Abstract:
A ladder placed on the top rail of a gate which has either a ramp or at least one step on one side of the safety gate to aid a small animal to traverse the gate.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a ladder used on a safety gate which allows a small animal to traverse the safety gate. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Safety gates are commonly used in homes with small children or animals in order to prevent the child or animal from gaining access to a specific area or room. Safety gates are also used to prevent children from falling down a stairwell. Some safety gates are of a pressure type mounting whereby the gate is adjusted to fit into an opening and then locked into place. Such gates are not recommended to be placed at the top of stairwells since a small child could dislodge the gate from the opening. Other safety gates are of a walk-through design where one side of the gate pivots about a hinge and the other side engages a latch mechanism. The walk-through gates are fixed to the opening by fasteners and are recommended over the pressure type gates for use in stairwells. 
     Some households in addition to having a small child or large animal, such as a dog, also have a cat or other small animal. Cats, especially indoor cats, generally have a litter box somewhere in the house. Because of the offensive odor of a litter box, the homeowners usually place the litter box in an area of the house less frequently used. A popular choice for a homeowner to keep a litter box is in the basement or lower level of the house. Keeping a litter box in the lower level of the house and using a safety gate at the top of the stairwell however, inevitably traps the cat in the basement until the gate is opened or removed since in most cases a cat will not jump from one side of the gate to the other. 
     There exists a need for a device to allow a small animal such as a cat to traverse a safety gate in both directions while still preventing a small child or other animal from getting over or through the gate. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one embodiment of the invention a ladder used for assisting an animal over a gate comprises a top step and at least one other step, the top step adapted to be placed on a top rail of a gate. 
     In another embodiment of the invention a ladder comprises a ramp for assisting an animal over a gate, the ramp comprises a landing area having a flat surface, the landing area adapted to be placed on a top rail of a gate, and a sloped surface connected to the landing area. 
     In yet another embodiment of the invention a ladder used for assisting an animal over a gate comprises a first step component and a second step component each adapted to be placed on a top rail of a gate. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing aspects and other features of the invention are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings where: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a ladder positioned on a gate; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a ladder similar to  FIG. 1 , but with the addition of a hook attached to the ladder; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention showing a ladder having a ramp and a landing area; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a ladder similar to  FIG. 3 , but with the addition of a hook attached to the ladder; and 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of the invention showing a combination of step components used together to form a ladder. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a gate  10  is shown which is preferably mounted at the top of a stairwell  11 . The gate  10  has a top rail  12  and bottom rail  13 . The gate  10  prevents a child or animal from passing through by using a plurality of slats  14 . Other means besides slats are commonly used to form the gate such as rigid plastic and mesh. A ladder  15  fits over the top rail  12  and has a plurality of steps  16 - 18  on one side of the gate  10 . The steps  16 - 18  comprise a first step  16  which acts as a landing area for an animal when jumping from the floor to the ladder, a middle step  17  and a bottom step  18 . To traverse the gate in a first direction, an animal first jumps from the floor  19  to the landing area or first step  16  and then walks down each step  17 ,  18  to the floor or stairwell step  20  on the other side of the gate. To cross back over to the first side, the animal simply walks up each step  18 ,  17 ,  16  and then jumps from the top step  16  to the floor  19  on the first side. When used at the top of a stairwell  11 , the ladder is best placed so that the stairs  16 ,  17 ,  18  of the ladder  15  are on the side of the gate  10  with the stairwell stairs  20  since firstly, the stairwell step  20  disadvantageously creates an extra height (H) the animal would need to jump to reach the landing area  16  if the steps  17 ,  18  were on the other side of the gate; and secondly the child or animal on the floor  19  without the steps  17 ,  18  cannot use the steps  17 ,  18  for pulling themselves up over the gate  10 . 
     The landing area or first step  16  is preferably larger in area than the steps  17 ,  18  so that the landing area or first step  16  may be extended over the top rail  12  and have provided thereon top rail engaging means  21 . Top rail engaging means  21  may comprise a channel formed in the landing area or first step  16 , wherein the top rail  12  engages the channel  21 . The channel  21  may be tapered to accommodate various sized top rails  12 . Alternatively, the landing area or step  16  may be fastened to the top rail with screws, clamps, bolts and nuts, or other suitable fasteners known in the art. 
       FIG. 2  shows the ladder  15  of  FIG. 1 , but with a hook  22  attached to a portion of the ladder. The hook  22  helps stabilize the ladder  15  when hanging on the gate  10 . 
       FIG. 3  shows another embodiment of the invention wherein a ladder  30  is positioned on a gate  31  top rail  32 , and comprises a landing area or step  33  and a sloped surface or ramp  34  connected thereto. The ramp  34  may have a plurality of projections  35  thereon for aiding the animal to climb or descend the sloped surface or ramp  34 . 
       FIG. 4  shows the ladder  30  of  FIG. 3 , but with a hook  41  attached to a portion of the ladder  30 . The hook  41  helps stabilize the ladder  30  when hanging on the gate  31 . 
       FIG. 5  shows yet another embodiment of the invention wherein a first ladder component  51  and a second ladder component  52  are used to form a ladder  50 . The first ladder component  51  comprises a first step or landing area  53  and a second step  54  underneath the first step  53 , and the second ladder component  52  comprises a first step  55 . Each ladder component  51 , 52  is placed on the top rail  56  of a gate  57  allowing the animal to walk from the first step  53  of the first ladder component  51  to the first step  55  of the second ladder component  52 , to the second step  54  of the first ladder component  51 . 
     The ladder may be formed of any suitable material or combinations of material, including plastics, metals, and wood. Furthermore, the steps of the ladder, including the ramp and projections, may be covered with a material such as carpet. 
     Furthermore, since the gate is preferably used at the top of a staircase, where the use of a walk-through gate is recommended, the ladder is sized so that it does not interfere with the operation of the gate. Therefore, someone wishing to ascend or descend the stairwell stairs need not detach the ladder from the gate every time the gate is swung open. 
     The foregoing description is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and process as described above.