Not Applicable.
This invention relates to ladder stabilization support assemblies that provide lateral stabilization support to extension ladders preventing these ladders from tipping, overturning or slipping off the supporting grounds thereby significantly improving overall ladder stability and safety as well as considerably reducing the risk of related injuries.
One of the most common problems with ladders in general and long span extension ladders in particular is the lack of sufficient lateral and vertical stability. When people climb high elevations on these ladders, such as second or third story building elevations, they may feel extremely uncomfortable and unsafe due to excessive lateral movements such as wiggling, wobbling or swaying from one side to the other. Tall and long span extension ladders, when fully extended, also tend to deflect under vertical loads, such as climber's weight and weight of tools and materials that may be carried with him, resulting in additional bouncing up or down movements, shaking or vibrating. Many people simply refuse to climb these ladders as even small lateral or vertical movements can cause a sense of apprehension often experienced by a climber at high elevations.
There is quite a number of inventions disclosed in the prior art that attempt to address ladder stabilization problems but most of them fall short in providing most effective, stable and safe solutions. Many of the inventions describe stabilization supports that are attached at a lower end of a ladder, closer to the ladder base, which contributes very little to improving lateral and vertical stability of long span extension ladders (as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,423,397; 6,167,989; 6,672,427; and 9,033,104). Some of these support assemblies seem to be overdone by having unnecessary over-complicated heavy-duty devices, such as complicated pivotal or ratchet adjustment mechanisms, adding on extra weight and cost to fabricate (as can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,723,629 and 4,949,809). Many are very limited and time consuming to adjust especially where pins and aperture arrangements are used for length adjustments (as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,868,222; 6,533,071; 7,163,084; 9,187,954; and 9,482,053). Some tend to be cumbersome and awkward in design, difficult to operate and require special tools to setup.
There is a continuing need and desire in the industry to fill in the above gaps by providing a ladder stabilization support assembly capable to significantly improve lateral and vertical stability of long span extension ladders and at the same time to be designed as simple and user friendly as possible, versatile and easy to operate with tools-free quick and easy setup, easy to install and easy to adjust with nearly unlimited number of adjustment positions as well as to be lightweight and inexpensive to produce.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a ladder stabilization support assembly capable to significantly improve lateral and vertical stability of ladders in general and long span extension ladders in particular thereby preventing these ladders from lateral movement such as lateral swaying, tipping or overturning as well as preventing the base of the ladders from slipping off the supporting grounds.
It is another object of the present invention to design the ladder stabilization support assembly to be as simple and user friendly as possible, versatile and easy to operate with tools-free setup, easy to install and easy to adjust with endless number of adjustment positions as well as to be lightweight and inexpensive to produce.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide the ladder stabilization support assembly that can quickly and easily be mounted on or dismounted off a ladder, folded along the ladder sides or unfolded for free operation, remain permanently attached to the ladder or be completely taken off the ladder for storage when not in use.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide the ladder stabilization support assembly that when in a folded position can function as an adjustable ladder leg leveling stabilizer to properly level the ladder sides on any uneven ground or supporting surfaces such as stairs.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide the ladder stabilization support assembly that allows an extension ladder which normally leans against a stable vertical support structure when in use to also operate in a self-supporting stand-alone mode.
The present invention is a ladder stabilization support assembly designed to provide lateral and vertical stabilization support to ladders in general and long span extension ladders in particular. The assembly is built to take advantage of a t-slotted aluminum profile to effectively support and level the ladders on any uneven supporting grounds with nearly unlimited number of adjustment positions.
The ladder stabilization support assembly comprising two telescopic support legs pivotally mounted on opposite sides of a ladder. Each telescopic support leg further comprising: a square tube profile member; a t-slot profile member made of a t-slotted aluminum profile which telescopically slides inside the square tube profile member; an adjustable sliding mechanism; a pivot joint; an upper mounting bracket; a lower mounting bracket; a swivel leveling foot; and an additional safety pin.
The adjustable sliding mechanism provides for a smooth, low tolerance and wobble-free telescopic sliding action with numerous length adjustment positions and adjusts automatically when the t-slot profile member is released to slide down to engage with the supporting ground. The pivot joint attached to an upper end of the square tube profile member allows to pivot the telescopic support leg by swinging it in or out in lateral direction as well as to rotationally swivel the telescopic support leg by moving it forward or backwards with endless number of pivotal and swivel adjustment positions. The rotational swivel movement of the telescopic support leg is limited to a maximum of 30 degrees to enable the recommended ladder pitch angle between the ladder and the ground of 75 degrees.
The telescopic support leg can quickly and easily be mounted or dismounted on or off a ladder side rail by means of upper and lower mounting brackets whereby eliminating the need for mounting apertures which otherwise could weaken the ladder. The telescopic support leg can quickly and easily be folded along the ladder side rail or unfolded for free pivotal and swivel operation, remain permanently attached to the ladder or be completely taken off the ladder for storage when not in use. With the telescopic support leg staying securely attached to the ladder side rail in a folded position, the lower mounting bracket allows the telescopic support leg to function as an adjustable leg leveling stabilizer to level the ladder side rails on any uneven supporting grounds. The swivel leveling foot with an anti-skid foot base attached at the bottom of the t-slot profile member provides for an effective friction resistant supporting base which automatically adjusts to any uneven ground contours. The ladder stabilization support assembly also allows extension ladders which normally lean against stable vertical support structures when in use to operate in the self-supporting stand-alone mode with the use of additional safety pins.
While the stabilization support assembly is primarily intended for use with long span extension ladders it can also be dimensioned for use with regular smaller in size step ladders.
All the features and advantages of the present invention should be better understood from the followed detailed description reviewed in conjunction with accompanying drawings.
A ladder stabilization support assembly designed to provide lateral and vertical stabilization support to ladders in general and long span extension ladders 1 in particular such as multi-sectional extension ladders that lean against stable vertical support structures 2 when in use and span from six feet when fully retracted all the way up to forty feet when fully extended.
The ladder stabilization support assembly 3 comprising two identical telescopic support legs 4 pivotally mounted on opposite sides of a ladder 1 with each telescopic support leg 4 built to telescopically extend or retract by taking an advantage of a light-weight t-slotted aluminum profile and to provide an ability to effectively support and level the ladder on any uneven supporting grounds.
Each telescopic support leg 4 further comprising: a square tube profile member 5; a t-slot profile member 6 made of a t-slotted aluminum profile which telescopically slides inside the square tube profile member 5; an adjustable sliding mechanism; an upper end plug 21; a pivot joint 7; an upper mounting bracket 8; a lower mounting bracket 9; a swivel leveling foot 10; and an additional safety pin 68.
As the t-slot profile member 6 telescopically slides inside the square tube profile member 5 (
Self-locking t-nuts 17 positioned inside the t-tracks 14 at the upper end of the t-slot profile member 6 right below the molded plastic bushing 16 and secured in place by suitable socket set fasteners 18 terminate the sliding action when the telescopic support leg 4 is fully extended thereby preventing the t-slot profile member 6 from completely sliding out of the square tube profile member 5. Self-locking t-nuts 19 (
The upper end plug 21 (
The pivot joint 7 (
When the pivot joint 7 capable of withstanding heavy weight loads is tightly clamped by the adjustable lever handle 40, the telescopic support leg 4 is securely locked in place and reliably prevented from any lateral movement (such as from overturning laterally) so that when the ladder 1 is not operated in a self-supporting stand-alone mode there should be no need for any additional safety means (such as additional safety pins, bracing arms or tying straps) to further safeguard the lateral movement of the telescopic support leg.
The telescopic support leg 4 can quickly and easily be mounted on or dismounted off a ladder side rail 46 (
The upper mounting bracket 8 (
The lower mounting bracket 9 (
The lower mounting bracket 9 also allows the telescopic support leg 4 to function as an adjustable leg leveling stabilizer to level the ladder side rails 46 on any uneven supporting grounds while the telescopic support leg 4 stays securely attached to the I-shaped supporting bracket 58 in the folded position, such that when the wing knob locking handle 62 is released the t-track 14 of the t-slot profile member 6 slides along the drop-in t-stud 63 as the telescopic support leg 4 telescopically extends or retracts and the wing knob locking handle 62 controls the sliding action by either securely clamping the t-slot profile member 6 against the I-shaped supporting bracket 58 in specific length adjustment positions or releasing the t-slot profile member 6 to slide down under its own weight to automatically adjust to any uneven supporting ground surfaces such as stairs.
The swivel leveling foot 10 (
The additional safety pin 68 (
It is not limited to but preferred that all the specified structural components (including the t-slotted profile) be made of a lightest weight aluminum alloys and all the specified hardware (such as self-aligning/self-clocking t-nuts, drop-in t-studs, clamping studs, etc. as well as all other fasteners) be made of stainless steel.
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