Rope slide for vertical work

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a device specifically designed to facilitate sliding of a climbing rope, as those commonly used in vertical work performed by workers while hanging from these on building façades for cleaning or construction work.

[0002] The object of the invention is to obtain a minimal friction of said rope on its point of support on the upper edge of the wall, where its trajectory curves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In construction work, and particularly in façade maintenance work, instead of the traditional nacelle suspended from suitable supports with an adjustable height it is increasingly common to employ simple ropes, suitably secured to a point on the roof, terrace or the like and directed towards the edge of the façade from where they hang down along said facade, so that specialised workers use said ropes in the manner used by rock climbers in order to carry out the maintenance work on said facade.

[0004] Although very resistant ropes are employed these suffer considerable friction on the edge of the roof, terrace or the like, particularly as during this work the worker will swing sideways, which all requires the ropes to be frequently checked and replaced; additionally, the risk of a possible breaking of said ropes still exists, with the corresponding labour hazard.

[0005] Furthermore, the rope may damage the building as it slides on it, breaking roof tiles, concrete slabs, etc.

[0006] Nowadays there is no effective solution for this problem in the market, with the only solution known is the use by certain sector workers of a corrugated plastic tube used to cover the rope at the rubbing area, which is obviously an unsatisfactory solution.

[0007] The U.S. Patent US-1.933.751 describes a rope protector according to the preamble of the attached claim 1. In the German Patent DE-3726158 a system for rescuing persons from high buildings is disclosed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The slider disclosed by the invention solves the above described drawbacks to full satisfaction by means of a practical, simple, safe and effective solution.

[0009] For this purpose and more specifically, the slider is embodied in an elongated body, with a length suitable for distributing the loads when resting on curved tiles, asbestos fibre corrugated sheet or any other type of roofing on which support points for this body are established, in order to prevent breaking these elements with the loads exerted by a worker hanging from the rope. This body may be soft for this same reason, such as plastic, wood or the like, adopting a bar with a dihedral configuration or tabs which emerge from its front meant to rest on the front face of the wall, preventing the rope from touching the top edge of said wall. On the top face of this body is provided a lateral containment guide for the rope which keeps it centred sideways on the device and which allows the rope to run vertically as intended along a line defined by the point of installation of the slider, regardless of the point where the rope is secured.

[0010] In addition to the structure described above the body includes in its upper front edge an anti-friction coating, preferably mounted so that it can be replaced, which defines a preferably rounded edge which minimises the friction on the rope and therefore its wear.

[0011] This anti-friction coating can be optionally replaced by a roller which reduces this friction even more and which can also be replaced, located opposite the aforementioned top guide, as will be the anti-friction coating.

[0012] The slider is kept in a stable working position by the weight of the worker hanging from the rope, although additionally a drilled tab is provided for attachment by a string or the like to any fixed point, thereby preventing the slider from falling if it is uncoupled form its working position, with the ensuing danger involved.

[0013] The slider also simplifies later rope recovery operations after the work is finished, for which purpose the elongated body can be considerably wide, so that it does not rock during this recovery operation, or its rear edge can also have tabs which extend the body, thus also providing a wide support surface to prevent said rocking.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The characteristics of the invention will be more clearly understood in view of the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, where for purposes of illustration only the following is shown:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a rope slider for vertical work in accordance with the object of the invention, suitably coupled in its working position on the top edge of a wall.

Figure 2 shows another perspective view of the assembly of the previous figure from the opposite side.

Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of the slider at the friction area of the rope, in accordance with an example of an embodiment in which the slider incorporates an anti-friction coating.

Figure 4 shows finally an enlargement similar to that of the previous figure where the anti-friction coating is replaced by a freely revolving roller.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The above figures, particularly figure 1, clearly shows that the slider disclosed is meant to provide a support point for a rope (1) which is suspended from a wall, facade or the like (2), specifically at the inflection point (3) where said rope (I) changes its trajectory to run from the top edge of said wall or façade (2) to the anchor point (4) for said rope, indicated in figure 1 by an arrow as it is not shown in it.

[0016] The slider is embodied in clearly flattened and elongated body (5) which is meant to rest on the top surface (6) of the wall (2) in the embodiment shown in the figures, on a roofing element or any other element which tops said wall or facade (2), so that it must be quite long and of a soft material such as plastic or wood to prevent damaging the support structure as explained before.

[0017] The body (5) is kept in a stable working position by the force exerted by the weight suspended from the rope (1) and by the presence of an projection of its front edge in the form of tabs (7) suitably sized and located, which may be an integral part of the body (5) when it is injected in plastic or may be attached to it by any conventional means, such as when the body (5) is made of wood.

[0018] In any case, in the middle area and on the top surface of the body (5) is established a guide (8) for lateral containment of the rope with a height which ensures that the rope does not escape accidentally, and preferably diverging backwards to minimise the sideways friction of the rope, particularly when the anchoring point (4) for the rope is not fully aligned with the point where the slider is installed, that is when the top segment (1') of the rope is not perpendicular to the top edge of the wall or facade (2). In this case, as with the tabs (7) the elements which conform the guide (8) may be integrally part of the body (1) or attached to it by any suitable means.

[0019] At the upper front edge of the body (5), specifically in the sector opposite the guide (8) is established a coating (9) means to be in contact with the rope (1) which may consist of an angular piece of a hard material with a perfectly smooth surface, meant to minimise the damage suffered by the rope due to friction, such as a plastic part mounted on the body (5) so that it maybe replaced, for example with a pair of sleeper screws (10), with this angular part (9) having its edge (11) preferably rounded also in order to reduce the damage on the rope (1) as it moves relative to the slider, particularly while it is loaded.

[0020] This angular piece (9) may be optionally replaced by a roller (12), mounted free to rotate about the corresponding shaft (13), and also preferably replaceable such as by coupling the ends of the shaft (13) in grooves (14) of the sides of a recess (15) in which the roller (12) is coupled, operationally provided on the body (5) with said grooves (14) closed after the ends of the shaft (13) are introduced by lids (16), although this solution is only one example as the lids (16) can be eliminated and the grooves (14) provided with a strangled opening which allows to engage/disengage the ends of the shaft (13) by pressure.

[0021] Lastly, one of the tabs which comprise the guides (8) can for example be provided with a small orifice (17) meant to couple a string or the like (18), particularly visible in Figure 2, such that if the slider were dislodged from its position it would not fall to the ground, remaining suspended by string (18), which in turn shall be suitably secured to any fixed point of the building on its other end. In addition, in order to prevent an accidental rocking of the slider on its support surface during the rope recovery operation either the width of body (5) is made large or the rear end of said body is provided with tabs (19) with a length sufficient to prevent said rocking.

Claims

1. Rope slider for vertical work, specifically designed to rest on the top edge of a wall, on the front of a roofing element or the like, with the object of providing a point of support for a rope (1) at the point where said rope changes its trajectory, between the vertical segment which runs downwards to a worker suspended from it to perform work on the wall or facade (2) and the anchoring point (4) for said rope (1), characterised in that said rope slider comprises an elongated, relatively flat body (5) meant to rest on the wall, with a length such that it can distribute the load of a worker's weight to prevent damage on the wall, made from a relatively soft material for this same reason, such as plastic or wood, and such that this elongated body (5) is provided on the mid area of its top face with a guide (8) for the rope; while opposite to the guide and on the front edge of the body is also provided an anti-friction element (9) on which the rope (1) will rest at its point of inflection (3).

2. - Rope slider for vertical work, as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the aforementioned body includes either a dihedral bar or lower tabs which are a continuation of its front edge, in order to define a positioning stop which keeps the slider in its working position against its tendency to move backwards due to the weight supported by the rope (1).

3. - Rope slider for vertical work, according to claim 1 characterised in that said top guide is in turn embodied as suitably spaced rising tabs which are integrally joined to the base or suitably attached to it, with the component elements of the guide spaced so that the rope (1) may pass and with a backwards diverging line meant to deal with possible misalignments between the vertical trajectory of the rope (1) and the anchor point for its top end.

4. - Rope slider for vertical work, according to claim 1 characterised in that the anti-friction element is embodied as an angular piece made of a hard, smooth and resistant material such as plastic, which is coupled to the base so that it may be replaced and which preferably has a rounded edge for supporting the rope.

5. Rope slider for vertical work, according to claim 1 characterised in that the anti-friction element is embodied as a roller (12), which is free to rotate in an operationally provided recess of the front edge of the base, such that it may be replaced.

6. - Rope slider for vertical work, according to claims 2 or 3 characterised in that a suitable tab of those mentioned above incorporates a small orifice (17) for attaching a string, which when secured to any adequate point of the building will prevent the slider from falling to the ground if it is dislodged from its working point.

7. - Rope slider for vertical work, according to any of the preceding claims characterised in that the base body is sufficiently wide to prevent an accidental rocking during the rope elevation or recovery process, or in that it incorporates an extension of its rear edge in the form of tabs which increase its support surface for the same purpose.

Ansprüche

1. Seil-Gleitvorrichtung für Arbeiten in vertikalen Umgebungen, insbesondere zur Anbringung am oberen Rand einer Wand, am Vorderbereich eines Dachelements oder dgl., zwecks Schaffung eines Haltepunkts für ein Seil (1) an einem Punkt, an dem das Seil seine Bewegungsbahn zwischen dem vertikalen Segment, das sich abwärts bis zu einem Arbeiter erstreckt, der zur Ausführung von Arbeiten an der Wand oder Fassade (2) von dem Segment herabhängt, und dem Verankerungspunkt (4) des Seils (1) ändert,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Seil-Gleitvorrichtung einen länglichen, relativ flachen Körper (5) zur Auflage auf der Wand aufweist, der eine derartige Länge hat, dass er die Last des Gewichts eines Arbeiters zwecks Verhinderung einer Beschädigung der Wand verteilen kann, und der zu dem gleichen Zweck aus einem relativ weichen Material wie z.B. Kunststoff oder Holz besteht, und dass dieser längliche Körper (5) am Mittelbereich seiner oberen Seite mit einer Führung (8) für das Seil versehen ist, während gegenüber der Führung und an dem vorderen Rand des Körpers ferner ein Anti-Reib-Element (9) vorgesehen ist, an dem das Seil (1) an seinem Umlenkpunkt (3) anliegt.

2. Seil-Gleitvorrichtung für Arbeiten in vertikalen Umgebungen nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der besagte Körper entweder eine zweiflächige Schiene oder als Fortsetzungen seines Vorderrands ausgebildete untere Vorsprünge aufweist, um einen Positionierungsanschlag zu bilden, der die Gleitvorrichtung entgegen ihrer Tendenz, sich aufgrund des von dem Seil (1) gehaltenen Gewichts zurückzubewegen, in ihrer Arbeitsposition hält.

3. Seil-Gleitvorrichtung für Arbeiten in vertikalen Umgebungen nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die obere Führung ihrerseits in Form auf geeignete Weise beabstandeter aufragender Vorsprünge ausgebildet ist, die einstückig mit der Basis verbunden oder auf geeignete Weise an ihr befestigt sind, wobei die Bestandteile der Führung derart beabstandet sind, dass das Seil (1) durchlaufen kann, und mit einem nach hinten divergierenden Verlauf ausgebildet sind, um mögliche Fehlausrichtungen zwischen dem vertikalen Bewegungsweg des Seils (1) und dem Verankerungspunkt für dessen oberes Ende handzuhaben.

4. Seil-Gleitvorrichtung für Arbeiten in vertikalen Umgebungen nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Anti-Reib-Element als Winkelteil aus einem harten, glatten und widerstandsfähigen Material wie z.B. Kunststoff ausgebildet ist, das derart mit der Basis verbunden ist, dass es ersetzt werden kann, und das vorzugsweise einen gerundeten Rand zum Halten des Seils aufweist.

5. Seil-Gleitvorrichtung für Arbeiten in vertikalen Umgebungen nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Anti-Reib-Element als Rolle (12) ausgebildet ist, die in einer betriebsgerecht ausgebildeten Ausnehmung des vorderen Rands der Basis derart frei drehbar angeordnet ist, so dass sie ersetzt werden kann.

6. Seil-Gleitvorrichtung für Arbeiten in vertikalen Umgebungen nach Anspruch 2 oder 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass ein geeigneter Vorsprung der oben erwähnten Vorsprünge eine kleine Öffnung (17) zur Befestigung einer Schnur aufweist, die bei Sicherung an einem beliebigen adäquaten Punkt des Gebäudes verhindert, dass die Gleitvorrichtung zu Boden fällt, falls sie sich von ihrem Arbeitspunkt löst.

7. Seil-Gleitvorrichtung für Arbeiten in vertikalen Umgebungen nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Basiskörper hinreichend breit ist, um ein nicht beabsichtigtes Kippen während des Vorgangs des Hochfahrens oder Einholens des Seils zu verhindern, oder dass er eine Erweiterung seines hinteren Rands in Form von Vorsprüngen aufweist, die seine Haltefläche für den gleichen Zweck vergrößern.

Revendications

1. Guide de corde pour travaux suspendus, spécifiquement conçu pour reposer sur le bord supérieur d'un mur, sur l'avant d'un élément de toit ou analogue, avec l'objet de fournir un point de support pour une corde (1) au point où ladite corde change sa trajectoire, entre le segment vertical qui s'étend vers le bas vers un ouvrier suspendu à celle-ci pour exécuter un travail sur le mur ou la façade (2) et le point d'ancrage (4) de ladite corde (1), caractérisé en ce que ledit guide de corde comprend un corps oblong relativement plat (5) destiné à rester sur le mur, avec une longueur telle qu'il peut distribuer la charge du poids d'un ouvrier pour empêcher un endommagement sur le mur, réalisé en un matériau relativement mou pour cette même raison, comme en plastique ou en bois, et de telle sorte que ce corps oblong (5) est réalisé sur la mi-zone de sa face supérieure avec un guidage (8) pour la corde; pendant qu'est réalisé en face du guidage et sur le bord avant du corps également un élément anti-friction (9) sur lequel la corde (1) reposera à son point d'inflection (3).

2. Guide de corde pour travaux suspendus selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que le corps précité comprend soit une barre dièdre soit des pattes inférieures qui sont une continuation de son bord avant, pour définir une butée d'arrêt de positionnement qui maintient le guide dans sa position de travail, contre sa tendance de reculer à cause du poids supporté par la corde (1).

3. Guide de corde pour travaux suspendus selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que ledit guide supérieur est à son tour réalisé sous forme de pattes de relevage espacées d'une manière appropriée qui sont reliées intégralement à la base ou sont fixées d'une manière appropriée à celle-ci, les éléments composants du guidage étant espacés de sorte que la corde (1) peut passer et avec une ligne divergente vers l'arrière prévue pour traiter des défauts d'alignement possibles entre la trajectoire verticale de la corde (1) et le point d'ancrage de son extrémité supérieure.

4. Guide de corde pour travaux suspendus selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que l'élément anti-friction est réalisé comme une pièce angulaire en un matériau dur, lisse et résistant comme en plastique, qui est couplée à la base de sorte qu'elle peut être remplacée et qui a de préférence un bord arrondi pour supporter la corde.

5. Guide de corde pour travaux suspendus selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que l'élément anti-friction est réalisé comme un rouleau (12) qui peut tourner librement dans un évidement fonctionnellement prévu du bord avant de la base de sorte qu'il peut être remplacé.

6. Guide de corde pour travaux suspendus selon les revendications 2 ou 3, caractérisé en ce qu'une patte appropriée parmi celles mentionnées ci-dessus incorpore un petit orifice (17) pour attacher une corde qui, lorsqu'elle est fixée à n'importe quel point adéquat du bâtiment, empêchera le guide de tomber sur le sol s'il est délogé de son point de travail.

7. Guide de corde pour travaux suspendus selon l'une des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que le corps de base est suffisamment large pour empêcher un basculement accidentel pendant l'élévation ou le processus de récupération de la corde, ou bien qu'il incorpore une extension de son bord arrière sous la forme de pattes qui font augmenter sa surface de support dans le même but.

Drawing