least four steps and no more than six steps.

6. A method of assembling a stair assembly for use in a platform system, said method comprising steps of: obtaining a plurality of stair units each comprising a pair of left and right side plates having a plurality of spaced apart steps extending therebetween; obtaining a plurality of web plates connectable to the side plates; arranging said plurality of stair units such that the left side plates of the plurality of stair units are axially aligned with each other and the right side plates of the plurality of stair units are axially aligned with each other; rigidly interconnecting said left side plates of adjacent stair units of said plurality of stair units using a left one of the plurality of web plates and rigidly interconnecting said right side plates of adjacent stair units of said plurality of stair units using a right one of the plurality of web plates, wherein the web plates are attached to said side plates instead of removable upper termination elements using upper stair connection features of a lower first stair unit of adjacent stair units and the web plates are attached to said side plates instead of removable base elements of an upper second stair unit using lower stair connection features at an interconnection location between the lower first stair unit and the upper second stair unit such that the web plates are attached to a respective outer side surface of the left and right side plates using upper stair connection features of one of the adjacent stair units and lower stair connection features of another of the adjacent stair units; attaching the removable upper termination elements to the outer side surface of respective left and right side plates of an uppermost stair unit using the upper stair connection features of the uppermost stair unit without use of any of the web plates; and attaching the removable base elements to the outer side surface of respective left and right side plates of a lowermost stair unit using the lower stair connection features of the lowermost stair unit without use of any of the web plates, wherein the upper stair connection features and the lower stair connection features comprise a plurality of holes through which bolts extend.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, including reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows types of components that may be used in a platform system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

(3) FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views illustrating an access platform (FIG. 2) and a modification thereof (FIG. 3) that can be configured using different combinations of the components.

(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a stair unit (in this case a 6-step unit) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 5 illustrates a stair unit (in this case a 5-step unit), along with certain ancillary components.

(6) FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of multiple stair units that can be combined to create a longer stair assembly.

(7) FIG. 7 is an assembled perspective view of the multiple stair units of FIG. 5.

(8) FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate the manner in which handrail sections can be connected to each other in the stair assembly of FIG. 6.

(9) FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the manner in which handrails may be attached to a stair stringer (or stair support) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

(10) FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the handrail attachment illustrated in FIG. 9, partially cut away to reveal a nut plate locking device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

(11) FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the nut plate locking device of FIG. 10.

(12) FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary tower (or stand) unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

(13) FIG. 13 is an exploded view of the tower unit of FIG. 12 to better show certain components thereof.

(14) FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of multiple tower units that can be combined to create a taller tower assembly.

(15) FIG. 15 is an assembled perspective view of multiple tower units.

(16) FIGS. 16A and 16B illustrate an exemplary ladder unit in assembled and disassembled states, respectively.

(17) FIGS. 17A through 17C show different stages of connection between ladder assembly components in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.

(18) FIG. 18 shows the manner in which a longer ladder may be created according to an aspect of the present invention.

(19) Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or elements of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(20) It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present invention, which broader aspects are embodied in the exemplary constructions.

(21) FIG. 1 illustrates primary components of an exemplary platform system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Such components include modular platform units 100, stair units 200, tower (or stand) units 300, platform handrails 400, and ladders 500. The components may be assembled in different ways, and in different combinations, to provide a platform needed in a particular situation. In this case, the illustrated components are compatible and interchangeable with components of the platform system described in the '016 publication. For example, the modular platform units may have a square configuration as shown, with platform connection features CP on side surfaces thereof to which other components (such as another modular platform unit) can be connected. In this embodiment, the connection features are formed as a series of slots at each side surface.

(22) FIG. 2 illustrates a platform assembly 10 formed of combinations of components as shown in FIG. 1. In this regard, assembly 10 includes a stairway 12 leading to one end of an elevated platform 14. The other end of platform 14 is supported at the desired elevation by a support tower 16. Handrails are located along the sides of stairway 10, as well as sides of platform 14. If necessary for access purposes, or unnecessary for safety (such as if the platform assembly is beside a wall), some of these handrails might not need to be provided.

(23) In this example, each of stairway 12, platform 14, and tower 16 is formed of a plurality of smaller units that are preferably assembled on-site. For example, stairway 12 has fifteen stairs (steps) along its rise, and may be formed of three 5-step units (or a 6-step unit, a 5-step unit, and a 4-step unit, etc.). Similarly, the tower 16 may be formed of multiple tower units assembled on site to achieve the desired height. Different heights of tower units may be sold so that the tower heights correspond to the different heights of stairways (or ladders) that can be formed using components of the system. As can be seen, platform 14 is formed in this example of three platform units 100 connected to form a longer rectangular platform. One skilled in the art will recognize, however, that more or fewer platform units 100 can be provided, and they can be connected to form various shapes of platforms, such as rectangular platforms, L-shaped platforms, T-shaped platforms, etc. In a preferred embodiment, platform units 100 may be identical to the modular platforms in the '016 publication, having standard connection features (e.g., a pattern of holes for fasteners) on all four sides thereof.

(24) FIG. 3 shows a modification of platform assembly 10, denoted 10, in which a second stairway 18 has been attached to the distal end of platform 14. In this case, stairway 18 is a single 5-step unit, although different size units or combinations thereof may be used at this location also. In this variation, platform 14 serves as a landing en route to a higher platform 20, which is supported on its other end by a tower 22. FIG. 3 thus illustrates one manner in which the overall platform system allows modifications and adaptations depending on the particular situation in which it will be used.

(25) Because the stairs, towers, and ladders can be made to a desired height by combining a relatively small number of different units, a wide variety of platform heights can be achieved. In fact, a greater number of different platform heights can be achieved using a smaller number of dedicated component sizes than would otherwise be the case. For example, assuming the largest stair size available in a prior art platform system is an 11-step unit, it would not be possible to have a rise higher than eleven steps without an intervening landing. According to the present invention, a stair assembly of, for example, fifteen steps may be made by combining multiple units, such as three 5-step units. Thus, for example, the longest individual stair unit may be a 6-step unit, but longer stairways (i.e., greater heights) can still be achieved in comparison with the prior art by various combinations of the stair units (the same is true for the tower units and ladder units.) As a result, the manufacturer (or distributor) may stock a fewer number of different unit sizes while offering more platform system heights and combinations. This allows a reduction in inventory for the manufacturer and greater flexibility to the user. In addition, it is often cheaper to ship several smaller units than one larger unit, resulting in a reduction in shipping costs as well.

(26) Referring now to FIG. 4, stair unit 200 can be described in more detail. As can be seen, stair unit 200 in this example has a total of six steps (such as step 202) that are attached to and extend between a pair of lateral stringers 204a and 204b. Each of the stringers comprises an L-shaped side plate, such as plate 206. For example, plate 206 may be a cut section of extruded steel stock. Connection features (e.g., various holes) may be located along plate 206 at regular and/or predetermined locations for attachment of the steps, handrails, and other features. In this regard, terminal elements may be removably attached to the ends of plate 206 for situations where stair unit 200 is at the bottom or top of the stairs (or is itself used as an entire set of stairs).

(27) For example, the bottom of stair unit 200 in this case has a pair of base elements 208a and 208b attached to the respective side plate via connection features in the side plate. The connection features in this case are formed as a pattern of holes in the side plate by which base elements can be attached with bolts (as indicated at 209). As shown, base elements 208a and 208b define a flat bottom for resting against a support surface such as a floor. The top of stair unit 200 in this case has a pair of upper termination elements 210a and 210b also attached to the respective side plates via connection features in the side plate. The connection features in this case are formed as a pattern of holes in the side plate by which base elements can be attached with bolts (as indicated at 211). Base elements 208a-b and upper termination elements 210a-b may be formed in any suitable manner, such as casting. A pair of gussets 212a and 212b may be attached to the respective upper termination elements 210a-b for connection to the underside of a modular platform 100 (similar to the gussets described in the '016 publication). Cross supports (such as cross support 213) may extend between the stringers under the steps to provide additional structural integrity.

(28) Stair unit 200 further has a pair of sloped handrails 214a and 214b also attached to the stringers 204a and 204b. Each of the handrails is preferably formed of three separable sections, namely lower section 216, middle section 218, and upper section 220. For example, lower section 216 can be removed (along with base elements 208a and 208b), leaving at least middle section 218 in place, if another stair unit is to be located below this stair unit. Similarly, upper section 220 can be removed (along with upper termination elements 210a and 210b), leaving at least middle section 218 in place, if another stair unit is to be located above this stair unit. The sections of handrails 214a and 214b may be connected together using suitable internal couplings, such as those described below. Otherwise, the overall configuration and external appearance of handrails 214a and 214b is intended to resemble the handrails shown in the '016 publication.

(29) FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary stair unit 200 similar to the one shown in FIG. 5, but in this case having five steps. Ancillary components that may be provided with stair unit 200 to facilitate its use in a longer stair assembly are also shown. In this regard, a pair of transition handrail sections 222a and 222b can be used to span the gap otherwise left by the removal of handrail sections 216 or 220. A plurality of internal couplings, collectively indicated at 223, may also be provided to facilitate the interconnection of handrail sections. Web plates 224a and 224b are used instead of base elements 208a-b or upper termination elements 210a-b depending on whether the other stair unit is above or below this stair unit. In this regard, web plates 224a and 224b attach to a respective side plate 206 using the same holes as had been used for base elements 208a-b or upper termination elements 210a-b, but extend farther so as to also attach to the side plate of the next stair unit.

(30) In this regard, FIG. 6 shows three stair units 200a, 200b, and 200c, each a 5-step stair unit in this example, about to be combined in order to produce a 15-step stair assembly. In stair unit 200a, upper termination elements 210a-b have been removed. Additionally, transition handrail sections 222a-b have replaced handrail upper sections 220. In stair unit 200b, base elements 208a-b and upper termination elements 210a-b have been removed. In addition, handrail lower sections 216 and handrail upper sections 220 have been removed. Transition handrail sections 222a-b are used in place of handrail upper sections 220. In stair unit 200c, base elements 208a-b and handrail lower sections 216 have been removed.

(31) Turning now to FIG. 7, the combined 15-step stair assembly 226 is illustrated. As can be seen, the stair units' side plates 206 have been interconnected on both sides using web plates 224. In other words, a pair of web plates 224 interconnects stair units 200a and 200b using the same attachment holes in side plates 206 that had been used by the upper termination elements 210 of stair unit 200a and the base elements 208 of stair unit 200b. Similarly, a pair of web plates 224 interconnects stair units 200b and 200c using the same attachment holes in side plates 206 that had been used by the upper termination elements 210 of stair unit 200b and the base elements 208 of stair unit 200c. The handrails of stair units 200a, 200b, and 200c are secured together using internal couplings to produce a continuous handrail structure on both sides of the steps. While three stair units of 5-steps each have been used in this example, one skilled in the art will appreciate the wide variety of different combinations that are allowed using embodiments of the present invention.

(32) Referring now to FIGS. 8A and 8B, an exemplary internal coupling 228 is illustrated. Coupling 228 in this example has a pair of coupling elements 230a-b that are loosely connected together. At least one threaded hole 232 is defined in coupling 228. Hole 232 aligns with a set-screw hole 234 defined in an end of a tubular handrail 236. The set screw itself is indicated at 238, along with a typical hex wrench 240 used to tighten it in this case.

(33) In order to connect handrails of different stair units together, internal coupling 228 is first positioned in the open end of one tubular handrail with set screw 238 in place. The tubular handrail of the other stair unit is abutted with the tubular handrail having coupling 228. Set screw 238 is then tightened so that coupling elements 230a-b expand into firm engagement with the inner surfaces of both tubular handrails. Preferably, hole 234 will be located on the underside of the tubular handrail so it will not normally be seen. One skilled in the art will appreciate that a similar coupling arrangement will preferably be used in every set of tubular handrails that will abut in the overall stair assembly.

(34) Referring now to FIGS. 9-11, a preferred manner for attaching the handrails to the stair stringers 204 will be described. In this regard, a pair of vertically-aligned holes are defined in stair stringer 204 at each location where a vertical support post for the handrail is to be attached. In FIG. 9, for example, support posts 242a and 242b are shown attached to stringer 204.

(35) As can be seen most clearly in FIGS. 10 and 11, support post 242 is attached in this embodiment using a nut plate locking device (or assembly) 244. Nut plate assembly 244 includes a rigid nut plate 246, typically formed of steel or other suitable metal, carrying a pair of threaded nuts 248a-b. Nuts 248a-b are in this case separate pieces that have been permanently and securely attached to nut plate 246, such as by welding. One skilled in art will appreciate that nut plate 246 and nuts 248a-b could alternatively be formed as a unitary part.

(36) As shown, a spring plate 250, typically formed of a suitable polymeric material such as nylon, is loosely coupled to the back of nut plate 246. In this regard, spring plate 250 includes a pair of projections 252a-b removably received in corresponding upper and lower slots defined in nut plate 246. Flexible arms 254a-b slightly urge nut plate 246 away from spring plate 250. This allows relative movement between nut plate 246 and spring plate 250 to facilitate insertion of nut plate assembly 244. Also, the spring action of arms 254a-b tends to hold nut plate assembly 244 in the correct position until tightening can occur. Spring plate 250 preferably includes a flange 256 at its bottom end that limits insertion of nut plate assembly 244 such that the nuts 248a-b will aligned with corresponding holes in the support post.

(37) Support post 242 is then attached to stringer 204 using bolts 258a-b that extend through holes in the stringer into threaded engagement with respective nuts 248a-b. As bolts 258a-b are tightened, nut plate 246 is drawn into secure engagement with the inner surface of post 242 to eliminate looseness in the handrail. In this embodiment, post 242 has a circular cross-section all the way to its bottom end. Thus, a handrail washer 260 with a flat side and a curved side is preferably positioned between stringer 204 and post 242, as shown. In other embodiments, the bottom of support post 242 can be formed into a D shape, thus eliminating the need for handrail washer 260. One skilled in the art will appreciate, however, that forming such a D-shaped portion of support post 242 involves additional processing steps that are avoided if washer 260 is used. Also, while nut plate assembly 244 has been described in relation to attachment of a support post of a stair handrail, one skilled in the art will appreciate that it can also be used to attach handrail units 400 to modular platform units 100.

(38) Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, an exemplary tower unit 300 is illustrated. In this exemplary case, tower unit 300 corresponds to the rise of a 5-step stair unit, although a variety of tower units of different heights will typically be available corresponding to the different heights of available stair units. As shown, tower unit 300 has a main tower component 302 generally having the shape of an inverted U and formed of rectangular tubing in this example. Cross-supports 304 may extend between the legs of tower component 302 to facilitate structural integrity.

(39) Similar to stair unit 200, tower unit 300 includes removable components that may or may not be used, or are used differently, depending on the situation. In this regard, a pair of removable base fittings 306a-b are provided at the bottom of the respective legs of tower component 302. For example, base fittings 306a-b may be attached using a pair of vertically aligned attachment holes extending through the legs of tower component 302. If this particular tower unit 300 is not the lowest tower unit in a taller tower assembly, these same holes are used to connect it to another tower unit below.

(40) Removable side brackets 308a-b and top piece 310 are also provided. Side brackets 308a-b, which are generally U-shaped as shown, are shiftable to allow interconnection to another tower unit above. Top piece 310 is used at the top tower unit of the overall tower assembly (or at the top of tower unit 300 if it is used alone). In this example, top piece 310 is formed of rectangular tubing, and sits atop the upper beam of main tower component 302. Top piece 310 is held in place by fasteners (e.g., bolts) extending through aligned holes defined in it and brackets 308.

(41) Referring now to FIG. 14, a pair of tower units 300a and 300b are being combined to form a taller tower assembly. As tower unit 300b will be the top unit in the tower assembly, it carries top piece 310. On tower unit 300a, brackets 308a and 308b are shifted up to accommodate the legs of tower unit 300b. After the legs of tower unit 300b are correctly positioned, fasteners (e.g., bolts) are inserted through aligned holes in the brackets and legs to secure everything together. (While a shiftable bracket is shown in this example, one skilled in the art will appreciate that different brackets could be used for attachment of top piece 310 and interconnection of tower units, if desired.) Advantageously, the tower assembly can be easily produced lying flat on the ground and then moved into an upright position.

(42) In FIG. 15, a tower assembly is shown that was formed of three tower units 300a, 300b, and 300c. While the three tower units each have the same height in this example, tower units of different heights may be mixed and matched to achieve a desired overall height, as noted above.

(43) A ladder unit 500 is illustrated in FIGS. 16A and 16B. As shown, ladder unit 500 includes side rails 502a-b having rungs (such as rung 504) extending therebetween. In this embodiment, rails 502a-b extend into handrails 506a-b at their upper ends. Referring particularly to FIG. 16B, ladder unit 500 has a lower section 508 and an upper section 510 that can be separated to allow expansion of ladder height. As shown in FIGS. 17A through 17C, the interface between lower section 508 and upper section 510 may be connected together using coupling elements 230 as described above.

(44) FIG. 18 illustrates how a taller ladder assembly may be formed from a plurality of ladder sections. In this case, an additional lower section 508 is added below an existing ladder unit 500. A spacer section 512 may be provided to ensure that attachment features for the overall ladder assembly are in the correct locations. In the illustrated embodiment, the ladder assembly is used in conjunction with a tower assembly of the type described above. Upper mounting brackets 514 attach to the side of a platform, whereas offset brackets 516 attach along legs of the tower assembly.

(45) It can thus be seen that the present invention provides a modular platform system that is easily adaptable into a wide variety of configurations. One skilled in the art would be able to determine the most appropriate materials from which to form the various components described above in order to meet anticipated strength and rigidity requirements. In many cases, however, the various structural components may be formed of steel or another suitable metal.

(46) While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, modifications and variations may be made thereto by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged both in whole or in part to yield still further embodiments. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to be limitative of the invention as further described in the appended claims.