GB2557929A

GB2557929A - A ladder support

Info

Publication number: GB2557929A
Application number: GB1621503.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Ian
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-12-16
Filing date: 2016-12-16
Publication date: 2018-07-04
Also published as: GB201621503D0

Abstract

The ladder support 10 for securing the lower end of a ladder on a ground surface has a fixed bearing member having, in use, a vertical axis of rotation about which a ladder leg engagement bracket is rotatably mounted, and a stake arrangement for securing the fixed bearing member to the ground in use. The fixed bearing member may be circular disc 18 fixed to the ground via two stake pins 42, the bracket having a complimentary circular aperture with a lip having friction reducing means, e.g. grease, together proving a rotational bearing. There may be a ladder leg engagement plate which is adjustable to a desired angle for retaining ladder legs. There may be a pair of clamping mechanism 20,22 for securing ladder legs to the support. The base of the support may include a rubber sheet. The support may be made from welded sheet metal.

Description

(54) Title of the Invention: A ladder support Abstract Title: Rotatable ladder support (57) The ladder support 10 for securing the lower end of a ladder on a ground surface has a fixed bearing member having, in use, a vertical axis of rotation about which a ladder leg engagement bracket is rotatably mounted, and a stake arrangement for securing the fixed bearing member to the ground in use. The fixed bearing member may be circular disc 18 fixed to the ground via two stake pins 42, the bracket having a complimentary circular aperture with a lip having friction reducing means, e.g. grease, together proving a rotational bearing. There may be a ladder leg engagement plate which is adjustable to a desired angle for retaining ladder legs. There may be a pair of clamping mechanism 20,22 for securing ladder legs to the support. The base of the support may include a rubber sheet. The support may be made from welded sheet metal.

At least one drawing originally filed was informal and the print reproduced here is taken from a later filed formal copy.

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A LADDER SUPPORT

The present invention relates to a ladder support, particularly, but not exclusively, a ladder support for supporting the upper end of ladder legs against an upright lean-to” structure when the lower end of the ladder legs are supported by a ground surface.

When working with ladders on certain types of uneven ground surface there is a risk that the lower end of the ladder legs will become unstable due to uneven areas of the ground surface. This can be especially problematic in areas covered by surfaces which have a number of joins such as e.g. block paving since at least one of the ladder legs will typically be supported by a section of paving at the uneven intersection between blocks thereby making for a relatively unstable surface upon which to position a ladder. Another problem with such surfaces is that the ladder legs can slip over them; especially in the case where the surface is wet, muddy or oily.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a ladder support for securing the lower end of a ladder on a supporting ground surface, the ladder support comprising:a fixed bearing member having an upright axis of rotation; a ladder leg engagement bracket adapted to rotate around the fixed bearing member’s upright axis of rotation and provide supported engagement with legs of the ladder such that the angular position of the ladder legs around the fixed bearing member may be adjusted; and a stake arrangement adapted to secure the fixed bearing member against translational and rotational movement over the supporting ground surface.

This arrangement allows stakes, such as metal pins, to be pushed through the fixed bearing member into interstitial / corner gaps between blocks of paving in order to secure the lower end of the ladder legs against translational movement over the supporting ground surface.

The fixed bearing member may comprise a substantially circular disc and the ladder leg engagement bracket may comprise a similarly arranged circular aperture which together provide a rotational bearing therebetween.

This rotational bearing allows the user to rest the upper ends of the ladder legs square onto an upright lean-to structure such as e.g. the wall of a building by rotating the ladder on the staked rotational bearing.

A retaining member may also be provided in order to retain the fixed bearing member in engagement with the ladder engagement bracket. The retaining member may comprise a lower ring having a larger diameter than the fixed bearing member.

An intermediate friction reducing arrangement may also be provided in order to facilitate rotation of the ladder leg engagement bracket around the fixed bearing member.

The fixed bearing member may comprise at least a staking aperture through which at least a corresponding stake member may be driven in order to secure the fixed bearing member to the ground surface.

The stake arrangement may comprise at least a stake pin for insertion through the aperture.

The fixed bearing member may comprise two diametrically opposed staking apertures and two corresponding stake pins.

The two diametrically opposed staking apertures may be distanced by one another by approximately 100 mm. The or each stake pin has a diameter of approximately 3.5 mm. The relative dimensions of the staking apertures and the stake pins is especially suited to securing the ladder support upon certain types of ground surface such as e.g. block paving where each block has a length of 200mm and a width of 100mm and where each block is typically spaced from its adjacent block by approximately 4mm.

The ladder leg engagement bracket may comprise a ground surface engagement plate and a ladder leg engagement plate which is angled relative to the ground surface engagement plate at a desired ladder inclination angle in order to retain the supported ladder legs at or toward a desired ladder inclination angle.

The ladder inclination angle may be 60 degrees from horizontal.

The ladder leg engagement bracket may comprise a pair of clamping mechanisms adapted to clamp the ladder legs thereto.

At least a portion of the ground surface engagement plate may be provided with a ground friction increasing member. The ground friction increasing member may comprise a rubber sheet.

This ground friction increasing member further secures the ladder support and hence the ladder legs against translational and rotational movement over the ground surface.

Further features and advantages of the aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the claims and the following description.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the following diagrams, in which:Fig. 1A is a plan view a ladder support in accordance with the present invention; Fig. IB is front cross sectional view of the ladder support of Fig. 1A;

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross sectional view of the ladder support of Fig. 1A where legs of a ladder are supported thereby at an inclination angle;

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective partially exploded view of the ladder support of Fig. 1A;

Fig. 4 is a schematic rear view illustration of the ladder support of Fig. 1A resting on block paving prior to staking thereto and prior to a ladder being engaged therewith;

Fig. 5 is a schematic front view illustration of the ladder support of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a schematic front view illustration of the ladder of the ladder support staked to block paving and where legs of a ladder are supported thereby; and Fig. 7 is an illustration of two stakes engaging in the interstices / corners between individual blocks in block paving to which the ladder support in Fig. 7 is secured.

With reference to Fig. 1 a ladder support generally designated 10 comprises a ground surface engagement plate 12, forward edge 14, rearward edge 16, a turntable disc 18, fore-aft clamping arrangement 20, and a lateral clamping arrangement 22.

With particular reference to Fig. IB, the ground surface engagement plate 12 comprises a planar sheet of suitable material (such as e.g. sheet aluminium or other metal) provided with a rubberised gripping sheet 24 on its lower surface.

With particular reference to Fig. 2, the front edge 14 is angled relative to the ground surface engagement plate 12 by an inclination angle a and is provided with a ladder leg engagement plate 26 which is angled relative to the ground surface engagement plate 12 by an angle β. In the example shown, the angle a may be in the region of 40 to 70 degrees whereas the angle β may be in the region 20 to 50 degrees. For example, if it is desired to retain the ladder legs 32 at an angle of 60 degrees from the plane of the ground surface, the angle a will be arranged to be 60 degree such that the angle β will be 30 degrees. A series of optional leg spacer inserts 30 may also be provided in order to individually adjust the heights of the ladder legs 32 as they rest upon the ladder leg engagement plate 26.

The front edge 14 is also provided with a fore-aft clamp aperture 34 (Fig. 3) and lateral clamp plate attachment points 36. An alternatively positioned fore-aft clamp aperture 36 is also provided in order to allow a user to position the fore-aft clamp 20 at a different location to account for differing ladder leg separation widths if required.

A side plate 38 extends between the front and rear edges 14,16 and provides support thereto. The side plate 38 is provided with a lateral clamp attachment aperture 40.

The turntable comprises an upper disc 18 having a relatively small diameter on the upper side of the plate 12 and which is attached to a lower ring 19 on the underside of the plate 12. A tack weld or other attachment means is provided between the disc 18 and plate 19 in order that they are fixed to one another. Friction reducing means in the form of e.g. grease, ball bearings etc. may also be provided between the disc 18, plate 19 and the ground engaging plate 12 in order to facilitate rotational movement of one relative to the other around an upright axis of rotation (indicated as X-X in Figs. 1A and IB).

Stake apertures 42 are provided through the discs 18,19 in order to allow stake pins 44 to be passed therethrough. The apertures 42 are provided with strengthening bushes to prevent wear of the apertures caused by repeated insertion and removal of the stake pins 44 therethrough.

With particular reference to Fig. 3, the fore-aft clamping arrangement comprises a quickrelease cam lever and bolt arrangement 21 inserted through aperture 34 and then into a fore-aft clamping bracket 23 shaped to engage with a first lower leg of a ladder.

Similarly, the lateral clamping arrangement comprises a quick-release cam lever and bolt arrangement 27 inserted through aperture 46 and then into a lateral clamping bracket 29 shaped to engage with a second lower leg of the ladder. The front of the lateral clamping bracket 29 is provided with engagement tabs 31 which are received within the apertures 36 on the front edge 14 of the support in order to secure the front area of the clamping bracket 29 thereto.

Numerous spirit levels 50 may be provided at various locations on the apparatus in order to allow a user to monitor the angles of e.g. the supported ladder legs and any lateral or fore-aft inclination in the ground surface etc.

In use, a user will assess the area in which they might wish to use a ladder supported against a lean-to structure such as a building, wall, tower, tree or other upright structure and will determine the approximate position in which the ladder is to be situated. In the following example, the user has determined that the lower legs of the ladder will be rested upon a block paving surface; however, the skilled reader will appreciate that the ladder support 10 may be utilised on a variety of other surfaces.

With reference to Figs. 4 and 5, the user first places the ladder support 10 onto the block paving surface P at an appropriate location.

With reference to Fig. 6, the user then pushes stake pins 44 through the apertures 42 in the turntable 18 such that they are received within the interstices and corner intersection between adjacent blocks of block paving there below. This reception of the stakes pins 44 within the interstices 45 between the corners of the paving blocks P is illustrated in Fig. 7 with the ladder support apparatus 10 removed for illustrative purposes.

This therefore secures the ladder support 10 against lateral movement.

The user now introduces the first and second ladder legs 32 into gentle engagement with the opened fore-aft clamp 20 and lateral clamp 22. At this point, the user may gently rest the upper end of the ladder against a suitable lean-to structure while the ladder support 10 is more firmly attached thereto.

The user then tightens each of the clamps 20, 22 by closing over the cammed levers to thereby clamp the legs 32 of the ladder securely to the ladder support 10. If this actuating of the cammed levers is insufficient to create a secure attachment between the ladder legs 32 and the ladder support 10, the cammed levers can be screw adjusted upon their respective bolts in order to shorten the cammed stroke and hence increase the clamping action when actuated.

Once the lower ends of the ladder legs 32 are clamped to the support 10 the user then simply rotates the ladder support 10 around upright axis X-X such that the upper end of the ladder support may be rested square against a wall or other supporting lean-to structure. In performing this rotation, it will be appreciated that the ladder support 10 is free to rotate around the axis X-X of the fixed turntable plate 18 in the direction indicated by arrow A-A in Fig 1A.

If the raking / inclination angle of the ladder legs 32 requires to be adjusted, the user simply temporarily removes the stake pins 44, laterally adjusts the position of the ladder support 10 and then re-stakes the ladder support 10 in its new position.

The user is then able to climb the ladder safe in the knowledge that the ladder legs will not rotate or translate and that the ladder rake / inclination angle is safe.

Once the user has finished using the ladder, the stake pins 44 can be easily removed and the clamps 20, 22 loosened in order to allow the ladder and ladder support 10 to be used elsewhere.

The embodiments of the invention described have a number of advantages, including but not limited to the following: Any load placed upon the ladder is distributed evenly over the surface upon which the ladder support is mounted. This prevents damage of the blocks and damage of the ladders which could otherwise occur due to point loads which can exist at block / ladder leg intersections;

The inclined ladder leg engagement plate 26 helps to ensure that the ladder rake / inclination is always at a safe angle.

The apparatus can be quickly and easily attached to and removed from ladders such that it can be used on one set of ladders and then another set with relative ease.

The apparatus is lightweight which makes it relatively easy to transport with or without an associated set of ladders;

The apparatus is inexpensive to manufacture.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been disclosed herein in detail, this has been done by way of example and for the purposes of illustration only. The aforementioned embodiments are not intended to be limiting with respect to the scope of the appended claims.

It is contemplated by the inventors that various substitutions, alterations, and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Examples of these include the following:The step of attaching and removing the ladder support 10 may be carried out in a variety of difference sequences depending upon the user’s preference and depending upon any adjustments of the ladder position required relative to the lean-to structure. For instance, rather than stake the support 10 to the ground surface and then attach the ladder legs 32, the user may instead choose to first attach the ladder legs 32 to the support 10 and then stake the support 10 to the ground surface.

Claims

1. A ladder support for securing the lower end of a ladder on a supporting ground surface, the ladder support comprising:a fixed bearing member having an upright axis of rotation; a ladder leg engagement bracket adapted to rotate around the fixed bearing member’s upright axis of rotation and provide supported engagement with legs of the ladder such that the angular position of the ladder legs around the fixed bearing member may be adjusted; and a stake arrangement adapted to secure the fixed bearing member against translational movement over the supporting ground surface.

2. A ladder support according to claim 1, wherein the fixed bearing member comprises a substantially circular disc and wherein the ladder leg engagement bracket comprises a similarly arranged circular aperture which together provide a rotational bearing therebetween.

3. A ladder support according to claim 2, wherein an intermediate friction reducing arrangement may be provided in order to facilitate rotation of the ladder leg engagement bracket around the fixed bearing member.

4. A ladder support according to any preceding claim, further comprising a retaining member in order to retain the fixed bearing member in engagement with the ladder engagement bracket.

5. A ladder support according to claim 4, wherein the retaining member comprises a lower ring having a larger diameter than the fixed bearing member.

6. A ladder support according to any preceding claim, wherein the fixed bearing member comprises at least a staking aperture through which at least a corresponding stake member may be driven in order to secure the fixed bearing member to the ground surface.

7. A ladder support according to claim 6, wherein the stake arrangement comprises at least a stake pin for insertion through the aperture.

8. A ladder support according to either of claims 6 or 7, wherein the fixed bearing member comprises two diametrically opposed staking apertures and two corresponding stake pins.

9. A ladder support according to claim 8, wherein the two diametrically opposed staking apertures are distanced by one another by approximately 100 mm.

10. A ladder support according to any of claims 7 to 9, wherein the or each stake pin has a diameter of approximately 3.5 mm.

11. A ladder support according to any preceding claim, wherein the ladder leg engagement bracket comprises a ground surface engagement plate and a ladder leg engagement plate which is angled relative to the ground surface engagement plate at a desired ladder inclination angle in order to retain the supported ladder legs at or toward a desired ladder inclination angle.

12. A ladder support according to claim 11, wherein the ladder inclination angle is 60 degrees from horizontal.

13. A ladder support according to any preceding claim, wherein the ladder leg engagement bracket comprises a pair of clamping mechanisms adapted to clamp the ladder legs thereto.

14. A ladder support according to any of claims 11 to 13, wherein at least a portion of the ground surface engagement plate is provided with a friction increases member.

15. A ladder support according to claim 14, wherein the friction increasing member comprises a rubber sheet.

16. A ladder support according to any preceding claim, wherein the ladder leg engagement bracket and the fixed bearing member comprise welded sheet metal members.

Intellectual

Property

Office

Application No: GB 1621503.0 Examiner: Mr Tom Simmonds