WO2007110888A1

WO2007110888A1 - Foldable stepladder with foldable handrail

Info

Publication number: WO2007110888A1
Application number: PCT/IT2007/000168
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giuseppe Beccari
Original assignee: Aris S.R.L.
Priority date: 2006-03-24
Filing date: 2007-03-07
Publication date: 2007-10-04

Abstract

The invention concerns a foldable stepladder comprising two front legs (11) supporting a number of steps (12), two rear supporting legs (14) pivoted at the top to the front legs (11) and a high rail or parapet (18), in line with the front legs (11) and extending above the top step. The rail or parapet (18) is pivoted (19' ) to the sides of the front legs (11) and connected to the rear supporting legs (14) by tie rods (21) in order to automatically tip downwards against the front legs (11) when the stepladder is folded starting from the work position, and on the contrary upwards when the stepladder is opened into its work position.

Description

FOLDABLE STEPLADDER WITH FOLDABLE HANDRAIL

* * * *

Field of Invention

This invention concerns in general portable stepladders which have two, three, four or more steps and which are foldable to reduce its overall dimensions, and concern in particular stepladders with a high rail or parapet above the top step. State of the Technique

The type of stepladders taken into consideration herein usually comprise: two front legs, between which the steps are assembled; two supporting rear legs hinged to the top of the front legs; and a high rail or parapet above the top step, positioned so as to provide both a safety support and to help the user keep his balance when working in a slightly off-balance position.

The rear supporting legs are divaricated in relation to the front legs when the stepladder is opened for use; on the contrary they swing back to the front legs to reduce the overall dimensions of the stepladder for storing, transport and repositioning after use. In some stepladders, furthermore, the steps are wider and in order to support them they are hanged on one side to the front legs and on the opposite side to a pair of auxiliary profiles, substantially parallel to the front legs and forming a parallelogram with them. These profiles are associated with the rear legs by means of sliding devices so that they can move away in parallel from the front legs so that the steps are in a horizontal position when the legs are divaricated to place the ladder in a work position and to move closely towards the front legs, causing the steps to collapse upwards when the back legs are moved towards the front legs to fold the ladder.

However, according to the known technique, the high rail or parapet is usually supported by integral extensions or those fixed rigidly to the front legs, so that the stepladder can be reduced in height when folded, with the disadvantages, therefore, to always have an overall dimension that negatively affects packing volumes and transport and spaces needed to house it when not in use. Objectives and Summary of the Invention

One of the objectives however of the invention is to create the conditions to reduce the overall dimensions, including the height, when folded, of the abovementioned type of stepladders, equipped with high rail or parapet, so as to avoid the drawbacks stated.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a portable and foldable stepladder, the overall dimensions of which are in fact reducible and comply with the safety regulations as regards to height of the high rail or parapet and the vertical projection of the latter inside the top step, when the ladder is in the work position.

A further objective of the invention is to provide a stepladder with a combination of elements that allow the high rail or parapet to be folded consequent to the closing of the stepladder, but also to provide a stable locking system of the high rail or parapet when the stepladder is in the work position, so that it is not subject to any movement or oscillation and gives maximum support and reliability to the user. These objectives are reached with a portable and foldable stepladder according to the preamble of claim 1 and characterised in that the high rail or parapet is hinged to the sides of the front legs and connected to the back legs so as to be automatically folded downwards against the legs when the stepladder is closed, starting from the work position and vice versa upwards when the ladder is opened for use.

Furthermore, according to another characterising aspect, the rail or parapet of the stepladder is provided laterally with safety hooks by means of which, when it is facing upwards to be used, it is locked to the back legs without any possibility of it being folded. Brief Description of the Drawings

Further details of the invention will become more evident from the following description made in reference to the enclosed indicative and not binding drawings, in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 show front and lateral views of a stepladder according to the invention in its work position;

Figs. 3, 4 e 5 show the stepladder in a sequence of successive folding positions, starting from the work position in Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 6 shows a view in perspective of the stepladder open, complete with safety hooks; Fig. 7 shows a side view of the stepladder in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 shows a view of the stepladder in the folding phase. Detailed Description of the Invention

As shown, the stepladder under examination comprises two front legs 11 , that hold a number of steps 12 which are connected at the top by hinges 13 to two rear supporting legs 14.

The steps 12 are positioned and pivoted individually between the front legs 11 and extend from the latter towards the rearm where they are connected by pins 12', to a pair of connecting rods 15 substantially parallel to said front legs. Longitudinally, in the top part, each profile 15 is provided with a guide groove 16, by means of which it is connected to a rung 17 supported by the adjacent rear leg 14.

The stepladder is also equipped with a high rail or parapet 18. This is made up of two parallel auxiliary profiles 19 that extend alongside the front legs 11 and which are connected at the top by a crosspiece 20. Said auxiliary profiles 19 extend alongside the front legs 11 starting from an intermediate part of the latter, and each one has a bottom end fixed to the contiguous front leg 11 , by means of a threaded pin 19'. Furthermore, each auxiliary profile 19, is connected at an intermediate part to a rigid tie rod 21 , this tie rod can have a first end 21' connected to a relative auxiliary profile 19 and a second end 21" pivoted to a rear collateral leg 14. As an alternative, the second end 21" of the tie rod 21 can be inserted, with the possibility of sliding, in a slot 14' provided in the collateral rear leg 14 as shown in Figs. 6 an d 7. When the front and rear legs are opened and divaricated from the top towards the bottom, the stepladder is in the work position with the steps positioned horizontally and with the rail or parapet 18 facing upwards, above the top step, as an extension of the front legs. The rail or parapet 18 is obliged to maintain this position in that it is pulled by the tie rods 21 that follow the opening movement of the rear supporting legs. In such a position, the profiles 19 of the rail or parapet may then rest stably against the stop devices 23 placed at the top of the rear supporting legs 14.

Each stop device 23, furthermore, can be part of a locking hook 24 as shown in Figs. 6-8. The locking hook 24 is then fixed in a turning structure to the relative rear supporting leg 14 so as to be able to turn and engage with a pin 25 fixed to the side of the profile of the rail or parapet 18. In this way, the rail or parapet 18 becomes locked to the structure of the stepladder —Figs. 6 and 7- without being able to oscillate or be subject to other movements which might reduce its stability and reliability.

Consequently, when collapsing and closing the stepladder, first the locking hooks 24 of the stepladder must be released and then the supporting rear legs 14 moved up against the front legs 11. In this way, the steps are positioned between the front legs and at the same time the rail or parapet 18 is automatically turned downwards until its front rests against and faces the relative crosspiece 20 of the front legs. In fact, the rail or parapet is in this way obliged to turn around the relative axis 19' under the thrust of the tie rods 21 that follow the movement of the relative front and rear legs, with the result that it reduces in effect also the height of the stepladder as can be seen from Figs. 3-5 and 8.

Finally, worthy of note is that the bottom end of both the front and rear supporting legs are provided with castors 22, which remain raised off the ground when the stepladder is in the work position-Figs. 1 and 6- and which, on the contrary, rest on the round when the stepladder is folded -Figs. 5 and 8- with the function of supporting the stepladder, even if folded, in an upright position and to facilitate moving without having to lift it.

Claims

"FOLDABLE STEPLADDER WITH REDUCTION OF OVERALL DIMENSIONS INCLUDING HEIGHT"* * * *C L A I M S

1. Foldable stepladder comprising two front legs, two rear supporting legs pivoted at the top to the front legs, a number of steps individually pivoted on one side to the front legs and on the opposite side to a pair of connecting rods, parallel to said front legs and associated at the top to the rear legs by sliding devices, a high rail or parapet (18), in line with the front legs and extending above the top step, and where said rear legs can be moved at an angle between a divaricated position with respect to the front legs to place it in the work position and a position resting against the front legs to fold the stepladder, characterised in that the high rail or parapet (18) is pivoted (19') to the sides of the front legs and connected to the rear legs to automatically tip downwards against the front legs when the stepladder is folded starting from the work position, and upwards when the stepladder is opened into the work position, and by the fact that said rail or parapet when facing towards the rear legs locks into the locking means (23-25) provided on them.

2. Foldable stepladder according to claim 1 , where the high rail or parapet (18) comprises two parallel auxiliary profiles (19) with one end pivoted (19') to the side of the front legs and an opposite end fixed to a crosspiece, and in which one end of a tie rod (21 ) is pivoted to each of said auxiliary profiles, the opposite end of which is connected to a corresponding rear leg (14).

3. Foldablθ stepladder according to claim 2, in which each rear supporting leg (14) is associated with a turning locking hook (24) with a resting part (23) for a profile (19) of the rail or parapet (18) when this is in the work position, and a locking part designed to engage with a pin (25) placed on the side of said profile (19) to lock the rail or parapet in said position.

4. Foldable stepladder according to claim 2, in which said tie rods (21) extend between an intermediate part of each auxiliary profile (19) and an intermediate part of each rear leg (14) so as to oblige the rail or parapet (18) to move upwards from a work position to a folded position downwards in response to the movements of the rear supporting legs with respect to the front legs.

5. Foldable stepladder according to claim 4, in which said tie rods (21 ) have a first end connected to a respective auxiliary profile (19) and an opposite end inserted in and sliding in a slot (14') provided in a corresponding rear supporting leg (14).

6. Foldable stepladder according to any of the previous claims, in which both said front and rear supporting legs are equipped with bottom castors(22) resting on the ground only when the stepladder is folded.