GB2398342A - Stabiliser for attachment to ladder head - Google Patents

Abstract

A stabiliser for a ladder head comprises a rigid body 1 presenting surface engaging portions 11a, 11b, 12, which can engage a surface against which a ladder rests, a first rung engaging portion 3 for rotatably engaging a ladder rung, a second rung engaging portion 7 spaced from portion 3 and connected thereto by a flexible elongate member 8 allowing it to rotate about a ladder rung and a third rung engaging means 5. Curve 13 may be used to rest the ladder against a pole, pads 11b against a corner or pads 11a against a flat surface. When means 5 does not engage a ladder rung, all of pads 11a and 12 may engage against a surface, e.g. a sloping roof.

Description

MULTI LADDER STABILISER

The invention relates to a ladder stabiliser for stabilising a ladder or the like in position for use. The stabiliser is attachable at an upper end of a ladder or the like to improve stability of its engagement against a planar surface in various configurations, such as against a wall or the like when the ladder is in generally upright position thereagainst.

The general problem encountered with ladders and similar temporary andlor portable structures which are designed to be placed in a generally vertical alignment against a wall, building etc. to provide a climbing means and elevated platform for a worker on the wall or building etc. is that of achieving a stable engagement between the upper part of the ladder or the like and the wall or other surface. Without such stable engagement, the ladder can be unsafe for use and liable to slip or fall. Achieving stable engagement even against a planar vertical wall surface is an issue, but particular problems can arise against difficult features such as corners, sills, surfaces sloping from the vertical etc. The requirement for such effective stable engagement whereby the ladder or the like provides a safe climbing and support system is widespread, for example for electricians, plumbers, roofers, painters, window cleaners, ariel erectors, alarm fitters, glaciers and all others who might be called upon to install, repair or replace fixtures and fittings on the walls and roofs of buildings and like structures.

Prior art systems propose various methods to enhance the stable engagement of the upper end of a ladder or the like against a surface on which it rests in use. At its simplest, the provision of engaging surfaces at the upper end of the ladder with suitable non-slip treatment may be provided. More complicated devices are known which are adapted to engage with the upper portion of the ladder, for example one or more of the top rungs, and which themselves provide non-slip engaging surfaces or corners or projections for resting on the wall or the like. In particular, such systems are proposed to deal with specific difficult areas such as corners, sills, sloping roofs etc. For example UK patent application number 9211089 describes a ladder stabiliser adapted to fit over the upper two rungs of a ladder to stabilise a ladder in place against a corner on a vertical wall.

It is a general feature of these prior art solutions that they are directed to particular problems. They offer limited flexibility in dealing with the range of different problems which can be presented in securing a simple ladder or the like against the various surface orientations and feature combinations presented in practice in use on a building, for example by planar and sloping surfaces, corners, projections etc. It is an object of the present invention to provide a ladder stabiliser for stabilising the upper portion of a ladder in position in use which mitigates some or all of the above disadvantages.

It is a particular object of the present invention to provide such a ladder stabiliser which offers greater versatility of use in stabilising the upper end of the ladder against a variety of surfaces in a variety of combinations and/or with a variety of surface features. In particular, it is an object of the present invention that a ladder stabiliser should be provided which can be effective against generally planar vertical surfaces, against sloping surfaces such as sloping roofs, in corners and at sills, "uttering or the like and other wall features.

Thus, in accordance with the invention in its broadest concept a ladder stabiliser for stabilising an upper portion of a ladder or the like in use against a surface such as a wall, roof or the like in use comprises a rigid body portion presenting surface engaging portions adapted to engage upon a surface against which the ladder generally rests in use, a primary rung engaging portion fixedly engaged with the body portion and configured such that when engaged on a rung of the ladder it is rotatable thereabout, a secondary rung engaging portion in laterally spaced relation to the primary rung engaging portion and connected thereto by a flexible elongate member, and preferably similarly configured such that when engaged on a rung it is rotatable thereabout.

In use, the primary and secondary rung engaging portions are spaced to connect to laterally spaced rungs towards the upper end of a ladder or the like, giving stability of engagement of the body portion to the ladder. For example a pair of rungs, and in particular an adjacent pair of rungs such as the top two rungs are so engaged. Surface engaging portions are provided on the body to engage with the flat surface of a wall, roof or the like against which the ladder rests. These may be configured to improve stability of engagement in any manner familiar to those skilled in the art, for example by provision of low- slip surfaces.

However, unlike prior art systems, the flexible relationship between the primary and the secondary rung engaging portions, and a combination of the rotatable configuration of at least the primary engaging portion and the flexible link between this and the secondary engaging portion mean that when the stabiliser is positioned on a ladder in this manner the body is pivotable relative to the plane of the ladder. This permits the stabiliser to engage at a variety of angles of surface in effective stabilising manner, significantly increasing the flexibility of the stabilising unit.

The stabilising unit is thus more versatile than conventional ladder stabilisers.

Conventional systems which mount rigidly at the top of a ladder will be adapted for a specific angle of engagement with an engagement surface for maximum stability. For example, systems adapted to engage against a vertical surface will be set at the optimum angle of engagement to the vertical against such a surface. By contrast, in accordance with the present invention the angle of engagement can be varied between what is most suitable for a vertical wall, a sloping wall, a sloping roof or the like. Moreover, if some or all of the surface engaging portions are suitably offset in a manner familiar to those skilled in the art and further considered below, particular adaptations to deal with more complex features such as corners, projecting sills and gutters and the like can be accommodated.

The surface engaging portion(s) preferably comprise or include surface engaging pads, especially fabricated from or having surfaces covered with low-slip material, in familiar manner.

Preferably, upper and lower surface engaging portions are provided, for example associated generally towards upper and lower portions of the body on a surface thereof facing a surface to be engaged in use (where it will be understood that references herein to upper, lower and facing parts of the stabiliser are merely intended to describe a spatial relationship between the said components, the language used with reference to a possible orientation in use as a linguistic convenience only in expressing the spatial relationship between the components, and not intended to be further limiting). i

In a particular preferred embodiment surface engaging portions comprise at least one upper and at least one lower pair of laterally spaced surface engaging pads as above described.

Tle surface engaging portion(s) are preferably adapted to facilitate stable engagement not merely against a simple planar surface but also against more complicated features. In particular, the surface engaging portion(s) are preferably adapted to facilitate engagement around a corner engaging a wall portion at either side thereof and/or to provide an offset to facilitate engagement of the stabiliser at or over a projection such as a sill, gutter or the like.

For example, in the preferred embodiment where two or more pairs of spaced surface engaging pads are provided, at least one pair is preferably provided oriented to engage either side of a corner such as a 90 corner andlor at least one pair is provided with an offset out of the plane of the body projecting in a direction generally towards the wall in use, such as to provide a ladder engaged therewith with an offset away from the wall in use for example to accommodate a sill, gutter or like surface feature.

In a preferred embodiment an upper pair of pads are adapted for engagement either side of a 90 corner and optionally are further provided with such a horizontal offset. In particular, the stabiliser may comprise a lower pair of flat pads and an upper pair of L-shaped pads such that in one configuration against a planar surface a four-point engagement is effected including the lower pair and one surface of each of the upper pair, and in an alternative arrangement a two-point engagement about a corner is effected by the other faces of the L shaped pads. In the alternative, for equivalent effect, two upper pairs are provided at suitable angular orientation to each other.

Where used herein, the term "pad" should be read as referring not only to a single unit, but also to several discrete units, for example with suitable low- slip surfaces, cooperably configured and arranged to constitute together an overall pad effect as described herein. A pad may present a simple flat surface, or multiple angled surfaces to accommodate a range of contact angles.

The body portion preferably comprises a generally rectangular frame, for example with surface engaging portions such as surface engaging pads generally at or in the vicinity of the corners thereof andlor mounted upon projecting frame portions so located. The body portion is preferably an open frame structure, for example of tubular material of square, cylindrical or other suitable section, such as lightweight tubular metallic material, to keep weight to a minimum.

For the reasons set out above, it is preferable that at least one pair of pads, and in particular an upper pair of pads, are spaced away from and out of the plane of the body in an offset relationship. This adaptation is suited in particular to engage around either side of a corner or where a vertical offset is needed.

Accordingly, the frame preferably includes upper frame projecting portions such as a pair of upper arms in angled orientation, generally forming a Vshaped structure, extending beyond and out of the plane of the upper part of the main body portion to carry such pads, for example generally at the ends of the arms of the V thereof, in a relationship spaced apart and away from the plane of the body. Such an arrangement gives an offset if the stabiliser is used at or around projecting features on a wall, such as sills or gutters or the like, and is also a particularly suitable adaptation where engagement either side of a corner is envisaged. The V arms may be on the end of lateral supports extending out of the plane of the body to produce a desired offset andlor angle to the plane of the body.

There is optionally further provided a tertiary rung engaging portion configured in like manner to the primary rung engaging portion and fixedly engaged with the body in fixed spaced relationship to the said primary rung engaging portion. This gives the option of further configurations of engagement on the upper part of the ladder. There is the option of a fixed two-point engagement (using the primary and tertiary rung engaging portions) whereby the body is maintained in a fixed relationship with the ladder. The stabiliser could be set up such that this fixed configuration is ideal for use against a flat vertical surface, and in this mode of use the stabiliser functions similarly to a simple prior art stabiliser. However it provides also the alternative mode of use of a pivoting two point engagement using the primary and secondary rung engaging portions such that the body is allowed to rotate freely to deal with non-standard engagement situations.

Each rung engaging portion preferably comprises at least one U-shaped hook which can engagingly surround a rung of a ladder in use in a loose, relatively low-friction engagement to provide relatability with stability of support.

Preferably, such a rung engaging portion is laterally elongate and/or provided as a laterally spaced series to engage the rung along a substantial part of the width of the body. This is particularly so for the primary (and tertiary if present) rung engaging portions.

Optionally as a safety feature, each such rung engaging portion may be provided with a closure, and in particular a releasably lockable and/or spring biased closure, to hold the rung engaging portion in place on the rung. For example, a releasably lockable portion may be provided to partially or fully close the open end of a U-hook to effect a stable encirclement of the rung.

Additionally or alternatively a spring biased retaining clip might be provided so configured as to allow the U-hook to engage, but to spring back and partially or fully close the open end in like manner. The former locking means might be particularly useful for the second rung engaging portion, and the latter closure for first andlor third rung engaging portions.

The rung engaging portion is linked to the first by a flexible elongate member, such as a chain, helical other elongate spring, wire, chain, cord, tape, rope or the like. The elongate member is preferably elastic, and preferably requires to be stretched to a degree to fit the secondary engaging portion over a second rung when the primary engaging portion is in position over a first rung. The elasticity thus gives a degree of hold. Any suitable elastomeric material may be considered for this purpose. Given the intended use, the material should be one to resist environmental degradation and/or be protectively coated for that purpose.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure I which is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the Figures, an example stabiliser in accordance with the principles of the invention is illustrated. The stabiliser consists of a body frame (l) made up of hollow rectangular aluminium tubing in a generally rectangular shape. This forms the basic body of the device.

Three rung engagement mechanisms are provided. A hook portion (3) combines with the upright of the frame (1) to complete a U-shaped frame portion capable of sitting over the rung of a ladder in use. A spring loaded clip (4) is provided either, of inherently resilient material and/or given a spring-biased hinge mounting, so as to be eased out of the way as the U-hook fits over a rung, but to lock it into position when engaged on the rung for safety. A similar hook portion (5) spaced down from the hook portion (3) by suitable standard amount, for example one standard rung pitch, is further provided. The hooks (3, 5) thus serve respectively as primary and tertiary rung engaging members as above described.

A further U-shaped hook (7), comprising the secondary rung engaging member as above described, is provided mounted upon the frame by means of a flexible helical spring (8), and with a lockable closure bar (9) to lock in position over a rung.

A hand grip (10) allows the hook to be stretched out against the resistance of the spring (8) over a rung, where it is then retained in place by the resistance of the spring.

In use, the device is engaged over a pair of rungs, in particular a pair of adjacent rungs. When against an upright wall this might be a pair of rungs at or generally near the top of the ladder. For other applications (eg to access a flat roof) it might be fixed a few rungs further down, so that a portion of the ladder projects beyond the stabiliser to give access to the roof. This is done either by positioning upper and lower fixed hooks (3, 5) over the rungs so that the frame sits in fixed relationship mounted upon the ladder or by applying the upper fixed hook (3) and the flexible hook (7). In this latter configuration, the plane of the frame (1) is pivotable relative to the plane of the ladder about a pivot made up by the upper rung and upper hook (3).

Primary engagement against a wall in use is by means of the rubber pads (11).

Pads (1 la) are provided presenting surfaces generally parallel to the plane of the frame (1) to engage against a generally flat surface. Pads (1 lb) are provided at 90 to each other to engage around a corner. To engage more effectively around corners, and to provide a horizontal offset to deal with sills and the like, these pads are provided at the ends of the arms (14) of a generally I V-shaped structure supported on a pair of upper extending portion (16) of the frame (1) which extends beyond an out of the plane of the frame towards the wall in use, for example at an angle of around 45 to the plane of the frame.

Additional rubber pads (12) are provided towards the bottom of the frame (1) to increase stability of engagement in those configurations where both upper and lower parts of the frame are engaged upon the wall in use. Knee pads (18, l9) are provided as a comfort aid for a user.

A third rubber pad (13) is provided as a flexible link at the point of the notional V formed by the arms (14), for example to engage upon a round upright such as a pole or post.

In use against a corner both fixed hooks (3, 5) will be engaged, and the upper pads (11) only will make stabilising contact on the wall either side of the corner employing the effect of the arms (14). In use against a sill or other wall feature where maximum offset is required, the stabiliser may be similarly rigidly mounted on the ladder to get the maximum vertical offset effect offered by the arms (14). When the stabiliser is used on a planar surface, such as a vertical surface but more particularly a sloping roof or the like where prior art systems have proved particularly ineffective, engagement may be by use of the upper hook (3) and the secondary hook (7) to allow pivoting between frame (1) and ladder to accommodate the varied angles. The stabiliser is then enabled to make four-point contact with pads (11 and 12) all stabilising against the surface.

Figure 3 represents an alternative embodiment of the invention with an alternative, different frame arrangement. Figure 3 is shown without a Uhook which would serve as the secondary engagement means in use. It will be understood that one would be present.

The general structure of the frame (21) is equivalent to that in Figure 1. In particular, paired arms (22) form a virtual V structure at the top ending in contact pads (23) horizontal lower arms (24) end in contact pads (25) designed to work in equivalent manner to those in Figure l. The frame again includes paired upper and lower U-hooks (27), (28), each designed to fit over laterally spaced runs on a ladder in use, and serving respectively as the primary and optional tertiary rung engagements. Kneeling pads (29) and (30) are provided for user comfort.

The upper pads (23) are essentially flat structures. Nevertheless, the open flexible loop (31) between the two arms (22) making up the virtual Vframe of the upper portion still allows the stabiliser to be engaged around a corner, in this use the edges of the pads (23) serving to provide the stabiliser function on the surface. The example at Figure 3 is intended as an alternative to Figure 1 and to illustrate that precise details of construction are not material to the invention, provided that the relative geometry of the points of engagement with the surface and of the means to engage the rungs of the ladder is maintained.

In this way, a single device such as that illustrated in Figure 1 or Figure 3 is effective in a variety of circumstances against a variety of the problems presented in practice in securing adequate surface stability for a ladder or the like against walls, sloping roofs and other features of a building.

Claims (15)

1. A ladder stabiliser for stabilising an upper portion of a ladder comprising a rigid body portion presenting surface engaging portions adapted to engage upon a surface against which the ladder generally rests in use, a primary rung engaging portion fixedly engaged with the body portion and configured such that when engaged on a rung of the ladder it is rotatable thereabout, a secondary rung engaging portion in laterally spaced relation to the primary rung engaging portion and connected thereto by a flexible elongate member and similarly configured such that when engaged on a rung it is rotatable thereabout.

2. A ladder stabiliser as claimed in Claim l wherein in use the primary and secondary rung engaging portions are spaced to be connectable to laterally spaced rungs.

3. A ladder stabiliser as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 additionally comprising surface engaging portions on the body to engage with the flat surface of a wall, roof or the like against which the ladder rests.

4. A ladder stabiliser as claimed in one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the surface engaging portions comprise surface engaging pads fabricated from or having surfaces covered with low-slip material.

5. A ladder stabiliser as claimed in Claim 1 comprising at least one upper and at least one lower pair of laterally spaced surface engaging pads.

G. A ladder stabiliser as claimed in Claim 5 a lower pair of flat pads and an upper pair of L-shaped pads.

7. A ladder stabiliser as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the body portion comprises a generally rectangular frame of tubular material of square, cylindrical or other suitable section

8. A ladder stabiliser as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the frame includes upper frame projection portions forming a V-shaped structure, extending beyond and out of the plane of the upper part of the main body portions.

9. A ladder stabiliser as claimed in Claim 8 wherein the V-shaped projection portions carry surface engaging portions generally at the ends of the arms of the V thereof.

lO. A ladder stabiliser as claimed in any preceding claim additionally comprising a tertiary rung engaging portion configured in like manner to the primary rung engaging portion and fixedly engaged with the body in fixed space relationship to the primary rung engaging portion.

11. A ladder stabiliser as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each rung engaging portion comprises at least one U-shaped hook which can engagingly surround a rung of a ladder in use.

12. A ladder stabiliser as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each rung engaging portion is provided with a closure to hold the rung engaging potion in place on the rung.

13. A ladder stabiliser as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the secondary rung engaging potion is linked to the primary rung engaging portion by a flexible elongate member.

14. A ladder stabiliser as claimed in Claim 13 wherein the elongate member is elastic and requires to be stretched to a degree to fit the secondary engaging portion over a second rung when the primary engaging portion is in position over a first rung.

15. A ladder stabiliser substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.