IL282106B2 - A pair of wheeled devices for use with a ladder - Google Patents

Description

Castor device pair for use with ladders Field of the Invention This invention relates to ladders.

Background of the Invention Israel Standard 1847 / EN 131 Part 1 entitled Ladders: Terms, types, functional sizes published November 2015 sets standards for a wide range of ladders from step ladders to extension ladders having a top reach of several meters, leaning ladders for leaning against a support in upright use, two-legged self-standing ladders, etc.Ladders include a pair of parallel stiles having rungs extending therebetween and means permanently attached to the bottoms of their parallel stiles for preventing slippage on a flat surface during upright use. Some ladders include stabilizers permanently attached to the bottoms of their parallel stiles for preventing slippage on a flat surface during upright use and also for stabilizing purposes. Some ladders have casters permanently attached to their parallel stiles for wheeling a generally horizontal ladder for assisting moving a ladder without having to lift its entire weight.

Summary of the Invention The present invention is directed towards a caster device pair for use with a ladder having a stabilizer for enabling wheeling the ladder while being held generally horizontal by a user for assisting moving the ladder without having to lift its entire weight. The caster device pair can also assist in loading and unloading a ladder onto a vehicle for transportation purposes. The caster device pair is designed to be securely assembled on a stabilizer in such a manner that the caster device pair does not interfere with upright use of a ladder. The caster device pair is universal insofar that it can be readily assembled on a wide range of leaning and self-standing ladders. The leaning and self-standing ladders can have single extensions or multiple extensions. The ladders can be made from wood, aluminum, etc.

Brief Description of the Drawings In order to understand the invention and to see how it can be carried out in practice, a preferred embodiment will now be described, by way of a non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which similar parts are likewise numbered, and in which:Fig. 1 is a pictorial view of a conventional leaning ladder with a stabilizer with anti-slip feet;Fig. 2 is a transverse cross section of the leaning ladder along line A-A in Figure 1; Fig. 3 is a pictorial view of a caster device;Fig. 4 is a pictorial view showing a caster device pair assembled on the leaning ladder’s stabilizer;Fig. 5 is a pictorial view showing the leaning ladder resting of the stabilizer in upright use;Fig. 6 is a pictorial view showing a user wheeling a generally horizontal leaning ladder resting on the caster device pair; and Fig. 7 is a pictorial view showing a self-standing ladder resting on the stabilizer in upright use.

Detailed Description of the Drawings Figure 1 shows a conventional leaning ladder 10 including a pair of parallel stiles 11 and a plurality of rungs 12 extending therebetween. The stiles 11 have a stile bottom 13 and a stile top 14 opposite the stile bottom 13. The ladder includes a stabilizer 16 attached to the stile bottoms 13. The stabilizer 16 has stabilizer ends 17 outwardly extending widthwise beyond the stile bottoms 13.

The stabilizer ends 17 are fitted with anti-slip feet 18 raising the stabilizer above a flat surface. Figure 2 shows the stabilizer 16 has a generally rectangular cross section with a major side co-directional with the ladder’s length and a minor side transverse to the ladder’s length.Figure 3 and Figure 4 show a caster device 20 includes a caster clamp for securely clamping on a stabilizer end 17 and a caster wheel 22 mounted on the caster clamp 21. The caster clamp 21 is preferably dimensioned to extend along a stabilizer end 17. The caster clamp 21 includes a major front plate 23, a major back plate 24 and a hinge 26 for hinging the major front plate 23 to the major back plate 24. The caster clamp 21 is shaped and dimensioned such that the hinge does not interfere with a stabilized ladder resting on its anti-slip feet 18 in its upright position. The major front plate 23 and the major back plate 24 bound an internal cavity 27 shaped and dimensioned for snugly accommodating a stabilizer end 17 in a clamped state of the caster device 20. The caster clamp 21 includes a clamping arrangement 28 for securing same on a stabilizer end. Suitable clamping arrangements 28 include a screw and nut, and the like. The caster device 20 is designed such that its caster wheel 22 is deployed above a stile bottom 13 on resting the ladder 10 on its stabilizer 16 in upright use.Figure 5 to Figure 7 show use of the caster device pair 20 as follows:Figure 5 shows the leaning ladder 10 resting on the stabilizer 16 and inclined against an upright wall at an angle α where 65° < α < 75° with respect to the horizontal in accordance with the afore-mentioned standard. The caster wheels 22 are above the stabilizer 16 and therefore do not interfere with the upright use.Figure 6 shows a user holding the leaning ladder 10 generally horizontal and resting on the caster wheel pair 22 for convenient wheeling.Figure 7 shows a self-standing ladder 30 having two legs 31 inclined at the same angle α where 65° < α < 75° with respect to the horizontal in accordance with the afore-mentioned standard. The self-standing ladder 30 rests on the stabilizer 16 with the caster wheels 22 above the stabilizer 16 and therefore not interfering with the upright use.

While particular embodiments of the present invention are illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (2)

IL282106/ Claims:

1. A caster device pair for use with a ladder including a pair of parallel stiles and a plurality of rungs extending therebetween, each stile having a stile bottom for placing on a flat surface and a stile top opposite the stile bottom, the ladder including a top rung extending between the pair of stile tops and a bottom rung extending between the pair of stile bottoms, the ladder including a stabilizer attached to the stile bottoms, the stabilizer having a stabilizer end pair outwardly extending widthwise beyond the stile bottoms, the ladder resting on the stabilizer in upright use, the caster device pair comprising a pair of caster devices for correspondingly clamping on the stabilizer end pair, said pair of caster devices being fixedly inclined away from the stabilizer toward the top rung, whereby the ladder rests on the stabilizer in upright use and rests on said caster wheel pair during wheeling a generally horizontal ladder.

2. The caster device pair according to claim 1 wherein each said caster device includes a hinged caster clamp for clamping on a stabilizer end and a caster wheel mounted on said caster clamp. 20