US1314201A - Folding laddeb - Google Patents

Description

L. E. MOORE.

FOLDING LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.20| |9J5- RENEWED MN. 9, I9l9.

1,3 14,201. Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

[- 2 SHEETS-SHEET lgnocnfoz L. E. moons.

FOLDING LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 20, I9|5- RENEWED JAN. 9, l9l9- Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAVERN E. MOORE, OF PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA.

FOLDING LADDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 20, 1915, Serial No. 62.571. Renewed January 9, 1919. Serial No. 270,438.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAVERN E. MOORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Palo Alto, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Ladders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in ladders of the collapsible or folding type and resides in the provision of a simple, inexpensive and efficient folding ladder that may be readily and easily moved into extended or folded position and when folded will take up little room.

Another object is to provide novel bracing means for the base of the ladder that will operate to securely brace the ladder when in extended position and may be folded with the ladder.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out as claimed.

With reference to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the ladder as it would appear when in extended position,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the ladder as it would appear when in partly folded position,

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the ladder as it would appear when in folded position and being partly broken away,

Fig. 4 is a view of both of the joint members for connecting the rungs to the side rails of the ladder,

Fig. 5 is a detail plan View of one of the joint members to cooperate with the members illustrated in Fig. 4,

. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the hinge connecting the ladder sections enlarged, and

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional'view of the folding ladder.

V Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the numerals 1 and 2 designate respectively the upper and lower sections of a ladder. The upper section includes side rails 3, and the lower section includes side rails 4. The side rails 3 and 1 of the respective sections are connected by rungs 5. The rungs in the upper section 1 are different from the rungs 5 in the lower section in that they are cylindrical instead of fiat and connected "by a different styl'e of connecting member as will be later more fully described.

The sections 1 and 2 are hingedly connected with each other by box hinges 3 which are formed in the nature of a rectangular receptacle with the ends open and have one side wall cut and extended at right angles for a distance equivalent to approximately half the length of the side walls and hingedly connected as at 6 with the other part of the side wall to provide ahinge leaf 7. The hinge leaf 7 is secured upon one face each of the side rails 3 of the upper section 1 and said side rails of the upper section are designed to be extended within the adjacent open ends of the body portion of the hinge.

The body portions of the hinges are secured by suitable fastening elements 8 so that approximately one-half of each body portion is disposed above the lower section and is thus capable of receiving the lower ends of the side rails 3 of the upper section 1. This provides a comparatively rigid joint and obviates possibility of collapsing of the ladder when in extended position.

Hingedly secured as at 9 upon the outer faces of the side rails 4 of the lower section 2 are bracing legs 10 that extend outwardly and downwardly from said side rails 4 and are connected with each other by means of to one another and arranged at the opposite faces of said legs 10. The bars 11 are rigidly secured to the lower rung of the lower section 2 and the lower ends of the side rails 4 of the said lower section 2 extends between the bars 11. The bars 11 which are arranged in parallelism are spaced apart to receive the lowerportion of the ladder and the said bars 11 which are pivoted at their connecting bars 11 which bars are opposed ends at 12 to the legs 10 are connected intermediate of their ends with the ladder at the lower end of the lower section and they are adapted to move with the lowermost rung of the ladder as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the outer ends thereof are" U shaped holding members or keepers 14 that are designed to receive the legs 10 and limit their movement outwardly. Pins 15 are removably inserted throughthe keepers 14 at points adjacent to the ends thereof and into the legs 10-s o that the legs are limited as to inward movement when: the pinsxare in position. It will thusv be seen that the ladder when in extended opposed faces of the side. rails;

position and the legs 10 positionedas described theladder will be. prevented. fromtoppling over sidewise and a, firm footing therefor provided since: the legs 10. engage. the ground and the side. bars 4 are. spaced therefromi f Therungs 5. on;the;lower section 2 are connected by suitable hinges: 16? with the side. rails 4 and are approximately flat. Preferably the. hinges consist of removable sockets to receive theends of the rungs and a. stationary hinge leaf to. be secured to the left end of each of the lower rungs 5 the hinges 1.6 are secured upon the upper. faces of said rungs and permit upward movement only, from horizontal position of said rungs. The hinges are arranged in: reversed form on the other ends of said rungs and"v it will thus be seen that looking action is provided that will prevent collapsing of the ladder when in extended: position.

The upper rungs 5'are cylindrical and at each end carry small joint members which consist of shanks, 17 that are extended into the ends of said rungs and have annular heads 18 thereon.v The socket members consistof similar members 19' and 20 each of which consists of a shank 21 and an approximately semi-spherical head 22 that is formed'adj acent to its periphery with an arcuate recess 23 formed by cutting away a portion of said periphery. The members 19' and 20 are designed to be secured to one another after the heads 18' are placed therebetweem The shanks 17 are slidable in the recesses 23 which aline with one another when the members 19 and'i2 0 are placed in position. The shanks 21 are inserted in the opposed facesxof the side rails 3 of the upper" section 1 and pins 24 are inserted transversely through said side rails and the shanks 21 and' hold said members 19 and-20 against rotation and securely in position. The recesses 23"form slots which are so arranged as to permit movement offthe rungs 5' of the upper section relative'tothe side rails.

"When it isdesired to fold or collapsethe ladder, the pins 15' are removed} and the legs 10-are then free toswing in and engage theopposed faces of the side rails 3 of? the lower section as shownin Fig; 2; The upper On the nally with respect to the lower section the hinges of" the two sections are not. arranged to: permitv the parts to fold in unison. but counteract. each other and form-a. lock to prevent. the latter from collapsing laterally By'this construction the ladder isiautomatically locked, andfirmlyretained in opera-- tive position and effectively prevented from:

collapsing when arranged for use.

The rungs 5 when .the ladder is. folded or collapsed are interposed between the side rails and the bars 11 engage upon the side faces of the side rails and legs 10.

In practice, I have found that the form of my invention illustrated in the drawings and referred tom the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most efiicient and practical, yet realizing. that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various. minor changes in details of construction, proportion.- and'arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when requiredwithout sacrificing any of the advantages of my. invention, as set forth.

What is claimed is 1. A folding ladder comprising spaced side rails-and rungs hinged to theside rails to permit the same tocollapse or fold laterally, inclined braces hinged at their upper ends to the side rails at the outer face of the same and: extending downwardly beyond the lower end of the ladder, and horizontally disposed connecting bars arranged in parallelism and pivotally connected at their outer ends to the inclined braces intermediate of the ends thereof and connected between their endswith the lower end of' the ladder-,.said ladder being extended downwardly between the parallel connecting bars so as to be braced by the same, said connecting bars and inclined braces being arranged to fold flat against the ladder when the same is folded. V a y 2-. A folding ladder comprising side rails, rungs hinged at their ends to the side rails and arranged to permit the ladder to collapse or-fold laterally, inclined braces hinged at their upper ends to the outer faces of the side rails and diverging downwardly beyond the lower ends of the said'side-rails [L -shaped keepers embracing; and pivotally mounted on the inclined. braces at points inpins piercing the said keepers and adapted termedliate of the ends thereof, parallel to hold the braces against inward movement. 10

transverse connecting bars receiving the In testimony whereof I affix my signature lower end of the ladder and connected with in presence of two witnesses.

the same, said parallel bars being pivoted LAVERN E, MOORE. at their ends to the said keepers, and fold Witnesses: able with the inclined braces flat against C. W. MOORE,

- the ladder when the ladder is collapsed, and E. K. GARLIEPP.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0'1 Patents, Washington, D. 0.

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