GB2160570A

GB2160570A - Ladder stabilizing devices

Info

Publication number: GB2160570A
Application number: GB08414694A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Henry John Frederick Crabbe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-06-08
Filing date: 1984-06-08
Publication date: 1985-12-24
Also published as: GB8414694D0

Abstract

Frictional grip-boards (as defined in UK Patent Application No. 8235220, Serial No. 2131475A provide the basis for various devices which enhance the stability of ladders and expand their range of uses. Disclosed are: 1. A stand-off enabling the top of a ladder to be supported by a sloping roof without risk of slippage, and which may be fitted with a platform to provide a working surface and/or safe access to the roof, (Fig. 1). 2. A ladder stand-off for use on vertical walls, but with exceptional frictional grip and again the option of an added platform as a working aid, (Fig. 2). 3. Grip-boards adapted for clipping onto one side of a ladder so that it may be used as a self-adhering roof-scaling device without separate anchorage, (Fig. 3). 4. A supportive base employing on its underside a grip-board whose angle may be adjusted to accommodate sloping terrain, thus providing secure ladder placement in otherwise difficult locations, (Fig. 4). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Ladder stabilizing devices I, Henry John Frederick Crabbe, a British subject of 303 Whitehorse Lane, South Norwood, London SE25 6UG, do hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to devices which may be used in conjunction with, attached to or employed as integral parts of ladders, in order to enhance their mechanical stability and extend their range of functions. It employs flexible foams according the principles discussed by the present claimant in copending U.K. Patent Application No. 8235220, wherein frictional grip-boards are described and their properties specified for use in self-sontained roof-climbing appliances.Although in the light of lapsed British Patent 1145276 it would appear that a complete ladder permanently fitted with such grip-boards on one face is no longer protected, the present invention involves five self-contained devices which, while designed for use with ladders and employing the grip-board principle, are entirely new.

A common problem when a ladder is used to gain access to a roof or the upper parts of walls is that it has to rest on the gutter system, which may be unstable in various ways. Gutters are inclined to bend or crack when subjected to the extra load, and often provide smooth edges along which a ladder may slip dangerously. Also, if ones needs to stand upon the lower reaches of a sloping roof, the manoeuvres needed to effect a bodily transfer from ladder to tiles can be extremely hazardous, while at the same time tending to destabilize the ladder.

Such problems may be overcome by arranging that the ladder is supported by the roof itself, using a grip-board whose width equals or exceeds that of the ladder and which is attached to the latter at or near its top by means of bars or other extensions which effectively bridge the gap while holding the ladder clear of all protrusions. Such an arrangement is shown in elevation in Figure 1, where the ladder A has the device fixed to its main vertical members by means of a pair of screwclamps, one of which is shown at B. The actual fixing method employed may take various forms, possible involving spring-clips rather than clamps, and attachment to one or more of the ladder's cross-bars in addition to or instead of the verticals.

The projecting members C are of such length that when the grip-board D has settled itself to the tiles E, the ladder is held clear of the gutter system F.

Variations in roof pitch and ladder steepness are automatically accommodated by the grip-board's self-angling mounting arrangement G, which may comprise a hinge or a suitable vertical compliance.

The invention's second embodiment is also illustrated in Figure 1, where the horizontal member H provides a work-platform, which in this version is hinged at J. Once the grip-board is properly located on the roof, the platform H may be locked into a horizontal position by means of a ratchet or some similar adjustable mechanism. The weight from any load carried by the platform is then borne partly by the roof and partly by the ladder, while the latter's stability is actually enhanced when the user steps onto the platform, since this action automatically increases the ladder's own grip on the roof. The user thus has a safe and stable means of standing on the lower part of a sloping tiled roof, from which position many common maintenance tasks may be performed.Also, the work-platform thus provided is an ideal base from which to use the various roof-climbing appliances described in the aforementioned co-pending Patent Application.

An alternative use for the self-angling grip-board extension is shown in Figure 2. Here, the device A is fitted to a ladder B, but without a work-platform and positioned simply to provide a stable high-friction stand-off from a vertical wall surface C. This is necessary either when an adequate height cannot be achieved without resting the ladder upon a gutter or similar unsafe projection, or because the operative needs to be further out from the wall than is possible if the ladder itself were resting against the surface.

A further application of grip-boards in the extension of ladder usage is illustrated in Figure 3. This is a perspective view of a ladder resting on a tiled roof, upon which it sits without sliding by virtue of a pair of grip-boards A fitted to its underside. It has been found that a typical 3m ladder section equipped with two grip-boards each of approximately 900 sq.cm area (1 sq.ft) is completely stable within the limits set out for various tile materials and roof gradients in the co-pending Patent Application, and may be used as a roof ladder without the need for a grappling hook.The grip-boards are provided with clamps or clips which engage the ladder's side members B or rungs C in such manner that all the weight is securely applied to their upper surfaces, the ladder itself riding clear of the tiles at all times and being easily re-positioned up or across a roof as work progresses.

The invention's fifth embodiment is designed to overcome the difficulties arising when a ladder has to stand either on a very smooth surface or on a slope. The former encourages slippage, and the latter (if lateral) makes it difficult to keep the ladder vertical whilst retaining symmetrical contact with the upper supporting surface. Figure 4 illustrates the device, which employs a grip-board A that makes frictional contact with the floor or substratum to overcome the slippage problem, and an upper part B on which the ladder stands. The latter has a locating member C, which may take any form that provides a stable abutment or recess for the ladder's feet. In order to maintain the upper member B in its required horizontal plane, there is a hinging mechanism (shown as a rocker D in the drawing) permitting the grip-board to accommodate to the slope of the substratum, which in this case departs from horizontal by the angle E. Means must be provided for locking the upper and lower parts of the device at whatever angle provides correct positioning, and all such means are subsumed here under the general concept of an adjustable ladder-base employing a frictional grip-board.

Claims

1. Devices for use in conjuction with ladders to facilitate safe access to pitched roofs and vertical walls, or to provide a stable base on sloping or slippery substrata, by virtue of the frictional properties of boards having undersides comprising a depth of flexible urethane foam, or other foam plastics, foam rubbers or materials with similar mechanical properties, such 'grip-boards' being as described and defined in co-pending U.K. Patent Application No. 8235220.

2. A stand-off which may be attached at or near the top of a ladder by any convenient means and whose supportive member comprises a grip-board or boards according to claim 1, the said board(s) being angled and pivoted or otherwise compliantly mounted such that its (their) underside(s) engages the lower reaches of a sloping roof's surface as the ladder is placed in position, thus providing a stable support while holding the ladder clear of protrusions.

3. A stand-off according to claim 2, fitted with a permanent or detachable platform which is horizontal along its lateral axis when the associated ladder is in its working position, and which may be either fixed or eqipped with adjustable means for maintaining horizontality along its fore-and-aft axis over a range of roof pitches, to provide a level working surface onto which a person climbing the ladder may step to gain access to the roof, or on which materials can be stood.

4. A stand-off according to claim 2, but with its grip-board(s) so angled as to engage a vertical wall, thus holding the ladder away from such a wall while retaining a firm frictional grip upon it.

5. A stand-off according to claim 4, but fitted with a platform as in claim 3, such a platform providing a surface on which materials may be stood while the user works from the ladder.

6. A universal ladder stand-off incorporating any combination of the facilities detailed in claims 2 to 5.

7. Two or more grip-boards according to claim 1, with means for temporary but secure attachment to one side of a ladder to provide a high frictional grip, enabling the ladder to be placed up a sloping roof and used for scaling the roof without the need for other supports.

8. A base which provides a secure abutment for a ladder's feet, such a base carrying on its underside a grip-board according to claim1, the inclination of which is adjustable to accommodate any slope or irregularity in the substratum while leaving the main body of the ladder-base horizontal, with means provided to lock the upper and lower parts of the device firmly together at whatever angle may be necessary to stabilize the ladder.

9. Grip-boards, stand-off, stand-offs with platforms, and ladder-bases as hereinbefore described, with general reference to the drawings labelled Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 accompanying the Specification.