GB2450800A

GB2450800A - Bracket for supporting a load applied to a ladder

Info

Publication number: GB2450800A
Application number: GB0812138A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Leonard John Stamp
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-07-04
Filing date: 2008-07-02
Publication date: 2009-01-07
Also published as: GB0812138D0; GB0712952D0; GB2450725A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a ladder bracket 20 for attachment to a ladder having an elongate side member and a plurality of rungs attached and is used to attach a safety line. The bracket comprises a back plate 1 adapted for engagement with an elongate side member e.g. stile of a ladder, a channel shaped engagement member 14 attached to and extending from the back plate and engages a rung of the a ladder, and an attachment member which defines at least in part an aperture for receiving the safety line there through. The bracket may be made from stainless steel and attached to the ladder using known fixings. Non metallic lining 12 and 13 are preferably placed between contacting surfaces of the bracket and ladder to prevent galvanic corrosion between the material of the ladder and the material of the bracket. Also provided is a ladder comprising such a ladder bracket and a ladder with an integral ladder bracket.

Description

LADDER BRACKET

Background to the invention

The present invention relates to a bracket for supporting a load applied to a ladder, particularly the load created by the rapid deceleration of a falling person.

Ladders are widely used in industry, the emergency services and by private individuals to gain access to and work in elevated positions.

Often a person will use a ladder without any method of attachment to the ladder to prevent them from falling in the event of an accident. Current legislation restricts the use of ladders in the work place, requiring risk assessments to be performed before their use and preferring alternative means of working at height.

Safety accessories comprising the provision of a safety line attaching the user to the ladder are disclosed in the prior art. However, these inventions either obstruct the usable section of the ladder rung, so increasing the likelihood of an accident, or provide a point of attachment which extends from the side of the ladder. When in use an attachment point extending from the side of the ladder is not immediately above the base of the ladder. A force applied to such a point of attachment will destabilise the ladder, in the event of a falling incident possibly exacerbating the situation. Additionally, an attachment point extending from the side of the ladder may interfere with existing ladder storage devices, for example vehicle roof ladder racks.

Typically ladders are not designed to withstand the forces created by the rapid deceleration of a falling person. The application of such forces to the ladder must therefore be restricted to the strongest parts of the ladder and preferably the strength of these parts should be enhanced.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention seeks to address the problems of the prior art.

A first aspect of the present invention provides a ladder bracket for attachment to a ladder having an elongate side member and a plurality of rungs attached to and extending therefrom, the bracket comprising a mounting member adapted for engagement with an elongate side member of a ladder, a rung engagement member attached to, and extending from, the mounting member, and adapted for engagement with a rung of such a ladder, and an attachment member which defines at least in part an aperture for receiving a safety line therethrough.

In this way, attachment of the ladder bracket to a ladder will result in the ladder bracket being securely held against the rung and the side of the ladder, thus simplifying the locating of the device in use. In addition, the engagement of the mounting member with the ladder side member ensures that the ladder bracket is securely held in place during use. Furthermore, the locating of the ladder bracket to one side of the ladder rung and adjacent the ladder side ensures that any load placed on the bracket, for example during use of the safety line, is being applied at the strongest point of the ladder rung and that the ladder rung and ladder side member are sharing the load burden.

In one embodiment, the attachment member extends between the rung engagement member and the mounting member.

The aperture for receiving a safety line therethrough may be defined by the mounting member, rung engagement member and attachment member.

Alternatively, the attachment member may extend from the mounting member such that the aperture for receiving a safety line therethrough is defined by the mounting member and the attachment member, for example, where the attachment member is U-shaped with both sides of the U extending away from the mounting member and one side of the U' lying along and engaged with the engagement member.

Alternatively, the attachment member may extend from the rung engagement member such that the aperture for receiving a safety line therethrough is defined by the rung engagement member and attachment member, for example, where the attachment member is U-shaped with both sides of the U' extending away from the rung engagement member and one side of the U' lying along and engaged with the mounting member.

In any of the alternatives set out above, although the arrangement of the attachment member relative to the mounting member and rung engagement member vary, the ladder bracket retains the full range of benefits over conventional ladder brackets.

The ladder bracket is preferably composed at least in part of a metal material.

However, any other suitably strong material known to the skilled person and suitable to support the loads that may be applied during use could be used in addition to or as alternative to metal. The metal material is preferably stainless steel, but any other suitably strong metal could be used.

In a further embodiment, a ladder bracket in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention may be further provided with a liner adjacent at least a portion of a surface of the mounting member adapted to engage with a side member of a ladder.

Alternatively, or in addition, the ladder bracket may be further provided with a liner adjacent at least a portion of a surface of the rung engagement member adapted for engagement with a rung of a ladder.

The liner preferably comprises a resilient non-metallic material. The liner is therefore suitable for preventing contact between the ladder and the ladder bracket, thereby preventing undesirable interaction between the ladder and the ladder bracket such as galvanic erosion and the like.

The liner may comprise a resilient material, thereby preventing contact damage between the ladder and the ladder bracket during use when a force is applied through the ladder bracket, for example as a result of a falling body attached to the safety line extending through the attachment member.

A further aspect of the present invention provides a ladder having an elongate side member and a plurality of rungs attached to an extending therefrom, the ladder further comprising at least one ladder bracket in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention.

The ladder bracket may be supplied separately and retro-fitted to the ladder.

Alternatively, the ladder bracket may be separate to the ladder and installed on the ladder at the point of manufacture. In a further alternative embodiment, the ladder bracket is provided integral with the ladder.

The ladder bracket of the present invention is preferably intended for use with a roof ladder. However, it will be appreciated that the ladder bracket could be fitted or provided integrally with any other ladder type.

Brief Description of the Drawings

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a ladder bracket according to the present invention;

S

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the ladder bracket installed on a ladder; Figure 3 is an end view of cross section AA' as shown in figure 2; Figure 4 is a front view of the ladder bracket installed on a ladder; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of two ladder brackets installed on a roofing ladder and supporting a safety line.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a ladder bracket 20 according to the present invention. Ladder bracket 20 comprises a back plate I comprising a non-resilient planar member, at a first end of which a U shaped notch 21 is defined in the plane of the planar member. Ladder bracket 20 further comprises non-resilient channel 14 comprising a U shaped cross-section, the U shape cross-section of channel 14 being complementary to the U shaped notch 21 defined in the first end of back plate 1. A first end of channel 14 is attached to the first end of back plate 1, by welding, brazing or other means known to the skilled person, such that the U shaped end of channel 14 substantially aligns with the U shaped notch 21 defined in the first end of back plate 1. Channel 14 extends from back plate 1, its longitudinal axis being substantially perpendicular to the plane of back plate 1.

Ladder bracket 20 further comprises retainer 11 comprising a non-resilient L shaped member. A first end of retainer 11 is attached to a first surface of back plate 1 adjacent to the second end of back plate I and on the longitudinal axis of back plate 1. The second end of retainer 11 is attached to a first surface of channel 14 adjacent to the second end of channel 14. Retainer 11 is substantially aligned with the plane orthogonal to back plate 1. Back plate 1 further comprises apertures 2 dimensioned to receive fixing means such as bolts, screws, rivets or the like as known to the skilled person. Ladder bracket 20 further comprises non-metallic linings 12 and 13, shown in phantom, covering at least a portion of the second surface of back plate 1 and at least a portion of the second surface of channel 14 respectively.

Figure 2 shows ladder bracket 20 installed on ladder 7, ladder bracket 20 being located at the point of attachment of ladder rung 5 to ladder side member 9.

Figure 3 and figure 4 shows ladder bracket 20 installed on ladder 7. Channel 14 receives ladder rung 5, the U shape of channel 14 being complementary to the cross-section of ladder rung 5. Apertures 2 receive known fixings 16 attaching ladder bracket 20 to the side member 9 of the ladder 7, the longitudinal axis of back plate 1 and the longitudinal axis of side member 9 being substantially parallel.

When installed non-metallic linings 12 and 13 abut the surfaces of side member 9 and rung 5 respectively thus preventing contact and undesirable interaction, e.g. galvanic corrosion, between the material of ladder bracket 20 and the material of ladder 7.

Figure 5 shows Jadder bracket 20 in use on ladder 7. In this example ladder 7 is a roofing ladder. It will be appreciated however that ladder bracket 20 may be used with other types of ladder.

A ladder bracket 20 is attached to each of two rungs 5 and 5', rungs 5 and 5' being located at the opposite ends of the section of ladder over which safety line 10 is required to be deployed. Safety line 10 may be a rope cable or other elongate body known to the skilled person. Each ladder bracket 20 is installed with back plate 1 extending in substantially the opposite direction to the safety line 10 attached to it.

Typically rungs 5 and 5' would respectively be the top and bottom rungs of ladder 7 with a single safety line 10 covering the whole length of ladder 7. However, multiple safety lines 10, each covering a section of the ladder, may be attached to a single ladder 7 using multiple pairs of ladder brackets 20 or a single safety line 10 could cover more than one ladder 7. Sections of a ladder 7 over which safety lines are deployed in this way may overlap, be contiguous or be separated. Ladder bracket 20 is reversible allowing installation on either or both side members 9 of ladder 7. Advantageously all combinations of safety line 10 deployment using ladder bracket 20 leave the central portion of rungs 5 free from obstruction.

A carabineer is used to attach the end of safety line 10 to ladder 7. A portion of the carabineer is received through the aperture defined by back plate 1, channel 14 and retainer 11 thus being restrained from sliding along the rung 5 of ladder 7. Having attached safety line 10 to each of rungs 5 and 5' known tensioning device 4 is used to tension safety line 10 as required. A user is attached to safety line 10 by known connector 6.

A force exerted on safety line 10 will be transmitted to channel 14 and thus to rung through the engagement of channel 14 with rung 5 and to side member 9 through retainer 11 back plate 1 and fixings 16. It is seen therefore that ladder bracket 20 spreads a force applied to safety line 10 between different parts of ladder 7 reducing the possibility of ladder 7 being damaged.

Although aspects of the invention have been described with reference to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiment shown and that various changes and modifications may be effected without further inventive skill and effort, for example ladder bracket 20 may comprise metal or high impact plastic and may be used in combination with roofing ladders, pole ladders, permanent and temporary ladders and ladders of many other types.

Claims

1. A ladder bracket for attachment to a ladder having an elongate side member and a plurality of rungs attached to and extending therefrom, the bracket comprising: a. a mounting member adapted for engagement with an elongate side member of a ladder; b. a rung engagement member attached to, and extending from, the mounting member, and adapted for engagement with a rung of such a ladder; and c. an attachment member which defines at least in part an aperture for receiving a safety line therethrough.

2. A ladder bracket according to Claim 1, wherein the attachment member extends between the rung engagement member and the mounting member.

3. A ladder bracket according to Claim 2, wherein the aperture for receiving a safety line therethrough is defined by the mounting member, rung engagement member and attachment member.

4. A ladder bracket according to Claim 1, wherein the attachment member extends from the mounting member such that the aperture for receiving a safety line therethrough is defined by the mounting member and the attachment member.

5. A ladder bracket according to Claim 1, wherein the attachment member extends from the rung engagement member such that the aperture for receiving a safety line therethrough is defined by the rung engagement member and attachment member.

6. A ladder bracket according to any preceding Claim, further provided with a liner adjacent at least a portion of a surface of the mounting member adapted to engage with a side member of a ladder.

7. A ladder bracket according to any preceding Claim, further provided with a liner adjacent at least a portion of a surface of the rung engagement member adapted for engagement with a rung of a ladder.

8. A ladder bracket according to Claim 6 or Claim 7, wherein the liner comprises a resilient material.

9. A ladder having an elongate side member and a plurality of rungs attached to an extending therefrom, the ladder further comprising at least one ladder bracket in accordance with any preceding Claim.

10. A ladder according to Claim 9, wherein the ladder bracket is integral with the ladder.

11. A ladder bracket substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A ladder substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.