US1266466A - Ladder-adjusting means. - Google Patents

Description

H. G. HILL.l

LAnm-:mmusm MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I?, 1917. Patented May14,1918.

INVENTOI"I #any /577/ ATTORN EY UNITED sTATEs rA'rnN'r HARRY GUY HILL, or *WHITE ysALivroN,` WASHINGTON.

LADDER-ADJUST'ING To all whom imag/'concern Be' it known that I, HARRY G.' HILL, a

OneV of the {niainf'objects of the invention isv to provide|` av` clamping' device of vsimple construction andfopera'tion whichmay be readily'lappliedto a ladder vof standard construction.: A further object isrto provideay clamping-device and operating means therefor which may be quickly and-easily" moved and the extension piece mounted thereon so as to securelylock these-two members together. A still further object is to provide a clamp composed of a :minimum of parts which may be readily produced" at small cost. Further objects will appear from the detailed'description.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary side View of a ladder with the clamping means applied,

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

The leg 1 of the ladder is of usual construction being of rectangular shape in cross section. An extension piece 2 which is shaped similar to the leg 1 is mounted on the outer face of the leg so as to be slidable thereon. A metal plate 3 is iixedly secured to the outer face of extension piece 2 a. short distance from the upper end thereof. An outwardly extending stud 4 is xedly secured to strip 3 adjacent one end thereof, and the other end of the strip is provided with a central recess the sides of which form the two lateral guide fingers 5. An outer rectangular clamping jaw 6 is mounted about the extension piece 2 and the leg 1. The outer arm 7 of this jaw extends across the outer face of strip or piece 2 and is provided, at its rearward end, with a longitudinally extending slot 8 which loosely receives stud at, a limiting nut 9 being threaded on the stud in front of the arm. The front arm 10 of the jaw 6 extends across the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented" May 14, 191s.

Application medJuiy' 17, 191,7.' serial N.'1s'1',145.

front' ved'ges'of leg 1 and piece 2. Arm 10 is loosely mounted through an eye 11 formed atf-th'e front end of the inner jaw l2 which is straight, and which is toothed as at 15 so as to grip ladder' raill 1 tightly.y The eye 11 isdisposed at an angle to jaw 12, as shown, and the outer bar of this'eye is in close en'- gagement with the front edge of arm 10' of jaw; 6; By forcing the arm 7 of the jaw away from extension piece 2,l the outward pressure on this arm, being exerted intermediate the ends thereof,' the arm willv be caused'to rock about the stud 4, thus swinging arm 10 outward and forwardwhich results in forcing jaw 12 into tigh't engagement with the inner face ofl leg 1, the' eye 11 being in biting'en'gagement with'arin 10,'as clearly-shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Vhenthe outer jaw of the clamp is operated in thisl manner, the ladder leg and extension piece are firmly secured together, as in Fig. 2 of tl1'edrawings,'the eyell being forced into biting engagement with member 10;

A wedge disk`16 is rotatably mounted on plate 3 on ya headed pin 17 securedl at the longitudinal center-of the' plate.' This disk tapers diametrically in thickness, as shown, and is providedwith an integral operating handle 18. By turning the disk so as to force the thickened portion thereof beneath arm 7 of outer clamp jaw 6, the forward portion of the aw will be swung outwardly and forwardly in the manner described, the edge of nut 9 acting as a fulcrum point for this operation of the jaw. This results in swinging front arm 10 of jaw 6 forwardly and outwardly forcing the jaw 12 toward the leg 1 so as to tightly grip the same. During this operation, the front arm 10 of jaw 6 is in engagement with the front edge of piece 2 so as to prevent forward movement of the same.

As will be noted more particularly from Fig. 1 ofthe drawings, the wedge disk 16 is positioned intermediate the plate 3 and the outer arm of the outer jaw, and the handle 18 for operating this disk is so disposed that, when the outer jaw has been forced outwardly to its extreme position, the handle is disposed substantially in parallelism with the extension piece 2. This avoids all unnecessary projections, such as would interfere with the use of the device on a ladder for the purpose specified, while producing a clamp capable of exerting a comparatively great *clamping effect due to the sake of clearness in description, but it pliedto the ladder leg and vextension piece the fact that the'outer arm of the outer jaw is fulcruined at its outer end, the wedge disk being positioned inside of the fulcrum c to piece 2 and lits about th-erearward edge of leg 1 a short distance below the clamp.

This bracket actsto secure the leg 1 against rearward movement independently of the extension piece 2 thus insuring that the toothed inner surface of the clamping jaw 12v will engage tightly with the inner face of the ladder rail 1. A pin 20 is inserted through the inner end of the forward arm 10 of outer clamping jaw 6 and serves to 4 prevent complete withdrawal` of this arm from eye 11. Y

In describing the application of the clamp I have referred to the various surfaces of the leg 1 and the extension piece Zas inner and outer, and forward and rearward, for

will be obvious that the clamp may be ap# in any preferred manner.

In using my device an extension piece 2 is mounted oneach leg or rail of the ladder.

I These extension pieces may be quickly and easilyv adjusted independently longitudinally of the'l'adder rails by -the clamping means above described."1This vrenders it possible to adjust the effective length of each rail of theladder 'so as to overcome any unevenness inthe ground or surface upon which the ladder rests thus insuring a true and accurate set oftheladder. It will be obvious that the extension piece 2 can be of any desired length andcan be secured on jtheladder rail at any. desired the ends thereof.

WhatI claim is point intermediate -In ladder adjustingmeans, a--clamping device com rising .aninner clam in 'aw provided at Lone end with an integral eye, a plate adapted to be secured to an eXten` sion piece slida-ble onaladder'rail `so as to Vary Ythe effective ylength thereof, an outer rectangular or L-shaped clamping jaw hav-` ing its outer arm extending in parallelism with said inner' jaw .and loosely secured at its outer end to saidplate adjacent one end thereof, the inner arm of said outer jaw beingl inserted through l saidl eye, and ka wedge member rotatably mounted between said plate andthe louter. arm of theI outer.y

jaw for rocking said jaw upwardly away.

from the plate.` p

In testimony whereof I afix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. HARRY GUY HILL. jWitnesses:

H. L. DEOKERT, i C. H. ESTES. j

Copiesl of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, byk alidresisingk the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

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