Patent Application
20230122566
The invention generally relates to safety devices, and, more particularly, to a stabilization system for securing and stabilizing a ladder so as to prevent unintended movement or shifting of the ladder feet during use.
A ladder is an invaluable tool used for reaching heights that an individual could not otherwise reach. There is a seemingly endless list of activities performed at home, work, and countless other settings that require the use of an extension ladder in order to allow its user to gain access to areas that otherwise would be inaccessible. For example, some occupations, such as construction, carpentry, painting, and the like, a ladder is a necessary tool. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly common for homeowners and renters to perform much of the maintenance around their homes, and, as a result, rely on ladders to perform such tasks.
One problem with the use of ladders though is that it accounts for one of the largest categories of injuries and fatalities for at-home and for industrial accidents. In fact, falls are the leading cause of deaths in and around the home. There are multiple reasons why ladders can be very dangerous and it nearly always involve a lack of understanding of proper use, lack of patience in proper setup for use, uneven or unstable surface for the ladder to rest upon, improper inclination of the ladder in relation to the height of the object it rests against, or any combination of the above.
Many different devices have been contemplated and used for securing a ladder in place during use. Most such devices include means for securing the upper part of a ladder against a wall, tree, or other substantially vertical surface against which the ladder leans. Other types of ladder stabilizers include may include additional legs or feet. In particular, it is common to find shoe members pivotally mounted on the feet of ladders in an effort to insure a stable base for the ladder feet which the shoes are associated, and to allow for adaptation to some of the varying parameters of terrain environment, such as varying surface contour and material composition. While these types of devices may provide some measure of additional stability, none of these devices are capable of preventing the ladder from skidding across the ground or surface at the foot of the ladder in certain hazardous conditions, such as snow and ice, or other slippery elements. Furthermore, such devices are incapable of preventing the ladder from being knocked out or tipped over in a direction away from the structure upon which the upper portion of the ladder rests.
The present invention is directed to a stabilization system for securing and stabilizing a ladder so as to prevent unintended movement or shifting of the ladder feet during use. The system includes stabilization assemblies for temporarily supporting and stabilizing respective feet of a ladder once the ladder is in a desired position relative to a support structure, such as a wall, roof, building, or the like. The stabilization assemblies are able to improve ladder safety by preventing ladders from slipped or accidentally being knocked out of position, particularly when a user is on the ladder.
In particular, each of the stabilization assemblies includes a frame member for receiving a ladder foot within and a locking member for releasably securing the ladder foot to the frame member. The frame member includes a substantially planar base member having opposing ends. Each opposing end includes one or more apertures for receiving a respective securing member therethrough. For example, during use, the base member rests upon a solid surface at the site upon which the ladder will rest, which may include soil, concrete, or wood material (i.e., decking, plywood subflooring, wood flooring, etc.). The securing member(s) may include, for example, a stake for penetrating and securing the base member to soil, grass, sand, or other outdoor ground material. Additionally or alternatively, the securing member may include a screw or other fastener for penetrating other types of solid surfaces, such as concrete, stone, or wood. Upon receiving the ladder foot within a cavity defined in the frame member, a user need only drive a stake and/or fasteners (e.g., screws or the like) through respective apertures provided at ends of the base member and into the solid surface, thereby temporarily securing the frame member to the solid surface. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, an anti-slip (also referred to as non-slip) material may be provided on a bottom surface of the base member to further prevent unintended movement of the frame member.
The frame member further includes two opposing side walls and a rear wall extending from the base member to cooperatively form a cavity shaped and sized to receive a ladder foot within. During assembly, the ladder foot rests upon the base member such that the opposing side walls and rear wall enclose and surround a portion of the ladder foot within the cavity of the frame member. The rear wall is oriented at an acute angle relative to the base member to thereby form an enclosure around the ladder foot (and any shoe attached thereto) so as to contain the ladder foot within the cavity of the frame member. As such, the cavity is essentially formed of three walls (i.e., two opposing side walls and the rear wall) and has an opening opposing the rear wall. The opening allows for the frame member to accommodate different sized ladder feet and any attached shoes. Each side wall includes a set of apertures formed in a row along an upper portion thereof and extending along a horizontal plane that is substantially parallel to the base member. The sets of apertures defined on the opposing side walls are substantially aligned with one another, such that individual apertures of the set of apertures of a left side wall are in alignment with a corresponding individual apertures of the set of apertures on a right side wall. The apertures on each side wall are configured to receive a locking member for releasably securing the ladder foot to the frame member. In particular, the locking member may include a pin, bolt, or other fastener that passes through corresponding apertures of the side walls, such that the locking member extends across the cavity and retains the ladder foot within the cavity, thereby securing the frame member to the ladder foot. In some embodiments, the locking member may include a hitch pin or other form of safety pin that is retained within the apertures via a wire snap.
Accordingly, the stabilization system of the present provides numerous advantages. The stabilization assemblies eliminate the need for someone to hold or otherwise foot the bottom of a ladder during use, and further eliminate the need for non-conventional methods to ladders in place. Furthermore, the stabilization assembly is relatively simple in design, in that the frame member is formed from a single sheet of material (preferably a rigid, durable metal, such as steel), wherein the side walls and rear walls are bent into place to thereby form the cavity. Accordingly, such a device is inexpensive to manufacture, as it requires no welding or other specific manufacturing techniques, thereby reducing the overall production costs. Furthermore, such a device is easy to install on each ladder foot. A user need only place the frame member upon a ladder foot, slide the frame member until the rear wall contacts the ladder foot, and fasten the locking member to the frame member (e.g., set a hitch pin to appropriate apertures on the side walls), thereby securing the stabilization assembly to the ladder foot. The user can then set the ladder into position at a desired site, in which the user can easily fasten the stabilization assembly to surface under the ladder. The stabilization assemblies can be temporarily secured any type of solid surface, including concrete, wood decks, soil, and the like.
Features and advantages of the claimed subject matter will be apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments consistent therewith, which description should be considered with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Features and advantages of the claimed subject matter will be apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments consistent therewith, which description should be considered with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The invention generally relates to safety devices, and, more particularly, to a stabilization system for securing and stabilizing a ladder so as to prevent unintended movement or shifting of the ladder feet during use. In particular, the system includes stabilization assemblies for temporarily supporting and stabilizing respective feet of a ladder once the ladder is in a desired position relative to a support structure, such as a wall, roof, building, or the like. The stabilization assemblies are able to improve ladder safety by preventing ladders from slipped or accidentally being knocked out of position, particularly when a user is on the ladder. Furthermore, the stabilization assemblies are relatively simply in design and thus easy to install, thereby making ladder safety a relatively simple endeavor.
As shown, the stabilization assembly includes a frame member 10 for receiving a ladder foot within. The frame member 10 includes a substantially planar base member 12 having opposing ends 14 and 16. The frame member 10 further includes opposing side walls (left side wall 18 and right side wall 20) and a rear wall 22 extending from the base member 12. The side walls 18 and 20 and rear wall 20 cooperatively form a cavity 24 generally shaped and sized to receive a ladder foot within. For example, during install of the frame member 12 to the bottom of a ladder, the ladder foot rests upon the base member 12 such that the opposing side walls 18 and 20 and rear wall 22 enclose and surround a portion of the ladder foot within the cavity 24.
It should be noted that the frame member 12 is relatively simple in design and manufacture, in that the frame member 10 is formed from a single sheet of material (preferably a rigid, durable metal, such as steel), wherein a pattern is cut and the side walls 18 and 20 and rear wall 22 are bent into place to thereby form the cavity 24. Accordingly, such a device is inexpensive to manufacture, as it requires no welding or other specific manufacturing techniques, thereby reducing the overall production costs.
As shown, the rear wall 22 is oriented at an acute angle relative to the base member 12. For example, the rear wall may be oriented at an angle between 30° and 70° relative to the surface of the base member 12. In some embodiments, the rear wall 22 may be oriented at angle between 45° and 60°. Yet still, in another embodiment, the rear wall 22 may be oriented at an angle of approximately 48.6°. Accordingly, the rear wall 22 forms an enclosure around the ladder foot (and any shoe attached thereto) so as to contain the ladder foot within the cavity of the frame member and generally act as a stop when installing the frame member upon a ladder foot, as described in greater detail herein.
As shown, the cavity 24 is essentially formed of three walls (i.e., two opposing side walls 18, 20 and the rear wall 22) and has an opening opposing the rear wall. The opening allows for the frame member 10 to accommodate different sized ladder feet and any attached shoes. It should be noted that the cavity 24 has a width W sized so as to accommodate most conventional ladder feet sizes. It should further be noted that each side wall 18, 20 includes a notch 32, 34 (respectively) allowing for portions of a ladder foot to extend proud of the side walls when provided within the cavity 24. For example, some ladder feet have shoes that are attached via a bolt, such that the head of the bolt sits proud of the side of the ladder rail. Accordingly, the notch 32, 34 on each side wall 18, 20 accommodates such bolts and the like.
Each side wall 18, 20 includes a set of apertures 26 formed in a row along an upper portion thereof and extending along a horizontal plane that is substantially parallel to the base member 12. The sets of apertures 26 defined on the opposing side walls are substantially aligned with one another, such that individual apertures of the set of apertures of a left side wall 18 are in alignment with a corresponding individual apertures of the set of apertures on a right side wall 20. For example, as shown in
As previously described, the stabilization assembly of the present invention eliminates the need for someone to hold or otherwise foot the bottom of a ladder during use, and further eliminate the need for non-conventional methods to ladders in place. In particular, the base member 12 includes opposing ends 14 and 16, each of which includes one or more apertures (apertures 28 and 30) for receiving a respective securing member therethrough. For example, during use, the base member 12 rests upon a solid surface at the site upon which the ladder will rest, which may include soil, concrete, or wood material (i.e., decking, plywood subflooring, wood flooring, etc.). The securing member(s) may include, for example, a stake 40 (illustrated in
Accordingly, the stabilization system of the present provides numerous advantages. The stabilization assemblies eliminate the need for someone to hold or otherwise foot the bottom of a ladder during use, and further eliminate the need for non-conventional methods to ladders in place. Furthermore, the stabilization assembly is relatively simple in design, in that the frame member is formed from a single sheet of material (preferably a rigid, durable metal, such as steel), wherein the side walls and rear walls are bent into place to thereby form the cavity. Accordingly, such a device is inexpensive to manufacture, as it requires no welding or other specific manufacturing techniques, thereby reducing the overall production costs. Furthermore, such a device is easy to install on each ladder foot. A user need only place the frame member upon a ladder foot, slide the frame member until the rear wall contacts the ladder foot, and fasten the locking member to the frame member (e.g., set a hitch pin to appropriate apertures on the side walls), thereby securing the stabilization assembly to the ladder foot. The user can then set the ladder into position at a desired site, in which the user can easily fasten the stabilization assembly to surface under the ladder. The stabilization assemblies can be temporarily secured any type of solid surface, including concrete, wood decks, soil, and the like.
References and citations to other documents, such as patents, patent applications, patent publications, journals, books, papers, web contents, have been made throughout this disclosure. All such documents are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
Various modifications of the invention and many further embodiments thereof, in addition to those shown and described herein, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the full contents of this document, including references to the scientific and patent literature cited herein. The subject matter herein contains important information, exemplification and guidance that can be adapted to the practice of this invention in its various embodiments and equivalents thereof.
This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/257,710, filed Oct. 20, 2021, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63257710 | Oct 2021 | US |
