US1685632A - Cecil feathebstone hammond and william shackleton - Google Patents

Description

' Sept. 25, 1928. 1,685,632

C. F. HAMMOND ET AL COMBIED 'STEP AND WALL OR EXTENSION LADDER Filed Dec., 4, 1925 gmjn/ ATTOPNEY TES Patented Sept. 25,1928.

U NTED CEGID FEATHEBoNE HAMMOND AND WILLIAM sHAcKLn'roN,` oF LoNDoN; ENGLAND.

PATBN coxDINnD STEP ANDWALLOB EXTENSION LADDER.-

`Applimtnm led December 4, `1925, Serial No. 73,210, and inwGreat Britain December `11, 1924. j

This invention relates to improvements in combined stepand wallor extension-lad-y ders of the kindinwvhich the two ladders or ladder sections are hinged together at one send and provided in the `neighbourhood ot the hinges with automatically operating locking means for use Whenthe laddersfa-re.

usedas selfisupporting steps and when the ladders are extendedto form a wall-ladder. The invention comprises improved means for keffecting the lockingxand:unlockmgof the hinge joint, improved means for securing the.v rungs or treads to the side rails or stringers. and `for tying also the-siderails together and l various details of construction which will" `be hereinafter set forth'. Q p Accordinv to this invention,

i Withflator disc-likejoint parts placed A'flatly rtogether, isprovided with spring supported or disc-likepartsof the hinges; thebolt in each ease bein guided in ahole in the. innerv joint part anc` being movable in a. direction substantially transverse ito .the ladder into` and out .of oneoranother, of aplurality ot holesjin the outer jointrpar't. `Each boltor catch is mounted so` as to be movable longi- .Ltudinally, forexample, it may be carried by a `flat or leaf spring,"'at ornear one, end ot the s l.ring which is boltedoi" otherwise secure( at its otherend to a` Stringer Vot the ladder or steps.y the two springs atth'eir treeV ends `bei-ng,provided with ,handles orv gripping devices'ornconnected a chain or cord `tor withdrawing the bolts "from the holes inv the outer joint parts of the hinge members. On the other hand, the bolt-s may be guided in the outer hinge members and the. holes torniing the locking sockets for the bolts may be in the inner hinge members. Each hinge member is or may be' provided with a. slanting stop or extension piece near the hinge, as in al rule joint, to prevent the hinges from opening too far when the two ladder portions or sections are opened out in line with each other to forni a. wallor extension-ladder. One of these stops may be at an obtuse an- A gle to the strap of the hinge and the other stop is then at an acute angle and these angles may coincide with the inclinations of the adjoining ends of the two ladder portions or they may be both at substantially, a right angle. I j

the combina-A tionfstep-lader, comprising two ladder scel `tions hinged together by means ot hinges In the accompanying drawing: l :Figure l isa fronti view, and

j Figure 2a side view of' adjacent-parts of a `combination ladder showing a hinge connection between them, inlaccordance with this inventiom'the laddersections being in"V in Figure 2 with the ladder sectionsin` position for use as a stepladder.

As shown, the" str'ii'igers or sides a olja suitable length, width and 'th ic'kncss, are each provided with a nun'ibefrofshallow rectanguiar groovi-:s ata suitable angle to receive the ends of the treads c, 01, c2 so that all the treads shall-be substantially horizontal when the ladder is in use as afwall-laiglder. Aln the middle of each Stringer and near the Figure is a. planview of the parts shown bottom'o'f each of the grooves is bored a hole to vreceive ai long bolt or tie (l. The' lower part or section of the ladder is,`preferably, ina-de rather wider.atthezbottom than at the top so as to increaseits stability` The upper-j tion is preferably made wider thanl the others from front fto back to form a platform and may be yslotted at each `side ,to "receive a strip of wood or metal to stiffen itlu "lhe'projecting` part oi this wider tread is supporte lbv I"suitablemetal struts e. yThe treads c2 ot the `upper section or "extension-leidden which servesasthe legs or prop when the ladder is to be used ,as a pair ot` steps, may all be of thesame llcngthbut, lin this case, thetrea'ds are mounted lso to be parallel tothe treads 0 in the lower section when the ladder is used as a wall-ladder. It desired, the tern'iinal treads of each or only the lowcrmost `wall-ladder section may be provided with metal brackets or braces screwed or bolted to the treads and the stringers` to reinforce or stifen the latter. i

The hinge straps f, g are made of sheet metal, each hinge-strap having at one end a disc-like joint-part LJ centrally perforated to receive a. pivot j, suitably consisting of a rivet, and the disc-like joint part of one hingemember of a pair is, preferably, offset so that the straps are inthe same plane. A hole Z5 is provided in each inner joint part h and two or more holes l are provided in each outer joint part lto serve as sockets for bolts orcatches m, for locking the hinges in altermost tread e ofthev lowerWall-ladder sec! Qintended to receive thom` and havin a sli glit-V ly diminishing diameter at their outer ends.

relative position.

native positions, these bolts or `-catches consisting of short cylindrical pieces of metal of a diameter slightly less than that of the holes Each bolt or catchis carried by flat or leaf .s )ring f/i, set to cause the bolt ont-he free end of the spring tobe pressed'intov the hole la of the joint part L` and one or another of the holes Z,Z in thejoint part i, these h'olesbeing j positioned so that the ladder sections can be locked inposition for use as a step-ladder, or

as' a Wall-ladder, or in scmeother desired In order toiremove the bolts or Acatches m from engagement in theirholes or sockets Z in the outer joint parts, the free ends of the tivo springs'are connected together by a `short cliaiiror cord 0 and, to' prevent the springs from becoming strained or bent by application of force in a Wrong direction, the

chain is coniined vor guided more or less on eachVV side Within the triangular space enclosed by the strut @,tlie edge or Vback of a stringer and the platform c.v

' The movable end oi each spring n may be guided by a platep secured to the underside of the platform c and. having a slot or forkA at its outer end in which the spring can move, the inner end of the fork or slot limiting the distance to which the 'springcan befdrawn inwardly by thelchain 0. l

Furthermore, for the purpose of limiting fthe spreading-ofthe ladder section when used as steps, a cliainorchaiiis 7"` may be permanently connected at one end to one ladder` vj rsection and detachably connected, for eainple, by. al hook to the other ladder section.

Then the ladder sections are extended for use as a wall-ladder, the movement ot the ladder sections about the pivot j isvlimited lby the endsl of thesections abutting one against the other, as shown in Figure 4. It'

desired, the'edgesl of the straps f, g 'may be made to coincide'with the ends ot' the-sections, as indicated by the broken lines s, so

that these edges'abUtoIIe against the other,

the abutting edge ot'one strap being at anobtuse angle and that of the other strap at an acute angle to the. ,longitudinal edges of the straps.

The tie Lbolts cl. are,fprefera.bly set' Ain grooves t in the treads. Thus, when used as a step ladder, these tie bolts do notcause any inconvenience in the use of the treads of the are movable through a limited distance.V

2. ln a combination ladder', ladder sections, hinge parts Vconnecting the said ladder sections, each ot said hinge parts comprising a pair of members i'otatively` connectedtogetiier and secured, resp`ectively,to said ladder sections, one of said :members having a transverse hole, a bolt longitudinally slidable in said hole7 the other otsaidmembers having a plurality of transverse holes'adapted', when said members are relatively rotated,`

to register Withtlie transverse hole of Ithe 'former member and receive said bolt, leat springs carried at oppositefsides of one of the ladder Isections and engaging said bolts and tending to project said bolts into the holes of the second-named members, a flexible connection extending between the said `leaf springs, and guide plates each'limiting the' movementof one of said leafspriiigs to prevent tlie Withdrawal of the bolt associated With such spring from the hole ofthe irsts named member.

cscii FEATHERSTONE. HAMMOND. i d wiLnAM sHAcxLlEToN.

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