US3008534A - Bunk bed ladder guard and bracket structure - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 14, J. B. VON CANON, JR BUNK BED LADDER GUARD AND BRACKET STRUCTURE A"fFilecl Oct. 24, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y, Y, A/ Flc. 6

76 @ma 1.27:: 7B H6 Il 'l Il l1 INV ENTOR J. Bobbif Von Canon,Jr.

ATTORNEY S J. B. VON CANON, JR

BUNK BED LADDER GUARD AND BRACKET STRUCTURE Nov. 14, 1961 2 Sheets-Shea?` 2 Filed OGb. 24, 1958 J. Bobbif Von Canon,Jr.

1Ml BY fj ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,008,534 BUNK BED LADDER GUARD AND BRACKET STRUCTURE 'John BobbittVon Canon, Jr., P.O. Box 223, West End, N.C. vFiled Oct. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 769,397 7 Claims. (Cl. 182-106) This invention relates` to improvements in beddingl and in particular to anvimproved bunk bed ladder and guard construction.

Bunk beds .usually are provided with some form of guard .means particularly on the upper bunk to prevent the occupant from fall-ing out. Further they ymust be provided witha ladder means for assistance in entering and leaving the upper bunk. The guard means comprise attachments iixed to the frame of the bed and extending horizontally ,along the side rail in spaced relationship thereabove. In some instances these guard structures extend the full length of the bed and might be attached for lexample Vto the head and foot boards. In other instances the guardrail comprises a member attached by a bracestructure directly to the side rail and extending thereabove; in many instances only a part of the distance therealong.

The vladder constructions which are employed consist of means which are usually connected to the rail of the upper bed of bunk by |a hook and rest on the door spaced from the bunks laterally to provide a stair-like construction leading up to the upper bunk.

The ladder structure and the side guard rail structure provide abutments which interfere with the making of the beds by the housewife. Further, the ladder structure projects out into the room and is undesirable on this accord.

One object of the instant invention accordingly is to provide a bunk bed guard and ladder structure which is not so connected to the bed as to constitute an impediment to the making of the bed, that is, the dressing of the bed or other operations usually performed on beds and mattresses.

Another object of the invention is to provide a ladder structure which is used with bunk beds, which does not project out into the room, which occupies a minimum space, and less floor space than previously required.

A further object of thev invention is to provide a single unit which includes a combination ladder and guard rail.

-It is alsol an object of the invention to provide a combination bunk bed ladder and guard construction which is readily removable bythe housewife for the making or Adressing of the bed and readily reatt'achable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guard rail and ladder structure which is adjustable for use with thickvaswell as average bedding and which does-not interfere with the mattresses. The known guards are useless with thick bedding.

Onel other object of the invention is to provide a bunk bed ladder and guard structure including a guard means which is readily detachable from the ladder in the event theuse of the: guard provided is not desirable, or for packing, or in caseswhere it is deemed desirable to consult or adrninisiterwith whoevermightbe in the upper bunk.

A-stilll further object of the invention is to provide a bunk bed ladder andguard rail construction which `is adapted tofbeshipped -with bunk beds and which `does not undesirably increase the vsize of the packaging or the amount of packaging needed.

Yet another object of the invention is tor provide a bunk bed and guardrail structure which is adapted to be shippedv in amore compact form than that heretofore known.

It lisalso an object of the invention'to Vprovide a ladder :bed or the rails.

3,008,534 Patented Nov. 14, 19,61

,and guard yrail construction which will take less storage .space when the bunks are used as twin bedsffor example.

An additional object of the inventionisto vprovidea bracket means :forattachment of a combination bunk bed guard and ladder structure to bunk bed side railsr having all the well known types of construction. According to this object a single construction fora Yguard rail and ladder can be provided for use with all known bunk beds, yet a secure `.attachment of ithe ladder and guard structure to the bunk beds is assured. A reduction in cost and pack-aging `problems is :obvious ,with such an advantage.

The invention has among its other objects the provision of ladder and guard rail structure which willnot warp.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bunk bed and ladder and guard structure which isv adaptable for beds having many diiferentforms of side railstructure yet which does not involve moving parts, `relativelyadjustable means, or nuts, bolts, etc., .which function asadjustable clamps or must be adjusted to accommodate the bed rails.

According to the invention means are ,provided which require simplecontact only to assure a true proper ,connection betweenthe ladder and the rail.

As with all material that is shipped even inan unassembled manner, ywhich has become quite the custom., in the modernhandling of furniture, particularly `that-of the juvenile type, the problem of packaging becomes more and more Vacute as the cost'of labor and shipping rises. Bunk bed ladders and guards have been considered a necessary evil so far .as shipping in concerned and have raised the cost of shipping in handling bunk beds. According to this invention the increase in cost `is lowered considerably due to the compactness of arrangementprovided.

Further, the compactness of structure results in amore satisfactory ,arrangement from the users standpoint, particularly in the small Iroorns which are apt to be found in todays home the projections of ladders, etc., are all inlportant. Reductions in size thereof vare desirable. All

wards.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a ladder which .is more securely braced against the bed than heretofore. p

An additional object of thisinvention is to provide a ladder and guard rail construction which can be easily Yet a still furtherobject of the invention'is to provide a ladder and guard rail structure which will not mar the It is well known that the known constructions usually quickly mar the furniture.

Still another object of the invention is tok provide a yladder and guard rail structure which can be made from lesslumber lthan heretofore known constructions and which requiresless labor.`

Yet a furtherobject vof the invention is to provide a singlesizedladderand .guard rail construction'ffor all beds. Usually amanufacturer must make several sizes.

Further objects of the invention includelto` provide a structurewhieh is less apt to'walk than heretofore known constructions and which.willgive a neater display in a market or store.

These and'other objects and advantages will become apparent from the followingdescrip-tion andithe accomp-anying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a small scale perspective view of a bunk bed having the combination ladder and guard off the instant invention attached thereto.

FIGURE 2 is a larger scale sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE Y3 is a fragmentary sectional view on a scale -of the order of FIGURE 2 illustrating another use of a lbracket structure of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing the use of the bracket construction in still another v manner.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the bracket on the -sarne scale as FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 11 is a View similar to FIGURE 8 but showing another type of ladder and guard rail construction.

Bunk beds, as is well known in the art and to the home owner, comprise a pair of substantially duplicate beds 10,

`12 having side rails such as 14. The beds are formed so that the head and Afoot boards of one bunk are adapted to be interlockingly engaged with the head and foot board of the other bunk so that they can be arranged one on top `of the other as illustrated in FIGURE 1. -of this of course is to save `space in small bedrooms. Rail 'I'he purpose 14 in the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE l is a wooden rail and the frames are wooden frames. The -rail is a llat board member which is commonly employed in bedding (see also FIGURE 2).

FIGURES and 1l illustrate forms of ladder and guard rail structure heretofore employed for many years in the art. In FIGURE 10 there is depicted a ladder 16 .which has upper hook ends 18 and 20 which engage the side rail 22. These hook ends are adapted to be placed over the top of the side rail. The ladder has slanted feet 24 and 26. The ladder is seen to assume the usual angle with regard to the bed and must project out into the room in order to be reasonably securely attached to the bed.

Guard rail 28 constitutes a lateral member made of wood which has hooked ends 30, 32 which hook over the ends of the head and foot boards. This guard rail must below enough to perform its function. However, its lowness results in interference with the housewife when she intends to make the hed. Further, the long member is flexible and gives as the user gets into the bed. It must be removed to make the bed and must be replaced. Also i-t warps and it slides on the head and foot boards. This results in disiigurement of the bed. The ladder slides or walks on the side rail and also disiigures the latter and the floor. It is a source of annoyance. The ladder also is merely hung from its top and is easily dislodged by children, particularly in play. Often it will fall on the oor. Further, the hooked ends of the ladder are necessarily of such a size as yto abut against the mattress and interfere with the making of the bed. The ladder is a further annoyance to the housewife in that she must Walk around the ladder while tending the bed, and the floor contacting legs make it diicult to clean the floor. The ladder therefore is often disengaged and placed against the wall or laid on the floor on its side while making the bed or cleaning. Furthermore, storage and shipping problems are complicated by the use of the long guard member.

In FIGURE l1 there is shown `another common form of bed rail guard and ladder construction. The ladder 34 is of the same construction as the ladder 16 and is subject to the same disadvantages in that it projects into the room and is apt to slide on the floor, is not really properly secured to the rail, and further interferes with the making of the bed. The guard in this instance indicated by reference character 36 consti-tutes a member lixedly attached to the rail 38. It performs a permanent, or at least a semi-permanent, attachment which is in the way of the person who would make the bed and is apt to interfere with large heavy mattresses. When the beds are to be used as separate single beds the guard must be det-ached.

A glance at FIGURE 1 will in itself illustrate some of the advantages `of the instant construction. Ther-ein the ladder and guard rail construction is seen to comprise means fixed adjacent the side of the bed rail and in a vertical position Which does not project out into the room, and is securely attached. Further an examination of FIGURES 1 through 8 will disclose that the combined ladder and guard constitutes a single unit which is readily removable from the bed, yet not accidentally detachable, will not interfere with bedding, and has many other advantages yas will be hereinafter apparent.

Referring now in particular to FIGURES 1 through 8, the combined ladder and guard 40 comprises a ladder section 42 and a guard section 44. The ladder section comprises spaced side r-ails 46, 48 and the rungs S0. The guard section comprises the upper portions of the side rail having the ends 52 and 54 respectively. The latter have notches 56 and 58 respectively which in the embodiment illustrated are rectangular in configuration, are Substantially vertical disposed, and have their upper ends open. The guard section further includes a guard rail 60. The :rail is provided with a pair of spaced notches 62', 64 (see FIGURE 9) spaced apart `the 4same distance as the 'side rails 46 and 48. The notches in the guard rail extend laterally therein from one side edge. The width of the guard rail equals the width of the notches 56 and 58 and likewise the thickness of the side rails of the ladder is lthe same as the width of the notches 62 and 64. As a result the guard rail interts with the ladder rails to form the upper guard section of the combined ladder and guard. It should be noted that the depth 66 Iand 68 of the mating notches is chosen so that the guard rail in its illustrated embodiment lits flush with the ends of the side rails of the ladder. It should likewise be noted that the guard rail also functions asa hand rail in ascending the ladder and swinging one foot over the ladder onto the bedding. J

The rear surfaces 70, 72 of the ladder side rails are provided with a series of spaced screw fastener receiving openings 74 adapted to cooperate with screws 76, and a pair of brackets 78 and 80 are adapted to be connected to the side rails by the screw means. The brackets, of which one is illustrated in FIGURES 2 through 6, comprise a base 82 having spaced openings 84 and 86 for receiving screws. Tfhe plurality of openings 74 provide for vertical adjustment of the brackets along the ladder rails. f

FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate that the brackets can also be reversed so that' the flange construction illustrated at the bottom in FIGURE 3 can be placed at the top as illustrated in FIGURE 4.

The brackets 78 and 80` which are formed in part by :the base 82 have at one end of said base a first flange 88 extending substantially transversely of the base 82 and a second ilange att-ached to the end ofthe flange88 which extends substantially parallel to the base 82. The distance transversely between the base 82 and the flange 90, and the length of the ilange 90,is chosen so as to accommodate metal inverted angle side rails`92 of the standard size employed in bed construction in such a manner that the horizontal ilange 94 of the side rail'snugly seats between the ange 90' and the base 82 and the vertical ange of the side rail 96 bears against the base.

VAt its opposite end the base 82 is provided with an www upstanding-third--iiange A98. .'I-helatter'extends substantially laterally of the base 82. A fourth ilange 100 exte-nds 'from the flange 98 over, and-.parallel to, the base 7S. This formsa recess102. As illustrated in FIGURE 3 therecess 102 is adapted Vto receive the upper portion 104 of Va vertical li-ange .106 ofan upwardly facing metal angle 4bed rail 108 of anothercommon type employed in bedding. The vertical .ange 106 .bears against the base 82. This results in a snug association of the latter with the bed rail of the type illustrated in FIGURE 3.

A fifth flange 110 extends outwardly with respect to the base 82 and outwardly of the end of flange 100 in a direction substantially transversely of the base 82. The ange 110 in turn terminates in -a sixth tiange 112 extending over and substantially parallel to the base 82. The sixth flange 112 is spaced from the base 82 a distance complementary to the thickness of the bed rail 14 so that the rail can be received between said flange and the base and 'bear upwardly against the flange 110. The rail 14 is of the standard size employed. The Spacing between the tips of flanges 90 and 112 is suicient for passage of rail 14 outwardly of the brackets after the brackets and attached -ladder and guard have been raised sufiiciently to clear the top of the rail and the brackets, etc., have been tilted.

FIGURE 6 illustrates that the bracket 78 comprises a central preferably metallic core 114 which is imbedded `in a plastic or rubber or other resilient surfacing 116.

Further the openings 84 and 86 in the base 82 are counter bored to recess the screws. As a result there is no chance that the brackets will rnar the bed.

FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 illustrate the ladder and bracket in cooperation with the three standard Iforms of said rai-ls employed in bedding. In all instances the ladder abuts against and is Ibraced by the lower bed side ra-il 118 as well as the upper side rail.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the instant bunk bed and ladder construction can be adapted to any of the known bunk beds. Likewise it is apparent that the vertical adjustment provided for the brackets enables the positioning of the ladder above the floor and immediately adjacent the bed. It does not project outwardly therefrom. Itis also important to note that the ladder is urged downwardly by its own weight and thus securely locks itself to the beds. This results in a secure safe attachment, yet the ladder can be readily removed. However, the ladder must be purposely raised, tilted and moved outwardly of the rails to effect disengagement. It will not simply bounce off in play.

The provision of one size and type of construction satisfactory for all beds has Idistinct advantages. No longer need Ia number of sizes be stocked. Thus mixups are no longer a worry and shipping problems are considerably reduced. Obviously this will also reduce costs.

FIGURES 2 through 4 also clearly illustrate that the instant ladder `and guard will not interfere with the bedding in the exing of the latter.

While I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention it will be apparent that those skilled in the art may make many changes in details and form, and -therefore I claim an exclusive right to all modifications and changes in form coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A bunk bed ladder and guard structure comprising a ladder having a pair of spaced side rails, means for connecting said ladder to a bunk bed rail, said side rails having notched means formed in their upper ends, a guard rail member removably secured in said notch means and extending laterally across said ladder.

2. The apparatus of claim l, said guard rail having mating notch means cooperating with said notch means in said ladder and snugly interfitting with said ladder and being removable therefrom.

3. A bracket for supporting a ladder from bed rails ycomprising afbase, a first flange extending laterally of lsaid #base-anda second *llange extending frornvone end of the first liangefparallel and over-saidlbase for accommodating a side ,rail of, a bedin snug relationship intermediate said secondflange and said base and invertically bearing relationship `with said first flange, said base having adajcent its opposite end a thirdliange extending upwardly from said base in facing relationship to :.said

first flange, a fourth flange connected yto the end of said third `flange and extending over said base in spaced relationship therewith toward said iirst flange and forming a pocket with said third and fourth flanges and said base for receiving the end portion of a flange of a metal bed rail therein, a fifth ange extending from the end of said fourth liange opposite the end connected to said third flange outwardly substantially laterally of said base, and a sixth flange connected to the opposite end of said fifth flange extending over and in parallel relationship with said base, said iifth and sixth flanges forming with said base a pocket for receiving a standard wooden side rail in snug litting relationship therewith.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 including said bracket means comprising a central substantially rigid core and resilient cushioning means surrounding said core.

5. A bunk bed ladder and guard structure comprising a ladder having a pair of side rails and intersecting lungs, a bed guard rail connected adjacent one end of said ladder, said guard rail extending laterally across said side rails of said ladder and projecting outwardly of each said rail, said guard rail being spaced along said side rails a distance from the nearest rung which is substantially the same as the spacing between said rungs, said guard rail constituting a hand hold means for use in ascending said ladder.

6. A bunk bed ladder and guard rail structure comprising a ladder portion and a guard portion, said ladder portion having a pair of side rails, said side rails having notches provided in their upper ends, said guard portion having notches provided therein for engagement with the notches in said side rails for interlocking said ladder and guard portions together, means for removably attaching said ladder and guard portions to a bed rail with said ladder and guard portions extending substantially transversely across the bed rail and said ladder having a pair of brackets, each of said brackets being iixed to one of said side rails, said brackets having upper and lower flange portions extending outwardly with respect to said side rails in a plane substantially normal to said rails and adapted to cooperate with a bed rail, said brackets being reversible on said side rails with said upper liange portions being engageable with one form of a bed rail in a vertical load bearing relationship and said bottom flange portions upon the reversing of said brackets being engageable with another form of a bed rail in a vertical load bearing relationship.

7. A bunk bed ladder and guard rail structure comprising a ladder portion and a guard portion, said ladder portion having a pair of side rails, said side rails having notches provided in their upper ends, said guard portion having notches provided therein for engagement with the notches in said side rails for interlocking said ladder and guard portions together, means for removably attaching said ladder and guard portions to a bed rail with said ladder and guard portions extending substantially transversely across the bed rail and said ladder having a pair of brackets, each of said brackets being fixed to one of said side rails, said brackets having upper and lower flange portions extending outwardly with respect to said side rails in a plane substantially normal to said rails and adapted to cooperate with a bed rail, said upper flange portion being of a configuration different from the configuration of the lower flange portion, said brackets being reversible on said side rails with said upper flange portions engageable with a bed rail of one form in a vertical load bearing relationship and the lower flanges engageable with a bed rail of another form in a vertical load bearing relationship dependent upon the lposition of the bracket on said side rails.

References Cited in the le of this patent UN'ITED STATES PATENTS 8 Wendt June 28, 1938 Wraith May 27, 1952 Moss Jan. 20, 1953 Tepper June 2, 1953 Warren Aug. 18, 1953 White Oct. 210, 1953 Lehman -Fan. 5, 1954 Cogley June 24, 1958

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