Patent ID: 6408983
Filing Date: 2002-06-25
Classification: E06C

Abstract:
A ladder stabilizing device for attachment to the upper ends of the stiles of a ladder for supporting the ladder against a flat wall surface and the inside and outside corner surfaces of two adjoining wall surfaces of a building structure, the ladder stabilizing device comprising:a pair of interchangeable, elongated ladder stabilizing support members adapted for removable securement to the respective upper ends of the stiles of the ladder; each ladder stabilizing support member including a box-shaped socket receiving portion having a stile receiving opening for allowing the upper end of one ladder stile to be slidably received therein, an elongated main body portion having a longitudinal axis with the box-shaped socket receiving portion being integrally joined to the main body portion and the box-shaped socket receiving portion having an angular displacement from the main body portion of approximately 120 degrees, and a wall contacting portion integrally joined to the main body portion opposite the socket receiving portion and which extends outwardly from the main body portion at an angular displacement of approximately 155 degrees with respect to the axis of the main body portion whereupon the wall contacting portion can abut the flat and adjoining wall surfaces so that the main body portion can space the ladder from the wall surfaces of the building structure when the ladder stabilizing members are secured to the upper ends of the ladder stiles thereby supporting the ladder adjacent to the wall surfaces of the building structure; the socket receiving portion, the main body portion, and the wall contacting portion having a constant rectangular cross-section throughout for providing a continual rectangular cross-section from the stile receiving opening, through the socket receiving portion, along the main body portion, and through the wall contacting portion of the ladder stabilizing support members; each wall contacting portion and socket receiving portion of each ladder stabilizing support member having an angular displacement from each other in separate planes that are approximately 90 degrees from each other; at least two elongated connection bars positioned parallel to one another and having the main body portion of the ladder stabilizing support member positioned therebetween, each of the connection bars having a pair of opposite attachment ends so that each attachment end can be secured to the main body portions of each respective ladder stabilizing support member, each attachment end having a plurality of holes so that the distance between each ladder stabilizing support member can be varied for allowing the selective adjustment of the spatial distance between the ladder stabilizing support members in order to accommodate variously sized ladders and then fixed by the connection bars in order to maintain the ladder stabilizing support members in a fixed parallel relationship with respect to each other when the ladder stabilizing support members are mounted to the upper ends of the ladder stiles; the ladder stabilizing support members capable of interchangeable securement to the respective upper ends of the ladder stiles so that in one configuration the ladder stabilizing support members can support the ladder adjacent the inside corner surfaces of adjoining wall surfaces and, after interchanging on the upper ends of the ladder stiles, the ladder stabilizing support members can form a second configuration for supporting the ladder adjacent the outside corner surfaces of adjoining wall surfaces; each of the wall contacting portions of the ladder stabilizing support members having one external contact surface for contacting either the inside or outside corner surface of the building structure, the contact surfaces diverge outward and away from each other when configured to support the ladder adjacent outside corner surfaces of adjoining wall surfaces, the same contact surfaces diverge inward and toward each other when the ladder stabilizing support members are interchanged for configuring the contact surfaces to support the ladder adjacent inside corner surfaces of adjoining wall surfaces, and the connection bars and the stabilizing support members pivotally connected together and foldable for collapsing the stabilizing support members toward one another for compactly containing the ladder stabilizing device during storage.