Patent ID: 6595326
Filing Date: 2003-07-22
Classification: E06C

Abstract:
An attachment for a ladder comprising:a) a ladder having (1) two side frame elements, each side frame element including an outer surface, an inner surface, a first side edge, a second side edge, a width dimension defined between the first side edge and the second side edge, a thickness dimension defined between the inner surface and the outer surface, (2) a first end, (3) a second end, (4) an axial dimension extending between the first end and the second end, (5) a longitudinal axis on each side frame element extending along the side frame element between the first end of said ladder and the second end of said ladder in the direction of the axial dimension of said ladder, (6) a bolt-accommodating hole defined through each side frame element of said ladder from the outer surface to the inner surface of each side frame element, (7) a plurality of ladder rungs extending between the side frame elements and connecting the side frame elements to each other, the ladder rungs being spaced apart from each other along the axial dimension of said ladder, (8) a first ladder frame side edge element on the first side edge of each side frame element, a second ladder frame side edge element on the second side edge of each side frame element, each ladder frame side edge element being on an associated side frame element of the two side frame elements of said ladder and oriented to extend essentially perpendicular to the width dimension of the associated side frame element and to extend in the direction of the thickness dimension of the associated side frame element, each ladder frame side edge element having (A) a inside surface and an outside surface, (B) a first end element on one end thereof, (C) a second end element on a second end thereof, (D) the first and second end elements of each ladder frame side edge element being oriented to extend along the width dimension of the associated side frame element with the first and second end elements extending toward each other, the first end element being located adjacent to the outer surface of the associated side frame element and the second end element being located adjacent to the inner surface of the associated side frame element whereby the side frame element is located between the first and second end elements, (E) a third end element on the first end element, the third end element being spaced apart from the inside surface of the associated side frame element and extending from the first end element toward the outer surface of the associated side frame element, and (F) a channel defined by the third end element, the first end element, and the inside surface of the ladder frame side edge element; b) a ladder leveling unit which includes (1) an adjusting leg unit which has (A) a body having a first surface and a second surface, two side edge elements on the body of the adjusting leg unit with the body and the side edge elements of the adjusting leg unit forming a U-shape, a first end of the body of the adjusting leg unit, a second end of the body of the adjusting leg unit, a longitudinal axis of the adjusting leg unit extending between the first and second ends of the body of the adjusting leg unit, a width dimension of the adjusting leg unit which extends between the side edge elements on the body of the adjusting leg unit, (B) the width dimension of the adjusting leg unit being less than the width dimension of each of the side frame elements, (C) the side edge elements of the adjusting leg unit being sized to be slidably received in the channels defined on the side frame elements of said ladder with the longitudinal axis of the body of the adjusting leg unit extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the associated side frame element of the ladder, (D) a plurality of bolt-accommodating holes defined through the body of the adjusting leg unit, the bolt-accommodating holes of the body of the adjusting leg unit being spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal axis of the body of the adjusting leg unit, and (E) each of the bolt-accommodating holes defined through the body of the adjusting leg unit being alignable with a bolt-accommodating hole defined through the associated side frame element when the adjusting leg unit is mounted on said ladder; c) a foot unit on the second end of the body of each leg adjusting unit and including (1) a base having (A) a top surface and a ground-engaging surface, (B) a plurality of protrusions on the ground-engaging surface of the base of said foot unit, (C) a first side edge, (D) a second side edge, (E) a width dimension extending between the first side edge of the base of said foot unit and the second side edge of the base of said foot unit, (F) a first end edge (G) a second end edge, (H) a length dimension extending between the first and second end edges of the base of said foot unit, (I) the width dimension of the base of said foot unit extending in the direction of the thickness dimension of the associated side frame element, the width dimension of the base of said foot unit being greater than the thickness dimension of the associated side frame element, (J) the length dimension of the base of said foot unit extending in the direction of the width dimension of the associated side frame element, the length dimension of the base of said foot unit being greater than the width dimension of the associated side frame element, (2) a first triangular flange element on the top surface of the base of said foot unit and extending along the length dimension of the base of said foot unit, (3) a second triangular flange element on the top surface of the base of said foot unit and extending along the length dimension of the base of said foot unit, (4) the first and second triangular flanges of said foot unit being spaced apart from each other along the width dimension of the base of said foot unit and defining a gap therebetween, (5) each triangular flange element having an apex spaced apart from the top surface of the base of said foot unit, (6) the gap being sized to receive the second end of a leg adjusting unit when said foot unit is attached to the leg adjusting unit, and (7) a fastener extending through the first and second triangular flange elements and through the body of the leg adjusting unit located in the gap; and d) a locking unit which includes (1) a U-shaped bracket having (A) a body, (B) first and second side flanges each having an inner surface, (C) a width dimension defined between the inner surfaces of the first and second side flanges of the bracket of said locking unit, the width dimension of the bracket of said locking unit being greater than the width dimension of each of the side frame elements, (D) an inside surface of the body of the U-shaped bracket of said locking unit, (E) a bolt-accommodating hole defined through the body of the bracket of said locking unit, (F) the inner surface of each of the first and second side flanges of the U-shaped bracket being fixedly attached to the outside surfaces of an associated ladder frame side element, and (G) the bolt-accommodating hole defined through the body of the bracket of said locking unit being aligned with the bolt-accommodating hole defined through the associated side frame element, and (2) a spring-loaded lock having (A) a U-shaped body having a central portion and first and second end flanges, (B) a bolt-accommodating hole defined through each of the first and second end flanges of the body of the spring-loaded lock, (C) a bolt extending through the bolt-accommodating holes defined through each end flange of the body of the spring-loaded lock and being rotatably mounted on the first and second end flanges of the body of the spring-loaded lock and having (I) a distal end, (ii) a proximal end, (iii) a handle on the proximal end, (iv) the distal end of the bolt extending away from the second end flange of the body of the spring-loaded lock, and (v) the handle being located adjacent to the first end flange of the body of the spring-loaded lock, (D) a stop element located on the central portion of the body of the spring-loaded lock between the first and second end flanges of the body of the spring-loaded lock, (E) a stop flange on the bolt between the first and second end flanges of the body of said spring-loaded lock, (F) a compression spring located on the bolt of the spring-loaded lock and having one end thereof abutting the stop flange of said spring-loaded lock and another end abutting one of the first and second end flanges of the body of said spring-loaded lock, (G) the second end flange of the body of the spring-loaded lock being mounted on the body of the U-shaped bracket of said locking unit, (H) the bolt of the spring-loaded lock extending through the bolt-accommodating holes defined through each end flange of the body of the spring-loaded lock and through the bolt-accommodating hole in the body of the U-shaped bracket and through a selected one of the bolt-accommodating holes defined through the leg adjusting unit and through the bolt-accommodating hole defined through the associated side frame element when said leveling unit is attached to said ladder, (I) the stop flange and the stop element of the spring-loaded lock being located to space the distal end of the bolt away from the body of the adjusting leg unit of said ladder leveling unit when the stop flange is in abutting contact with the stop element, (J) the stop element being oriented to form an acute angle with the central portion of the body of said spring-loaded lock, and (K) the stop flange and the stop element being sized and shaped to permit the stop flange to move past the stop element when the bolt is rotated and moved in one direction and to abuttingly engage each other when the bolt is moved in a second direction.