US3722766A

US3722766A - Ladder rack

Info

Publication number: US3722766A
Application number: US00114771A
Authority: US
Inventors: W Barrineau; A Osborne
Original assignee: Southern Cross Industries Inc
Current assignee: Southern Cross Industries Inc
Priority date: 1971-02-12
Filing date: 1971-02-12
Publication date: 1973-03-27
Anticipated expiration: 1990-03-27

Abstract

Capable of handling 24 ft. or 28 ft. extension ladders on top of a telephone truck the present ladder rack is easily assembled and installed without special modification of the vehicle by attachment of a pair of bow supports secured to the vehicle rain gutter on each side. Longitudinal ladder support members are attached to the bow supports and a movable ladder rung finger catch arrangement is operated by a spring steel handle which latches in place to move and clamp the ladder tightly in place on the rack. Ladder abuttment feet have curved faces which are reversed from one another to assist in removing the ladder from the truck and from placing it thereon while standing alongside. To assist in positioning the ladder the spring steel handle is operated to push the ladder rearward against the fixed feet by means of the rung engagement fingers and then the handle is relatively shiftable to be spring biased into a notch, or without the ladder the fingers are retracted against the vehicle top spring tensioned by the handle.

Description

States Patent 1 Barrineau et al.

154] LADDER RACK [75] Inventors: Wade H. Barrlneau; Anthony Osborne, both of Atlanta, Ga.

[73] Assignee: Southern Cross Industries, Inc., At-

lanta, Ga.

[22] Filed: Feb. 12, 1971 [21] Appl. N0.: 114,771

[52] US. Cl ..224/42.1 F [51] Int. Cl. ..B60m 9/00 [58] Field of Search ..224/42.l R, 42.1 D, 42.1 E,

224/421 F, 42.1 G, 42.1 H, 29, 42.45;

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Germany ..248/361 1 Mar. 27, 1973 Primary ExaminerGerald M. Forlenza Assistant l ixaminer-Jerold M. Forsberg Attorney-Patrick F. Henry [57] ABSTRACT Capable of handling 24 ft. or 28 ft. extension ladders on top of a telephone truck the present ladder rack is easily assembled and installed without special modification of the vehicle by attachment of a pair of bow supports secured to the vehicle rain gutter on each side. Longitudinal ladder support members are attached to the bow supports and a movable ladder rung finger catch arrangement is operated by a spring steel handle which latches in place to move and clamp the ladder tightly in place on the rack. Ladder abuttment feet have curved faces which are reversed from one another to assist in removing the ladder from the truck and from placing it thereon while standing alongside. To assist in positioning the ladder the spring steel handle is operated to push the ladder rearward against the fixed feet by means of the rung engagement fingers and then the handle is relatively shiftable to be spring biased into a notch, or without the ladder the fingers are retracted against the vehicle top spring tensioned by the handle.

13 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEUHARZT 197a I/EA/TOK ARR/N540 OSBORNE WADE [Z A /v THO/V7 LADDER RACK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Racks and supports and especially ladder racks and supports. Vehicle top carriers, racks and supports.

2. Description of the Prior Art The prior art includes numerous vehicle ladder rack supports. Some are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,080,527; 2,733,039; 2,746,628; 3,043,398 and 3,105,667. Many utility and service companies use ladder racks and supports on the trucks and some of these comprise essentially transverse supports relative to the top of the truck and screw operated or toggle operated or some other type of mechanical operation for fastening the ladder in place. Such devices are relatively more costly to build and install than the present device and constitute permanent modifications of the truck which can only be done at a special repair facility. Furthermore, the assembly of those devices is more involved and must be performed by specialized personnel. The placement of the ladder on the top of the truck is not easy in view of the weight of a 28 ft. wooden extension ladder moved by a small person and it is not so easy to get up on a truck to place brackets in position and then tighten them or operate the mechanism to hold the ladder in place. Some of the prior art devices are not durable and rust readily because of the type of construction necessary from the way it is built and the clamping mechanisms will work loose and must be repaired or replaced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION By utilizing pre-assembly parts plus permanent but removable installation with nuts and bolts andsimilar fasteners it is possible to install the present transverse bow supports in the rain gutters of practically any vehicle such as the telephone and other utility van type trucks which are quite common. The attachment of the bow supports resembles the attachment of some car top carriers through the use of screw operated pressure brackets that tighten on the rain gutters. In lieu of any extensive or weighty framework the present device utilizes only a pair of longitudinal rod members bolted to the transverse bow supports and one of the rod members is formed with an upstanding leg which prevents the disengagement of the ladder from the ladder support sidewise after installation. Clamp members like fingers move the ladder into place on the rack by pushing upon operation of the handle which spring biases into place when the ladder is clamped. The clamp fingers are retracted by the handle and held in place from rattling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective assembly or exploded view of the present ladder rack.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the top of a van type truck with the present ladder rack installed thereon.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ladder rung latching mechanism including the latching fingers and a portion of the handle.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The entire ladder rack of the present invention is referred to by reference numeral 10 and comprises a pair of vehicle support members designated generally by reference numeral 12 and 14 which are for transverse installation on a typical side edge rain gutter 16 found on most vehicles such as the one 18 shown in FIG. 2. The vehicle support members are made from lightweight metal channel having pre-punched therein a number of openings to receive assembly and latching elements to be described hereinafter. Each vehicle support member 12, 14 has attached to one end thereof a rain gutter support plate assembly 20 also made from lightweight metal channel and having a protruding plate 22 in which there is a threaded opening receiving a threaded stud 24 attached to a bottom plate 26. As shown in FIG. 1, rain gutter support plate assemblies -20 are attached in place in the various openings 28 by fasteners 30 which may be screws or any other type of fastening element into a rigid assembly which is attached onto the rain gutter 16 in the manner shown in FIG. 2.

A pair of longitudinal ladder support

members

34, 36 may be made from metal tubing. Member 36 is bent at one end into an upstanding leg 38 which is used to try to prevent unwanted sidewise displacement of the ladder which is shown in places in whole or in part by dotted lines 40. Leg 38 also serves as a guide and stop to engage one end of the ladder during placement or removal. The ladder 40 includes conventional transverse ladderrungs 42.

Vehicle support member 14 has welded or otherwise attached thereto a pair of

ladder abuttment feet

44, 46

respectively. Foot 44 has the bend 45 reversed in direction from the same bend 45 in foot 46 in the manner shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to assist in the sidewise installation and removal of the ladder by turning the ladder rung 42 and sliding same up foot 46 at the straight side to allow the ladder to swing outwardly or inwardly against leg 38 when held by the workman standing on the ground alongside the vehicle 18.

The longitudinal ladder support members each have installation studs 50 thereon for insertion in prepunched openings 51 in the respective vehicle support members 12, 14 for installation securely and permanently but removably thereon.

For the purpose of discussion, the

feet

44, 46 are considered to be at the rear or the bottom of the bracket assembly 10 and for this reason this is referred to as the rearward direction or the bottom of the entire assembly wherever discussion refers to the ladder installation and removal. However, it is obvious that the entire assembly may be assembled in either direction and either end may be on one or the other of the vehicle 18.

Near one end of the entire assembly 10 which for the sake of discussion is referred to as the front end there is a ladder latching arrangement which is designated generally by reference numeral 52 and comprises a pair of ladder latching fingers 54 of identical construction made from bent metal plate in the general shape apparent from the figures of the drawings, and connected by a cross-bar member 55. The ends of members 54 may be coated with rubber or vinyl to cushion same and to provide durability. Likewise portions of the

feet

44, 46 may be coated with rubber or plastic for the same reason and to make the installation tighter and to absorb shock better and reduce noise from rattling and the like. Members 54 have inner ends formed from the metal bent into a tubular shape 56 and are mounted permanently on a metal rod shaft 58 by means of lugs 60 attached to shaft 58 and extending through elongated slots 62 in the tubular portions 56.

As seen in FIG. 1, shaft 58 is mounted in bushings 64 inserted in openings in support plates 66 attached to the underside of the respective

ladder support members

34, 36 and support plate 66 on member 36 is part of a latching bracket assembly designated generally by reference numeral 70 and comprising an. elongated plate 72 with notch plates 74 at each end thereof hav ing notches 76 in which is positioned under tension a spring steel handle member 80 which has one end 82 bent inwardly for loose attachment in an opening 84 in one end of shaft 58 as shown in the figures of the drawings, especially FIG. 3. Handle 80 has a plastic or rubber grip member 86 thereon. Thus, the handle 80 is operated to turn shaft 58 in either direction and as seen readily in FIG. 2 when the handle is rotated in the same direction as the desired movement of the fingers 54 the fingers will engage the next adjacent ladder rung 42 and push the ladder rearward against

feet

44, 46 until the ladder rung 42 at that end engages the

feet

44, 46 and cannot move further. Then the handle may be swung slightly because of the lost motion in the slot 62 of the lug 60 and the handle pivoted slightly to be brought into position just below the notch 76 and then bent slightly to bias into place in the notch holding the handle 80 securely in place and tightening on the tingers 54 against rung 42 thereby securing the ladder 40 tightly in place under tension and with cushioned engagement.

When the ladder 40 has been removed from the truck 18, which as mentioned previously can be done by standing alongside the vehicle, then releasing the handle 80 from its position in the rearward notch 76 and then swinging the handle around to bring the tingers 54 forward to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 3 whereat the handle 80 may then be moved slightly to be brought into the other notch 76 and spring biased therein to hold the fingers 54 tightly in place and to prevent movement or rattling when the ladder is not in place. In doing this retraction of the fingers 54, the lugs 60 drive the fingers 54 simultaneously from shaft 58 towards the top of the vehicle 18 until the fingers 54 strike the top and lie thereagainst at which time there is lost motion in the slots 62 while the lugs 60 travel to the other end of slot 60 at which point the handle is rearward (dotted lines in FIG. 2) and has been bent slightly into the notch 76 to spring bias the fingers 54 against the flanged edge of support 12 on the top of vehicle 18 thereby securing the fingers 54 from rattling and placing them for ready use when the ladder is installed. As the ladder is installed as previously mentioned the lugs 60 travel back to the end of slot 62 to again drive the fingers 54 against the ladder rung 42.

SUMMARY OF OPERATION A ladder 40 is removed by unlatching the handle 80 from notch 76 and rotating and swinging the handle 80 to where the fingers 54 are against the support 12.

Then the ladder may be grasped by hand, shifted while standing on the ground about and against the

feet

44, 46 and the end being held lowered to the ground. To replace the ladder 40 on top of vehicle 18, the ladder 40 is lifted to place one end against feet 44,46 (substantiallyreversing the procedure of removal) and then the other end is lowered on top of support 12 with the tingers 54 inside the ladder 40, as seen in FIG. 2. This places the fingers 54 between ladder rungs and by swinging the handle the fingers 54 are driven, as described previously in the description of the fingers 54, against the rung 42 and the ladder 40 is pushed firmly against the

feet

44,46. The handle 80 is bent slightly in place, being spring steel as described previously, and while bent and under tension is placed in the notch 76 thereby maintaining pressure on the ladder 40.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of this invention together with a suggested use thereof this is by way of illustration only since there are various alterations, deviations, combinations, additions, removals, integrations, combinations, additions, substitutions, and other departures which may be made in the embodiment shown and described without departing from the scope of my invention as defined by a proper construction of the appended claims.

What is claimed:

1. In a ladder rack which may be removably installed on top ofa vehicle such as a van truck:

a. spaced, stationary supports for stationary mounting to support a ladder thereon as for example for engagement on the rain gutter on the opposite sides of the vehicle,

a longitudinal frame attached to and extending across the stationary support means,

c. stop means on one support near one end of said longitudinal frame and engageable by one of the .ladder rungs when the ladder is pushed thereagainst, d. movable ladder drive and rung securing means mounted on the longitudinal frame for motion relative to the longitudinal frame, and including a finger member for engaging a ladder rung,

e. and manually operated handle means for operating said finger member against said ladder rung to drive said ladder against said stop means, and said handle being latched in place to secure said ladder.

. The device in claim 1:

f. spring means biasing said securing means in place against said ladder when in place and said spring means biasing said securing means out of place when said ladder is not installed. The device claimed in claim 2: g. said securing means being at least one finger member and being mounted on a pivot means,

said means for operating including handle means connected to said finger member. 4. The device in claim 3: there being lost motion between said means for operating and said finger member to bring said finger member flat against a surface such as the vehicle top. 5. The device in claim 3: said pivot means being a shaft and said finger member being mounted thereon; said handle means being connected to said shaft.

6. The device in claim 5: said handle means being bendable spring material such as spring steel and being bendable in place to provide spring tension.

7. The device in claim 1: said stationary support means being a pair of spaced, transverse members having attachment means thereon for attachment to a vehicle rain gutter; said longitudinal frame means being a pair of spaced members attached to said spaced transverse members.

8. The device in claim 1:

said ladder rung securing means being movable on said support means to engage a rung of the ladder in one position of ladder installation and then when operated by said manually operated means, to drive said ladder in place; said securing means then being operable by said manually operated means to secure said ladder in place by locking against a rung.

9. The device in claim 8: said securing means being a longitudinally mounted finger member pivotally connected to said longitudinal frame support means.

10. The device in claim 9: said finger member being mounted on a pivot shaft and said manually operated means including a handle manually operable for rotating said shaft to move said finger member.

11. The device in claim 10: said finger member being mounted on said pivot shaft for limited movement thereon when retracted to stored position whereby there is lost motion to permit said handle to be moved.

12. The device in claim 11: said handle member being made from a spring material such as spring steel and being bendable when said finger member is in place against said ladder rung to spring bias same in place.

13. The device in claim 12: there being a first notch means corresponding to the latched position of said finger member against said ladder rung and said handle being bendable for a limited amount to bend and drop into said notch to spring bias said ladder in position; there being a second notch spaced from said first notch in the position of retraction and storing of said finger member and said handle being operable to retract said finger member and to bend for a limited amount to drop into said notch to spring bias said finger member into retracted, stored position.

Claims

1. In a ladder rack which may be removably installed on top of a vehicle such as a van truck: a. spaced, stationary supports for stationary mounting to support a ladder thereon as for example for engagement on the rain gutter on the opposite sides of the vehicle, b. a longitudinal frame attached to and extending across the stationary support means, c. stop means on one support near one end of said longitudinal frame and engageable by one of the ladder rungs when the ladder is pushed thereagainst, d. movable ladder drive and rung securing means mounted on the longitudinal frame for motion relative to the longitudinal frame, and including a finger member for engaging a ladder rung, e. and manually operated handle means for operating said finger member against said ladder rung to drive said ladder against said stop means, and said handle being latched in place to secure said ladder.

2. The device in claim 1: f. spring means biasing said securing means in place against said ladder when in place and said spring means biasing said securing means out of place when said ladder is not installed.

3. The device claimed in claim 2: g. said securing means being at least one finger member and being mounted on a pivot means, h. said means for operating including handle means connected to said finger member.

4. The device in claim 3: there being lost motion between said means for operating and said finger member to bring said finger member flat against a surface such as the vehicle top.

5. The device in claim 3: said pivot means being a shaft and said finger member being mounted thereon; said handle means being connected to said shaft.

8. The device in claim 1: said ladder rung securing means being movable on said support means to engage a rung of the ladder in one position of ladder installation and then when operated by said manually operated means, to drive said ladder in place; said securing means then being operable by said manually operated means to secure said ladder in place by locking against a rung.