US2618515A

US2618515A - Guardrail bracket for ladder staging

Info

Publication number: US2618515A
Application number: US87680A
Authority: US
Inventors: George S Marchessault
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-04-15
Filing date: 1949-04-15
Publication date: 1952-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 1969-11-18

Description

Nov. 18, 1952 G. s. MARCHESSAULT 2,613,515

GUARDRAIL BRACKET FOR LADDER STAGING Filed April 15, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET l INVENTOR. GEOQGE SMAQQHESSAULT Nov. 18, 1952 c. s. MARCHESSAULT 2,618,515

GUARDRAIL BRACKET FOR LADDER STAGING IN VEN TOR. G EOQGE 5. MAFZCHESSAULT Patented Nov. 18, 1952 GUARDRAIL BRACKET FGR, LADDER STAGING George S. Marchessault, Lowell, Mass.

Application April 15, 1949, Serial No. 87,680

6 Claims.

l'his invention relates to guardrail brackets, and more particularly to a detachable guardrail bracket assembly which can be adjustably secured to ladder staging to support a guardrail in proper position relative to a ladder-supported platform.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a guardrail bracket assembly which is of extremely strong and durable construction, but of light weight, and foldable to compact size for transportation and storage, which can easily be carried by hand and quickly and easily mounted on the staging without the use of bolts, screws or other fastening devices, which is fully adjustable to position the guardrail at a desired posi-' tion relative to a ladder-supporting platform, which can be used with various types of ladder staging and can be applied to the staging without any modification of the latter, and which is simple in construction and extremely economical to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a ladder-staging unit showing a pair of guardrail-supporting brackets, illustrative of the invention, operative- 1y positioned on the staging, and a guardrail supported by the brackets;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-section on a somewhat enlarged scale on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing one of the guardrail-supporting bracket assemblies in side elevation;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the guardrailsupporting bracket illustrated in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing the guardrail-supporting bracket assembly in folded condition; and

Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross-section on a somewhat enlarged scale of a fragmentary portion of the ladder-supporting bracket, and is taken substantially on the line 55 of Figure 4.

With continued reference to the drawings, and particularly to Figure 1, the ladder staging therein illustrated comprises two conventional extension ladders, generally indicated at It] and H inclined against a wall upon which work is to be performed.

It is to be understood that the guardrail-suprepairing, and lumber and masonry construc- 2 tion. It is also to be understood that the ladders may be either single ladders or extension ladders without in any way affecting the application and operation of the guardrail-supporting brackets. I

In addition to the ladders it and ii, the staging includes a horizontal work platform 52 secured to the ladders it and H by respective suspension assemblies, generally indicated at E3 and M, a guardrail l5 supported at a desired level above the platform l2 and substantially parallel to the ladder, and two guardraiLsupporting bracket assemblies, generally indicated at I5 and I1, respectively attached to the ladders lo and H and supporting the guardrail I5.

The platform I2 andits suspension assemblies I 3 and I4 may be of any conventional or desired construction, one form having been illustrated in detail in Figure 2 to provide a more complete understanding of the construction and operation of the guardrail-supporting bracket assemblies of the invention. The ladders E8 and II, and the platform l2 and its suspension assemblies constitute no part of the present invention, except in the combination thereof with the guardrail-supporting bracket assemblies.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the platform 52 comprises a flat, elongated plank which may be either of solid or fabricated construction, and the platform suspending assembly 13 comprises a pair of .c-shaped clips l8 and K! respectively embracing the

rails

20 and 2| of the bottom ladder unit 22. Obviously, the clips may embrace the rails 23 and 24 of the ladder extension unit 25, if it is desired to position the platform at a level above the upper end of the bottom ladder unit 22.

Respective girders 26 and 21 extend outwardly from the clips l8 and I9 and converge outwardly to a bracket 28 connected between the girders at their outer ends. This bracket has a pair of upstanding, apertured lugs 29 thereon, and a bar 3!! is pivotally connected at one end to the lugs 29. This bar is provided with spaced-apart, inclined notches 3| in its upperedge, and a stop-pin 32 extends through the free end of the bar A loop 33 slidably surrounds the bar 30and is selectively engageable in the notches 3|, and a pair of hooks 34 diverges from the loop 33 and engages one of the ladder rungs 35. By selectively engaging the loop 33 in the notches 3|, the girders 26 can be supported from the ladder at any desired angle relative to the

ladder rails

20 and 2| so that theplatform plank can be supported; on the girders in a substantially horizontal posh" tion regardless of the angle of inclination of the ladders.

The guardrail-supporting bracket l6, illustrated in detail in Figures 2, 3 and 4, comprises a straight, elongated standard 36 which is preferably formed of two flat metal bars or straps secured together in superimposed, face-to-face relationship. At one end of the standard these bars are twisted through an angle of substantially 90 degrees, and are then bent outwardly to provide a bight and two spaced-apart, substantially parallel legs of an inverted, U-shaped socket 31 which receives one of the ladder rungs 35 below the platform [2. A leaf spring 38 is secured to one of the socket legs near the outer end of the latter, and extends inwardly of the socket toward the opposite leg to bear against the ladder rung received in the socket to eliminate play of the rung in the socket.

A bar 39 projects laterally outward from the standard 36 at the end of the latter opposite the socket 31, and this bar is provided with spacedapart, detent-receiving notches 40 in its upper edge. A diagonal brace 4| is connected at one end to the bar 39 at the outer end of the latter, and is connected intermediate its length to the standard 36 intermediate the length of the standard, passing between the two

straps

42 and 43 of the standard, as particularly illustrated in Figure 5, and being secured to these straps by suitable fasteners, such as the rivets 44. This brace extends beyond the standard from the bar 39, and is provided at its end opposite the bar with a rung-engaging formation 45 provided by twisting the end portion of the brace through an angle of approximately 90 degrees and bending such twisted portion to an obtuse angle to the remainder of the brace. The rung-engaging formation 45 of the brace is positioned to engage a ladder rung 35 immediately above the rung engaged by the standard socket 31, and a leaf spring 46 is secured to the outer end of the run-engaging formation 45 and extends inwardly of this formation and toward the standard 36 to compress the associated ladder rung between the spring and the standard, as particularly illustrated in Figure 2, to provide a tight connection between the rung-receiving formation 45 of the brace and the associated ladder rung.

A latch lever 4! is disposed between the two

straps

42 and 43 of the standard 36 opposite the run-engaging formation 45 of the brace, and is pivotally connected to the standard by a suitable pivot pin 48. This latch lever projects across the space between the standard 36 and the rungengaging formation 45 of the brace and bears at its corresponding end against the leaf spring 46, so that, when the bracket is forced downwardly over the associated ladder rung 35, the latch lever will be raised and will then fall into locking position under the ladder rung, as illustrated in Figure 2. Before the bracket can be disengaged from the ladder, the outer end of the latch lever 41 must be depressed to move the portion of the lever between the standard and the rung-engaging formation of the brace out of the way of the rung, so that the rung can pass relatively downward past the formation 45.

.A ladder rail-engaging clip 49 is secured to the standard adjacent the socket 31 to hold the bracket assembly in position adjacent the relatively outer rail of the ladder.

The bar 39 preferably comprises two spacedapart, substantially parallel members, as indicated at.50 and in Figure 5, re spectively se-' cured at corresponding ends to the outer sides of the

straps

42 and 43 of the standard at the ends of such straps remote from the socket 31, and a rung-engaging hook 52 is received at one end between the

straps

42 and 43 near the bar 39 and projects laterally outward from the standard 36 in a direction opposite the notched bar. This hook is firmly secured to the standard by suitable means, such as rivets or welding, and is positioned to engage the ladder rung 35 immediately above the ladder rung engaged by the rung-engaging formation 45 of the brace 41.

An elongated arm 53 is pivotally connected at one end to the standard 36 adjacent the bar 39, and is provided at its opposite end with a rectangular eye 54 for receiving the guardrail l5.

The arm 53 comprises two flat metal bars or straps, as indicated at 55 and 56, in Figure 3, which are disposed in super-imposed, face-toface relationship and secured together intermediate their length by suitable means, such as the rivets 51. At one end of the arm the

straps

55 and 56 are separated to receive the bar members and 5| therebetween, and are provided, near their ends, with respective apertures through which extends a pivot bolt 58.

The pivot bolt 58 extends through elongated slots 59 in the strap members of the standard 36 to pivotally connect the arm to the standard and permit a limited freedom of longitudinal movement of the arm relative to the standard. A pin 69 extends through the members and 56 of the arm at a location spaced from the pin 58, and in position to engage in the notches 49 of the bar 39. By means of the lost-motion-connection provided by the slots 59, the arm can be raised, so that the pin 69 can be engaged in and lifted out of the notches 49, as may be desired.

One of the straps of the arm, for example, the strap 55, is terminated at the inner end of the eye 54, and the other strap is twisted at this location through an angle of approximately 90 degrees and then bent around a rectangular form to provide the eye.

When the bracket is operatively mounted on the ladder it engages three adjacent ladder rungs, as is particularly illustrated in Figure 2, to firmly attach the bracket to the ladder, and the arm 53 supports the guardrail I5 at a desired location above the platform I2 and at a desired distance from the latter, the distance between the guardrail and the ladder being adjustable by selection of the notch 49 in which the pin is engaged.

The bracket can be removed from the ladder by merely depressing the outer end of the latch lever 4'! and lifting the entire bracket off of the ladder rungs. After the bracket has been removed from the ladder, the arm 53 can be folded to a position in which it extends along the standard 36, as particularly illustrated in Figure l, to reduce the length of the bracket and bring it to a compact form for transportation or storage.

In the use of the brackets, two brackets will preferably be provided for each length of guardrail, and at least one bracket will be secured to each ladder of the ladder staging. Some ladders may carry two brackets where adjacent lengths of the guardrail come together. In the use of ordinary two-ladder staging, as illustrated in Figure 1, only two brackets will be required and, since the bracket I! is identical in construction to the bracket [6, described in detail above, a detailed description of the bracket ll is not considered necessary for the purposes of the present disclosure.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. A guardrail bracket assembly for ladder staging comprising an elongated standard having on one end a U-shaped socket for receiving a ladder rung, a bar extending laterally outward from said standard at the opposite end of the latter and having spaced-apart, pin-receiving notches therein, a ladder-rungengaging hook extending outwardly from said standard adjacent to and in the opposite direction from said notched bar, a diagonal brace connected at one end to said bar at the outer end of the latter and connected intermediate its length to said standard intermediate the length of the latter, said brace extending beyond said standard from said bar and having a ladder-rung-engaging structure at its end remote from said bar, a ladder-railreceiving clip on said standard adjacent said U- shaped socket, an arm pivotally secured at one end to said standard intermediate the length of the latter, said standard having a pin-receiving slot therein and said arm having at one end a pivot pin received in said slot, a detent on said arm selectively engageable in the notches of said bar to adjustably position said arm relative to said standard, and a guardrail-receiving eye at the opposite end of said arm.

2. A guardrail bracket assembly for ladder staging comprising an elongated standard, ladder-rung-engaging means on said standard adjacent the opposite ends of the latter for respectively engaging spaced apart ladder rungs, a bar extending laterally from said standard near one end of the latter and having spacedapart notches .therein, an arm pivotally connected at one end to said standard adjacent said notched bar, detent means on said arm engageable in the notches in said bar, said arm having a lost motion connection with said standard for manually moving said detent relative to said bar and selectively engaging it in said notches to secure said arm at selected positions of angular adjustment relative to said standard, and a guardrail-receiving eye at the opposite end of said arm.

3. A guardrail bracket assembly for ladder staging comprising an elongated standard, ladder-rung-engaging means on said standard near the opposite ends of the latter, an elongated arm pivotally connected at one end to said standard near one end of the latter, guardrail-receiving means on the opposite end of said arm, and

6 means adjustably connected between said standard and said arm to secure said arm at selected positions of angular adjustment relative to said standard.

4. A guardrail bracket assembly for ladder staging comprising an elongated standard, three arm, and means adjustably connected between said arm and said stand-ard near the pivotal connection between the latter and said arm to secure said arm at selected positions of angular adjustment relative to said standard.

5. A guardrail bracket assembly for ladder staging comprising an elongated standard, three ladder-rung-engaging means on said standard spaced apart to engage three consecutive ladder rungs, two of such means being disposed at respectively opposite ends of said standard, an elongated arm pivotally secured at one end to said standard near one end of the ladder, guardrail-receiving-means on the opposite end of said .arm, and means adjustably connected between said arm and said standard near the pivotal connection between the latter and said arm to secure said arm at selected positions of angular adjustment relative to said standard, said standard and said arm each comprising two flat metal bars secured together in super-imposed, face-toface relationship.

6. A guardrail bracket assembly for ladder staging comprising an elongated standard, three ladder-rung-engaging means on said standard spaced apart to engage three consecutive ladder rungs, two of such means being disposed at respectively opposite ends of said standard, an elongated arm pivotally secured at one end to said standard near one end of the latter, guardrailreceiving-means on the opposite end of said arm, and means adjustably connected between said arm and said standard near the pivotal connection between the latter and said arm to secure said arm at selected positions of angular-adjustment relative to said standard, said means ad- .justably connected between said arm and said standard comprising a bar projecting laterally from said standard at said one end of the latter and having spaced-apart notches therealong,

and a detent on said arm selectively engageable in the notches in said bar.

GEORGE S. MARCHESSAULT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Warner June 9, 1936