ATTACHMENT TO STABILIZE AND EXPAND THE USE OF LADDERS CONSTRUCTED WITH HOLLOW RUNGS

ACCESSOIRE POUR STABILISER UNE ECHELLE A ECHELONS CREUX, ET POUR RENDRE CETTE ECHELLE POLYVALENTE

English Abstract

ATTACHMENTS TO STABILIZE AND EXPAND
THE USE OF HOLLOW RUNG LADDERS
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A pair of attachments for use with ladders constructed with
hollow rungs to stabilize the ladder and to protect the gutter.
These attachments when used with ladders also provide for a
scaffold plank. The attachments when used with a ladder on a
pitched roof allows the ladder to be used to access that roofs
peak. Previously the ladder would rest on the rain gutter when the
user was to access the roof of a building. Previously a work
platform had to be built from wood or metal resulting in time
consuming construction. Previously when accessing the roof peak
of a building a means of providing a positive foothold had to be
constructed from rope and ladder or from wood. The present invention
provides steel flat bars bent to fit the rung spacing of the ladder
with a steel tube welded at each end sized to fit snuggly into the
opening of any two consecutive rungs in that ladder. The ladder can
now be used to access the roof of a building without resting on the
gutter. The ladder can be used as part of a scaffold and to
provide a positive foothold when on a pitched roof.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH
ARE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS
CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A bracket attachment for a ladder having a plurality of
spaced hollow rungs, said bracket attachment having a flat
metal bar bended at an angle, a pair of metal tubes, each one
of said metal tubes being attached at one end to each end of said
flat metal bar, the other end of said metal tubes extending a
distance from an edge of said flat metal bar, the opposite
distance between each metal tube being greater than the distance
between a pair of adjacent hollow rungs whereby upon compression
of each end of said flat metal bar toward each other, the metal
tubes could be inserted into the hollow rungs of the ladder with
a spring action providing a positive locking of said bracket
within the ladder rungs and without the use of any other fastening
means.
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Description

~2~3~3~ 0
ATTACHL~T TO STABILI~ AM~ EXP~
T~E USE OF HOLL~^I R~NC. LA~rERS
EACKGRDU~D OF I~E I~ ~ION
The invention relates to the field of ladders and scaffolds.
Mbre particularly, the invention relates to expanding the use
of a ladder. Ladders are used extensively in ard about the home and
ir.dustry. Many users for example use the ladder to access the roof of
a building. The ladder is also used to gain access to the side of a
building. Currently when the ladder is used to access the roof of that
building it in many cases must rest on the rain gutter. Currentl~
~Jhen on the roof ~te user usually relies on his foot wear for his
footing. Currently when a platfcLm is required for a work project
it must be fabricated from material brought into the wor~ area in
place of the ladder already present.
The ladder related to this invention is a ladder fahricated frc~.t
aluminum with holl~^r rungs. It is apparent that ~Ihen the ladder is
rested on the light weight aluminu~ or ~inyl gutter, that rain
gutter presents both a smooth surface for which the ladder to slide
off as ~rell as weak oonstruction for support of the ladder and its
a load. ~^~ten working on a pitc~ned roof the surface ma~ be slippery due
to sno~, ice or rain. It may afford poor footing by virtue of its
steep pitch or construction material. Many jobs are attempted from
a poor platform because the building of a suitable platform is
considered to large a task for tne job at hand. Many people have
fallen with ladders tmsecured, from roofs affording poor footing
and from make-shift platform, to serious injury. me problem is
p æticularly prominent æound the home wtere the user is un~^7are
of the dangers involved with the use of a ladder and where ln many
cases safety is left to chance for lack of a convenient safety device.
3C
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SUM~gY OF INVENTION
The present invention provides for a set of attachements to
fit into the ladder all~ing part of the load placed o~ the
ladder to be transfered to the roof over the gutter thus protecting
the gutter and stabilizing the ladder. Ihe present invention
allows the ladder to bec~me part of a scaffold. The present
invention allcws the ladder to be used as a positive foothold when on
the pitched roof of a building. It comprises a set of flatbars
bent through a radius to an angle with tubing welded at right
angles at either end allowing these brackets to fit into ladders
with hollow rungs.
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BRIEF ~ESCRIPTION OF TIIE D~ r,~IMGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of ~y invention showing the
ccmponents of the invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of ~le ladder showing my
invention in place to stabilize the lad~er on the roof over and
away from the gutter.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the ladder showing my invention
in place over the roof peak and all~ring the ladders to become
part of a scaffold.
Fig. 4 and 5 are a perspective view of two folding ladders with
my invention in plaoe supporting part of a scaffold.
Referring specifically to the drawings in which like numerals refer
to like parts, numeral 1 is a conventional ladder with hollow rungs
; Detachably connected with any of the ladder having a ~etal tubing7 welded at a right angle to each end of the bar 5. The metal tubing
7 having a diameter less that the insider diameter of the hollow
rungs 2. The brackets 3 and 4 are mirror image of each other.
The length 8 of one leg of the flat bar 5 differs frcm the
length 9 of the other leg to all~r for various use of the device.
e distance "~" between the metal tubing 7 or each bracket
is greater than the distance bet~een a pair of adjacent hollow
rungs 2.
The problem with designing an attac~ ent of this nature is
designing it free of moving parts to fit all ladders with hollcw
rungs while performing all the embodl~ints depicted by the
accomDanying illustrations. The present invention does, however,
perform all the embodiments illustrated herein.
In operation the attendant will grasp each of the two pieces
of the attachment at the welded ends and spring them sliahtly. This
will allow for a snug fit of the metal tubing into each opposite
ends of a pair of hollow run~f the ladder at the desired loca-tion.
As well be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various
modifications and adaptions of the structure above-described are
possible without de~arture fram the spirit of ~he invention. The
scope of which is defined in the appended claims.
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Representative Drawing