US1401526A - Ladder - Google Patents

Description

F. M. DE SAUSSURE, IR;

LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 2I, I919.

Patented D00. 27, 1921.

2 8HEIITSSHEET I anuewtoi fitter Mu O II LIIIIIIIIII llc L I I I I I II EN. DE SAUSSURE, JR. LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21.1919- 7 1,401,526, Patented Dec. 27, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK DE SAUSSURE, JR., OF GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA.

ToaZZ whom z't may concern Be it known that LFRANK M; onsAos SURE, J r., a citizen of the United States, and

into small compass for storage or transport and withal presenting that it is extremely strong irrespectiveof its weight and material of whichjit is made.

Another ob'ectis to provide a ladder as characterized with means for rendering it 25 y y y which will be rendered secure and safe rigid and safe when in use. d 1

Another object is to provide such a ladder with meansfor looking it in open or closed condition. 1

Another object is to provide a ladder that may be used on an uneven. surface and against accidental collapse when so used.

"With these and other objects in view, my invention conslstsm certain novel features of constructlon, arrangement'and combination of parts as will be hereinafter fully described andpointed out in the claims, reference being had tothe accompanying draw-C in s forming a part hereof, in whichigure 1 is a front elevation of the ladder f as in use, i

der and tion.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the rungs, a

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a locking device used, a y d Fig.4 is avertical section showing lad parts in folded or collapsed condi- Fig.5 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation showing a locking detail,

Fig. 6 is aifrontelevation of the detail shown in Fig. 5,

Fig.7 is a fragmentary front elevation showing locking detail when ladderis collapsed. i a

Fig. 8 is atransverse section through rails when collapsed, and at the point where upper locking means is applied.

While my improvements are sus eptible of expression in a variety of forms, I have selected as apractical embodiment the in- LADDER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 27, 1921. Application filed Mai-ch 21, 1919. Serial No. 284,049.

strumentalities disclosed in the drawings annexed hereto, the claims defining the scope of the invention.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, l0 and 11 designate the two side rails of the ladder, said rails being counterparts of each other, but reversed as to each other. The upper end of rail 10 is solid and presents a block like formation 10 which has a beveled shoulder 10 at the lower end of the block, while the rail 11 has the block like formation 11? at its lower end, the upper end of the block being provided with the beveled shoulder il the bevel. being the reverse of that of shoulder 10. It will thus be seen that each rail has a. relatively narrow body portion with one wide end.

The lower end of the narrow portion of rail 10 is beveled as shown at 10?, the bevel corresponding to the bevel 11 while the upper end of narrow portion of rail 11 is beveled as at 11, the bevel corresponding to bevel shoulder 10*;

with a series of curved recesses 12 corresponding in number to the number of. rungs to be used inthe makeup of the ladder, each of the recesses having inclined floors l3; therecesses on one rail have their deeper ends atthe bottom, while the recesses of the opposite rail have their deepest ends at the top of the recesses.

By this construction when the side rails are folded together, as in Fig. 4, the recesses with thereversely inclined floors come together and form chambers of uniform transverse form and area, in which will be housed the rungs 14. which will occupy an oblique position with respect to the'side rails.

The rungs 14, any number of which may be usedQcomprise round bars made usually of wood, provided at each end with a metal thimble or ferrule 15 tightly fitted thereon, and through the thimbles and the inclosed ends of the wood rungs, holes 16 are drilled, the holes passing horizontally and entirely throughthe rungs and the thimble. The thimbles are then placed in the recesses of the side rails abutting the shoulders 17 formed by the enlarged ends of the inclined recesses; they are then pivotally held at these points by rivets or pins 18 passed through the side rails. thimbles and rings.

On the front face of the block end of rail 11 a keeper is secured, said keeper consist" The inner faces of the narrow portions of the respective reds are provided offset feet l9 at each end, which are secured to the rail causing the body portion of the keeper to setout forwardly from the face of the rail. The body portion has an elongated slot 20, in which is slidably mounted a headed bolt- 21 on which is pivotally 'mounted between. the keeper and a. winged nut 22 on the bolt, one end of brace bar 23 which extends obliquely across to the side rail 10 where the opposite end of said brace bar is riveted as at 24 to a small plate 25 secured to the face of rail 10 at about the level of the lowermost rung. The slotted keeperwith the brace bar constitutes a look by means of which the ladder can be locked ineither folded or open position by simply tightening the wing nut 22, or at any point between completely closed or-open position of the rails 10 and 11.

A subsidiary locking means is provided for the upper partof the ladder, and is applied adjacent the end of one of the upper rungs of the ladder as indicated in Fig. 1. This locking means includes a semi-cylindrical plate 25 -fittingaround the side rail 10 and having an opening 26 through one edge andthrough which passes one end of a rung. f

j The semi-cylindricafplate is also proadded with parallel horizontal slots 27 :throughwhich pass stop pins 28 projecting from side raillO as clearly shown in Figs.

l-ando8. The relative arrangement of the opening or mouth 26 and the slots 27 is such that the inner end of such opening extends between the said slots and well within the ends of the same, and thestop pins are so positioned that the plate may be turned in either direction sufficiently to permit its engagem ent with, or disengagement from the respective ladder rung. I

-When the ladder is closed the plate 25 is turned to the extreme right; when it is desiredto open the ladder the sleeve is turned to the left; the ladder is then opened by swinging rail 10 to the left and downv'ardly, until the rungs are in proper position, and then the plate is turned or shd to the right, which operation then locks the ladder in open position, so that it cannot accidentally fold up or collapse.

The lock at the lower end of the ladder also locks the ladder in either open or folded condition or any intermediate posi tion. and if the ladder is used on an uneven surface this look will be found completely efficient in looking the parts together against accidental collapse,reven though the lower ends of he. a l are no n the pivots passed through the ferrulcd ends of the side rails From the above, it will be seen that I provide a light, strong and eflicient ladder, that can be readily set up and also collapsed for storage or transport and which will occupy but very limited space when not in active use, and that the ladder can be cheaply manufactured.

I claim 1. In a folding ladder: in combination, side rails having channeled inner opposing faces, rungs pivotally mounted at their ends in said channels, and locking means attached to the side rails for holding the ladder rigid in open, closed or every intermediate position, said means comprising a slideway mounted on one side rail, an obliquely disposed bar pivotally connected at one end to theopposite side rail, a clamp member carried at the opposite end of said bar, whereby it may be rigidly clamped to the slideway at its extreme limits or every intermediate point.

2. A ladder comprising a pair of side rails, having recessed inner opposing faces, rungs pivotally mounted in said recesses, and locking means for holding the ladder open or closed, said means including a slotted offset keeper carried by one side rail, an obliquely disposed bar having one end slidably mounted in the slot of said keeper, and its opposite end pivot-ally secured to the other side rail, and means carried by the sliding end for locking said end of said bar at every point in said slot.

3. A folding ladder as herein characterized, comprising a pair of side rails pro vided with grooves in the opposing inner faces, rungs pivotally mounted at their ends in said grooves, and a semi-cylindrical plate rotatably mounted on one of said side rails. and provided with a horizontal mouth in one edge to receive one end of a rung and cooperating stop means associated with the plate and .rail to limit rotary movement of the sleeve in either direction.

4. A folding ladder as defined in claim 3, in which said cooperating stop means consist of parallel elongated slots in the curved wall of said plate and stop pins carried by said side rail and projec ing into said parallel slots.

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