US1177557A - Combined folding and rigid ladder. - Google Patents

Description

c. w. wHlTl-.- COMBINED FOLDI'NG AND RIGIDLADDER.

| ED 'MAYI 1 1,177,557. Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

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UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE a CHARLES w. WHITE, 0E EASI` ST. LOUIS, ILLINOIS.A

COMBINED vFOLDING AND :RIGID LADDER.

Speccation of Letters Patent. Patented 1131228, 1916.

Application led May 14, 1.915. Serial No. 28,198. i'

To all whom it mayconccrn v Y Be it known that I, CHARLES W. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of East St. Louis, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Folding andrRigid Ladders, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description,

reference being had to the accompanying" drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to improvementsV in.

ladders, and the object of my invention is to construct a ladder of a number of hinged sections whereby it may be folded to occupy a minimum of space when not in use, and to the end thatit may be carried to places for use where a nonefolding ladder could not Y suspended from an overhead point; Fig.

Vis a perspective of the ladder, partly folded, and partly extended, they extended part having its sections locked; and Fig; 3 is a sectional elevation of the hinge and lock.

Referring yby numerals to the accompanying drawings, 5 and G designate the side pieces of the ladder, each of which comprises a number of sections whose ends overlap and which overlapped ends are relatively hinged upon rounds 7. Y Y

As shown in Fig. 3, the'ends 8 of the rounds are reduced to receive the overlapped ends of the side pieces, which are coincidently perforated whereby to journal upon the reduced Vends of the rounds. The ends of the rounds after receiving the sides are upset or riveted to hold the sides in place:

By this arrangement the ladder comprises a series of sections each of which consists vof a pair of side pieces anda round, and it is to be observed` (see Fig, 2) that the side pieces of alternate sections have their ends occupying the iirst positions on thegournal .ends of the .rounds and `the ends of the re7 maining side pieces'- occupy the second positions on the journal ends. By this arrangement the sections will interfold to occupy a minimum of space, thepside pieces forming two independent stacks. `Thatis, at each side of the ladder the alternate side pieces, when folded,interpose independently of the .remaining side pieces. c

The side pieces at one end of the-ladder terminate in hooks 9, whereby the ladder may be suspended for use, as forkfire escape purposes. In this instance the ladder may Abe folded when not used and by reason of its compactness may be readily storedV at all times ready for instant use'.

y 7o some conveniently accessible place and be atV4 i Inv my drawings I have shown the iireescapeas being secured in awindow with its hooks engaging the inner facing of a window frame, the bodies of the first section resting on the window sill and the'remaining sections hanging down the side of a building, and leading to a place of safety, such as a window below, as shown.

On one of thel ladder sections, the sidev pieces carry spacers 10 which serve to hold the ladder from the wall of the building ing and. grip upon the rounds, which otherwise might so closely approach the wall as to render such footingandgrip extremely diiicult, and descent upon the ladder more hazardous.

In Figs. 2 and 8 I show a means whereby the ladder sections may be relatively locked when suspended, whereby to afford a foot-V against hinging, wherebyto make the ladder rigid so that it may be bodily elevated to an overhead position and either suspended by its hooks or otherwise held, for ascension thereupon. These locking means consist of a channel iron 11 Vcarried by each round and a nut threaded to each round. This thread is preferablyV a fast thread and I have inbuildingthe ladders exercised great Vcare in vthis thread cutting to insure freedom ofY movement of thenut over the thread of the round, so that the nut may spin7 from one position to another.

In the first and second sections of the ladder in Fig. 2, the locking channels are shown as embracing the overlapped ends of the side' pieces and the nuts brought to positions nioY When folded completely the spacers 10 engage the inner faces of the innermost side pieces and the hooks 9 engage the outer faces of the innermost side pieces and thus the ladder is held true and the hooks are by preference made to bear inwardly against the remaining side pieces to frictionally hold the ladder in a folded position.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new therein and desire to seeurey by Letters Patent of the United States therefor., iS. 1,

A ladder comprising rounds and Sectional side pieces whose` ends overlap and are piv-v otally secured to said rounds, means at the ends of said rounds for preventing 'movement of the side pieces axially relative to the rounds, a. channeled element pivotally carried by each round and free to move longitudinally thereof, whereby it may be brought to engage or be free from said side pieces and a nut threaded to the round kfor engagement with the channeled element.

-In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in presence of two subscribing iwitnesses.v

Y CHARLES WV. WHITE Witnesses:

E. L. ALLACE, R. Gr. OnwIG.

Copies of this. Patent may' le obtains@ for five nts each, by aflfressins the Commissioner 0f Patents, Washington, D, C3"

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