US1541422A - Stepladder brace - Google Patents

Description

F".- J. LE BEAU STEPLADDER BRACE June 9? 1925.

Filed Feb. 18. 1924 LLL. 07.'

M67 .pl-gall Patented June 9, 1925.

PATENT orifice.

FERNANBO J. LE BE, OF NUBES CENTER, ILLINOS, ASSIGNOB OE" ONE-THIRD lT0 i ERICK BLAINE THEL-N AND ONE-THIRD T TTUS L. THELN, BOTH OF CHICAGO,

ILLNOS.

` sfrnrnannna Banen.

Application filed February 18, 1924. Serial N'o. 693,465.

To ZZ whom t may concern: A

Be it known that I, FERNANDO J. LE BEAU, acitizen of the United States, residing at Niles Center, in the county of Cook and State ot' illinois, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Stepladder rlraces, of which the following is a specification.

This inrentidn relates to metallic stepladders, and particularlyv the diagonal brace member against which the ladder proper rests and is supported when the ladder is extended for use.

rlhe object of the invention is to provide a novel means for connecting the two separate spaced uprights ordinarily constituting the brace member referred to in such a manner that the complete brace will be very strong and rigid yet light and therefore inexpensive in construction.

The invention consists in means for attaining the foregoing Vand other objects; which can be easily and cheaply made; which is satisfactory in use and not readily liable to get out ot order; and in special 'features and details which will bc hereafter more fully set forth in the specification and claims.

Referring te the drawings in which like numerals designate the same parts'throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, a certain part of the brace being broken away, illustrating this invention in its preferred form.

Figure 2 is a side view, taken from the right of Figure. 1, showing particularly the brace of this invention.

Figure 3 is a detail plan view taken on the irregular line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Figure is a pcrsljiective view showing the connection el the cross member to one upi right of the brace and illustrating this invention in detail.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view of the connection of a cross-member to the brace upright which appears in the right hand half of Figure 1 and just'below the line 3.

The metal ladder to which this invention is applied as shown in the drawings consists of a conventional ladder upright 10, having steps 12 and carrying at its top parallel horizontal cross-members 1l to each oi which is pivoted at 16 a generally vertical brace member 18, preferably but not necessarily attached by collapsible link mechanism 20 to the opposite portion of the ladder proper 10 oi the device.

The problenrselved by this invention is to rightly connect the two separated brace legs or rails 18 at a point intermediate the hinge 16 and the ground 22 so that the complete brace mechanism will operate as a single unit swinging about the aligned hinge pivots 16.

In the preferred form of construction, the desired result is attained by making the upright brace members 18 of the same style ofl Z bar so placed that flanges 24 thereof project toward each other and lie in the same inclined plane across the ladder, while the oppositely projecting flanges .26 thereof lie in a common plane parallel to the plane of the flanges 241 and by providing a crossbar of exactly the same Z-shaped crosssection as the uprights 18 placed as shown in the drawings with each of its ends 32 resting against the web of an adjacent upright brace 18, while its flange 24 rests against and is preferably welded or riveted to the corresponding fiange 24 of the upright. rlhis construction and assemblage of parts so locates the flange 26a of the cross-meinber 30 that a solid cross-bar 34 may be passed inside said flange 26a and outside the flange 26 of the uprights 18, the end portion 34 of the bar which touches the flanges 26 being riveted or welded thereto.

The result of this construction is that in making a ladder ot this kind` it is only necessary to keep in stock one size of Z-bar to produce brace mechanisms it- 30, thereby doing away with the expense and annoyance oiZ stocking up with two different 'forms ot' metal members to be used in making this brace mechanism. Wholly apart from this convenience, the two Z-bars, one vertical and one horizontal, fit together and co-operate better with less cutting and forming than any other shapes which are available on the market. By actual experience, the construction described materially reduces the cost of this brace device.

Both Z-ba-rs have narrow border flanges 40 which in the case of bar 30 are more or less important in retaining the parts in the position of` Fig. 5.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and. desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a device of the class described, a brace mechanism including tivo upright Z-niembers having flanges turned toward each other lying in a common plane, and two other flanges turned away from each a Z-bar cross-connection. between. the uprights having its ends abutting the Webs of the uprights and one flange resting upon und secured to the first mentioned flanges of the uprights anda bar under the second flange of the cross-member and over the second flangesV of the uprights rigidly secured thereto, for lthe Ipurposes set forth.

2. A ladder Construction comprising side bars of sheet metal bent into lsubstantially Z-f'orm, each arranged to provide ann- Wardly extending flange at one edge and an outwardly extending flange at the other edge; and cross membersbetween said bars, each of said cross members being Vformed of I sheet metal bent into substantially Zf'orn'i, other, lying in a different comino-n plane;v

one leg of said cross member being secured to said inwardly extending flanges and the other leg being pro-vided with a reinforcing bar extending laterally and secured to the outwardly extending flanges on the side bars; substantially as described.

In Witness whereof, .l have hereunto subscribed my name.

Funinnvno J. Ln. BEAU.

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