GB2342949A

GB2342949A - Painting or decorating aid

Info

Publication number: GB2342949A
Application number: GB9822224A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Leslie Greenaway
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-10-12
Filing date: 1998-10-12
Publication date: 2000-04-26
Also published as: GB9822224D0

Abstract

A painting or decorating aid comprises a device for use on a ladder or the like in which the device comprises an outer tube (1) to which a pair of arms (2) are secured by brackets (3). A pair of hooks (4, 5) are mounted on each arm (2), the hooks being so spaced that they can be hooked over adjacent rungs (31, 32) of a ladder. Spacer bars (6, 7) serve to locate the device in a central position on the ladder. An inner rod or tube (15) is located in and projects from the outer tube (1) and a platform in the form of a tray (21) is mounted on the projecting part of the inner rod or tube (15). The angle of the tray can be adjusted by rotating the inner rod or tube (15) with respect to the outer tube (1), the inner rod or tube being secured in place by a screw (20). Receptacles (25, 26) for a paint pot and paint brushes can be provided on the tray (21) and one or more hooks (27) can be mounted on the part of the inner rod or tube (15) which projects from the outer tube (1).

Description

Title: PAINTING OR DECORATING AID This invention relates to devices for use by painters and decorators and is particularly concerned with a device which increases safety for painters and decorators and which facilitates the task of painting and decorating structures which call for the use of a ladder or steps.

A problem frequently encountered by painters and decorators when painting or decorating the upper storeys of a building is that of hanging a paint pot or the like and of reposing a paint brush or the like on a ladder or steps. It has previously been proposed to use a double hook for hanging a paint pot or the like from a rung of a ladder. However, this does not provide a solution for locating a paint brush or like implement and the known double hooks are not only difficult to hang on a rung of a ladder, they also position the paint pot on the wrong side of the ladder, that is between a wall on which the ladder is resting and the ladder itself, while the worker is positioned on the other side of the ladder so that he must reach between the rungs of the ladder in order to load a paint brush with paint from the paint pot.

The present invention seeks to provide a solution to the above-mentioned problem and to provide a device which avoids the disadvantages of the known arrangements.

According to the invention, there is provided a device for use on a ladder or the like which comprises a rod or tube, means for detachably fitting said rod or tube onto a ladder and a platform which is adapted to receive and retain decorating materials and/or at least one tool or implement.

Preferably, the means for detachably fitting the rod or tube onto a ladder comprise at least one pair of hooks which are adapted to fit over a rung of a ladder.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the hooks are secured to the rod or tube in a spaced apart relationship and have arms which are of such a length that they extend past the next lowermost rung of a ladder when the hooks are engaged onto a rung of the ladder.

A second pair of hooks is desirably provided, each hook of said second pair being secured to a respective arm and being arranged to engage with said next lowermost rung of a ladder when the first-mentioned pair of hooks are engaged with the first-mentioned rung of the ladder.

Means may be provided for ensuring that the device is located centrally on a ladder. Said means desirably comprise a pair of spacer bars, each bar being secured at each end to a respective arm and being provided intermediate its ends with a slot; a pair of wedging bars and a pair of screw members, each screw member extending through a respective slot on an associated spacer bar to engage with a respective wedging bar, the wedging bars thereby being laterally movable with respect to the associated spacer bars. By this means, one of the wedging bars can be moved with respect to the associated spacer bar to engage with one side of a ladder when the hooks are engaged on rungs of the ladder while the other wedging bar can be moved with respect to the associated spacer bar to engage the other side of the ladder. The hooks can therefore be positioned so that they are located in a central position on the rungs of the ladder after which the screw members can be tightened to secure the device in position on the ladder.

In a preferred embodiment, the hooks are secured to an outer tube in which an inner rod or tube is rotatably mounted. The platform is secured adjacent to one end of the inner rod or tube. In this manner, the platform can be arranged either to the right or the left of the ladder depending on the direction in which the inner rod or tube is inserted into the outer tube.

Means are desirably provided to prevent the inner tube or rod from rotating with respect to the outer tube. These means can comprise a screw extending through a side bore in the outer tube and engageable with the inner tube or rod. Said inner tube or rod may be provided with a series of bores which are adapted to receive the screw.

The platform may take the form of a tray having a raised edge to prevent material from falling off the edge of the tray. It may alternatively, or in addition, be provided with a receptacle for paint or a paint pot and a second receptacle for a tool or implement such as a paint brush.

The device according to the invention may further be provided with one or more hooks secured to the rod or tube and depending therefrom.

The device according to the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a device according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line In-in in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a device according to the invention.

In the drawings, like parts are denoted by like reference numerals.

Reference will first be made to Fig. 1 of the drawings in which a device according to the invention comprises an outer tube 1 to which a pair of arms 2 are secured by respective brackets 3. Each arm 2 terminates at one end, which is the end intended to be the upper end when the device is in use, in a respective hook 4 which is adapted to fit over a rung 31 of a ladder. A further hook 5 is secured to the other end of each arm 2, the hooks 5 being arranged to fit over the next lowermost rung 32 of the ladder when the hooks 4 are fitted over the rung.

The arms 2 are spaced apart by spacer bars 6 and 7 each of which is secured at each end to a respective arm 2. Each spacer bar 6,7 is provided with a slot 8,9 intermediate its ends. A first wedging bar 11 is secured to the upper spacer bar 6 by a screw 12 which passes through the slot 8 and a second wedging bar 13 is secured to the lower spacer bar 7 by a screw 14 which passes through the slot 9.

The device can be positioned centrally on the rungs of the ladder by moving the upper wedging bar 11 to one side, the left as viewed in Figs. 1 and 3, until its end engages the side 33 of the ladder and moving the lower wedging bar 13 in the opposite direction until its end engages the other side 34 of the ladder. The screws 12 and 14 can then be tightened to fix the wedging bars, and hence the whole device, in position on the ladder.

The outer tube 1 is adapted to receive an inner rod or tube 15 which can be inserted from either end into the outer tube 1 so as to extend either to the left of the ladder or to the right of the ladder as shown in the drawings. As shown in Fig.

1, a platform in the form of a tray 21 is detachably secured to the inner tube or rod 15 by wing nuts 23 which engage with screws 22 extending from the base of the tray 21 through cross bores (not shown) in the part of the tube or rod 15 which projects from the outer tube 1. The base of the tray 21 is provided with a spacer block 24 having a planar upper face which abuts the underneath surface of the tray and an arcuate lower surface having a radius of curvature which approximates that of the tube or rod 15 to provide a secured seating for the tray 21 on the tube or rod 15. The screws 22 extend through the spacer block 24.

Mounted on the upper surface of the tray is a cylindrical container 25 which is adapted to receive a 5-litre paint pot and an elongate container 26 for the reception of a paint brush and/or other tool or implement. One or more hooks 27 are provided on the tube or rod 15 by means of which a tool tray, second paint pot, a roller paint tray or other article may be suspended or secured to the tube or rod 15.

It will be appreciated that a ladder is not always leant against the wall of a building or the like at the same degree of inclination. However, the tray 21 should be substantially horizontal when it is in use. It is possible to achieve this by providing the inner rod or tube 15 with means for allowing it to rotate with respect to the outer tube 1 and for securing the tube or rod 15 in a desired rotational position with respect to the outer tube. These means comprise a bore 16 in the outer tube 1 and a nut 17 secured to the outer tube by suitable means such as welding, over the bore 16 and a series of bores 18 in the inner tube or rod 15 which can be aligned with the bore 16. As shown in Fig. 2, a screw 19 is engaged with the nut 17 and extends through the bore 16 and into one of the bores 18. The screw 19 is preferably turned by means of a hand wheel 20. In use, the screw 19 is removed and the tray 21 is pivoted until it is substantially horizontal after which the screw 19 is screwed into the bore 16. If a bore 18 in the inner tube 15 is not aligned with the bore 16, the tube 15 can be turned slightly until a bore 18 is aligned after which the screw 19 can be screwed right in to secure the inner tube 15 against rotation. The radial spacing between the bores 18 is such that the tray 21 will still be substantially horizontal.

The device shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings is basically similar to the device shown in Fig. 1 except that the tray 21 is replaced by a paint roller tray 28 which is secured to the inner tube or rod 15 by a block 24 and screws 22 and wing nuts 23 in a similar manner to the tray 21.

It will be seen that the device according to the invention provides significant improvements in safety and operating capability for workers painting and decorating the upper storeys of buildings. The device can be made of any suitable materials although wood or metal such as aluminium are preferred. The device could, however, be manufactured from suitable plastics materials.

By means of the detachable fitting, a range of trays or platforms can be fitted to the tube or rod 15 depending on the particular kind of work which is required on a building. The tray or platform can be positioned to the left or right of a ladder to suit the requirements of a particular job or a worker. For example, when working on an inside corner of a building, it may be necessary to mount the device to the left of a ladder even for a worker who is normally right-handed.

The tray or platform can be positioned so that it is substantially horizontal regardless of the angle of inclination of a ladder to which the device is fitted.

The provision of the adjustable wedging bars 11 and 13 enables the device to be securely fitted to a ladder regardless of the width of the rings.

The invention is not restricted to the above-described embodiments but variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, only one hook 27 may be provided instead of two hooks as shown in the drawings. The or each hook 27 is preferably detachably fitted on the inner tube or rod 15. Further, instead of mounting a paint roller tray 28 directly on the tube or rod 15 as shown in Fig. 3, a paint roller tray could be suspended from a pair of hooks 27 in which case a plane tray 21 could be secured to the tube or rod 15 for holding a paint roller or brush. The tray to be mounted on the tube or rod 15 could also be used for a supply of mortar or other material and a tool tray or box for a trowel and other tools could be suspended from a pair of hooks 27.

An additional or alternative hook (not shown) could also be inserted in one or both ends of the tube 15 by a suitable spigot.

The hooks 27 may be fitted to the tube or rod 15 as a snap-on fit, in which case they should preferably be made of a suitable resilient material, or they may be provided with a tube or collar which is adapted to be received by and to slide along the tube or rod 15 or the outer tube 1.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A device for use on a ladder or the like, which device comprises a rod or tube, means for detachably fitting said rod or tube onto a ladder and a platform which is adapted to receive and retain decorating materials and/or at least one tool or implement.
2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the means for detachably fitting the rod or tube onto a ladder comprise at least one pair of hooks which are adapted to fit over a rung of a ladder.
3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the hooks are secured to the rod or tube in a spaced-apart relationship and have arms which are of such a length that they extend past the next lowermost rung of a ladder when the hooks are engaged onto a rung of the ladder.
4. A device according to claim 3, wherein a second pair of hooks is provided, each hook of said second pair being secured to a respective arm and being arranged to engage with said next lowermost rung of a ladder when the firstmentioned pair of hooks is engaged with the first-mentioned rung of the ladder.
5. A device according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein means are provided for ensuring that the device is located centrally on a ladder.
6. A device according to claim 5, wherein said central locating means comprise a pair of spacer bars, each bar being secured at or adjacent to each end to a respective arm and being provided intermediate to its ends with a slot ; a pair of wedging bars and a pair of screw members; each screw member extending through a respective slot in an associated spacer bar to engage with a respective wedging bar, the wedging bars thereby being laterally movable with respect to the associated spacer bars.
7. A device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the rod or tube comprises an outer tube and wherein the hooks are secured on the outer tube in which an inner rod or tube is rotatably mounted.
8. A device according to claim 7, wherein the platform is secured adjacent to one end of the inner rod or tube.
9. A device according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein means are provided to prevent the inner rod or tube from rotating with respect to the outer tube.

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10. A device according to claim 9, wherein the rotation preventing means comprise a screw extending through a side bore in the outer tube and engageable with the inner rod or tube.
11. A device according to claim 10, wherein the inner rod or tube is provided with a series of bores which are adapted to receive the screw.
12. A device according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the inner rod or tube is longer than the outer tube and is arranged to project beyond one end of the outer tube.
13. A device according to claim 12, wherein the platform is mounted on the part of the inner rod or tube which projects from the outer tube.
14. A device according to claim 12 or claim 13, wherein at least one hook is mounted on the part of the inner rod or tube which projects from the outer tube.
15. A device according to any one of claims 7 to 14, wherein a hook is fitted to at least one end of the outer tube and/or the inner tube by means of a spigot.
16. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the platform takes the form of a tray having a raised edge.
17. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the platform is provided with a receptacle for a paint pot and/or a receptacle for a tool or implement such as a paint brush.
18. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the platform takes the form of a paint roller tray.
19. A device for use on a ladder or the like, said device being substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.

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