Drywall bench step

Details Drywall bench step Drywall bench step

1999-07-15

2004-12-14

Chin-Shue, Alvin (Department: 3634)

Fire escape, ladder, or scaffold

Combined

C182S092000, C182S153000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06830129

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention generally resides in the art of drywall benches. More particularly, the present invention relates to a step that attaches to a drywall bench so as to provide an intermediate platform that one may utilize to reach the top platform provided by the bench. The step of the present invention also provides the drywall bench on which it is used with a safety feature that substantially lessens the likelihood that the drywall bench will collapse when supporting a load.
BACKGROUND ART
Drywall benches such as those described hereinbelow are commonly employed to aid in the placement of drywall sheets in the ceiling of a room. Referring now to
FIG. 1
, it can be seen that the common drywall bench is designated generally by the numeral
1
. Drywall bench
1
provides an elevated bench platform
2
which is generally of rectangular shape. Folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
,
4
a
,
4
b
are pivotally attached (not shown) to the underside of bench platform
2
near the corners thereof. Support rails
6
a
and
6
b
are respectively connected between pairs of folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
and
4
a
,
4
b
, beneath opposite ends of bench platform
2
. The ends of support rails
6
a
and
6
b
extend beyond folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
,
4
a
,
4
b
and provide brackets
8
that, as can perhaps be best seen in
FIG. 2
, retain rollers
10
by means of an associated pin assembly
12
. A pair of step rails
14
a
,
14
b
receive rollers
10
associated with opposite sides of the bench platform
2
such that step rail
14
a
connects between folding legs
3
a
and
4
a
and step rail
14
b
connects between folding legs
3
b
and
4
b
. Step rails
14
a
and
14
b
each provide a track
16
with which rollers
10
communicate so that associated pairs of folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
and/or
4
a
,
4
b
may be pivoted from an operative position, as shown in
FIG. 1
, to a storage position (not shown) in which folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
and
4
a
,
4
b
are pivoted inwardly and upwardly towards the underside of bench platform
2
. As folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
and
4
a
,
4
b
are pivoted between the operative and storage positions, rollers
10
move along the length of track
16
such that, although step rails
14
a
,
14
b
are supported by support rails
6
a
,
6
b
and their associated rollers
10
, step rails
14
a
,
14
b
do not interfere with the movement of support rails
6
a
,
6
b
and their associated folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
and
4
a
,
4
b.
A pair of locking braces
18
a
,
18
b
are provided between bench platform
2
and folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
and
4
a
,
4
b
, respectively, so that associated pairs of folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
or
4
a
,
4
b
may be locked into the operating position. Unlocking locking brace
18
a
will allow for the pivotal movement of folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
while unlocking locking brace
18
b
will allow for the pivotal movement of folding legs
4
a
,
4
b.
Folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
,
4
a
,
4
b
receive telescoping legs
20
which serve to adjust the height at which bench platform
2
is maintained. To provide access to a common eight foot ceiling, shorter telescoping legs
20
are employed, while longer telescoping legs
20
are employed to provide access to higher ceilings. Folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
,
4
a
,
4
b
provide apertures
22
which allow for the selective height adjustment of telescoping legs
20
. Telescoping legs
20
are also provided with apertures (not shown) such that the apertures on telescoping legs
20
may be placed in registration with apertures
22
on folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
,
4
a
,
4
b
and subsequently locked into place by inserting a bolt or pin mechanism (not shown) through the apertures thus aligned. Various other means for securing telescoping legs
20
to folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
and
4
a
,
4
b
are utilized in the common drywall bench, however, the specific disclosure of such securing means is not pertinent to the disclosure of the present invention.
Drywall bench
1
thus provides a bench platform
2
, the height of which may be adjusted according to the height of the ceiling to which access is desired. Once drywall bench
1
is set to the desired height, the bench platform
2
is reached by first stepping from the floor to step rail
14
a
or
14
b
and subsequently stepping from that step rail
14
a
,
14
b
to bench platform
2
. However, step rail
14
a
,
14
b
is quite narrow and is positioned at a substantial height from the floor, making it very difficult to access bench platform
2
in the manner just described, especially, as is commonly the case, when carrying a large, heavy drywall sheet. The difficulty encountered in accessing step rails
14
a
,
14
b
from the floor has caused many persons that work with the common drywall bench
1
to place a bucket or other supplemental step on the floor so that an intermediate step between the floor and one of step rails
14
a
or
14
b
is provided.
Providing an intermediate step, such as a bucket, while facilitating access to bench platform
2
, creates its own set of problems. First, many devices used as intermediate steps, such as buckets, may provide surfaces that are unsafe to stand upon. They may fail to provide the requisite structural stability, may provide irregularly shaped platforms, or may otherwise be structurally inadequate to serve as a platform to stand upon. Second, these intermediate steps are not in any way attached to the drywall bench
1
and therefore must be properly aligned in relation to the drywall bench
1
whenever the position of the drywall bench
1
is altered. Also, these steps occupy floor space such that they may be tripped over or knocked out of alignment with drywall bench
1
or otherwise present an inconvenience.
Nevertheless, the employment of such intermediate steps has become common practice in the field despite the fact this unsafe practice has caused many personal injuries as well as damage to sheets of drywall, driving up costs and resulting in decreases in productivity. Thus, there exists a need in the art for the addition of an intermediate step to the basic drywall bench that substantially eliminates the problems associated with trying to mount the bench platform.
Other safety concerns are also relevant when considering the design of the drywall benches
1
of the prior art. As mentioned above, folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
and
4
a
,
4
b
are maintained in the operative position by locking braces
18
a
,
18
b
. Thus, if either of the locking braces
18
a
,
18
b
is not properly locked or is accidentally contacted so as to occupy an unlocked position, folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
and/or
4
a
,
4
b
associated with that locking brace
18
a
and/or
18
b
will be able to pivot to the storage position. If one tries to mount the bench platform
2
of drywall bench
1
while either of the locking brakes
18
a
,
18
b
is in an unlocked position, folding legs
3
a
,
3
b
or
4
a
,
4
b
associated with the unlocked locking braces
18
a
or
18
b
will tend to pivot when weight is applied to step rail
14
a
or
14
b
or bench platform
2
, and drywall bench
1
will collapse. Obviously, the collapsing of drywall bench
1
is undesirable due to safety concerns. Moreover, an unlocked brace
18
a
,
186
may allow the bench
10
to simply collapse when being moved, subjecting the user to pinched fingers and hands. It has been found that the provision of a drywall bench step as hereinafter described and claimed, in addition to providing an intermediate step in order to mount the bench platform, also introduces a safety feature into the drywall bench to which it is fitted by substantially eliminating the possibility that the drywall bench will collapse even when both locking braces of the drywall bench are in an unlocked position.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In light of the foregoing, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a drywall bench step that can be fit onto the common drywall bench.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a drywall bench step that is structurally stable so as to

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