US2320144A

US2320144A - Auxiliary ladder leg

Info

Publication number: US2320144A
Application number: US461001A
Authority: US
Inventors: Johnson Eric
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1942-10-06
Filing date: 1942-10-06
Publication date: 1943-05-25
Anticipated expiration: 1960-05-25

Description

May 25 1943- I E. JOHNSON 2,320,144

AUXILIARY LADDER LEG Filed oct. 6, 1942v L l /ff/ .IH-J

Patented May 25, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUXILIARY LADDER LEG Eric Johnson, Brodhead, Wis.v v

Application October 6, 1942, Serial No. 461,001

v 2 claims. (creas- 63) This invention relates generally to the class of ladders and scaiolds and pertains particularly to an improved detachable and adjustable foot-piece or leg extension, a principal object of the invention being to provide such an exten-v sion or foot-piece ffor attachment to the lower end of a leg of a ladder or a scaiold support, which may be readily shifted upon the leg for levelling the ladder or scaiold and which may also be vreadily removed for application to' another leg without having to shift the ladder.

Another object of the invention is to provide a detachable leg extension or foot-piece for a ladder, having a novel clamping unit by which the extension or foot-piece may be easily and quickly secured in adjusted position or released when desired.

Still another object of the invention is to .provide an adjustable or extensible foot-piece for a ladder leg or for a supporting standard of scaffolding ln which the clamping means by which the extension or foot-.piece is secured 'in place-can be entirely disconnected from the ladder .leg

or from the standard so as to be conveniently shifted to another working position without having to movethe ladder or standard.

The invention will be best `understood' from that the invention is lnot to be considered as limited by the specic illustration or description but that such illustration and description constitute a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a View in elevation of the bottom portion of a ladder showing the adjustable or extensible foot-piece constituting the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a View in perspective of the clamping unit per se.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing the reference character L generally designates a ladder having the usual side pieces or legs lil and the intermediate connecting rungs Il.

While the device embodying the present invention has been illustrated upon a leg ol a ladder, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited in its use by reason of such illustration as it will be readily apparent that it f the standard,

may be easily and quickly applied to supporting standards of scaiolds and to other similarfsupports or standards where an extension means may be of value to level structure supported by which is designed to be positioned against thev outer side of the ladder leg 'in the manner illustrated. Adjacent one end of this auxiliary leg there is secured transversely of the wider face thereof the substantially U-shaped guide bracket I3 which consists of the central bar portion It and the angularly turned spaced parallel legs l5 which are directed away from the side of the auxiliary leg I2 to which the bracket is attached so as to receive or embrace the ladder leg lil, as illustra-ted more particularly in Figure 2.

Adjacent its opposite en'd Vthe auxiliary 'leg' I2 has secured thereto the clamping unit which is indicated generally by the reference character I6, and which is shown or illustrated in detail in Figure 4. fixed elongated plate I1 which is disposed .transversely of the Wide' fa'ce of.' the legl I2 opposite from'the bracket I3 and: is secured to the auxil- -`iary leg by'screws I8, orin any other suitable manner, as shown `in Figure 3. As is also shown in this gure, the endsoi the xed clamp plate Il projects beyond the sides of the auxiliary leg I2 and these extended ends have apertures I il formed therethrough.

The numeral 20 generally designates a U-bolt having the yoke portion 2| and the spaced parallel legs 22. These legs are extended through the openings I9 of the fixed plate II so that the auxiliary leg is straddled by the U-bolt and the legs 22 of the U-bolt are of suicient length to also extend entirely across the adjacent ladder leg, as shown in Figure 3, and are screwthreaded to receive securing nuts 23.

In spaced parallel relation with the fixed plate Il `is the elongated shiftable clamp plate 24, one end of which has an aperture 25 to receive one of the U-bolt legs 22, while the opposite end has a slot 26 formed from one side edge so as to facilitate the connection of the said other end with the other leg 22, as shown in Figure 4. Thus, the shiitable plate 24 functions in -the nature of a latch member to couple the free ends of the legs of the U-bolt together. As will be readily apparent, the plates Il and 24 have the auxiliary leg This clamping `unit comprises al and the adjacent ladder leg interposed therebetween so that the clamp unit forms a collar around these two elements and when the nuts 23 are drawn up upon the legs of the U-bolt the ladder leg and auxiliary leg will be drawn together when the yoke portion 2l of the U-bolt is held against movement with respect to the xed plate I1.

As shown in Figure 3, the yoke portion 2l of the U-bolt is normally spaced from the plate I1 by means of the eccentric or cam head 21 which is formed at one end of a lever 28 and eccentrically mounted upon the yoke 2| of the U-bolt. When the lever 28 is shifted to a position where it is substantially parallel with the auxiliary leg I2 the high point of the cam will be interposedbetween the yoke 2| and the fixed plate I 1, thereby shifting the legs of the U-bolt through the apertures I9 of the fixed plate and drawing the plates I'l and 24 together to firmly frictionally bind the auxiliary leg or foot and adjacent ladder leg together. When an adjustment of the auxiliaryleg is to be made upon the ladder leg the cam head 21 of the lever is oscillated to removethe high point of the cam from between the yoke 2l and the plate I1, thereby permitting the yoke of the U-bolt to,- shift toward the plate I1 and freeing the frictional contact between the auxiliary leg and adjacent ladder leg. Thus the auxiliary leg may be extended longitudinally of the ladder leg to the necessary extent to level the ladder.

If it is desired to shift the auxiliary leg to the opposite leg of the ladder without having to move the ladder this may be readily done, after the binding'clamp 21 is loosened in the manner described, by swinging the shiftable plate 24 so that the end thereof having they aperture 25 therethrough will turn upon the adjacent bolt leg and the other bolt leg will be freed from the slot 26. Thus the auxiliary leg can be taken away from the ladder leg and replaced against the outer side of the opposite ladder leg, the shiftable plate 24 reengaged between the free ends of theY U-bolt legs and the binding cam returned to' operative position to secure the auxiliary leg and ladder leg together after the desired adjustment of the auxiliary leg has been accomplished.

This feature of the device by which the auxiliary leg can be readily shifted from one side vof the ladder to the other is of particular advantage when using the device upon an extension ladder because of the fact that such ladder cannot be turned around as in the case of a single or'one length ladder. Also, as previously described. it can be put on or taken off without having to lift the ladder leg from the ground.

It will also be obvious that the use of a device of the character herein described upon a ladder leg aords greater safety than is afforded by the usual procedure of building up an extra support under the lower end of the ladder leg where the ladder has to be placed upon uneven or sloping ground, or with one end upon a step or other structure.

I claim:

1. In a supporting structure such as a ladder, scaffold and the like, having ay supporting standard, an auxiliary leg for attachment to said standard, comprising an elongated member designed to be disposed against one side of the standard, means carried by the member for sliding engagement with the standard forming a guide, and a clamping unit for frictionally securing the member and standard together against relative movement, comprising an elongated platef disposed transverselyof one side of the member remote from the standard and secured to the member and having ends projecting beyond the adjacent sides of the member, said projecting ends having guide apertures, a U-bolt having a yoke portion and spaced parallel legs, said legs being extended through the apertures of said plate whereby the legs are extended across the member andthe adjacent standard, the yoke being adjacent to and in parallel relation with the plate, a second plate connected'between the legs of the U-bolt and disposed across the side of the standard remote from the member, removable securing means carried by the ends of the U-bolt legs and engagingV against the second plate, a

lever, and an eccentric head oscillatably 'supported upon said yoke and bearing against the first plate, said head functioning, .upon oscillation of the lever in one direction, to draw the member and standard into rm frictional engagement.

2. In a supporting structure such as a ladder, scaffold andthe like, an auxiliary support as set forth in claim l,v in which the second-mentioned plate is engaged at one end with the adjacent bolt leg through the medium of a slot cut therein whereby the second plate functions as a shiftable latch by which disconnection of the clamping unit from the standard may be effected.

ERIC JOHNSON.