US2709590A - Stilt - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent O M' STILT Ralph D. Whitney, Minneapolis, Minn. Application May 14, 1953, Serial No. 355,079

3 Claims. (Cl. 272-70.1)

My invention relates to improvements in stilts and has for an object thereof to provide a simple, durable and relatively inexpensive stilt consisting of a plain stai or pole and a step adapted to be readily applied to the sta and xed thereto rigidly in selected positions of adjustment therealong with the use of ordinary household tools in the hands of a novice.

Featuring my invention, the stilt step includes a stepplate having an inner edge portion adapted to abut edgewise against the inner side of the stilt staff lengthwise of the same forming a junction between step-plate and staff. This stati-abutting edge portion of the step-plate is of a lesser thickness than the thickness of the staif, thereby resulting in the formation of a bight or recess at least at one side of the junction between step-plate and staif. A strap of sheet metal generally of U-shaped formation, has a return bend or loop joining the leg members thereof. Said leg members overlap the sides of the step-plate and are secured at their outer ends to the outer end of said step-plate. The return bend or loop in said strap receives the stati embracing the same at its outer side. The bight or recess at the one side of said junction between step-plate and stati, or the bights at opposite sides of said junction, as the case may be, is or are bridged by portions of its or their respective leg members of the strap. Clamp bolts extending through the bight-bridging portions of the leg member or leg members of said strap act to draw said portions of the one or both legs of the strap into its bight or into their respective bights tensioning the strap and oppositely clamping its return bend or loop and the inner edge of the step-plate against the inner and outer sides7 respectively, of the staif or pole.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter illustrated and/ or described.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a stilt constructed in embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view in detail of the stilt-step shown in Figs. 1 and 2, said sectional view being taken as on the line 3-3 of Fig. l.

The illustrated stilt structure includes a stati or pole and a step A. The staff 10 consists of a plain cylindrical pole of wood without machining other than that lending shape and smoothness thereto.

The step A consists of an assembly including an elongated step-plate 11 of wood, a strap 12 of sheet metal, a fastening bolt 13, and clamp bolts 14.

The strap 12 is bent to provide a return bend or loop 15 intermediately thereof thus to lend to said strap a generally U-shaped formation. The leg members 16 of said U-shaped strap l2 straddle the step-plate 11 from its inner edge overlapping the opposite sides of said stepplate. These leg members 16 are secured at their outer ends to said step-plate 11 by means of the fastening bolt 13 which extends through said leg members 16 and stepj the junction 20, each of these bights or recesses bridged by the inner portion 16L 2,709,590 Patented May 31, 1955 plate 11 midwidth of each thereof. The Width of the step-plate 11 being greater than the width of the leg members 16 of the strap 12, the longitudinal edges 17 of said step-plate 11 are clear of said leg members so that either of said edges 17, which in uppermost position constitutes the tread surface of the step A, will accommodate the foot of a user without contact with said leg members.

The illustrated step-plate 11 is beveled transversely thereof along both sides of its inner end portion, as at 18, leaving a relatively narrow inner edge 19. The return bend or loop 15 in the strap 12 is outwardly offset from said inner edge 19 of said step-plate 11 and it receives the stanc 10 with said inner edge 19 of said step-plate 11 abutting the inner side of said stati: 10 longitudinally thereof, thereby providing a junction 20 between stai 10 and step-plate 11.

Said beveled inner edge portion of the step-plate 11 is of lesser thickness than the diameter or thickness of the staff 10 with the result that a bight or recess 21 is formed between the step-plate 11 and stai 10 at either side of 21 being of its respective leg member 16 of the strap 12.

Upper and lower clamp bolts 14 are applied to said bight-bridging portions 16a of the leg members 16 of said strap 12, said portions 16a of said leg members having for each clamp bolt 14 a pair of axially aligned holes 22 therein for the reception of the bolt. Each clamp bolt 14 has a slotted head 23 and a washer 24 interposed between it and one of said bight-bridging portions 16a of the strap 16 and each clamp bolt 14 also has a nut 25 thereon and a washer 26 interposed between it and the other of said bight-bridging portions 16al of the strap 12. Upper and lower slots 27 in the inner end portion of the step-plate 11 accommodate the medial portions of the upper and lower clamp bolts 14, respectively.

When the clamp bolts 14 are untightened, either end of the return bend or loop 15 in the strap 12 will receive the stai 10, either end foremost. With the staff 1i) threaded into said return bend or loop 15, the step A may be shifted along the stai into any position thereon according to the desired height of the step A from the base of said staif. Having positioned the step A on the staff 10, the clamp bolts 14 are tightened by turning the nuts 25 to advance them toward the heads 23 of the bolts. As said clamp bolts 14 are tightened the bight-bridging portions 16a of the leg members 16 of the strap 12 are drawn into their respective bights 21. This tensions the strap 12 between the fastening bolt 13 and staff 10, oppositely clamping the return bend or loop 15 of the strap 12 and the inner edge 19 of the step-plate 11 against the outer and inner sides, respectively, of said staff 10.

The return bend or loop 15 of the strap 12 is formed circumferentially thereof with upper and lower instruck beads 28 which are disposed, respectively, substantially in planes coinciding with the upper and lower clamp bolts 14. These beads 2S bite into the stai 10, when the clamp bolts 14 are tightened, and augment the clamping of the return bend 1S proper about the stai'` 10 in keeping the step A from sliding along or turning about the stal 10.

Changes in the speciiic form of the invention, as herein described, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

l. In a stilt, a staif, a step extending outwardly from said stai between the ends thereof, said step including a step-plate having an inner edge portion edgewise abutting the inner side of said statt longitudinally thereof forming a junction between the step-plate and staff, said edge portion of said step-plate being beveled along both sides thereof, said beveled edge portion of said step-plate and said stati forming bights, one at either side of said junction, a generally U-shaped strap of sheet metal having an intermediate return bend therein embracing the staff about the outer side thereof and having leg members overlying opposite sidcsof said step-plate, each leg meinber having a portion thereof bridging the bight at its respective side of said junction, fastening means securing said leg members at their outer ends to said step-plate, upper and lower clamp bolts extending through the bightf bridging portions of said leg members of said strap and through said inner edge portion of said step-plate, said clamp bolts acting to draw said bight-bridging portions of said leg members into their respective bights and to tension the strap between said step-plate and staff oppositely clamping the return bend of said strap and the inner edge of said step-plate against the outer and inner sides, respectively, of said staff.

2. A stilt, according to claim l, wherein the return bend of the strap is formed with upper and lower circumferential instruck beads adapted to bite into said staff under the tensioning of said strap by said clamp bolts, said upper and lower beads being disposed, respectively, substantially in planes intersecting the axes of said upper andlower clamp bolts.

3. ln a stilt, a staff, a step extending outwardly .from said staff between the ends thereof, said step including a stepeplate having an inner edge portion edgewise abutting the inner side of said staff longitudinally thereof forming a junction between said step-plate and staff, said edge portion of said vstep-plate being of a lesser thickness `than the thickness of said staff, said edge portion of said stepplate and said staff forming a bight at one side of the junction therebetween, a generally U-shaped strap having an intermediate return bend therein embracing the staff about the outer side thereof and having leg members overlying the opposite sides of said step-plate, one of said leg members having a portion thereof bridging said bight, fastening means securing said leg members at their outer ends to said step-plate, vclamp means coacting with said leg members at the locality of said bight, said clamp means acting to draw said bight-bridging portion of the said one leg member into said bigbt and to tension the strap between said step-plate and staff oppositely clamping the return bend of said strap and the inner edge of said step-plate against the outer and inner sides, respectively, of said staff.

References Cited in the 'file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 118,861 Kimberly Sept. l2, 1871 y404,806 Temple June 4, 1889 464,669 Campbell Dec. 8, 1891 y540,397 Loveland e June 4, 1895 1,276,501 Douglas Aug. 20, 1918

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