AU782852B2

AU782852B2 - Cable supporting stand

Info

Publication number: AU782852B2
Application number: AU23231/02A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Maurice Joseph Cecil Nagle
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-08-29
Filing date: 2002-03-12
Publication date: 2005-09-01
Anticipated expiration: 2022-03-12
Also published as: AU2323102A

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Cable supporting stand The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: Freehills Carter Smith Beadle Melboume\00401 2279 Printed 12 March 2002 (12:13) page 2 Freehills Carter Smith Beadle Melboume\004012279 Printed 12 March 2002 (12:13) page 2 004008347 1A CABLE SUPPORTING STAND Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stand for supporting electrical leads and is particularly directed to electrical lead stands used on construction sites and in factories to support electrical leads or cables above the ground or floor.

The invention will be described with reference to its use as an electrical lead stand but it will be appreciated that it is also useful for supporting air lines and other forms of leads or cables above the ground.

Background of the Invention S 10 The presence, location, and number of electrical leads on construction sites and in factories present an important safety issue. Electrical leads are very common on construction sites whether they are being used as power sources or are being installed.

In the past it has been common practice to have electrical leads running 15 over the floor area of the construction site and not necessarily in designated areas for electrical leads. This situation presented obvious safety issues in that the leads could not only be easily tripped over, but could possibly also result in accidental electrocution.

.i To avoid the above safety issues occupational health and safety guidelines 20 have been introduced requiring that electrical leads be supported above the ground out of the way of people going about their work on the construction site.

Lead stands are stands used to support electrical leads and other leads and cables above the ground. Lead stands currently in use on construction sites and factories takes various forms and range from timber stands manufactured on-site, to metal stands that are pre-fabricated and moved from site to site as needed.

Lead stands are generally include a central upright pole, supported on the ground 1 004008347 2 at its base by 3 or 4 legs, for example. To date, lead stands used on constructions sites have been of fixed length and base. As a result, they can be awkward and difficult to move from site to site, and around a site, especially when used in confined spaces. They have also been known to cause damage when used in confined spaces because of their fixed size.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to at least in part alleviate the disadvantages associated with the lead stands described above.

Summary of the Invention The invention accordingly provides a cable supporting apparatus, including: 10 upright support means having an upper end and a base; and cable receiving means provided at or near the upper end of the upright £support means; wherein the upright support means is movable between an extended configuration and a collapsed configuration.

15 Advantageously, the upright support means takes the form of a longitudinal pole that can be extended and collapsed telescopically. Preferably, the pole includes several segments such that the extension or height of the pole can be adjusted depending on the conditions it is to be used in. Advantageously, the pole can be extended to a height that allows people to freely move about below the i 20 suspended cables without interfering with the cables. The pole preferably further includes locking means to enable the pole to be locked in either its fully extended configuration, its collapsed configuration, or at any of several positions in between.

The base of the apparatus preferably includes a plurality of support legs, and more preferably three support legs which support the pole on the ground in a manner similar to a tripod. The support legs have outer ends which rest on the ground or floor, in use, and inner ends which are connected to the lower end of 2 004008347 3 the pole. Alternatively, the apparatus may be provided with a base member which receives the lower end of the pole and to which the support legs are connected.

Advantageously, the support legs are pivotally connected to the lower end of the pole such that they can be folded to substantially align with the longitudinal axis of the pole when not in use, and extended outwardly and downwardly when in use. The support legs are preferably self-locking so as to provide stability on uneven surfaces.

The support end of the pole provides support for electrical leads or cables, or any other form of lead or cable that may be used on a construction site. The means for receiving cables may be formed integrally with the upper end of the pole, or may be formed separately and attached, e.g. by welding, to the upper end of the pole. The cable receiving means is preferably substantially U-shaped, but may be of any shape that is capable of receiving and supporting leads or cables.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: *.i o• Figure 1 shows a lead stand in its extended configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 shows the lead stand of Figure 1 in its collapsed configuration.

20 Description of Preferred Embodiments Figure 1 illustrates lead stand 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Stand 10 includes an upright support in the form of a telescopic pole 12 having upper and lower ends 14, 16. Pole 12 is provided at its lower end 16 with base member 19 and three support legs 18 which serve to hold the pole in a substantially upright position when in use. The support legs 18 extend outwardly and downwardly from pole 12 when in use and have respective outer ends 004008347 4 which rest on the ground. The inner ends 22 of the support legs 18 are pivotally connected to base member 19.

As shown in Figure 1, pole 12 is made up of several telescopic segments 24, with each segment being provided with locking means 26. Locking means 26 take the form of screw-in clamp-like devices or may be screws inserted in holes in the poles below each of the segments 24, as illustrated. The lowermost segment is securely connected to base member 19. Base member 19 is open at its lower end for reasons that will be described below.

The upper end 14 of pole 12 is provided with a lead support means in the form of a substantially U-shaped part 28. Part 28 is fixed, for example welded, to the upper end 14 of the pole 12 and arranged to receive electrical leads or cables that are placed within the U-shape. It will be appreciated that part 28 for receiving electrical cables can take any suitable shape or arrangement and may instead be provided as hook members on the sides of the pole 12, for example.

*o.o.

S.i 15 As illustrated in the Figures, support legs 18 are of substantially square cross-section and are of fixed length. Support legs 18 may be of any length or cross-section and may be telescopic or similar if desired.

The respective inner ends 22 of the support legs 18 are pivotally or hingedly connected to the base member 19. Referring to the Figures, base member 19 is provided with separate hinge housings 30 for each of the support legs 18. A pin or similar hinge means 32 is provided in each of the hinge housings 30 for pivotally connecting the ends 22 of the support legs 18 in a conventional manner. The top side 33 of each housing 30 acts as a stop on the pivot movement of the support legs 18.

Referring now to Figure 2, when the lead stand 10 is not in use, pole 12 is collapsed telescopically by sliding the respective segments 24 within the corresponding adjacent segment. Base member is open at its lower side to enable the lowermost segment 25 to pass through the base member 19 as illustrated. Support legs 18 are pivoted inwardly so that they are more closely 4 004008347 aligned with the longitudinal axis of the pole 12. In its collapsed configuration, lead stand 10 is a compact apparatus that can easily be transported form site to site or moved around a construction site. When in its collapsed configuration, stand 10 is preferably 90cm in length. This is dependent on the length of the support legs (in this embodiment a length of 60cm has been used) and the length of the segments 24.

To set up the lead stand 10, support legs 18 are pivoted outwardly to the position shown in Figure 1. Pole 12 is then extended to the required height and locked in position using locking means 26. It is usual practice to use a series of poles across a construction site to keep electrical leads supported above the ground. It is envisaged that the pole could be extended to a height of 2.4m above the ground but this could vary depending on the height needed and the relevant building safety regulations.

S. It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this 15 specification extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the e S•individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

*e S S

Claims

1. A cable supporting apparatus, including: upright support means having an upper end and a base; and cable receiving means provided at or near the upper end of the upright support means; wherein the upright support means is moveable between an extended configuration and a collapsed configuration.

2. A cable supporting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upright support means takes the form of a longitudinal pole that can be extended and collapsed telescopically.

3. A cable supporting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pole includes several segments such that the extension or height of the pole can be adjusted depending on the conditions it is to be used in.

4. A cable supporting apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the pole can be extended to a height that allows people to freely move about below the suspended cables without interfering with the cables.

A cable supporting apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, S.I :wherein the pole includes locking means to enable the pole to be locked in either a fully extended configuration, a collapsed configuration, or at any of several positions in between.

6. A cable supporting apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the base of the apparatus includes a plurality of support legs which support the pole on the ground.

7. A cable supporting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein there are 004008347 7 three support legs.

S8. A cable supporting apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the support legs have outer ends which rest on the ground or floor, in use, and inner ends which are connected to the lower end of the pole.

9. A cable supporting apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the apparatus is provided with a base member which receives the lower end of the pole and to which the support legs are connected.

A cable supporting apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the support legs are pivotally connected to the lower end of the pole such that they can be folded to substantially align with the longitudinal axis of the pole when not in use, and extended outwardly and downwardly when in use. e..

11. A cable supporting apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to wherein the support legs are self-locking so as to provide stability on uneven surfaces.

12. A cable supporting apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the upper end of the support means includes cable receiving means for providing support for electrical leads or cables, or any other form of lead or cable I that may be used on a construction site.

13. A cable supporting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the 20 cable receiving means may be formed integrally with the upper end of the support means, or may be formed separately and attached to the upper end of the support means.

14. A cable supporting apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the cable receiving means is substantially U-shaped. Maurice Joseph Cecil Nagle By his Registered Patent Attorneys Freehills Carter Smith Beadle 12 March 2002 7