Temporary rail structure for a floor

Claim 1

A portable and temporary railing structure for surrounding a floor of a residential structure where the floor includes underlying floor joists, a band surrounding the floor joists, and a sub-floor disposed over the floor joists and wherein the sub-floor includes a series of spaced apart openings formed through the sub-floor adjacent the inside of the band, and wherein the temporary railing structure includes a series of temporary posts secured to the band and spaced around the outside edge of the floor area and wherein the temporary posts receive and support a series of side railings that extend between the respective posts; and wherein each temporary support posts includes an elongated member having an inverted U-shaped band attachment for attaching the temporary posts to the band and wherein the U-shaped band attachment includes a first outside leg that extends along the outside of the band, a sub-floor penetrator that extends downwardly through the opening within the sub-floor and rests adjacent the inside of the band, and a bolt-type fastener threaded in the first outside leg and movable therein to engage the band so as to secure the entire U-shaped band attachment to the band; and wherein there is provided rail holding means secured on the elongated member for receiving and holding side rails.

Claim 6

A method of erecting and disassembling a temporary rail structure around the floor area of a building under construction comprising the steps of: a) cutting a series of holes in a sub-floor structure adjacent the inside of a surrounding band that surrounds the floor and floor joists supporting the floor; b) inserting one leg of a U-shaped yoke through a respective hole in the sub-floor and clamping the U-shaped yoke to a top portion of the surrounding band such that the one leg of the U-shaped yoke is held adjacent the inside of the band while extending through the hole in the sub-floor; c) extending a post upward from the U-shaped yoke to form a temporary post and continuing to add such posts around the floor by the same method; d) connecting horizontal side rails between respective posts to form a temporary railing structure around the floor of the building under construction; and e) dismounting the entire temporary rail structure by removing the rails and then unclamping the U-shaped yokes from the top of the band and pulling the U-shaped yoke upwardly such that the one leg of the yoke is pulled from the opening within the sub-floor.

Claim 7

A method of erecting and disassembling a temporary rail structure around the floor area of a building under construction comprising the steps of: a) cutting a series of holes in a sub-floor structure adjacent the inside of a surrounding band that surrounds the floor and floor joists supporting the floor; b) inserting one leg of a U-shaped yoke through a respective hole in the sub-floor and clamping the U-shaped yoke to a top portion of the surrounding band such that the one leg of the U-shaped yoke is held adjacent the inside of the band while extending through the hole in the sub-floor; c) extending a post upward from the U-shaped yoke to form a temporary post and continuing to add such posts around the floor by the same method; d) connecting horizontal side rails between respective posts to form a temporary railing structure around the floor of the building under construction; and e) dismounting the entire temporary rail structure by removing the rails and then unclamping the U-shaped yokes from the top of the band and pulling the U-shaped yoke upwardly such that the one leg of the yoke is pulled from the opening within the sub-floor.