LADDER ATTACHMENT

Abstract: A ladder attachment of moulded plywood or plastics has hook formations (13, 14) to engage successive rungs of a double or single ladder, a plate portion (3) having padding or resilient areas (4) for the legs of the user to lean against, wings (5 and 6) and hand grips (15, 16). The attachment may include a foot platform 1 for the user to stand on and trays and arms (28, 31), which may be pivotted, to carry tools and materials. A safety strap or harness (41) may also be provided.

Description: LADDER ATTACHMENT The invention relates to attachments for ladders. In accordance with the invention there is provided a ladder attachment having a hook formation to engage over a rung of a ladder, the attachment extending downwards from the hook formation to a guard portion for protecting the legs of the user from the rungs of the ladder. The guard portion may be in the form of a generally rectangular plate having a padded or otherwise yielding surface and the edges of the plate which slope in use may have wings upstanding from the plane of the plate. The e attachment may be extended to include one or more trays to hold tools and materials in positions convenient for the user and the hook formation may be extended behind the ladder to form such a tray. The e floors of these trays may incorporate recesses suitable for holding particular tools or packages. The attachment may have one or more handrails at convenient positions and/or one or more arms from which to hang articles. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the attachment is extended downwardly to include a platform at a convenient distance beneath the guard plate. Engagement of any of these embodiments with a ladder is preferably by means of abutments provided at the top of the plate. These can be hook formations projecting behind the plate which engage a rung or rungs when the plate is in front of and parallel to the ladder. To further secure the attachment to the ladder the-amay be a safety strap extending from the top to the bottom of the attachment and encircling one or more rungs. In use the guard plate prevents the legs of the user from coming into contact with the ladder, so alleviating the discomfort of leaning for prolonged periods against the rungs and in combination with one or more of +he above features the attachment forms a rigid work station whose members can be secured to the rungs of a ladder in one operation. Stability may be improved by the presence of upstanding wings on the sloping edges of the plate providing other surfaces against which to brace the legs. A platform beneath the guard plate presents a larger area on which to stand compared with that afforded by a single rung and provides a stable base from which to work. The invention will now be described in detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 is a frontal elevation of a first embodiment of the invention in engagement with a ladder, Figure 2 is a sectional view of this first embodiment in engagement with a ladder, Figure 3 is a plan view of this first embodiment, Figure 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the invention in engagement with a ladder, Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 of a further embodiment of the invention, Figure 6 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of a tool holder and tray arrangement shown in Figure 5, and Figure 7 is a vertical section on the line VII - VII of Figure 6. The ladder attachment shown in Figures 1 to 3 spans six rungs on a two-section ladder A, B. At the lower end of the attachment a platform 1 rests on a pair of aligned rungs C, D and is prevented from slipping behind the ladder by a stop 2 running parallel to and in fron of the front rung C. Abutment with the rungs C, D lends strength to the platform 1 and to some extent supports the attachment. A guard plate 3, positioned at a convenient distance above the platform 1, has a yielding surface 4 rendering it more comfortable to lean against. The sloping edges of the plate 3 have upstanding wings 5,- 6 also suitable for leaning or bracing the legs against. Above the plate 31, a lower tray 7 extends horizontally to the right of - the attachment and an arm 8 extends to the left at the same height. The floor of the lower tray 7 incorporates recesses 9, 10 suitable for holding tools and packages such as screw drivers and paint cans. An upper tray 11 is arranged five rungs up from the platform 1; upon offering the attachment up for engagement with a ladder having rungs of the appropriacte spacing the upper tray 11 and a further horizontal abutment surface 12, spaced one rung beneath the upper tray 11, are passed from in front of the ladder over consecutive rung pairs E, F until the plate 3 abuts the front ladder section A, whereupon the attachment is lowered until the underside of the upper tray 11, the further abutment surface 12 and the platform 1 engage their respective rungs. A groove 18 running parallel to the rung pair F across the abutment surface 12 engages between the rung pair F and a stop 19 engages behind the front rung of the pair E. Stops, 13, 14 are also provided on the abutment surfaces 11, 12 behind the rung pairs E, F in order to prevent the upper members slipping off the front of the ladder. Handrails 15, 16 run parallel to the ladder from the upper tray 11 to the top of the guard plate 3 and a safety strap 17 runs the length of the attachment from the upper tray 11 to the platform 1, behind the rungs. The attachment may also have a strap or rod (not shown) which, when secured behind a person standing on the ladder restrains him from accidentally stepping off the ladder. Figure 4 shows a smaller embodiment of the invention having no platform but displaying an alternative form of engagement on a ladder having two sections A, B. A guard plate 1 has a yielding surface 2 and upstanding wings .3, 4 suitable for bracing the leg against. A single deep tray 5 above the plate 1 has horizontal surfaces 6, 7 at the vertical mouth of the tray 5 for engagement with two consecut ive pairs of coincident rungs C, D. The upper abutment surface 6 is passed between the two pairs of rungs C, D.from the front and hooked forwards over the upper pair D from the rear of the ladder, whereupon the attachment is lowered with plate 3 parallel to the front ladder section A until both abutment surfaces 6, 7 abut their respective rungs. Grooves 8, 9 running parallel to 7 the rungs C, D across these abutment surfaces 6, 7 are engaged between coincident pairs of rungs C, D to further secure the attachment. Should either of these embodiments be offered up for engagement with a ladder having rungs of a different spacing the attachment may be so designed that only one of the abutment surfaces requires engagement with a rang to provide adequate support. Embodiments may also be capable of engagement with both single' and double section ladders. Apart from the safety harness (41 in Figure 5) the attachment described may be made from light alloy, ply-wood, or may be conveniently produced from a synthetic plastics material by injection moulding. A further embodiment, which can conveniently be made by injection moulding, is shown in Figures 5 - 7. This embodiment is generally similar to that shown in Figures 1 - 3 with the exception that the tray 7 and arm 8 are replaced by two symmetrically disposed stubarms 21 and 22 projecting laterally from the respective sides of the ladder attachment. The arms 21, 22 may be of inverted-U-section having a top wall 23 (Figures 6 and 7) and spaced side walls 24 and 25. Each arm 21, 22 terminates in a cylindrical socket 26 which is open at its upper end. While the socket 26 may be used as a simple tool holder, it may also receive a spigot portion 27 of a tool holder or tray of any desired shape or construction. fn Figure 5, a tool holder 28 is shown mounted in the socket of the left hand arm 21. The tool holder 28 is of generally horse-shoe shape and is formed with apertures 29 to receive tools and notches 30 for the handles of paint cans or kettles. Engaged in the socket 26 of the right hand arm 22 is a detachable moulded plastics tray 31 which can for example be used to hold screws or nails. It has a top flange 32 formed with apertures 33. for holding various tools. The tray 31 (or tool holder 28) is angularly adjustable about its supporting socket 26. If desired, the range of angular movement may be limited by providing the tray (or tool holder) with cheeks 34 positioned to abut the side walls 24, 25 of the arm when the respect ive end positions of the angular movement have been reached. The detachable tray or tool holder (31 or 28) may be loaded at ground level, carried up the ladder and engaged by its spigot in the socket of the appropriate arm (21 or 22). - In all the embodiments described above, when the body of the ladder attachment is of moulded plastics material, the yielding surface 4 may be in the form of louvres extending between the wings (5.and 6).

Claims: C t A I M S: 1. A ladder attachment having a hook formation (13,14) to engage over a rung of a ladder, the attachment extending downwards from the hook formation to a guard portion (3,4) for protecting the legs of the user from the rungs of the ladder. 2. A ladder attachment according to claim 1, wherein the guard position is in the form of a gernally rectangular plate having a padded or otherwise yielding surface (4) and the edges of the plate (3) which slope in use have wings (5,6) upstanding from the plane of the plate. 3. A ladder attachment according to claim 2, wherein the plate portion is louvred and moulded from a resiliently flexible material. 4. A ladder attachment according to any of claims 1 to 3, having a plurality of hook formations (13,14) to engage different rungs of a ladder. 5. A ladder attachment according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment is extended to include one or morc trays to hold tools and materials in positions convenient for the user. 6. A ladder attachment according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment is formed with one or more arms to which tool holders or trays may be pivotally attached. 7. A ladder attachment according to any of the preceding claims having one or more handrails (15,16). 8. A ladder attachment according to any of the preceding claims wherein the attachment is extended downwardly to include a platform 1 at a convenient distance beneath the guard plate (3).

Inventors: THALMANN, JULIUS WILHELM
Applicants: THALMANN, JULIUS WILHELM
Application year: 1982
Main classification: E06C7
IPC codes: E06C7