Platform Apparatus for Support Stands

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to support stands for supporting large objects such as boats at dry dock, and in particular to a platform apparatus that is attachable to such support stands to provide a platform adjacent the supported object for people and equipment.

2. The Prior Art

Support stands for use in supporting and stabilizing large objects are well known and of varying sizes and complexity. One category of support stands are adapted to contact the hull of a boat at dry dock so as to maintain the upright orientation of the boat for storage or repair. Often times multiple support stands are located in spaced relation along both sides of the hull. Typical support stands of this type include a center pole supported by three legs, one of the legs being shorter in length than the other two, with the center pole mounting an abutment element which can be moved in relation to the center pole so as to contact and buttress the hull against tilting. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,667 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,660.

When repair work needs to be done on the hull, workers must use ladders to elevate themselves to the necessary heights or scaffolding must be erected next to the boat. Using ladders is not always adequate as there will be no place to put heavy equipment that may be needed, and the erection of scaffolding requires the availability of extra equipment that may be expensive and complicated to put together.

It is an object of the present invention to provide platform apparatus for support stands that is simple in construction and easy to erect.

This object is achieved by a platform adaptor which includes a support beam that is attachable at one end to the center pole of a typical support stand, and two support struts that extend downwardly from the support beam for attachment to two of the legs of the support stand. Two of these platform adaptors connected to two spaced apart support stands can then support a platform element or plank that will extend along the side of the object being supported so that persons and equipment can be located on the platform element at the desired height above the ground (or flooring surface). The platform adaptors are simple in construction, easy to store and inexpensive to make.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the attached drawings taken in conjunction with the following discussion.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of two spaced-apart support stands, each having a first preferred embodiment of platform adapter according to the present invention attached thereto for supporting a horizontal platform element laterally of a supported object,

FIG. 2 is a side view of one of the two platform adaptors of FIG. 1 and a portion of the support stand to which it is attached,

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of platform adaptor shown in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of one of the pressure clamps used to connect elements of the platform adaptor to a support stand,

FIG. 5 is a side view of the pressure clamp of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 shows a side view of a second preferred embodiment of platform adaptor according to the present invention, and

FIG. 7 is a view of the platform adaptor of FIG. 6 as seen along line 7--7.

When a boat is dry docked for repairs or storage, it can be maintained in an upright orientation by positioning two or more support stands along each side so that a support element of each support stand will contact and support (buttress) the hull. FIG. 1 shows two spaced-apart support stands 10 positioned to contact and support a hull of a boat (not shown). Each support stand includes a center pole 11 which is positioned above a flooring or ground surface by three legs 12, 14, 16 that are connected at their upper ends to the center pole and spaced at their lower ends from the center pole by spacer bars 13, 15, 17. The leg 12 is shorter in length than legs 14 and 16 so that the center pole 11 will tilt at an acute angle relative to vertical (see FIG. 2) and toward the boat hull. Located at the upper end of the center pole 10 is an adjusting collar 20 having a threaded bore therethrough, as well as an abutment element 21 including a contact plate 22 and a screw element 23 extending away from an underside of the contact plate 22, the screw element threadingly passing through the threaded bore in the adjusting collar 20 and into the upper end of the center pole 11. The contact plate 22 is adjustably movable relative to a hull of an adjacent boat by rotational movement of the adjusting collar 20, causing the screw element 23 to move out of or into the upper end of the center pole. In this way, the contact plate 22 can be extended away from the center pole 11 and into contact with the adjacent boat hull.

Each support stand in FIG. 1 has attached thereto a platform adapter 30 constructed according to a first preferred embodiment of this invention. This platform adapter 30 is best seen in FIGS. 2-5. It includes a support beam 31, a first pole clamp 33 pivotally attached to an inner end of the support beam by a connection means 34 and to the center pole 11 of the tripod support stand by a connection means 35, first and second support struts 36, 38 which are attached at their upper ends by a connection means 40 to a bracket 32 extending downwardly from the support beam 31, and second and third pole clamps 41, 43 which are pivotally attached to lower ends of the respective support struts 36, 38 by respective connection means 37, 39 for clamping attachment to the legs 14, 16 of the support stand. The clamps 33, 41, 43 are respectively attached to the center pole 11 and to the legs 14, 16 so as to cause the support beam 31 to be generally horizontally oriented. The support beam 31 can be a single element having a square or n-shaped cross section, or, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a two-piece telescopic element having a circular cross section (telescoping two elements provide an enlarged support capability). Two platform adaptors appropriately attached to two spaced-apart tripod boat support stands can support a horizontally disposed platform element 50 adjacent the buttressed boat for workers who wish to stand at an elevated position along side the boat to work thereon and their equipment. The connection means 34, 35, 37, 39 and 40 are preferably in the form of bolts with cooperating wing nuts.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a second preferred embodiment of platform adaptor according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the support beam 31a is a single element having an n-shaped cross section formed by a center portion 31b extending between parallel flanges 31c, 31d, and instead of utilizing a clamp at its inner end for attachment to the center pole 11, the inner end is pivotally attached directly to the center pole 11. In this regard, the inner end of the support beam 31a comprises only the flanges 31c, 31d which extend along opposite sides of the center pole, and a connection means 60 pivotally connects the flanges to the center pole. In particular, the connection means comprises a bolt which is fitted through aligned holes in the flanges and aligned holes in the center pole to pivotally attach the support beam to the center pole, and a cooperating wing nut is threadingly engaged to the free end of the bolt. The support struts 35a, 37a are pivotally connected at their upper ends to the support beam by a common connection means 61 which includes a bolt that passes through a hole at the upper end of strut 35a, aligned holes in the flanges 31c, 31d and a hole at the upper end of strut 37a, and a wing nut is lockingly tightened to the free end of the bolt. The lower ends of struts 35a, 37a are connected to the legs 14a, 16a of the tripod support stand by clamps 40a, 42a.

Although two preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, modifications therein can be made and still fall within the scope of the appended claims.