GB2354791A

GB2354791A - A ladder safety device

Info

Publication number: GB2354791A
Application number: GB9921662A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Darren Hutchinson; Sarah Hutchinson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-09-14
Filing date: 1999-09-14
Publication date: 2001-04-04
Also published as: GB9921662D0

Abstract

A safety device to prevent a ladder (eg. to a child's bunk) being climbed comprises a gate or shutter 17 mounted on the ladder 13 to cover the rungs 16, 19. An embodiment of the invention has the shutter 17 hinged to the ladder 13, further provided is an engaging bracket (23 fig. 2) that hooks over a rung of the ladder to secure the shutter 17. To open the shutter 17 it must be lifted such that the engaging bracket clears the rung allowing the shutter to hinge. To prevent lifting of the shutter 17 a bolt assembly 21 is provided, locking the shutter in place. The shutter 17 may be slatted to prevent hand or foot access to the rungs 16 or may provide a continuous shutter surface.

Description

2354791 LADDER SAFETY DEVICE This invention relates to a ladder safety

device intended to prevent small children from climbing ladders.

The problem of small children climbing or attempting to climb ladders is particularly noted with fixed or built-in ladders such as those used to gain access to the upper bunk or bunks of sets of bunk beds. Such ladders are often vertical rather than inclined, and it is accordingly easy for a person with an insecure grip, or who is not accustomed to such ladders, to fall backwards from the ladder, which can cause severe spinal or cranial injury.

Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide a safety device for use with ladders to prevent small children from climbing the ladders, but which can be removed to permit access by older children, or supervised access to the ladder.

According to the invention, a safety device for use with a ladder comprises a gate or shutter member which can be mounted on the ladder to cover upper treads of the ladder to prevent access to the treads for use either as a foothold or as a handhold.

The gate or shutter member may be provided with fasteners which are engageable near the top of the ladder to release the gate or shutter member, such fasteners being too high for access by children. The lower end of the gate or shutter member may be provided with e.g. resilient lugs or clips which engage behind a tread of the ladder and are concealed by the -2 gate or shutter member and can only be disengaged after release of the fasteners.

The fasteners may be latch devices or one or more sliding bolt-and keep combinations. The gate or shutter member may present a continuous shutter surface which covers the upper part of the ladder, or may comprise a plurality of slats, which are closely spaced to prevent hands passing through to obtain a handhold on treads covered by the gate.

The fasteners may engage with the upper parts of the uprights of the ladder itself, or to surrounding structure such as the frame of a bunk bed.

The gate or shutter member may be hinged at one side to a ladder member or frame member, and provided with a fastener at the other side.

A preferred embodiment of ladder safety device will now be described by way of example of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:- Fig. 1 is a frontal elevation of a ladder with a safety device according to the invention, on a bunk bed; and Fig. 2 is a sectional view of part of the ladder with the safety device showing how the latter is secured in place.

As shown in Fig. 1, 10 is a bunk bed structure with an upper bunk 11, having a safety fence 12, and a vertical access ladder 13 built into the frame of the bed. The ladder 13 has vertical side members 14, 15 and a plurality of horizontal treads 16.

In accordance with the invention, the upper part of the ladder is blocked off by means of a safety device in the form of a gate or shutter 17.

In Fig. 1, the device is shown as a gate comprising a plurality of vertical slats 18, secured on cross bars 19. The gate 17 is hinged by hinge members 20, to the vertical side member 15, and is latched to the top of vertical side member 14 by a sliding bolt 21 which engages with a keep member, not shown, on the gate 17.

In Fig. 2 a variant is shown wherein the member 17 comprises a shutter which may be slatted like the gate of Fig. 1, but may instead be a continuous panel. The panel is fastened at each side to the top of each vertical side member 14, 15 by means of a sliding bolt 21 which engages a keep 22 on the back of the shutter 17. The shutter panel 17 also carries one or more hooks 23 which engage over tread 16, and this can only be disengaged by lifting the shutter 17.

The gate or shutter 17 prevents young children from climbing up the ladder 13, by preventing use of the upper treads of the ladder as foot or handholds. The gate of Fig. 1 can only be opened by reaching to the top, and disengaging the bolt 21, and the shutter of Fig. 2 can only be disengaged by opening the bolts 21 and lifting the panel to clear the hook 23 from the tread 16.

These operations can only be carried out by an adult or an older child, so that younger children cannot climb the ladder unsupervised.

The invention may be applied to other ladders, both fixed or inbuilt, or movable, and to other situations than bunk beds, for example loft or library ladders, or any situation where unattended children might otherwise climb the ladder and risk falling backwards from the ladder. 5

Claims

1. A safety device for use with a ladder, comprising a gate or shutter member which can be mounted on the ladder to cover upper treads for use either as a foothold or as a hand hold.

6

2. A safety device according to claim 1, wherein said gate or shutter member is provided with fasteners which are engageable near the top of the ladder to release the gate or shutter member.

3. A safety device according to claim 1, wherein the lower end of the gate or shutter member is provided with resilient lugs or clips which engage behind a tread of the ladder and are concealed by the gate or shutter member.

4. A safety device according to claim 2 or 3 wherein the fasteners are latch devices or sliding bolt and keep combinations.

5. A safety device according to any proceeding claim, wherein the gate or shutter member presents a continuous shutter surface which covers the upper surface of the ladder.

6. A safety device according to anyone of claims 1 to 4 wherein the gate or shutter member comprises a plurality of slats which are closely spaced to present hands passing through between the slots.

7. A safety device according to any proceeding claim -wherein the gate or shutter member is hinged at one side to a ladder member or frame member, and provided with a fastener at the other side.