Scaffold Railing Push-On Pins for Secure Net Attachment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing scaffolding systems face difficulties in simply and securely attaching railing elements and protective nets, particularly in the lower areas near decking levels, where components are often hard to couple with existing scaffolding elements.

Innovation Solution

The scaffolding system incorporates vertically oriented vertical rails, horizontally oriented horizontal rails, and railing element push-on pins, allowing for easy attachment of railing elements by slipping them onto spigots, with limiting elements preventing detachment, and enabling secure fixing of protective nets.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If protective nets are attached to vertical bars and horizontal railing elements using threading or quick-release belt fasteners, then worker safety is improved, but the complexity of attachment and the difficulty of installation increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveworker safetyVSAvoidattachment complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention divides the protective system into separate functional components: vertical bars for structural support, horizontal railing elements for net attachment, and limiting elements for safety. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the horizontal railing elements specifically designed with attachment features that simplify net installation while maintaining safety.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The horizontal railing elements act as intermediary components between the vertical bars and the protective nets. These railing elements provide dedicated attachment points (eyes or loops) that serve as intermediaries for securing nets, eliminating the need to directly thread nets onto vertical bars or use complex fastening systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If protective nets are attached in the lower area near decking level, then worker safety is improved, but the difficulty of attachment increases due to limited access and coupled components

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveworker safetyVSAvoidease of attachment
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The horizontal railing elements are pre-installed and coupled to the vertical bars before the protective nets are attached. This preliminary action creates ready-made attachment points in the lower areas near decking levels, allowing workers to simply thread or tie nets onto these pre-positioned railing elements rather than dealing with complex coupling of multiple components during net installation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If limiting elements are positioned close to or slightly above floor elements to prevent objects from falling, then safety is improved, but the attachment structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveobject containmentVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges the function of object containment into the existing vertical bar structure by adding limiting elements (such as toe boards or side walls) that extend horizontally from the vertical bars. This integration allows the same structural component to serve dual purposes: providing support for the scaffolding and preventing objects from falling, thereby improving safety without proportionally increasing structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP2980333B1Scaffold with a frame element
Publication Date: 2017.06.28 WILHELM LAYHER VERWALTUNGS GMBH
  • EP2980333B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2980333B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2980333B1 patent drawingFigure 4~7

AI summary

A scaffolding element, in particular for a construction scaffold, comprises a vertical beam (12) to be oriented substantially vertically, a horizontal beam (16) to be oriented substantially horizontally and extending away from the vertical beam (12) and at least one guardrail element mounting pin (36, 38) on the vertical beam (12) above the horizontal beam (16).