US3006434A

US3006434A - Ladder construction

Info

Publication number: US3006434A
Application number: US13804A
Authority: US
Inventors: Howard B Rich
Original assignee: Howard B Rich Inc
Current assignee: Howard B Rich Inc
Priority date: 1960-03-09
Filing date: 1960-03-09
Publication date: 1961-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 1978-10-31

Description

Oct. 31, 1961 H. B. RICH LADDER CONSTRUCTION Filed March 9, 1960 IIIIIIIIAL INVENTOR. HOWARD B RICH ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,006,434 LADDER CONSTRUCTION Howard B. Rich, Carrollton, Ky., assignor to Howard B. Rich, Inc., Carrollton, Ky., a corporation of Kentucky Filed Mar. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 13,804 3 Claims. (Cl. 182206) This invention relates to a ladder construction. More particularly this invention relates to an improved ladder construction in which rails of the ladder can pivot inside rungs thereof.

An object of this invention is to provide a ladder construction in which hook-shaped supports on the side rails thereof are provided for supporting the ladder from the upper end thereof and in which the side rails pivot to swing the hook-supports between an operative position extending outwardly from rungs thereof and a folded position aligned with the rungs.

A further object of this invention is to provide a ladder of this type in which the rails of the ladder are formed of tubular material in which there are circumferentially extending grooves in the rails at the rungs thereof and in which retaining rods mounted in the rungs extend along the grooves to support the rungs on the rails.

A further object of this invention is to provide a ladder of this type suitable for hanging or mounting on the side of a boat for use in boarding the boat and in which struts are mounted on the rails to swing with the rails between the operative position in which the struts are adapted to engage a side of the boat and a folded position aligned with the rungs.

The above and other objects and features of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains from the following detailed description and the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ladder constructed in accordance with an embodiment of this invention, the ladder being shown in conjunction with a fragmentary portion of a boat;

FIG. 2 is a view taken in transverse section through the side of the boat showing the ladder in side elevation;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 3--3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the ladder removed from the boat, the rails thereof being shown in operative position in full lines and being shown in folded position in dotdash lines;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged View in section taken on the line 55 in FIG. 2, showing one rail in operative position;

FIG. 6 is a view in section taken on line 6-6 in FIG. 5, showing the rail in folded position; and,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 77 in FIG. 2.

In the following detailed description and the drawing, like reference characters indicate like parts.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown a ladder which includes

side rails

10 and 12. The

side rails

10 and 12 are spanned by steps or rungs 1'3, 14 and 16. The side rails 10* and 12 are of similar construction, and only the side rail 10 will be described in detail. The side rail .10 is formed from tubular metal and includes an elongated upright main portion 17, a cross-portion 18' (see FIG. 2) which extends substantially perpendicularly to the main portion 17 and a return bend portion 19. The main portion 17, cross-portion 18 and return bend portion 19, are integrally formed from a single piece of hollow metal tube bent to the shape indicated. A sleeve 21 of resilient plastic material or the like, covers the return bend portion 19, the cross-portion 18, and an upper section of the main portion 17. Ends of the side rail 10 are closed by upper and

lower plugs

22 and 23. As shown in FIG. 7, the

upper plug 22 includes a main portion 24 received inside the rail. A flange 26 on the plug 22 engages one end of the rail. The lower plug 23 can be of similar construction.

The rungs are held in position on the rails by rod members or pins 28. The rungs can be made of wood treated to be Water resistant. The rungs can be provided with grooves 30 to prevent slipping. Details of construction of one of the pins 28 are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The pin 28 is received in a transverse bore 29 in the rung 16. The rail extends through an upright bore 31 in the rung 16. As shown, the

bores

29 and 31 intersect adjacent an edge of the bore 31. The rail 10 is provided with a groove 33 extending generally circumferentially thereof in which the rod member 28 is received, so that the pin 28 locks the rung in position upon the rail but permits the rail to swing or pivot inside the rung from the operative position shown in full lines in FIG. 4, to the folded position shown in dot-dash lines shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the groove 33 has a main portion 36 having an axis which follows the curvature of the rail and

end portions

37 and 38, which have axes which are straight, and tangent to the axis of the main portion :26. The straight portion 33 engages the pin 28 when the rail 10 is in the position shown in FIG. 4 in full lines to limit outward swinging of the rails. The pin 28 can be formed as shown in FIG. 5 as a rivet with

heads

39 and 41 engaging opposite side edges of the rung 16 to hold the pin 28 in position therein.

Struts

43 and 44 are mounted on the rails 10' and 12 respectively, and can swing therewith. The strut 43 has a tubular metal body. At one end of the body of the strut 46 is mounted a cap 47 of rubber or the like. The other end of the body is flattened and is turned around the rail 10, as indicated at 48 in FIG. 3, to form a clamping section embracing the rail. A bolt 49 spans the ends of the clamping section and clamps the strut 43 tightly on the rail 10. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the struts are mounted in alignment with the cross-portions of the rails so that, when the cross-portions of the rails are swung into alignment with the rungs, the struts also are aligned with the rungs.

When the ladder is in the operative position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and in full lines in FIG. 3, the ladder can be mounted on a side 52 of a boat 53- with the crossportions of the rails resting on the gunwale or upper edge of the side of the boat and the return bent portions inside the body. The

struts

43 and 44 engage the side 52 of the boat to hold the ladder in upright position. The sleeves on the upper portions of the rails and the tips of the struts, being of resilient material, do not mar the surface of the boat.

The struts can be supplied to purchasers of ladders in lengths sufliciently great to fit various types of boats and can be cut or trimmed to appropriate length to fit a desired boat.

The rails are continuous and unbroken from end to end. The caps at the ends of the rails fit tightly inside the ends of the rails and keep water out of the rails to trap air inside the rails so that, if the ladder falls into the water, the ladder can float.

When the ladder is removed from the boat, the rails can readily be folded to the position shown in dot-dash lines in FIG. 4, to bring the upper portions thereof and the struts into alignment with the rungs, as indicated in dot-dash lines in FIG. 4, so that the ladder can readily be stored in a small space.

The ladder construction illustrated in the drawing and described above is subject to structural modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

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

1. A ladder which comprises a pair of spaced rails, hooks mounted on upper ends of said rails for supporting the ladder, a plurality of rungs mounted on said rails, thererbeing a circumferentially extending groove in each rail opposite each rung and a pair of pins mounted in each rung, each groove having an arc portion concentric to the face of the rail, each pin extending transversely of and being received in one of the grooves of one of the rails to support the rung, the rails being swingable between an operative position in which the hooks extend transversely of the rungs and a folded position aligned with the rungs, each groove having a straight portion extending tangentially from one end of the arc portion, the pins engaging the straight portions when said nails are in operative position.

2. A boarding ladder for a boat which comprises a pair of spaced rails, hooks mounted on upper ends of said rails for supporting the ladder, a plurality of rungs mounted on said rails, there being a circumferentially extending groove in each rail opposite each rung and a pair of pins mounted in each rung, each groove having a semi-circular portion concentric to the face of the rail and substantially parallel straight portions extending tangentially from ends of the said semi-circular portion, each pin extending transversely of and being received in one of the grooves of one of the rails to support the 'rung, the rails being swingable between an operative position in which the hooks extend transversely of the rungs 4 struts being in alignment with the rungs when the rails are in folded position.

3. A ladder which comprises a pair of spaced tubular rails, hooks mounted on upper ends of said rails for supporting the ladder, a plurality of rungs mounted on said rails, there being a circumferentially extending groove in each rail opposite each rung and a pair of pins mounted in each rung, each rung having a semi-circular portion concentric to the face of the tubular rail and substantially parallel straight portions extending tangentially from ends of the said semi-circular portion, each pin extending transversely of and being received in one of the grooves of one of the rails to support the rung, the rails being swingable between an operative position in which the hooks extend transversely of the rungs and a folded position aligned with the rungs, the pins engaging said straight portions when said rails are in operative position, and a strut mounted on each rail in alignment with the hook thereof and engageable with a side of the boat when the rails are in operative position and the hooks are mounted over an upper edge of the side, the struts being in alignment with the rungs when the rails are in folded position, and plugs mounted on ends of the rails to close the ends of the rails whereby the ladder is adapted to float in water.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Austria Dec. 10, 1910