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US 7,992,681 B2Granted
Portable safety ladder assembly
OwnerJames T. Anderson, J Nigel Ellisinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A safety ladder assembly and a safety extension used in combination with a ladder suitable to permit safe and easy access to the landing areas, working platforms, scaffolds, etc. The assembly includes safety extension members having a plurality of horizontal handgrips ergonomically designed to prevent falls from the ladder when a user is ascending upward or descending downward.
Claims18
A portable safety ladder assembly comprising:
- a frame having a walkthrough area, a base end opposite a distal end of said frame, said base end capable of engaging a base surface to provide a support area for said assembly when said assembly is placed in an operable position, parallel side rails connected by a plurality of horizontal rungs such that adjacent horizontal rungs of said plurality of rungs are vertically spaced apart by a first predetermined distance, a front section for permitting a user to engage said rungs when traversing up and down said assembly, and a rear section opposite said front section that is positioned proximate an outer peripheral surface of a structure, wherein said walkthrough area is above an uppermost of said horizontal rungs;
- a first safety extension member coupled to a respective one said side rail and a second safety extension member coupled to a respective other said side rail, each of said safety extension members respectively having first, second, third and fourth horizontal handgrips which are parallel to each other such that adjacent horizontal handgrips of said horizontal handgrips are vertically spaced apart by a second predetermined distance and positioned spatially above said walkthrough area, said handgrips respective of said first and second extension members being connected in an array such that said first and second horizontal handgrips are directly connected by only a first outer vertical side pole, said second and third horizontal handgrips are directly connected by only a second inner vertical side pole and said third and fourth horizontal handgrips are directly connected by only a third outer vertical side pole, wherein each said vertical side pole extends in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal handgrips, wherein respective said first and third vertical poles define one axis and respective said second vertical pole defines another axis, and wherein said fourth horizontal handgrip is spatially elevated above said walk-through area by a third predetermined distance for permitting the user to stand substantially erect at said walkthrough area when said fourth horizontal hand grip is engaged by the user;
- and
- a stabilizing device for secureably anchoring said frame to an outer peripheral surface and preventing at least one of forward and lateral displacement of said frame away from the support area.
1 more element
A portable safety ladder assembly adapted for permitting access to a working platform of a vehicle flatbed, the assembly comprising:
- a frame having a plurality of rungs with adjacent rungs of said plurality of rungs vertically spaced apart by a first predetermined distance, and a walkthrough area at an uppermost rung of said plurality of rungs which is at a top end of said frame, the walkthrough area adapted to permit a user to walk therethrough, a bottom end adapted to engage a base surface to provide a support area for said assembly when said assembly is placed in an operable position against the flatbed, a front end adapted for engagement by a user when traversing up and down said assembly, a rear end opposite said front end lying proximate the flatbed when said assembly is placed in an operable position, and a pair of vertically extending sides connected by said plurality of rungs;
- a first and second safety extension member removeably and respectively attached to respective said sides of said frame, each said safety extension member respectively having at least an upper pair of parallel horizontal handgrips vertically spaced apart by the first predetermined distance and a lower pair of parallel horizontal handgrips vertically spaced apart by the first predetermined and adapted to be gripped by a user, wherein respective said lower pair of horizontal handgrips are positioned spatially above and proximate said walkthrough area and respective said upper pair of horizontal handgrips are positioned spatially above said respective lower pair of horizontal handgrips at a distance, the respective upper handgrips adapted to permit the user to stand substantially erect at said walkthrough area when at least one of said respective said upper pair of horizontal handgrips is engaged by the user, wherein said handgrips of each of said respective lower pair of handgrips is directly connected by a first single pole, said handgrips of each of said respective upper pair of handgrips is directly connected by a second single pole, and said respective upper pair of handgrips is directly connected to said respective lower pair of handgrips by a third single pole so that said first and the third pole of said first and second extension members respectively define a first axis and the second pole of the first and second extension members respectively defines a second separate axis;
- and
- a coupling device mounted on said vertically extending sides for removeably coupling said safety extension members to said frame in a manner such that said safety extension members and said frame lie in substantially a same plane when said assembly is placed in said operable position;
- and
- a stowing device mounted on said front end and said rear end for removeably securing and stowing said safety extension members on said frame respectively when said assembly is placed in an inoperable position such that the safety extension member are respectively stowed directly over the front and the rear of the rungs;
- and
- a stabilizing device mounted on said rear end of said frame for engaging and securing said frame to the flatbed while preventing at least one of forward and lateral displacement of said assembly away from the support area.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.