Patent Application
20070240935
None
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates in general to ladder step attachment devices, and more particularly to an improved ladder step attachment device that can be mounted on the rungs of a conventional extension ladder to provide additional foot support.
Ladder rungs, in general, are not sufficiently wide to provide a convenient foot support when standing for long periods of time. Painters, contractors, homeowners and others are frequently required to work for extended periods of time by standing on the rungs. Attachment devices that can be mounted on a ladder can provide a convenient platform for the ladder user. Such devices increase safety and may include simple, preferably single-step, installation procedures.
Several ladder step attachment devices have been developed in art. For example, U.S. Pub. No. 20040163890 to Nash discloses a ladder step platform that can be mounted on any ladder having hollow rungs extending between ladder rails. The device includes a step platform extending between side plates that are positioned on the outside of the ladder rails. The space between the side plates can be adjusted to fit ladders of different width. A support rod, inserts through the hollow rungs, and pivotally supports the ladder step platform with the side plates. A lower adjustable rod abuts the ladder rails such that the step platform extends horizontally beyond the ladder. Unfortunately, the installation means of this device, for example the use of the support and adjustable rods, are inconvenient and difficult to use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,515 to Nowlan discloses a ladder attachment that comprises of a platform, a vertical support member projecting from one edge of the platform, and two brackets. An upper bracket is intended to engage a rung of the ladder to impart lateral stability to the platform, while a lower bracket is intended to cooperate with a second rung of the ladder to provide lateral and vertical stability to the platform. The need for two rungs for support and the structure of this device, especially the vertical member and the two brackets, makes it bulky and difficult to operate with a single hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,820,315 to Miller discloses a step attachment for ladders consisting of a step platform connected to a pair of transversely spaced metallic brackets and a transversely extending stop member. The metallic brackets have their upper ends formed to include hooks capable of being inserted over the rungs of the ladder. The horizontal feature of the metallic brackets are connected to the under surface of the step platform. Although the installation procedure appears to be similar, the hooks and the stop member of this device make it ineffective.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,786,300 to Bonifacini discloses a step unit that can be installed on the existing step of a conventional ladder. The unit comprises of a rectangular main body portion with one of its end bent downward and angularly outward with respect to the main body portion and terminates in a short upturned lip. The unit is installed by engaging the upturned lip against the bottom edge of the step and then pivoting the unit downwardly. The lip of the unit is then captured by the bottom edge of the step and the main body portion is supported on top of the step. However, the bent and upturned lip features of this device are different from the lip and the tubular members of the present invention.
Although these devices can be mounted on a ladder to provide additional foot support, they are frequently inconvenient to use, overly complex, or lack stability. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention is to provide an improved ladder step attachment device that is portable, simple and easy to install and uninstall, and strong enough to withstand the weight of a person. Other objects of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the appended summary, description, claims and illustrations.
The present invention is a ladder step attachment device that can be mounted on a rung of a ladder to provide additional foot support. The device comprises a unitary piece characterized by a horizontal rectangular plate-like member to support a user, a lip member to hook to the rung of a ladder, and a substantially trapezoidal tubular member to support the device against the rails of a ladder. The lip member projects downwards from a first end of the rectangular plate-like member. At the other end of the rectangular plate-like member, the trapezoidal tubular member comprises a horizontal surface, a first substantially vertical surface, a second substantially vertical surface opposite to the first vertical surface and an inclined surface.
In order to mount the device on a rung of a conventional extension ladder, the first vertical surface is made to abut the side rails of the ladder. Following which, the lip member is made to abut a side rear surface of one of the rungs and the bottom surface of the rectangular plate-like member is made to abut the top surface of the rung of the ladder. The top surface of the rectangular plate-like member provides a foot support area.
Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a ladder step attachment device is illustrated and generally indicated as 10 in
Referring to
Referring to
When the ladder step attachment device 10 is mounted on the rung 21 of the ladder 22, the top surface of the rectangular plate-like member 15 and its extension 11 provide additional foot support area. To remove the step attachment device, the tubular member 13 is moved upward along the sides of the ladder, and rotated along its horizontal axis, so that the lip member 12 can be freed from the rear of the ladder rung 21. The device 10 can be mounted, removed and remounted while standing on a ladder. An illustration of the ladder step attachment device 10 in use is shown in
The ladder step attachment device can be made of any single sheet of metal cut to the appropriate shape and bent so as to form the lip member, horizontal surface, and tubular member of the device. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the side caps are omitted, providing more flexibility to the device. Alternatively, the ladder step attachment device can be made of metal, plastic, resin, or any suitable strong lightweight material.
All features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 6.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.
