Scaffolding

Abstract

A post assembly has a free-standing upright, a wall mount assembly, a platform support assembly, a cylinder mounting bracket and a hydraulic cylinder. The wall mount assembly is engaged with the upright proximal the top end for mounting the upright to a building structure. The platform support assembly has a slide tube movably engaged with the upright, one or more platform support arms mounted to the slide tube for supporting one or more platforms, and a lock for engagement with the upright to prevent downward movement of the slide tube. The cylinder mounting bracket is movably engaged with the upright and has a lock for engagement with the upright to prevent downward movement of the cylinder mounting bracket. The hydraulic cylinder is mounted to the slide tube assembly and the cylinder mounting bracket. The hydraulic cylinder is actuable to produce relative vertical movement between the slide tube and the cylinder mounting bracket by moving either the slide tube or the cylinder mounting bracket. Two or more post assemblies may be used together to form a height adjustable scaffolding system.

1 . A post assembly for a height adjustable scaffolding system for lifting heavy materials comprising: 
 (a) a free-standing upright comprising an elongated strut having a top end and a bottom end;    (b) a wall mount assembly engaged with the upright proximal the top end of the elongated strut for mounting the upright to a building structure;    (c) a platform support assembly for supporting two or more platforms between two or more post assemblies, the platform support assembly comprising 
 a slide tube movably engaged with the upright to permit vertical movement of the slide tube between the top and bottom ends of the elongated strut,  
 two or more platform support arms mounted to the slide tube for supporting two or more platforms,  
 first locking means for engagement with the elongated strut for preventing downward movement of the platform support assembly;  
   (d) a cylinder mounting bracket movably engaged with the upright to permit vertical movement of the cylinder mounting bracket, the cylinder mounting bracket comprising second locking means for engagement with the elongated strut for preventing downward movement of the cylinder mounting bracket; and,    (e) a hydraulic cylinder having a first end and a second end, the first end mounted to the slide tube, the second end mounted to the cylinder mounting bracket, the hydraulic cylinder actuable to produce relative vertical movement between the slide tube and the cylinder mounting bracket by moving the slide tube or the cylinder mounting bracket.    
   
   
       2 . The post assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the wall mount assembly is movably engaged with the upright to permit vertical movement of the upright when the wall mount assembly is fixedly mounted to the building structure.  
   
   
       3 . The post assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic cylinder comprises a double-acting hydraulic cylinder.  
   
   
       4 . The post assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the wall mount assembly comprises a square tube that houses the elongated strut, the square tube having a plurality of bearings to permit the elongated strut to move vertically within the square tube.  
   
   
       5 . The post assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the elongated strut is housed within the slide tube and the cylinder mounting bracket, and the slide tube and cylinder mounting bracket comprise a plurality of bearings to permit the slide tube and cylinder mounting bracket to move vertically on the strut.  
   
   
       6 . The post assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the elongated strut, slide tube and cylinder mounting bracket comprise square tube.  
   
   
       7 . The post assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the elongated strut comprises a plurality of vertically spaced apertures, the first locking means comprises a first pin for engagement with the apertures and the second locking means comprises a second pin for engagement with the apertures.  
   
   
       8 . The post assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the first pin or the second pin or both the first pin and the second pin are biased for engagement within the apertures to prevent the slide tube and/or the cylinder mounting bracket from sliding down the strut.  
   
   
       9 . The post assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the first pin or the second pin or both the first pin and the second pin are biased by means of a spring.  
   
   
       10 . The post assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the first pin, the second pin or both the first pin and the second pin comprise means for selective disengagement from the apertures.  
   
   
       11 . The post assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the means for selective disengagement comprises a swivel link.  
   
   
       12 . The post assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the two or more platform support arms comprise an upper platform support arm for supporting a loader platform and a lower platform support arm for supporting a walker platform, the upper and lower platform support arms mounted to the slide tube on opposite sides of the elongated strut.  
   
   
       13 . The post assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a foot connected to the upright proximal the bottom end of the elongated strut, the foot comprising a flat plate perpendicular to the elongated strut.  
   
   
       14 . The post assembly of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the platform support arms is positioned between the first and second ends of the hydraulic cylinder.  
   
   
       15 . A height adjustable scaffolding system comprising: 
 (a) two or more post assemblies as defined in  claim 1 , the upright of each post assembly spaced-apart from and mounted to the building structure;    (b) two or more platforms extending between adjacent post assemblies supported on the platform support arms of the adjacent post assemblies;    (c) a power source for powering the hydraulic cylinder of each post assembly; and,    (d) control means for providing simultaneous control of power to all of the hydraulic cylinders.    
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the hydraulic cylinders are double-acting hydraulic cylinders.  
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising means for providing simultaneous selective disengagement of the first locking means from the elongated strut and means for providing simultaneous selective disengagement of the second locking means from the elongated strut.  
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the elongated strut comprises a plurality of vertically spaced apertures, the first locking means comprises a first pin for engagement with the apertures and the second locking means comprises a second pin for engagement with the apertures.  
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more platform support arms comprise an upper platform support arm for supporting a loader platform and a lower platform support arm for supporting a walker platform, the upper and lower platform support arms mounted to the slide tube on opposite sides of the elongated struts, the walker platform and loader platform being on opposite sides of the elongated struts.  
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the wall mount assembly of each post assembly is movably engaged with its corresponding upright to permit vertical movement of the uprights relative to the wall mount assemblies.