US3111193A

US3111193A - Combination step-extension ladder with an adjustable pail shelf

Info

Publication number: US3111193A
Application number: US133352A
Authority: US
Inventors: Roxton C Mckinnie
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-08-23
Filing date: 1961-08-23
Publication date: 1963-11-19
Anticipated expiration: 1980-11-19

Description

Nov. 19, 1963 R. c. Mc 3,111,193

COMBINATION STEP-EXTENSION LADDER WITH AN ADJUSTABLE PAIL SHELF Filed Aug. 23,1961

J FIG.4. FIG.5.

OXTON INNIE F I62. Bl wcp ATTORNEYS \I III United States Patent Ofi ice an es Patented Nov. 19, 1963 3,111,193 COMBHNATIGN STEP-EXTENSKUN LADDER WHTH AN ADJUSTABLE PAH. SHELF Roxton C. lvicKinnie, 2435 Walgrove Ave, Los Angeies 66, Calif. Filed Aug. 23, 196i, Ser. No. 133,352 3 Claims. (CL 132-22) This invention relates generally to ladders and more particularly to an improved combination step-extension ladder and pail shelf for both domestic and commercial applications.

Most conventional step ladders include a pail shelf which is pivotally mounted to the ladder in such a manner as to swing to an out of the way position when the ladder is folded and not in use. Because of the swingable attachment of the pail shelf, it is always at the same level above the floor, when the ladder is unfolded. Thus, in using the ladder to paint a large wall area, for example, the painter may place the paint can on the pail shelf which is ordinarily close to the top of the ladder and commence his painting. However, after the upper portion of the wall has been painted and the painter no longer needs to stand on the ladder or is standing at an intermediate position on the ladder, he must reach up to put his brush in the paint can if the paint can is still held on the shelf. A point is reached when it is more practical for the painter to remove the can from the pail shelf and place it on the floor. In this position, however, the painter .then must reach down, or if he is standing at an intermediate position on the ladder, actually climb down to wet his brush and there is thus much lost motion.

In instances wherein high ceilings are involved, the average step ladder may not enable a painter to climb a sufiicient height to paint. Regular type ladders must then be employed, but generally these ladders do not have any provision for a pail shelf. Thus, the painter again encounters the problem of having to reach down or climb down a ladder before he can apply paint to his brush. Otherwise, he must hold the can with one hand and paint with the other.

With the foregoing in mind, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved combination step and extension ladder with an adjustable pail shelf which overcomes the foregoing problems.

More particularly, it is an object to provide a combination step and extension ladder which may be readily converted from a step ladder position to an extension ladder position in the event high walls are to be painted or in the event a high place must be reached.

Another important object is to provide a ladder of the foregoing type which includes an adjustable pail shelf, the level of which may be varied in increments corresponding to the distance between the steps or rungs of the ladder when the ladder is either in a step ladder position or extension ladder position. By this arrangement, a painter, for example, may reposition his paint can by readjusting the level of the pail shelf so that the paint can will always be at a convenient location, depending upon the portion of the wall being painted.

Other important objects of this invention are to provide an improved combination step-extension ladder which is extremely rugged in construction, economical to manufacture, and which does not require any complicated rearrangement of its component parts in converting the step ladder into an extension ladder.

Briefly, these and many other objects and advantages of this invention are attained by providing a pair of front and rear legs having steps or rungs disposed therebetween. The upper ends of the legs are positioned together and the lower ends spread apart to form an inverted V shape to define a step ladder. The upper front edges of the rear legs are mitered to engage in full surface contact the upper rear edges of the front legs when the front and rear legs are in their inverted V position so that stable support is provided. Also included is at least one swingable loop structure secured to one of the front legs adjacent its upper end in a position to be swung over the end of the corresponding rear leg to hold the mitered surface thereof in engagement with the rear edge of the front leg and thus secure the front and rear legs in their inverted V shape.

The front legs include suitable rung or step engaging means extending therefrom in a position to engage any one of the rungs or steps between the rear legs when the loop structure is released and the rear legs are folded against the front legs and slid upwardly, thereby providing an extension ladder. us, either a step or extension ladder may be provided.

In accordance with an important feature of the invention, there is provided an adjustable pail shelf in the form of a rectangular member having opposite sides notched to be received between the rear legs with the member in a position to rest on top of one of the rungs or steps thereof. This member may be tilted and removed from between the rear legs and repositioned to rest on any one of the other rungs or steps therebetween so that its level or height above the lower ends of the legs may be adjusted.

A better understanding of the invention will be had by now referring to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the combination step and extension ladder of this invention in the position of a step ladder;

FlGURE 2 is a rear elevational view of the ladder shown in FIGURE 1 looking generally in the direction of the arrow 2;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view partly broken away to illustrate certain component parts showing the ladder in its extension ladder position;

FIGURE 4 is a plan View of the adjustable pail shelf employed with the ladder of FIGURES 1-3; and,

FIGURE 5 is a side view of the pail shelf of FIGURE 4 taken in the direction of the arrows 55'.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, the ladder comprises a pair of front legs 19 and 11 and a pair of

rear legs

12 and 13. As shown, the upper front edges of the rear legs 12 and 3.3 are mitered as at 14 to engage in full surface contact the upper rear edges of the front legs it and 11 when the upper ends of the front and rear legs are positioned together as shown and t leir lower ends spread apart in the form of an inverted V to define -a step ladder.

Steps 15 are secured between the front legs 16 and 11 as shown. Also secured to the front legs iii and 11 are brackets 16 and 17 pivotaily supporting holding loops l8 and 19 arranged to be swung over the adjacent upper ends of the

rear legs

12 and 13 to hold the mitered edges thereof in surface engagement with the upper rear edges of the front legs. in FIGURE 1, the holding loop 18 is shown in locked position to hold the mitered upper edge of the leg 12 against the rear upper edge of the front leg d1 while the holding loop 19 is shown in an up or released position to illustrate the operation of the holding loops. While two such holding loops are shown, one such loop would be sufficient to hold the ladder in its inverted 1' shape.

The front legs 1% and 11 also support guide flanges 2t? and 21 which extends adjacent the outsides of the

rear legs

12 and 13, respectively, and terminate in inturned ends engaging the rear edges of the rear legs as best seen in FIGURE 2. Rigid support for the guide flanges 2h and 21 may be provided by

anchor links

22 and 23 which connect :to intermediate points on the guide flanges and raised points on the front legs 1%} and 11 beneath the top step 15 thereof. The guide flanges will cooperate with the

holding loops

18 and 19 to limit the angle of divergence of the inverted V form. The same guide flanges also function to help support the structure when converted into an extension ladder as will become clearer when FIGURE 3 is described.

As also best shown in FIGURE 2, there are provided projecting stops 24 land 25 constituting the ends of a rod 26 passing beneath and supporting the top step 15. These

projections

24 and 25 rest against the upper edges of the guide flanges 29* and 21, respectively, and will prevent the rear legs .12 and 13 from sliding downwardly from the top ends of the front legs and 11 should the ladder be tilted to lift the rear legs from the ground.

The rear legs include a plurality of steps or rungs 27 disposed therebetween as shown in FIGURE 1. The top rung, however, is in the form of a wide flat step 28 positioned to be co-planar with the top step 15 between the front legs 16 and 11 when the front and rear legs are in their inverted V position. With this arrangement, there is provided a relatively large flat surface at the top of the step ladder which may serve as a roller paint pan holder or pail supporting surface.

To enable conversion of the front and rear legs from a step ladder into an extension ladder, the front legs are provided with rung or step engaging members 29 and 30' having upturned ends as shown most clearly in FIGURE 2. These members extend rearwardly towards the rear legs 12- and 13.

When it is desired to convert the step ladder of FIG- URE 1 into an extension ladder, the

holding loops

18 and 19 are first swung over the upper ends of the rear legs back into a reverse position over the upper ends of the front legs. The

rear legs

12 and 13 are then folded against the front legs \10 and 11, respectively, the stop means 24 and 25 serving to prevent any downward sliding movement of the rear legs with respect to the front legs. After this folding operation, the rear legs are then slid upwardly with respect to the front legs, there being provided sufficient space between the

guide flanges

20 and 21 so that the upper movement of the rear legs can be effected without the rungs 27 striking the underside of the rung engaging

members

29 and 30 projecting from the front steps. When the rear legs have been slid upwardly to a desired height, the rung closest to the

engaging members

29 and 30 may be hooked into the members, respectively, as most celarly shown in the broken-away portion of FIGURE 3. The guide flanges 20 and 21 will prevent the rear legs from falling away from the front legs prior to the engagement of the upper end thereof with a wall surface. The overall height of the extension ladder structure may readily be varied by simply lifting slightly on the rear legs to unhook the rung 27 from the rung engaging

members

29 and 36 and then lowering the same until the next rung is in a position to be received in the rung engaging members.

In combination with the foregoing structure, there is provided an adjustable pail shelf in the form of a rectangular member 31 arranged to be inserted between the

rear legs

12 and 13 to rest on any one of the rungs thereof as illustrated in FIGURE 1. As an example, there is shown in dotted lines .31 another position for the member 31.

With particular reference to FIGURE 4, it will be noted that the opposite sides 32. and 33 of the member 31 includes

notches

34 and 35, respectively. These notches are of a width corresponding to the width between the front and rear edegs of the

rear legs

12 and 13, respectively. Further, as clearly illustrated in FIGURE 5, the opposing edges of the notches are sloped as at 36 and 37 so that they will engage in full surface contact the front and rear surfaces of the rear legs when the rear legs are slanting as shown in FIGURE 1 so that the shelf will be level.

The versatility of the adjustable pail shelf will be further evident by referring to FIGURE 3 wherein the shelf 31 has been turned over and inserted to extend out the front of the

rear legs

12 and 13 when they are in an extension ladder position. Alternatively, the shelf could be reinverted to its original position and extend from the rear of the rear legs as shown by the dotted lines 3 1 in FIG- URE 3. It is necessary to turn the member over when it is desired to have the same project from the opposite side of the rear legs so that the sloping opposing edges of the notches will be properly oriented to correspond with the slanting or sloping direction of the ladder legs to insure that the pail shelf will be level.

In the operation of the combination step and extension ladder, a painter may first Wish to start painting a high wall such as schematically illustrated in FIGURE 3 at the ceiling portion and work towards the floor. In this event, the front and rear legs would be positioned as shown in FIGURE 3 to form an extension ladder. For convenience, the pail shelf 31 may be positioned as shown in solid lines in FIGURE 3 so that the painters paint pail or can will be readily available to him while painting the upper portions of the wall. As the painting progresses downwardly, the painter may simply shift the position of the pail shelf by tilting the same and sliding it from between the rear legs and then re-inserting it over the next lower rung with the rear legs received in the respective notches. The shelf level may thus be changed by a distance corresponding to the distance between the rungs or steps between the rear legs, any one particular step serving to support the bottom portion of the shelf.

As the painter works still lower, he will reach a point where it is more convenient to employ the ladder as a step ladder. In this event, the pail shelf 31 Will be removed and the rear legs then raised slightly to unhook the rung 27 shown in FIGURE 3, for example, so that the same may be lowered between the

guide flanges

29 and 21. The rear legs may then be swung outwardly until the mitered upper front edges thereof as shown at 14- properly engage the upper rear edges of the front legs. This position is accurately maintained by the stop means 24 and 25 when they engage the upper edges of

guide flanges

29 and 21. The holding

loops

18 and 19 may then be swung over the upper ends of the rear legs as described in conjunction with FIGURE 1 when the same are spread apart to define the inverted V form.

Since the top steps of both the front and rear legs are co-planar in the step ladder position as described in FIGURE 1, this wide surface area may be employed as a pail shelf while painting intenmediate portions of the wall. As the painting progresses further downwardly, the painter may then progressively re-adjust the pail shelf 31 between the rear legs to extend rearwardly as described in conjunction with FIGURE 11, moving the pail shelf downwardly to rest on the successive rungs 27.

From the foregoing description, it will thus be evident that the present invention has provided a greatly improved combination step and extension ladder and adjustable pail shelf. M-uch lost motion in applying paint to a brush is avoided by the construction as described.

While the particular application and function of the ladder of this invention has been described in conjunction with a painting operation, it will be evident that it may be used in many other ways. Further, while both steps and rungs have been shown, either may be interchanged or steps or rungs exclusively used between the various front and rear legs with the exception of the top steps thereof in order to retain the feature of a flat c0- planar top surface. The combination step and extension ladder and adjustable pail shelf is therefore not to be thought of as limited to the exact embodiment set forth merely for illustrative purposes.

In the appended claims, the word step is meant to include either a wide flat step or round rung or equivalent structure.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination step-extension ladder with an adjustable pail shelf comprising: a pair of front legs having a plurality of steps therebetween; a pair of rear legs having a plurality of rungs therebetween, said rear legs being of the same length as said front legs and having mitered upper front edges engaging in full surface contact the upper rear edges of said front legs when said front and rear legs have their upper ends placed together and their lower ends spread apart to form an inverted V defining a step ladder, said rear legs having a top step co-planar with the top step of said front legs when in said inverted V position; at least one holding loop pivoted to the upper side of one of said pair of front legs and swingable over the upper end of one of said pair of rear legs to hold the mitered front edge thereof against the upper rear edge of said one of said front legs; a pair of guide flanges secured to said front legs between adjacent steps and extending rearwardly on the outer sides of said rear legs and thence turning inwardly to bear against the rear edges of said rear legs; and a pair of rung supporting members secured between said front legs beneath one of said steps and extending rearwardly to terminate in up-turned ends for engaging one of said rungs, whereby said holding loop may be swung back over the upper end of said one of said front legs and said rear legs folded against said front legs and slid upwardly until one of said rungs is received in said members to provide an extension ladder; and a pail shelf comprising a flat rectangular member having front and rear edges and opposite sides, said opposite sides having notch means closer to said rear edge than to said front edge for receiving said pair of rear legs, the top surface of said pail shelf forming an obtuse angle with the portion of said legs extending above said shelf, whereby said pail shelf may be moved to rest on different ones of said rungs to vary its height above the lower ends of said front and rear legs.

2. The combination of claim 1, including an elongated rod extending beneath and supporting said top step between said rear legs, said rod extending through said rear legs to project laterally from opposite sides of said rear legs in position engaging the upper side edges of said guide flanges to provide stop means to hold in cooperation with said holding loop said front and rear legs in said inverted V form.

3. The combination of claim 2, including anchor links for said guide flanges secured between intermediate points thereon and raised points on the sides of said front legs beneath the level of the top one of said adjacent steps respectively to support said guide flanges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,207,552 Hill Dec. 5, 1916 1,494,267 Melsha May 13, 1924 1,658,753 Wirth Feb. 7, 1928 2,528,317 Newman Oct. 3 1950 2,896,830 Bair -1 July 2 8, 11-959 FOREIGN PATENTS 215,177 Australia Mar. 7, 1958

Claims

1. A COMBINATION STEP-EXTENSION LADDER WITH AN ADJUSTABLE PAIL SHELF COMPRISING: A PAIR OF FRONT LEGS HAVING A PLURALITY OF STEPS THEREBETWEEN; A PAIR OF REAR LEGS HAVING A PLURALITY OF RUNGS THEREBETWEEN, SAID REAR LEGS BEING OF THE SAME LENGTH AS SAID FRONT LEGS AND HAVING MITERED UPPER FRONT EDGES ENGAGING IN FULL SURFACE CONTACT THE UPPER REAR EDGES OF SAID FRONT LEGS WHEN SAID FRONT AND REAR LEGS HAVE THEIR UPPER ENDS PLACED TOGETHER AND THEIR LOWER ENDS SPREAD APART TO FORM AN INVERTED V DEFINING A STEP LADDER, SAID REAR LEGS HAVING A TOP STEP CO-PLANAR WITH THE TOP STEP OF SAID FRONT LEGS WHEN IN SAID INVERTED V POSITION; AT LEAST ONE HOLDING LOOP PIVOTED TO THE UPPER SIDE OF ONE OF SAID PAIR OF FRONT LEGS AND SWINGABLE OVER THE UPPER ENDS OF ONE OF SAID PAIR OF REAR LEGS TO HOLD THE MITERED FRONT EDGE THEREOF AGAINST THE UPPER REAR EDGE OF SAID ONE OF SAID FRONT LEGS; A PAIR OF GUIDE FLANGES SECURED TO SAID FRONT LEGS BETWEEN ADJACENT STEPS AND EXTENDING REARWARDLY ON THE OUTER SIDES OF SAID REAR LEGS AND THENCE TURNING INWARDLY TO BEAR AGAINST THE REAR EDGES OF SAID REAR LEGS; AND A PAIR OF RUNG SUPPORTING MEMBERS SECURED BETWEEN SAID FRONT LEGS BENEATH ONE OF SAID STEPS AND EXTENDING REARWARDLY TO TERMINATE IN UP-TURNED ENDS FOR ENGAGING ONE OF SAID RUNGS, WHEREBY SAID HOLDING LOOP MAY BE SWUNG BACK OVER THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID ONE OF SAID FRONT LEGS AND SAID REAR LEGS FOLDED AGAINST SAID FRONT LEGS AND SLID UPWARDLY UNTIL ONE OF SAID RUNGS IS RECEIVED IN SAID MEMBERS TO PROVIDE AN EXTENSION LADDER; AND A PAIL SHELF COMPRISING A FLAT RECTANGULAR MEMBER HAVING FRONT AND REAR EDGES AND OPPOSITE SIDES, SAID OPPOSITE SIDES HAVING NOTCH MEANS CLOSER TO SAID REAR EDGE THAN TO SAID FRONT EDGE FOR RECEIVING SAID PAIR OF REAR LEGS, THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID PAIL SHELF FORMING AN OBTUSE ANGLE WITH THE PORTION OF SAID LEGS EXTENDING ABOVE SAID SHELF, WHEREBY SAID PAIL SHELF MAY BE MOVED TO REST ON DIFFERENT ONES OF SAID RUNGS TO VARY IN HEIGHT ABOVE THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID FRONT AND REAR LEGS.