GB387401A - An improved loft ladder - Google Patents

Abstract

387,401. Loft-ladders. GRANT, C. M., 112, Carlton Gardens, Crookston, Glasgow- Aug. 18, 1931, No. 23210. [Class 20 (ii).] A collapsable loft-ladder or folding stairway carries means at its upper end which slidably engage with stationary, parallel, inclined guides, the engagement being such that the collapsed ladder is free to swing into a substantially vertical position away from the loft door when raised clear of the loft floor. In the form shown, the ladder comprises three sections 1, 2, 3, which are hinged together about hinges 4, 5. Brackets 11 are carried by the side rails of the uppermost section 3 and slidably engage with guides 12 extending between the loft floor 10 and a member 13 on the roof rafters 14. The ladder is counterbalanced by weights 15 which are connected by cables 16 to the brackets 11. The ladder is raised and lowered by cord 18, one end of which is attached to the section 2 while the other end is connected to the lowermost rung or to a cross-piece of the section 3. A detachable cord 21 is used to effect the connection between the cord 18 and the section 2. Upon operating the cord 18, the sections first rotate until they lie face to face. The collapsed ladder then moves bodily upwards upon the guides 12 until the lower end thereof is clear of the loft floor. The apertures in the brackets 11 are sufficiently loose upon the guides to enable the ladder then to swing into a substantially vertical position, Fig. 4, on the loft floor. A roller 26 facilitates the raising and lowering operations. A detachable pin is adapted to pass through holes in plates on the abutting ends of the sections 2, 3 to keep these sections in alignment when the ladder is extended.