Reusable Mud-Sill

Abstract

A reusable mud-sill to replace the conventional wooden-mud-sills and to capture without the use of tools the small-metal-plate conventionally found at the bottom of scaffold legs. Mud-sills are used to interface the bottom ends of scaffold legs, or the like, to the ground and to provide reasonable ground pressure while inhibiting side movement of a leg. The reusable mud-sill captures a small-metal-plate with two fixed opposing side-blocks, a fixed overlapping-retainer, and a sliding overlapping-retainer that may be locked to the reusable mud-sill when the conventional small-metal-plate has been captured. The cooperating, capturing parts are all centrally placed on the top of a flat-plate that is significantly larger than the small-metal-plate.

1 . A reusable mud-sill for interfacing between ground and a conventional small-metal-plate at the bottom end of a scaffold leg, comprising:
 an essentially flat-plate that is significantly larger than the small-metal-plate;   two side-blocks affixed to said flat-plate so as to be essentially parallel to each other and separated by slightly more than six inches;   a front-overlapping-retainer affixed to said flat-plate having an opening that is essentially normal to said side-blocks, that faces towards the center of said flat-plate, and that is slightly greater than the thickness of the small-metal-plate; and   a moveable-rear-overlapping-retainer slidably coupled to said flat-plate having an opening that is normal to said side-blocks, that is slightly greater than the thickness of the small-metal-plate, and that faces said opening of said front-overlapping-retainer, whereby the small-metal-plate can be captured between said side-blocks, and within said front-overlapping-retainer and said moveable-rear-overlapping retainer.   
   
   
       2 . A reusable mud-sill according to  claim 1  wherein said essentially flat-plate is essentially 12 inches square. 
   
   
       3 . A reusable mud-sill according to  claim 1  wherein said essentially flat-plate is composed of material selected from the group consisting of steel, stainless-steel, brass, aluminum, and plastic. 
   
   
       4 . A reusable mud-sill according to  claim 1  wherein said essentially flat-plate is pierced by a plurality of spike-receiving orifices. 
   
   
       5 . A reusable mud-sill according to  claim 1  wherein said side-blocks have a height of at least twice the thickness of the small-metal-plate. 
   
   
       6 . A reusable mud-sill according to  claim 1  further including locking means associated with said moveable-rear-overlapping-retainer for preventing movement of said moveable-rear-overlapping-retainer when the small-metal-plate is within said moveable-rear-overlapping-retainer. 
   
   
       7 . A reusable mud-sill according to  claim 6  further including effecting said locking means by: mounting a rotatable locking-lever on said moveable-rear-overlapping-retainer;
 effecting a groove in said flat plate for receiving said rotatable locking-lever; and   rotating said rotatable locking-lever into said groove when the small-metal-plate is within said moveable-rear-overlapping-retainer.   
   
   
       8 . A reusable mud-sill communicating between ground and a conventional small-metal-plate at the bottom end of a scaffold leg, comprising:
 a steel plate that is significantly larger than the conventional small-metal-plate having a top, and a bottom;   said bottom of said steel plate placed on the ground;   parallel blocking means on said top of said steel plate for preventing movement of the small-metal-plate sideways when the small-metal-plate is placed on said rectangular steel plate;   fixed captive means on said top of said steel plate, normal to said parallel blocking means, for receiving and overlapping an edge of the small-metal-plate thus preventing upward movement of the small-metal-plate; and   slidable captive means on said top of said steel plate, normal to said parallel blocking means and facing said fixed captive means, for capturing an edge of the small-metal-plate when slid towards said fixed captive means, whereby the small-metal-plate is prevented from significant movement in all directions.   
   
   
       9 . A reusable mud-sill according to  claim 8  further including locking means associated with said slidable captive means for preventing movement of said slidable captive means when said slidable captive means has captured an edge of the small-metal-plate. 
   
   
       10 . A reusable mud-sill according to  claim 9  wherein said locking means is effected by: mounting a rotatable locking-lever on said slidable captive means;
 effecting a groove in said steel plate for receiving said rotatable locking-lever; and   rotating said rotatable locking-lever into said groove when said slidable captive means has captured an edge of the small-metal-plate.   
   
   
       11 . A reusable mud-sill according to  claim 8  wherein said rectangular steel plate is pierced by a plurality of spike-receiving orifices.