Anchorage assembly and method of using

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10967209-B2
Application number	US-201916975992-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2019
Priority date	Mar 1, 2018
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

An anchorage assembly including first and second plates that are slidably movable relative to each other, each plate comprising an upper head with an outwardly-extending flange, and the first plate including at least one spreader ramp positioned in an upper portion of the first plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An anchorage assembly comprising:
first and second plates that are connected to each other so that the plates are slidably movable relative to each other, wherein a first upper end of the first plate comprises a first upper head comprising a first flange that extends outwardly in a first direction and wherein a second upper end of the second plate comprises a second upper head comprising a second flange that extends outwardly in a second, opposite direction,
and wherein the first plate comprises at least one spreader ramp positioned in an upper portion of the first plate.

2. The anchorage assembly of claim 1 wherein the first and second plates are vertically slidably movable relative to each other between a first, ready position, in which the second upper head of the second plate is positioned lower than the first upper head of the first plate; and, a second, installed position, in which the second upper head of the second plate is positioned at least generally at the same vertical height as the first upper head of the first plate and in which the upper end of the second plate is displaced outwardly away from the upper end of the first plate.

3. The anchorage assembly of claim 2 wherein when the first and second plates are in their first, ready position the second plate and the first plate are parallel to each other to within 1 degree; and, wherein when the first and second plates are in their second, installed position, the second upper end of the second plate is angled outwardly from the first upper end of the first plate so that the first and second plates exhibit a spreading angle of from 2 degrees to 5 degrees.

4. The anchorage assembly of claim 2 wherein when the first and second plates are in their second, installed position, the upper end of the second plate is displaced outwardly away from the upper end of the first plate so that the plates exhibit a plate spacing ratio of from 10 percent to 30 percent.

5. The anchorage assembly of claim 2 wherein when the first and second plates are in their first, ready position, the first upper head of the first plate provides an uppermost end of the anchorage assembly and a lower end of the second plate provides a lowermost end of the anchorage assembly.

6. The anchorage assembly of claim 2 wherein the second plate comprises at least one-ramp-receiving window and wherein when the first and second plates are in their first, ready position, at least a distal end portion of the at least one spreader ramp of the first plate protrudes through the at least one ramp-receiving window of the second plate.

7. The anchorage assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one spreader ramp of the first plate exhibits a ramp angle of from 30 degrees to 60 degrees.

8. The anchorage assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one spreader ramp of the first plate is integrally joined to a main body of the first plate by an integral junction that exhibits a radius of curvature of at least 2 mm.

9. The anchorage assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one spreader ramp, the outwardly-extending flange, and a main body of the first plate, from which main body the at least one spreader ramp protrudes and from an upper end of which main body the outwardly-extending flange extends, are all portions of a single, integral body.

10. The anchorage assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one spreader ramp of the first plate comprises first and second spreader ramps that are spaced apart from each other along a transverse axis of the first plate and are equidistant from a transverse centerline of the first plate.

11. The anchorage assembly of claim 1 wherein the first and second plates are non-separably connected to each other by at least one retainer that passes through a first retaining aperture in a main body of the first plate and through a second retaining aperture in a main body of the second plate, the first and second retaining apertures being at least generally aligned with each other and with at least one of the apertures being a vertically elongated slot along which the retainer is free to slidably move.

12. The anchorage assembly of claim 11 wherein the at least one retainer is configured to allow the main body of the second plate to be displaced outwardly away from the main body of the first plate while still retaining the first and second plates in a configuration in which they are non-separably connected to each other.

13. The anchorage assembly of claim 1 wherein the anchorage assembly is configured to allow a safety line to be attached to the anchorage assembly by way of a first attachment orifice in a lower portion of a main body of the first plate and a second attachment orifice in a lower portion of a main body of the second plate, the attachment orifices being at least generally aligned with each other, and being sized and shaped, to allow a fastener of a safety line to pass through the attachment orifices.

14. The anchorage assembly of claim 13 wherein at least one of the first and second attachment orifices is a vertically elongated slot along which the fastener is free to slidably move.

15. The anchorage assembly of claim 1 wherein the anchorage assembly comprises a lock that is engagable to lock the first and second plates in a second, installed position in which the second upper head of the second plate is positioned at least generally at the same vertical height as the first upper head of the first plate and in which the upper end of the second plate is displaced outwardly away from the upper end of the first plate by the spreader ramp, with the lock being configured so that when the lock is engaged it prevents the first and second plates from vertically slidably moving relative to each other out of the second, installed position and into a first, ready position in which the second upper head of the second plate is positioned lower than the first upper head of the first plate, until the lock is disengaged.

16. The anchorage assembly of claim 15 wherein the lock is configured so that it automatically engages upon slidable vertical movement of the first and second plates from the first, ready position to the second, installed position, and is configured so that the lock must be manually disengaged in order to allow the first and second plates to be slidably vertically moved from the second, installed position to the first, ready position.

17. The anchorage assembly of claim 1 wherein the first outwardly-extending flange of the first upper head of the first plate comprises a first lip extending downwardly therefrom and wherein the second outwardly-extending flange of the second upper head of the second plate comprises a second lip extending downwardly therefrom.

18. The anchorage assembly of claim 1 wherein a first visual indicator is provided on an outward area of an underside of the first outwardly-extending flange of the first upper head of the first plate and wherein a second visual indicator is provided on an outward area of an underside of the second outwardly-extending flange of the second upper head of the second plate.

19. An anchorage-installation assembly comprising the anchorage assembly of claim 1 wherein a lower end of the anchorage assembly is fitted into a upward-facing slot of an installation head located at an upper end of an installation pole, the upward-facing slot being configured to receive the lower end of the anchorage assembly and to support the anchorage assembly during remote installation of the anchorage assembly into a strut channel by a user grasping a low

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Milbright Michael N

Classifications

• A62B35/0081

  Equipment which can travel along the length of a lifeline, e.g. travelers · CPC title

• A62B35/0062

  Rail-form lifelines for permanent installation · CPC title

• F16B7/0473

  with hook-like parts gripping, e.g. by expanding, behind the flanges of a profile · CPC title

• F16B2/04

  internal, i.e. with spreading action (F16B2/14 - F16B2/18 take precedence) · CPC title

• E04G21/3295

  Guide tracks for safety lines (arrangements for bypassing safety track supports without life line disconnection A62B35/0087) · CPC title