Rolling tower scaffold and method and tooling apparatus for manufacturing the same

Claim 2

A climbing apparatus in the form of a scaffold structure comprising: a pair of vertically-extending spaced end ladders, each including a pair of spaced opposed vertically-extending rails having sets of spaced horizontally extending step-forming rungs extending therebetween and therethrough with the end portions of said rungs fastened to said opposed vertically extending rails, at least one of said end ladders having hollow tubular rails to provide spaced inner and outer rail walls in each of said opposed rails with the rung end portions of said end ladder rungs each having opposed radially and directly extending spaced detents gripping in face abutting relationship the opposed faces of one of said opposed rail walls in fast position therebetween to firmly secure said rungs in fast position relative to opposed rails; and a horizontally extending support platform supportively mounted between said spaced, vertically extending end ladders.

Claim 3

The climbing apparatus of claim 1, said opposed radially extending detents on said rung end portions gripping the opposed faces of said inner rail walls therebetween.

Claim 4

The climbing apparatus of claim 1, said opposed radially extending detents on said rung end portions gripping the opposed faces of said inner rail walls therebetween with the extremities of said end portions being flared to grip the outer faces of said outer rail walls.

Claim 5

The climbing apparatus of claim 1, said hollow tubular rails being of rectangular cross-section substantially throughout.

Claim 6

The climbing apparatus of claim 1, said detents on said rungs being integral compressed beads extending radially from the peripheral surface of said rungs.

Claim 7

The climbing apparatus of claim 1, both of said end ladders having hollow tubular rails of rectangular cross-section throughout to provide spaced inner and outer parallel walls in each rail said ladder rungs being hollow with spaced integral beads extending radially from the peripheral surfaces of the end portions of said rungs to grip the inner walls of said rails therebetween with the extremities of said rung end portions being flared to grip the outer faces of said outer rail walls.

Claim 8

The climbing apparatus of claim 1, both of said end ladders having hollow tubular rails, said rails each having at least one corresponding end portion integrally shaped and sized to form a first coupling end set to telescopically and snugly net with a second coupling end set of similar shape of a further structural scaffold, at least one of said end sets serving as integral female members and at least one of the other of said end sets serving as a integral male members with the female members including stops positioned a preselected distance from the extremity of said end portions to engagingly receive in nesting, telescopic relation therewith and arrest said nesting male members.

Claim 9

The climbing apparatus of claim 7, and snap lock means cooperatively mounted between said telescopically engaging male and female members to releasably hold said nesting male and female members together.

Claim 10

The climbing apparatus of claim 7, and threaded screw and nut assemblies cooperatively mounted between said engaging male and female members to threadedly lock said engaging male and female members together.

Claim 11

The climbing apparatus of claim 7, each of said male and female members having an aperture therein positioned to be in alignment when said integral male and integral female members are in telescopically nesting engagement and arrested by said stop; and, a resilient arm mounted in cantilever fashion in relation to said telescopically nesting members, said arm having a detent fixed thereto sized and positioned to resiliently engage in both of said apertures when aligned.

Claim 12

The climbing apparatus of claim 1, and a set of caster assemblies adapted to removably engage the bottom extremities of said vertically extending rails, each of said caster assemblies including a caster wheel support bracket, a caster wheel mounted in said support bracket for rotational movement about a horizontal axis and a caster box mounted on said support bracket for rotational movement about a vertical axis, said caster box having a cross-sectional geometry corresponding with the cross-sectional geometry of said rail bottom extremity of said vertically extending rail to engage therewith in snug telescoping male-female relationship with at least one of said telescopically engaging parts serving as a female socket and the other as a male plug.

Claim 13

The climbing apparatus of claim 11, and snap lock means cooperatively mounted between each of said telescopically engaging rail bottom extremities and each of said caster boxes to releasably hold said engaging parts together.

Claim 14

The climbing apparatus of claim 11, and threaded screw and nut means cooperatively mounted between said telescopically engaging rail bottom extremities and said caster boxes to hold said engaging parts together.

Claim 15

The climbing apparatus of claim 11, each of said caster boxes comprising a bottom portion rotatably fastened to said support bracket, said bottom portion including integral side wall members extending therefrom at substantially right angles therefrom to form said caster box.

Claim 16

The climbing apparatus of claim 11, both of said end ladders having hollow tubular rails, each rail having a bottom rail portion expanded and crimped a preselected distance from the bottom edge thereof to telescopically receive a caster box snugly engaging therein, said caster box and bottom rail portion, each having an aperture therein positioned to be in alignment when said caster box is telescopically inserted therein; and, a resilient arm mounted in cantilever fashion on one of said telescopically engaging parts, said arm having a detent fixed thereto sized and positioned to resiliently engage in both of said apertures when aligned.

Claim 17

The climbing apparatus of claim 11, both of said end ladders having hollow tubular rails of rectangular cross-section, each rail having a bottom rail portion expanded and crimped a preselected distance from the bottom edge thereof to telescopically receive a rectangular caster box sized to snugly engage therein, said caster box comprising a rectangular bottom portion rotatably fastened to said caster wheel support bracket to include a roller bearing intermediately disposed therebetween, said bottom portion including four integral side wall members extending therefrom at substantially right angles to form said caster box.

Claim 18

The climbing apparatus of claim 11, both of said end ladders having hollow tubular rails of rectangular cross-section, each rail having a bottom rail portion expanded and crimped a preselected distance from the bottom edge thereof to telescopically receive and arrest a rectangular caster box sized to snugly engage therein said expanded bottom rail portion including two pairs of opposed apertures, each pair being positioned a preselected distance from the bottom edge of said bottom rail portion said caster box comprising a rectangular bottom portion rotatably fastened to said support bracket to include a roller bearing intermediately disposed therebetween, said bottom portion including four integral side wall members extending therefrom at substantially right angles to form said caster box, said caster box including two pairs of opposed apertures, each pair being positioned a preselected distance from the edge of said caster box to align respectively with said aperture pairs in said expanded bottom rail portion when said caster box is in telescopically mated relation with said expanded bottom rail portion, said bottom rail portion including a resilient arm mounted on said rail at one end thereof, said arm having a detent fixed thereto sized and positioned to resiliently engage through one of the aligned apertures of one pair of the two aligned apertured pairs in said bottom rail portion and caster box in snap lock relation when said caster box and bottom rail portion are mated; and said caster box including nuts fixed to the inner face thereof adjacent the other pair of opposed apertures in said caster box to receive holding bolts passing through the aligned apertures in said bottom rail portion when caster box and bottom rail portion are mated.

Claim 19

The climbing apparatus of claim 1, said horizontally extending support platform supportively mounted between said spaced, vertically extending ladders being adjustable to include a frame member having two spaced opposed pairs of carriage side rails fixed to and vertically extending downwardly therefrom, each of said carriage rails slidably engaging with one of said opposed pairs of vertically extending rails of a vertical ladder, means to resiliently snap-lock said carriage rails to said rails of said vertically extending ladder and means to threadedly tighten said carriage rails to said ladder rails.

Claim 20

The climbing apparatus of claim 18, each of said means to threadedly tighten said carriage rails to said ladder rails including an internally threaded nut mounted on a carriage rail to be aligned with an aperture in said carriage rail; and a stop member having one leg threaded to engage with said nut and pass through said carriage rail aperture to engage said ladder rail to reduce play movement between said carriage and vertical rail.

Claim 21

The climbing apparatus of claim 18, said means to resiliently snap lock said carriage rails to said rails of a vertical ladder including spaced latching apertures in said rails and at least two resiliently urged and connected pin member mounted on said carriage member in the same spaced relation as said latching apertures to be simultaneously engageable and disengageable with said latching apertures.

Claim 22

The climbing apparatus of claim 18, said means to resiliently snap-lock each of said carriage rails to said rails of a vertical ladder including a first fixed U-shaped member having its base portion fixed to said carriage rail with a pair of apertures therein and in alignment with apertures in said carriage rail, said apertures on said base portion being in the same spaced relation as said latching apertures on said rail to be aligned therewith and having its leg portions turned inwardly with apertures in the inwardly turned portions aligned with the apertures in said base portion to accommodate a second U-shaped member with its base portion spaced from the base portion of said first U-shaped member and its spaced legs extending through said aligned apertures to serve as a pair of simultaneously engageable and releasable locking pins, said pins being resiliently urged into engagement with the aligned apertures by a pair of spring members extending between said inturned leg portion and said base of said first U-shaped member.

Claim 23

The climbing apparatus of claim 21, and a third fixed U-shaped member having its leg portions fixed to the leg portions of said first fixed U-shaped member with its base portion spaced from the base portion of said second moveable U-shaped member, said U-shaped members being sized to provide finger squeezable pistol gripping relation therebetween.

Claim 24

The climbing apparatus of claim 18, said frame member including a plurality of spaced sockets mounted thereon adjacent the peripheral edges thereof; and, a hand rail assembly having a plurality of spaced vertical legs with the bottom portions of said legs extending into said sockets to be supported in a vertically extending position above said frame member.

Claim 25

The climbing apparatus of claim 23, said hand rail assembly including upper and lower hollow slide rail sections telescopically interlocked.

Claim 26

The climbing apparatus of claim 23, said hand rail assembly including upper and lower side rail sections telescopically interlocked, said lower section including spaced vertical legs with the bottom portions thereof engaging in said sockets and the top portions thereof sized to telescope with said upper sections, each of said upper sections including a pair of spaced U-shaped side rail members, the base of which serves as an upper horizontal side rail for said hand rail assembly and the end legs of which engage in telescoping male-female relation with the end legs of one of said lower sections.

Claim 27

The climbing apparatus of claim 23, said hand rail assembly including at least one vertically extending, pivotally mounted gate member mounted thereon adjacent one of said end ladder pairs.

Claim 28

The climbing apparatus of claim 26, said pivotally mounted gate member including a pair of spaced vertically extending legs adjacent said opposed vertically extending legs mounted in said sockets, at least one of said vertically extending adjacent legs including at least one pair of spaced stop detents and at least one pair of mirror image strap members, each strap member having shaped end portions sized when fastened in mirror image relation to surround said adjacent legs therebetween to form a gate hinge end with said straps being positioned between said spaced detents.

Claim 29

A climbing apparatus in the form of a scaffold structure comprising: a pair of vertically spaced end ladders, each pair of end ladders including a pair of spaced opposed vertically extending hollow ladder rails of rectangular cross-section to provide spaced inner and outer parallel walls in each ladder rail and sets of spaced horizontally extending step forming ladder rungs extending between each pair of spaced ladder rails, said ladder rungs of each set being hollow with a pair of spaced integral beads extending radially outward from the outer peripheral surfaces of the end portions of each rung to grip the inner walls of said opposed rails therebetween with the extremities of each of said end portions of said rungs being outwardly flared to grip the outer faces of said outer rail walls of said opposed rail pairs; the bottom end portions of each of said ladder rails of said opposed ladder rail pairs each being expanded and having a crimp a preselected distance from the bottom edge thereof to telescopically receive a caster box of a caster box set in snug engagement therewith, each caster box of said caster box set being part of a caster box assembly including a U-shaped caster wheel support bracket, a caster wheel and axle rotatably mounted between the opposed downwardly extending legs of said U-shaped caster box support bracket, a roller bearing having one face mounted on the upper base of said support bracket and the other face to the rectangular base of said caster box; said base of said caster box having integral sides extending therefrom and turned ninety degrees to extend in an upward direction to form the sides of said caster box having a cross-sectional geometry corresponding with the cross-sectional geometry of said bottom rail portions of said vertically extending ladder rail and sized to nestingly engage snugly therein in male-female relation with one of said bottom rail portions, the inner and outer walls of said bottom rail portion and the inner and outer walls of said caster boxes having apertures therein preselectively spaced to be aligned when in telescoping nesting male-female relation with said caster boxes in said bottom rail portions; a resilient arm having one end mounted on each inner wall of each of said ladder rails to extend in resilient cantilevered fashion downwardly over the aligned apertures in said nesting caster box and bottom rail portion and having a detent mounted thereon to resiliently extend into said aligned apertures to snap lock said caster box to said bottom rail portion; each caster box having threaded nuts centered on the inner face of other apertures therein which when aligned with such other apertures in said bottom rail portion serve to receive threaded bolts therethrough to threadedly lock said caster box and bottom rail portion together; said end rails each having upper end portions with a plurality of apertures therein positioned and spaced at the upper end thereof in a manner similar to those apertures in the bottom rail portion to telescopically receive and be fastened with expanded bottom rail portions of end rails of a second similar assembly; a horizontally extending support platform supportively and adjustably mounted between said spaced, vertically extending ladders including a rectangular frame member having a support platform fastened thereto, said frame member, also having fixed thereto at the two pairs of corners thereof two pairs of vertically downwardly extending carriage rails, each carriage rail slidably engaging with one of said vertically extending rails of one of said ladders, each ladder rail of said ladders having a plurality of spaced aligned latching apertures extending along the inner wall thereof, each of said carriage rails including a first fixed U-shaped member having its base portion extending longitudinally along and fixed to said carriage rail with a pair of apertures therein and in said carriage rail in the same spaced relation as said latching apertures to be aligned therewith and having its leg portions inwardly turned to form inturned leg portions with apertures aligned with the apertures in said base portion and said carriage to accommodate a second moveable U-shaped member with its base portion spaced from the base portion of said first U-shaped member and its spaced legs extending through said aligned apertures to serve as a pair of simultaneously engageable and releasable locking pins cooperating with said spaced, aligned latching apertures in the inner wall of said vertically extending ladder rail, said pins extending through a pair of helically coiled springs extending between said inturned leg portions and said base of said first U-shaped member with the extremities of said springs adjacent said base fixed to said pins and a third fixed U-shaped member having its leg portions fixed to the leg portions of said first fixed U-shaped member with its base portion spaced from the base portion of said second moveable U-shaped member, said U-shaped members being sized to allow a finger squeezable gripping relation therebetween; a set of four socket members fixed to said platform supporting frame at the respective corners thereof; a hand rail assembly including pairs of upper and lower side handrail sections, said pair of lower side rail sections comprising two longitudinally extending spaced frame members each having two end legs and a horizontal connecting bar extending therebetween and connected at its ends to said end legs, said lower portion of said end legs of each pair being sized at their bottoms to nest with said corner sockets to provide said lower side hand rail sections with said lower section end legs being tapered at the upper ends to telescopically engage with the downwardly extending legs of an upper pair of side hand rail sections, said upper side hand rail sections including two U-shaped rail members with spaced downwardly extending end legs having the bottom portions thereof serving as female members to engage telescopically with the end legs of said lower side hand rail sections; and a pair of spaced gate members pivotally mounted at the opposed ends of said side hand rail assembly adjacent and above said end ladder pairs, each gate member including a U-shape frame having a horizontal cross bar extending between and connected at its ends to spaced downwardly extending vertical legs; said gate legs being disposed adjacent said vertically extending legs of said side hand rail assembly with one of said adjacent legs including at least one pair of spaced radially extending beaded detent crimps extending therearound, and a pair of hinge assemblies pivotally connecting said downwardly extending leg to said hand rail leg, at least one of said hinge assemblies including a pair of mirror-image strap members having shaped end portions adapted when joined and fastened in mirror image relation to pivotally surround one of said adjacent rails therebetween with said strap members being sized to be positioned between said spaced pair of radially extending beaded detent crimps to form a gate hinge.

Claim 30

A climbing apparatus in the form of a scaffold structure comprising: a pair of vertically spaced end ladders, each pair of end ladders including a pair of spaced opposed vertically extending hollow ladder rails of rectangular cross-section to provide spaced inner and outer parallel walls in each ladder rail and sets of spaced horizontally extending step forming ladder rungs extending between each pair of spaced ladder rails, said ladder rungs of each set being hollow with a pair of spaced integral beads extending radially outward from the outer peripheral surfaces of the end portions of each rung to grip the inner walls of said opposed rails therebetween with the extremities of each of said end portions of said rungs being outwardly flared to grip the outer faces of said outer rail walls of said opposed rail pairs; the bottom end portions of each of said ladder rails of said opposed ladder rail pairs each being expanded and having a crimp a preselected distance from the bottom edge thereof to telescopically receive a caster box of a caster box set in snug engagement therewith, each caster box of said caster box set being part of a caster box assembly including a U-shaped caster wheel support bracket, a caster wheel and axle rotatably mounted between the opposed downwardly extending legs of said U-shaped caster box support bracket, a roller bearing having one face mounted on the upper base of said support bracket and the other face to the rectangular base of said caster box; said base of said caster box having integral sides extending therefrom and turned ninety degrees to extend in an upward direction to form the sides of said caster box having a cross-sectional geometry corresponding with the cross-sectional geometry of said bottom rail portions of said vertically extending ladder rail and sized to nestingly engage snugly therein in male-female relation with one of said bottom rail portions, the inner and outer walls of said bottom rail portion and the inner and outer walls of said caster boxes having apertures therein preselectively spaced to be aligned when in telescoping nesting male-female relation with said caster boxes in said bottom rail portions; a resilient arm having one end mounted on each inner wall of each of said ladder rails to extend in resilient cantilevered fashion downwardly over the aligned apertures in said nesting caster box and bottom rail portion and having a detent mounted thereon to resiliently extend into said aligned apertures to snap lock said caster box to said bottom rail portion; each caster box having threaded nuts centered on the inner face of other apertures therein which when aligned with such other apertures in said bottom rail portion serve to receive threaded bolts therethrough to threadedly lock said caster box and bottom rail portion together; said end rails each having upper end portions with a plurality of apertures therein positioned and spaced at the upper end thereof in a manner similar to those apertures in the bottom rail portion to telescopically receive and be fastened with expanded bottom rail portions of end rails of a second similar assembly; a horizontally extending support platform supportively and adjustably mounted between said spaced, vertically extending ladders including a rectangular frame member having a support platform fastened thereto, said frame member, also having fixed thereto at the two pairs of corners thereof two pairs of vertically downwardly extending carriage rails, each carriage rail slidably engaging with one of said vertically extending rails of one of said ladders, each ladder rail of said ladders having a plurality of spaced aligned latching apertures extending along the inner wall thereof, each of said carriage rails including a first fixed U-shaped member having its base portion extending longitudinally along and fixed to said carriage rail with a pair of apertures therein and in said carriage rail in the same spaced relation as said latching apertures to be aligned therewith and having its leg portions inwardly turned to form inturned leg portions with apertures aligned with the apertures in said base portion and said carriage to accommodate a second moveable U-shaped member with its base portion spaced from the base portion of said first U-shaped member and its spaced legs extending through said aligned apertures to serve as a pair of simultaneously engageable and releasable locking pins cooperating with said spaced, aligned latching apertures in the inner wall of said vertically extending ladder rail, said pins extending through a pair of helically coiled springs extending between said inturned leg portions and said base of said first U-shaped member with the extremities of said springs adjacent said base fixed to said pins and a third fixed U-shaped member having its leg portions fixed to the leg portions of said first fixed U-shaped member with its base portion spaced from the base portion of said second moveable U-shaped member, said U-shaped members being sized to allow a finger squeezable gripping relation therebetween; a set of four socket members fixed to said platform supporting frame at the respective corners thereof; a hand rail assembly including pairs of upper and lower side handrail sections, said pair of lower side rail sections comprising two longitudinally extending spaced frame members each having two end legs and a horizontal connecting bar extending therebetween and connected at its ends to said end legs, said lower portion of said end legs of each pair being sized at their bottoms to nest with said corner sockets to provide said lower side hand rail sections with said lower section end legs being tapered at the upper ends to telescopically engage with the downwardly extending legs of an upper pair of side hand rail sections, said upper side hand rail sections including two U-shaped rail members with spaced downwardly extending end legs having the bottom portions thereof serving as female members to engage telescopically with the end legs of said lower side hand rail sections; and a pair of spaced gate members pivotally mounted at the opposed ends of said side hand rail assembly adjacent and above said end ladder pairs, each gate member including a U-shape frame having a horizontal cross bar extending between and connected at its ends to spaced downwardly extending vertical legs; said gate legs being disposed adjacent said vertically extending legs of said side hand rail assembly with one of said adjacent legs including at least one pair of spaced radially extending beaded detent crimps extending therearound, and a pair of hinge assemblies pivotally connecting said downwardly extending leg to said hand rail leg, at least one of said hinge assemblies including a pair of mirror-image strap members having shaped end portions adapted when joined and fastened in mirror image relation to pivotally surround one of said adjacent rails therebetween with said strap members being sized to be positioned between said spaced pair of radially extending beaded detent crimps to form a gate hinge.

Claim 31

A climbing apparatus assembly in the form of a ladder comprising a pair of spaced, opposed rails, each rail providing spaced inner and outer rail walls, said inner walls of each rail having at least one pair of spaced opposed and aligned apertures therein sized to snugly receive and fasten therein opposite end portions of a step forming rung; and at least one step forming rung extending between said spaced opposed rails with the end portions thereof each extending snugly through at least one of said opposed inner and outer walls of said opposed rails, each end portion of said rung having opposed radially extending detents extending from the periphery thereof to grip in compressed planar face abutting relationship one of said rail walls in fast position therebetween to firmly secure said rung in fast position relative to said opposed rails.

Claim 32

A climbing apparatus assembly in the form of a ladder comprising a pair of spaced, opposed rails, each rail providing spaced inner and outer rail walls, said inner walls of each rail having at least one pair of spaced opposed and aligned apertures therein sized to snugly receive and fasten therein opposite end portions of a step forming rung; and at least one step forming rung extending between said spaced opposed rails with the end portions thereof each extending snugly through at least one of said opposed inner and outer walls of said opposed rails, each end portion of said rung having opposed radially extending detents extending from the periphery thereof to grip in compressed planar face abutting relationship one of said rail walls in fast position therebetween to firmly secure said rung in fast position relative to said opposed rails.

Claim 33

The climbing apparatus ladder assembly of claim 29, said radially extending detents gripping the opposed inner walls of said opposed rails.

Claim 34

The climbing apparatus ladder assembly of claim 29, said radially extending detents gripping the opposed inner walls of said opposite rails with the extremities of the end portions of said rung passing through aligned apertures in said outer walls and having radially extending detent portions gripping the outer faces of said outer walls.

Claim 35

The climbing apparatus ladder assembly of claim 29, said rails being of rectangular cross-section and said rung being hollow with spaced radially extending beaded crimps serving as detents to grip the inner walls of said rails therebetween and with the extremities of the end portions of said rung flared to grip the outer faces of said outer walls of said spaced rails.

Claim 36

A climbing apparatus assembly in the form of a ladder comprising a pair of spaced, opposed hollow tubular rails and a plurality of spaced rungs extending therebetween and fixed at the opposite extremities thereof to said rails, said rails each having at least one corresponding end portion shaped and sized to form a coupling end pair to telescopically and nestingly engage with a second coupling end pair of similar shape of a second structurally assembly, one of said end pairs serving as a female member and the other as a male member with the female member expanded and crimped a preselected distance from the bottom edge thereof to telescopically receive and arrest said male member there; and a pair of attaching box members, each having a cross-sectional geometry corresponding with the cross-sectional geometry of said coupling ends of said pair of rail members to engage therewith in snug telescoping male-female relation with at least one of said telescopically engaging parts serving as the expanded female member and the other as a male member.

Claim 37

A climbing apparatus assembly in the form of a ladder comprising a pair of spaced, opposed hollow tubular rails and a plurality of spaced rungs extending therebetween and fixed at the opposite extremities thereof to said rails, said rails each having at least one corresponding end portion shaped and sized to form a coupling end pair to telescopically and nestingly engage with a second coupling end pair of similar shape of a second structurally assembly, one of said end pairs serving as a female member and the other as a male member with the female member expanded and crimped a preselected distance from the bottom edge thereof to telescopically receive and arrest said male member there; and a pair of attaching box members, each having a cross-sectional geometry corresponding with the cross-sectional geometry of said coupling ends of said pair of rail members to engage therewith in snug telescoping male-female relation with at least one of said telescopically engaging parts serving as the expanded female member and the other as a male member.

Claim 38

The climbing apparatus assembly in the form of a ladder of claim 33, and snap lock means cooperatively mounted between said telescopically engaging male and female members to releasably hold said engaging male and female members together.

Claim 39

The climbing apparatus assembly in the form of a ladder of claim 33, and a threaded screw and nut: assembly cooperatively mounted between said nestingly engaging male and female members to threadedly lock said nesting male and female members together.

Claim 40

The climbing apparatus assembly in the form of a ladder of claim 33, each of said male and female members having an aperture therein positioned to be in alignment when said members are telescopically nesting and in arrested position; and a resilient arm having one end mounted in cantilever fashion in relation to said telescopically nesting members, said arm having a detent fixed thereto sized and positioned to resiliently engage in said apertures when aligned.

Claim 41

The climbing apparatus assembly in the form of a ladder of claim 33, said attaching box members each comprising a bottom wall having integral side wall members extending therefrom at substantially right angles thereto to form said telescopically engaging attaching box member.

Claim 42

A support platform for a climbing assembly including a frame member having a platform sized to be mounted on said frame member, said frame member including a plurality of spaced sockets mounted thereon adjacent the peripheral edges thereof; and, a hand rail assembly having a plurality of spaced vertical legs with the bottom portions of said legs extending into said sockets to be supported in a vertically extending position above said frame member, said hand rail assembly including at least one vertically extending pivotally mounted gate member having a pair of spaced vertically extending legs adjacent said opposed vertically extending legs mounted in said sockets, at least one of said vertically extending adjacent legs including at least one pair of spaced stop detents extending radially from the peripheral sides of said leg; and, at least one pair of mirror image strap members, each strap member having U-shaped end portions sized when fastened in mirror-image relation to surround said adjacent legs therebetween with said strap members being positioned between said spaced stop detents to form a gate hinge.

Claim 43

A support platform for a climbing assembly including a frame member having a platform sized to be mounted on said frame member, said frame member including a plurality of spaced sockets mounted thereon adjacent the peripheral edges thereof; and, a hand rail assembly having a plurality of spaced vertical legs with the bottom portions of said legs extending into said sockets to be supported in a vertically extending position above said frame member, said hand rail assembly including at least one vertically extending pivotally mounted gate member having a pair of spaced vertically extending legs adjacent said opposed vertically extending legs mounted in said sockets, at least one of said vertically extending adjacent legs including at least one pair of spaced stop detents extending radially from the peripheral sides of said leg; and, at least one pair of mirror image strap members, each strap member having U-shaped end portions sized when fastened in mirror-image relation to surround said adjacent legs therebetween with said strap members being positioned between said spaced stop detents to form a gate hinge.

Claim 44

The support platform of claim 38, said hand rail assembly including upper and lower sections telescopically interlocked, said lower section including spaced vertical legs with the bottom portions thereof engaging in said sockets and the top portions thereof sized to telescope with said upper section, said upper section including a pair of spaced U-shaped rail members, the bases of which serve as upper horizontal rails for said hand rail assembly and the end legs of which engage in telescoping male-female relation with the end legs of said lower section.

Claim 45

A caster assembly for telescopic nesting engagement with a caster support member on a rolling structure comprising: a caster wheel support bracket; a caster wheel rotatably mounted in said support bracket for rotational movement about a horizontal axis; and, a caster box mounted on said support bracket for relative rotational movement between said support bracket and said caster box, said caster box having a selected cross-sectional geometry corresponding with the cross-sectional geometry of said caster support member on said rolling structure to engage therewith in snug telescoping male-female relationship with at least one of said telescopically engaging parts serving as a female socket and the other as a male plug, said caster box comprising an integrally formed part including a bottom portion rotatably fastened to said support bracket and integral side wall members extending therefrom and turned at substantially right angles therefrom to form said caster box having said selected cross-sectional geometry.

Claim 46

A caster assembly for telescopic nesting engagement with a caster support member on a rolling structure comprising: a caster wheel support bracket; a caster wheel rotatably mounted in said support bracket for rotational movement about a horizontal axis; and, a caster box mounted on said support bracket for relative rotational movement between said support bracket and said caster box, said caster box having a selected cross-sectional geometry corresponding with the cross-sectional geometry of said caster support member on said rolling structure to engage therewith in snug telescoping male-female relationship with at least one of said telescopically engaging parts serving as a female socket and the other as a male plug, said caster box comprising an integrally formed part including a bottom portion rotatably fastened to said support bracket and integral side wall members extending therefrom and turned at substantially right angles therefrom to form said caster box having said selected cross-sectional geometry.

Claim 47

The caster assembly of claim 40, said caster box being a stamped structural material to include a rectangular bottom portion and four side wall members extending therefrom and turned at substantially right angles thereto to form said caster box of a selected rectangular cross-sectional geometry.

Claim 48

The caster assembly of claim 40, said side wall members having apertures disposed therein to be aligned with mating apertures on said caster support member of said rolling structure, each of said apertures in said side wall members having a threaded nut fastened thereto to be centered internally of said aperture when said side wall member is turned at substantially right angles to said bottom to receive a threaded bolt therethrough when in mating engagement with said caster support member of said rolling structure.