NZ540400A - An adjustable tray for supporting tools and equipment, such as tins of paint, on a ladder - Google Patents

Abstract

A tray 1, for a ladder, comprises a body, the body being configured to be capable of storing and/or supporting equipment such as tools and tins of paint. A connector 10a, 10b releasably attaches the tray 1 to the ladder. The body includes at least two body portions 3a, 3b which are connected to one another so as to allow the length and/or width of the tray 1 to be altered by relative movement of the body portions with respect to one another.

Description

PATENTS FORM NO. 5 Fee No. 4: $250.00 PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION After Provisional No: 540400 Dated: 2 June 2005 A TRAY FOR A LADDER I, Arthur Edward PICTON, a New Zealand citizen of 31/2 Gulf Crest, Bucklands Beach, Howick, Auckland, NEW ZEALAND hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: C..V-1 1 James & Wells Ref: 230781/53 " - j f , J '* . " i " ■ - - .J j A TRAY FOR A LADDER TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to a tray which may be used with a ladder.

BACKGROUND ART A problem often associated with working on or up a ladder is the lack of space or means for storing or supporting items such as hand-tools, implements, paint tins, screws/nails/hooks, and the like (herein: "equipment"). With such a lack of storage or supporting means, the accidental dropping or bumping of a piece of equipment(s) to the floor is all too common, and having to retrieve the equipment thereafter is of considerable 10 nuisance value. This is particularly so if an open paint tin were to be dropped or bumped off a ladder.

In recognition of this problem, pouches or belts for carrying equipment are often worn by people working on or up ladders. However, such pouches or belts can become quite heavy when carrying a lot of equipment and difficulty may be experienced when digging 15 around in the pouch for a nail or screw for example. Furthermore, hand tools which may dangle from a belt may get in the way of a wearers' legs, and/or catch on the ladder. Moreover, pouches or belts may not be used to support equipment such as paint tins.

Trays or platforms designed for attachment to ladders are also known and may be used to support the type of equipment mentioned above. However, such trays or platforms 20 often have relatively complicated and time-consuming attachment means, and are often designed for use with only one type or design of ladder. Moreover, such trays or platforms can usually only be attached to a substantially vertical portion of a ladder, and cannot be attached to, say, the substantially horizontal top surface of a folded-down ladder. Furthermore, such trays or platforms are often quite bulky and they may therefore inhibit the movement of a person up or down the ladder.

All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are 5 hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinence of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein; this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these 10 documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.

It is acknowledged that the term 'comprise' may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, the term 'comprise' shall have an inclusive meaning - i.e. 15 that it will be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components it directly references, but also other non-specified components or elements. This rationale will also be used when the term 'comprised' or 'comprising' is used in relation to one or more steps in a method or process.

It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to 20 provide the public with a useful choice.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only. 3 James & Wells Ref: 230781/53 DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION According to the broadest aspect of the present invention there is provided a tray for a ladder, said tray comprising:- (a) a body, said body configured to be capable of storing and/or supporting 5 equipment; and (b) at least one connector for releasably attaching said tray to said ladder.

In one preferred embodiment, the body of the tray may be one piece, and may be integrally formed. The tray may be made of any suitable material such as wood, plastic, or metal. The tray may be provided with carrying means such as a handle. According to 10 a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a tray for a ladder, said tray comprising:- (a) a body, said body configured to be capable of storing and/or supporting equipment; and (b) at least one connector for releasably attaching said tray to said ladder, characterised in that the body includes at least two portions wherein said portions are connected to one another so as to allow the length and/or width of the tray to be altered by relative movement of the portions with respect to one another.

In another preferred embodiment, the body of the tray may comprise two complementary portions which may be releasably interlocked. The portions may also be movable or 20 slidable with respect to each other whereby the width or length of the tray may be varied for use with ladders of different dimensions and/or designs. Any means for accomplishing the aforesaid may be used. 4 James & Wells Ref: 230781/53 According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a tray for a ladder as aforesaid, wherein the body of said tray includes at least two portions, wherein the tray further includes an interlocking arrangement to releasably fix the width, or length of said tray, once it has been altered to the desired dimension.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a tray for a ladder as aforesaid, wherein the body of said tray includes two portions, the first of said two portions being provided with channels or grooves along opposing sides thereof, said channels or grooves being adapted to receive the second of said two portions, said two portions being moveable along said channels or grooves, thus providing releasable 10 interlocking of said two portions and allowing for alteration of the width or length of said tray.

Alternatively, or additionally to the channels or grooves, one of the two portions may be provided with runners, on opposing sides thereof, and with holes cut therein, and the second portion may be provided with a series of holes cut through opposing sides 15 thereof, whereby the runners of the first portion may be attached to the second portion by matching up the holes of the runners with the holes cut through the second portion, and passing a bolt or tie there through, thereby releasably interlocking the two portions.

For the purposes of the specification the term "runners" or grammatical variations thereof may refer to a device in or on which something slides or moves, or similar.

Another alternative, or addition, would be to have one of the two portions fitted with a spring-loaded pin type system, the other portion being provided with a series of holes cut therein. The two portions being aligned, so that the two portions may be interlocked at a desired point, via the pin passing through a hole to prevent any further relative movement of the portions.

James & Wells Ref: 230781/53 Each or both of the tray portions may be provided with means for preventing accidental disengagement of the two portions, such as an end stop or the like.

With regard to the above it can be seen that the two tray portions may be releasably interlocked and/or rendered movable or slidable with respect to each other.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a tray for a ladder as aforesaid, wherein said tray is further provided with a handle.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a tray for a ladder substantially as described above wherein each of said two portions is provided with complementary sections of a handle, wherein said sections are connected to one 10 another to allow the length of the handle to be altered. In another embodiment, each handle may have at least one section which is movable or slidable with respect to the tray portions. In addition the handles may in some embodiments be adapted so that the height can be varied.

The two sections of the handle may be interlocked by any means such as those 15 previously mentioned in relation to interlocking the two tray portions. One convenient means is to have at least one handle section hollow and the other handle section adapted to fit inside the hollow handle section and be slidable therein. The two sections may be interlocked by a spring-loaded pin type system.

The handle sections may be made of any material, although aluminium is preferred.

Each or both of the handle sections may be provided with at least one connector for releasably attaching the tray to the rungs or side pieces of a substantially vertical part of a ladder. Any connector for attaching the tray onto the rungs of a ladder may be used, and such connector(s) may be adjustable or flexible so that they may accommodate rungs of 6 James & Wells Ref: 230781/53 differing shapes and dimensions. For example, hooks may be used, made of a suitably flexible and deformable material. Furthermore, the hooks may be detachable from the handle and/or replaced with hooks of a different shape to accommodate ladder rungs of different dimensions/designs.

In a preferred embodiment there is provided a tray for a ladder as aforesaid, wherein tray includes two hooks.

According to a further aspect there is provided a tray having complimentary sections of a handle substantially as described above wherein the handle includes an interlocking arrangement to releasably fix the length of said handle once it has been altered to the 10 desired dimension.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a tray for a ladder as aforesaid, wherein tray includes at least one adjustable plate, said plate being attached to the underside of said tray, and said plate being adapted to be attachable to said top portion of a folded-down ladder, thereby securing said tray to said top portion.

The tray may also be adapted to be releasably attachable to the substantially horizontal top surface of a folded-down step ladder. Any means for attaching the tray to the top surface of such a step ladder may be used, although one convenient means may comprise at least one stepped metal plate attached to the bottom of the tray or tray portions by a wing nut, bolt, pin, or the like. The depth of the stepped metal plate may be 20 adjustable to accommodate top surfaces of different thicknesses. Alternatively the tray may be releasably attachable to the substantially horizontal top surface of a folded-down step ladder by a wing nut, bolt, pin, or the like. 7 James & Wells Ref: 230781/53 The parts of the tray which abut the ladder or rungs of the ladder in addition to the connector(s), may have further means to engage the ladder, such as ties, clips, hook and loop fastener, or the like, to further support the tray with respect to the ladder and to prevent slippage of the tray with respect to the ladder. In general this part of the tray 5 which abuts the ladder, or rungs, may be a side or bottom of the body of the tray.

The body of the tray may comprise any number of compartments, of any shape or configuration, for storing equipment of different types/sizes. These compartments may be able to be readily altered in shape or in size by any means. For example, the compartments may be formed from slats of metal which may be adapted to slide down 10 complimentary slots in the sides of the tray or tray portions. These slats may be withdrawn or added as required or desired.

There may also be provided any number or arrangement of attachments to the sides or top of the tray providing means for accommodating further equipment or equipment of special sizes. For example, the top of the tray may be grooved to receive fluorescent 15 light tubes lengthwise. Alternatively, or additionally, hooks may be placed around the side of the tray to accommodate some appropriate equipment.

The inner surface of the tray may also be adapted to accommodate or receive equipment of different dimensions/designs. For example, open paint tins may be placed in the tray and retained therein, thus negating the chance of them being accidentally knocked or 20 bumped to the ground.

In the embodiment of the present invention which comprises two tray portions, the tray may be sold in kit set form, to be assembled by a buyer. 8 James & Wells Ref: 230781/53 It is also envisaged that the tray may be also used as a tool box, separately to its use with a ladder.

Thus, preferred embodiments of the present invention may have a number of advantages over the prior art which includes convenient and relatively safe storage of equipment 5 when working up a ladder, ease of releasably attaching a tray to a ladder, a means of adjusting the width of the tray and associated handle to accommodate equipment of different dimensions and quantity, attachment of a tray to a substantially vertical portion of a ladder or a horizontal top surface of a fold down ladder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Aspects of the present 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 one possible embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2: is a side view of one possible embodiment of the present invention when attached to a substantially vertical portion of a ladder; Figure 3: is a plan view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figure 4: is a perspective view of the tray of Figure 1 when attached to the 20 rung of a substantially vertical portion of a ladder; Figure 5: is a bottom view of one possible embodiment of the present invention; 9 James & Wells Ref: 230781/53 Figure 6: is a perspective view of the tray of Figure 1 when attached to the substantially horizontal top surface of a folded down step ladder; Figure 7: is an exploded perspective view of one possible embodiment of the present invention, and, Figure 8: is a perspective close up view of the interlocking portion of the tray of the embodiment shown in Figure 1.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION With respect to the Figures 1 to 8 there is shown a tray for a ladder generally indicated by arrow 1. The tray 1 comprises a body generally indicated by arrow 2.

The body 2 comprises two tray portions 3a, b. The two portions 3a, b are formed from sheet metal (steel) and joined at their vertical portions 7 by spot welds.

The tray portion 3a is provided with a channel 4 along opposing sides 5a, b thereof, the channel 4a being adapted to receive tray portion 3b. The tray portions 3a, b are releasably interlocked along the channel 4. The tray portions 3a,b are also movable or 15 slidable with respect to each other along the channel 4, whereby the length of the tray 1 may be varied for use with ladders of different dimensions and/or designs. For example, the length of the tray may be lengthened by moving the tray portions 3a, b apart in the directions shown by arrows 6a, b.

The channel 4 is formed by folding over the top portion of the sheet metal comprising the 20 opposing sides 5a, b of the tray portion 3a.

There is also provided a handle generally indicated by arrow 8, which comprises two complimentary half portions 9a, b. The portion 9a is attached to the tray portion 3a, and James & Wells Ref: 230781/53 the portion 9b is attached to the tray portion 3b. Both portions 9a, b are hollow and the portion 9b is adapted to fit inside the portion 9a, and be slidable therein. The two portions are releasably interlocked by a spring-loaded pin type system (obscured). This system, allows for the length of the handle 8 to be varied in conjunction with the varying of the 5 length of the tray 1, as aforesaid.

The handle sections 9a, b also double as carrying means, and are made from plastic.

Each handle section 9a, b is provided with a hook 10a, b for attaching the tray 1 to the rungs 11 of a substantially vertical ladder 12 (Figures 4 & 6). The hooks 10a, b are made of aluminium, and are therefore quite flexible. The hooks 10a, b are detachable from the 10 handle sections 9a, b.

The faces 13a, b of the tray 1 are adapted to abut against the ladder 12 to provide further support.

The underside 14 of the tray 1 is provided with two bolts 15a, b which pass through apertures 16a,b to realisably secure the tray 1 to the horizontal top surface 17 of the 15 ladder 18. to the bottom of the tray 1 via bolts 16a, b horizontal top surface 17 of a folded-down step ladder 18. The plates 15a, b realisably secures tray 1 to the horizontal op surface 17 of the ladder 18.

There are provided in the half trays 3a, b compartments 19a, b. These compartments 20 19a, b may be used to store small items such as screws or nails or whatever.

Any other objects such as paint tins, hand tools etc may be placed in the main part of the tray generally indicated by arrow 20. 11 James & Wells Ref: 230781/53 As can be seen from Figure 4, the tray 1 once attached to a ladder 12 does not protrude very far out from the ladder 12, and therefore does not hinder or get in the way of a person working on the ladder.

As can be seen from Figure 7, each handle section 9a and 9b are detachable from 5 handle face plate portions 21a and 21b. In addition the hooks 10a and 10b are detachable from handle sections 9a and 9b respectively and fixed by grooves 22a and 22b. The handle sections 9a and 9b are inserted into channels 23a and 23b in tray halves 3a and 3b.

The handle sections 9a,b are connected so as to allow the length of the handle to be 10 altered whereby the handle section 9c integrated with handle section 9b is slidably housed within handle section 9a. An interlocking arrangement consisting of grooves 24 in handle section 9a and tab 25 in handle section 9c, releasably fixes the length of said handle section 9c once it has been altered to the desired dimension.

Tray half 3a is provided with a channel 4 and associated grooves 26 which are adapted to 15 receive the tray half 3b whereby the two tray portions 3a,b are movable relative to one another via the grooves of tray half 3a releasably interlocking with tray half 3b allowing for alteration of the width or length of said tray.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it will be appreciated that modifications and additions thereto may be made without departing 20 from the spirit or scope thereof.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims. 12 James & Wells Ref: 230781/53

Claims (38)

f WHAT l/WE CLAIM IS:

1. A tray for a ladder, said tray comprising: (a) a body, said body configured to be capable of storing and/or supporting equipment; and 5 (b) at least one connector for releasably attaching said tray to said ladder, characterised in that the body includes at least two body portions wherein said body portions are connected to one another so as to allow the length and/or width of the tray to be altered by relative movement of the body portions with respect to one another.

2. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tray is further provided with 10 a handle attached to the body.

3. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein the tray is made of any suitable material such as wood, plastic, or metal.

4. A tray for a ladder as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the body of said tray comprises two body portions. 15

5. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 4 wherein at least one of said body portions is provided with means for releasably interlocking said body portions, and said body portions being moveable along said means, whereby the width or length of said tray is varied.

6. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claims 5, wherein the means for releasably 20 interlocking said body portions is channels or grooves along opposing sides thereof, said 13 Intellectual Property Office of N.Z. 1 1 OEC 2007 RECEIVED channels or grooves being adapted to receive a second body portion, said body portions being moveable along said channels or grooves.

7. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 5 wherein the means for releasably interlocking said body portions are runners provided on of the body portions on opposing 5 sides thereof, and with holes cut therein, with a second body portion provided with a series of holes cut through opposing sides thereof, whereby the runners of the first body portion is attached to the second body portion by matching up the holes of the runners with the holes cut through the second body portion, and passing a bolt or tie there through, thereby interlocking the two body portions. 10

8. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 5 wherein the means for releasably interlocking said body portions is a spring-loaded pin type system provided on one of the body portions, the other portion being provided with a series of holes cut therein so that a second body portion may be interlocked at a desired point.

9. A tray for a ladder as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 8 wherein each or both of 15 the body portions is provided with means for preventing accidental disengagement of the body portions.

10. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 9 wherein the means for preventing accidental disengagement of the body portions is an end stop, or the like.

11. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 4 wherein said body portions are provided 20 with complementary sections of a handle.

12. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 11 wherein at least one of said sections being provided with means for releasably interlocking said sections, and said sections 14 Intellectual Property Office of N.Z, 1 1 OEC 2007 RECEIVED being moveable along said means, whereby the length of said carrying means may be varied in conjunction with the varying of the width or length of said tray.

13. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 11 wherein each of said sections is movable or slidable with respect to the body portion of the tray whereby the height of the 5 handle may be varied.

14. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 12 wherein at least one of said sections is hollow and the other section adapted to fit inside the hollow section and be slidable therein.

15. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 12 wherein one of the said sections is fitted 10 with a spring-loaded pin type system, the other section being provided with a series of holes cut therein so that a second section may be interlocked at a desired point.

16. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 11 wherein the handle is made of any material such as wood, plastic or metal.

17. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 16 wherein the handles is made of 15 aluminium.

18. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 11 wherein the tray is provided with at least one connector for releasably attaching the tray to the rungs or side pieces of a substantially vertical part of a ladder.

19. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 18 wherein the connector is attached to at 20 least one handle section.

20. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 18 wherein the hooks is detachable from said handle sections. Intellectual Property Office of N.Z. 1 1 £)£C 2007 received

21. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 18, wherein the connector is a hook.

22. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 21 wherein the said tray includes two hooks.

23. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 22 wherein the hooks are replaced with 5 hooks of a different shape to accommodate ladder rungs of different dimensions or designs.

24. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 22 wherein the connector is made of any material such as rubber, plastic, or the like.

25. A tray for a ladder as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein said tray is 10 further provided with a securing means for attaching said tray to the substantially horizontal top surface of a ladder.

26. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 25, wherein said securing means for attaching said tray to said ladder is provided by at least one adjustable plate, said plate being attached to the underside of said tray or tray body portion, and said plate being 15 attachable to said top portion of a ladder.

27. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claims 25 or 26 wherein the securing means is a wing nut, screw, bolt, pin or the like.

28. A tray for a ladder as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 27 wherein the parts of the tray which abut the ladder or rungs of the ladder have a further means to engage the 20 ladder.

29. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 28 wherein the parts of the tray which abut the ladder or rungs of the ladder are ties, clips, hook and loop fastener, or the like. Intellectual Property 16 Office of N.Z. 1 1 DEC 2007 RECEIVED

30. A tray for a ladder as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 29 wherein the body of the tray comprises at least one compartment, of any shape or size, for storing equipment of different types and/or sizes.

31. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 30 wherein the compartments are able to 5 be readily altered in shape or in size by a dividing means.

32. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 30 wherein the dividing means are slats of metal which may be adapted to slide down complimentary slots in the sides of the tray or tray portions.

33. A tray for a ladder as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 32 wherein the tray body 10 has at least one attachment providing means for accommodating further equipment.

34. A tray for a ladder as claimed in claim 33 wherein the attachment providing means are grooves, hooks, or the like.

35. A tray for a ladder as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 34 wherein the inner surface of the tray may also be adapted to accommodate or receive equipment of 15 different dimensions/designs.

36. A tray for a ladder as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 35 wherein the tray may be also used as a tool box, separately to its use with a ladder.

37. A tray for a ladder as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 36 wherein the tray is sold as a kitset. 20

38. A tray for a ladder substantially as herein described and illustrated with reference to anyone of the accompanying drawings 1 to 7. 17 Intellectual Property Office of N.Z 1 1 DEC 2007 RECEIVED ARTHUR EDWARD PICTON By his Attorneys 0 y yj J2»—^ JAMES & WELLS