US2652184A - Stepladder - Google Patents

Description

G. E. LOUCKS Sept. 15, 1953 STEPLADDER Filed June 15. 1951 INVENTOR.

G'L-ORGE E. LOUCKS Patented Sept. 15, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STEPLADDER George E. Loucks, Belle River, Ontario, Canada Application June 15, 1951, Serial No. 231,821

2 Claims. (Cl. 228-31) This invention relates to step ladders and has particular reference to a ladder which will not tip over when in use.

An object of the invention is to generally improve step ladders and to provide a ladder which is inherently stable, simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and eiiicient in use, and one which may be folded into a comparatively small space for storing and transporting the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a ladder with a tripod-like structure for bracing the same.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds, reference being made from time to time to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevational view of a ladder embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section, taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the device in folded position.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, it will be understood that in the embodiment herein disclosed, the reference characters 1 and 8 indicate the side rails of a conventional ladder, having steps 9, I2, and II, which may be secured to the side rails 1 and 8 in any conventional manner. The side rails 1 and 8 are provided with a top plate I2, which overhangs the side rails 1 :and 8 at the rear as at I3, to provide a support for the legs I4, I5, and I5, which are pivotally secured at their upper ends in the clevises I1, I8, and I9. The clevises I1 and I9 are also arranged to rotate about the pivots HA and ISA.

Intermediate the ends of the side rails 1 and '8, and pivotally secured thereto, as at 20 and 21, is a U shaped member 22. To the underside of the web portion of the U shaped member 22, I pivotally secure, as at 23 and 24, a pair of clevises 25 and 26, to which are respectively pivoted the arms 21 and 28, which are in turn pivoted at their other ends, as at 21A and 28A, to the legs I4 and I6. A third clevis 29 is secured to the underside of the web portion of the member 22 and has pivoted to it the arm 30, the other end of the arm 30 is pivoted as at 3I to the leg I5.

The upward rocking of the member 22 on its pivots 20 and 2I, causes the legs I4, I5, and I6 to be drawn inwardly by means of the arms 21, 28, and so. In order to r te t e less I 4 a I6 on the pivots 11A and ISA (Fig. 1 when the legs I 4 and I 6 are being moved outwardly at the bottom, under the influence of the U shaped member 22 and connecting arms 21 and 28, I provide the springs 32 and 33 which are connected to chains 34 and 35 which extend between the legs I4 and I6 and the side rails 1 and 8. I also provide chains 36 and 31 between the leg I5 and the legs I4 and I6. The chains 36 and 31 serve to limit the movement of the legs I4 and I6 under the influence of the springs 32 and 33, and also serve to stabilize the legs I4, I5, and I6 when the device is in use.

In Fig. 4, I illustrate the position of the component parts when the device is folded for storage or transportation.

In order to set the ladder up for use, the side rails I and 8 are first rested upon the ground and the operator extends his hand between the rails 1 and 8 and grasps the U shaped member 22, rocking it downwardly. The downward movement of the member 22 causes the outward movement of the arms 21, 28, and 30, which in turn force the outward movement of the lower ends of the legs I4, I5, and I6. During the outward travel of the lower ends of the legs 14, I5, and I Ii, the springs 32 and 33 will also cause the legs I4 and 13 to rotate about their longitudinal axes on the pivots HA and I 9A, which rotation will be limited by the chains 36 and 31.

In folding the device, it is necessary to manually rotate the legs I4 and IS in the opposite direction against the action of the springs 32 and 33. This manual rotation of the legs I4 and It becomes increasingly easy as the lower ends of the legs I4, I5 and I6 are moved inwardly under the influence of the arms 21, 28, and 30, and the upward movement of the member 22.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided a step ladder with a novel means of bracing the ladder against any tendency for the ladder to tip over when in use.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, including a pair of side rails and a plurality of steps secured thereto, the combination of a top plate, three clevises secured to the underside of said plate, two of said clevises being rotatable with respect to said plate, a leg pivoted to each of said clevises, a U shaped member pivoted to said side rails, three clevises pivoted to said U shaped member, two of said last named clevises being rotatable with respect to said U shaped member, arms pivoted to said last named clevises and to points intermediate the ends of said legs, spring means extending between said side rails and the two of said legs secured to said rotatable clevises, and chains extending between said last mentioned legs and the third leg, whereby to limit the outward movement of said two legs.

2. The combination with a ladder, of a top plate having an overhanging portion, at least three clevises secured to the overhanging portion of said plate, two of said clevises being rotatable, a leg pivoted to each of said clevises, a U shaped member pivoted to the side rails of said ladder, at least three clevises secured to said U shaped member, two of said last named clevises being rotatable with respect to said U shaped member, an arm pivoted to each of said last named olevises and to one of said legs, and flexible means extending between said legs and between the legs and said side rails for limiting the movement of said legs, upon the downward movement of said U shaped member.

, GEORGE E. LOUCKS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Number Name Date 46,105 Hayes Jan. 31, 1865 1,910,551 Kruse May 23, 1933 2,409,266 Fowler Oct. 15, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 15 Number Country Date 368,499 Great Britain Mar. 10, 1932

Images