Ladder Safety Device
OwnerRobert F. Charltoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ladder safety device is usable for holding and stabilizing a ladder in a safe and stable manner while being used, by way of securing a ladder relative to continuous horizontal guttering at the edge of a building. The device locks to the gutter by way of locking jaws and is secured to the side rail of a ladder by way of an adjustable locking bar—said locking bar being adjustable in lateral and normal directions. One jaw is also adjustable. The jaws interact by an over-center relationship with each other. A trigger and locking mechanism secures the jaws in a closed position while in use.
Claims13
For use with a ladder having two parallel side rails, a ladder safety device for stabilizing said ladder when the ladder leans against a horizontal bead, the bead being secured adjacent an edge of a building, said safety device comprising:
- a. a portable, hand-held, jaw-mounting body having two lateral sides joined about a vertical joint, and;
- b. first and second jaw members extending towards a front of the jaw mounting body, said jaw members being movable in reference to each other such that while in an open configuration, the first and second jaw members are adapted to be spaced from one another and the ladder safety device is then capable of being brought to a usage position by the body being fitted over the bead so that the bead is accommodated between the two jaw members and, while in a closed configuration, the first and second jaw members are adapted to effect clamping of the bead;
- c. a guide bolt attached to the first jaw member and passing through a guide slot in said vertical joint such that the guide bolt is slidable to a selected vertical position, thereby vertically adjusting a position of the first jaw member;
- d. a handle operatively connected to the second jaw member;
- e. upper ends of said lateral sides having pivot mountings for the handle and second jaw member;
- and
- f. a locking bar extending through an upper portion of the jaw mounting body and being laterally extensible and retractable with respect to the jaw-mounting body, such that the locking bar has a range of motion enabling the locking bar to be selectively extended to either side of the jaw mounting body and thereby engage either one of the side rails of the ladder;
- wherein the jaw members are designed to effect clamping on opposite sides of an outer upwardly-extending gutter web having a top edge formed into said bead so that the web will be gripped closely below said bead.
For use with a ladder having two parallel side rails, a ladder safety device for stabilizing a ladder while the ladder against a horizontal bead, the bead being secured adjacent an edge of a building, said safety device comprising:
- a. a portable, hand-held, jaw-mounting body having two lateral sides joined about a vertical joint;
- b. first and second jaw members, said jaw members being movable in reference to each other such that, while in an open configuration, the first and second jaw members are adapted to be spaced from one another and the ladder safety device is then capable of being brought to a usage position by the body being fitted over the bead so that the bead is accommodated between the two jaw members and, while in a closed configuration, the first and second jaw members are adapted to effect clamping of the bead;
- c. a locking bar passing laterally through an upper portion of the jaw-mounting body and defining a horizontal direction, said locking bar being both extensible and retractable in both the horizontal direction;
- and
- d. a spring-loaded mounting assembly for the locking bar, said assembly further comprising a platform upon which the locking bar is mounted, a spring distal to said platform, a wheel nut above said platform and a threaded post passing through said spring, platform and wheel nut, such that rotating the wheel nut raises and lowers the platform and controls positioning of the locking bar normal to a range of lateral motion of the locking bar.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.