Patent Publication Number: US-2007120028-A1

Title: Article holder for a ladder

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/740,626, filed Nov. 30, 2005. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates generally to pouches, compartments, and similar devices for holding various articles. More specifically, the present invention comprises an article holder adapted for removable attachment to a conventional ladder for holding and securing various small articles therein and tools thereon.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Folding ladders and the like are nearly universally used to enable workers to access heights otherwise above their reach. Conventional stepladders typically include a pair of brace legs, which fold from beneath the top step, with a folding accessory shelf or platform generally pivotally mounted between the two brace legs and essentially level with the second step from the top of the ladder. A pair of extension arms catches beneath the second step to hold the shelf level when the ladder is deployed. Such accessory shelves are often used to support a paint can, small power or hand tools, parts, etc., as needed, in order to preclude need for the worker to climb up and down the ladder for such articles.  
      However, the typical accessory shelf is rather limited in its utility. Such shelves generally have no sidewalls to restrain articles placed thereon, and the lateral slats forming the shelf are generally spaced apart from one another. This precludes the placement of smaller articles (e.g., screws, nails, wire nuts, etc.) thereon, with any hope that they will remain on the shelf for long. Moreover, such shelves are prone to tipping when little weight is resting thereon. Such shelves are nearly universally formed of the same materials as the ladder, i.e. wood or aluminum. This precludes the use of magnetic attraction to retain any ferrous metal articles on the shelf.  
      Accordingly, various article holders for attachment to ladders and the like have been developed in the past. Oftentimes such devices have been provided with pockets, but the pockets are coplanar with the primary sheet of material of which the device is constructed, to facilitate construction of the device. This makes it difficult to access the interior of the pocket if the article holder is oriented horizontally, and the mouth of the pocket is often oriented downwardly when the device is folded, thus allowing articles within the pocket to spill. Other devices have been constructed with magnets to hold ferrous metal tools and parts, but the magnets are nearly universally enclosed within permanently closed pockets. These pockets do nothing to contain tools or parts. Yet another category of ladder-attached article holders comprises devices having rigid, three-dimensional structures. These devices cannot be folded when the ladder is folded, and must be removed from the ladder before folding the ladder.  
      Thus, an article holder for a ladder solving the aforementioned problems is desired.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The article holder for a ladder is formed of a flexible sheet of material (e.g., coated fabric, flexible plastic, etc.) and includes a ladder step attachment edge and an opposite accessory shelf pivot crossmember attachment edge, with a generally central fold line therebetween and parallel thereto. At least one pocket opening is provided through the surface of the sheet, with the pocket depending from the sheet rather than being coplanar therewith. Two pockets are preferably provided, and the opening(s) may be provided with closure means or left open, as desired. Preferably, at least one magnet is secured to the surface of the sheet, opposite the depending pocket(s). This enables the device to hold hand tools, nails, screws, and other articles formed of ferrous metal. Various means may be used to attach the device to the ladder, e.g., wire hooks, tie strings or cords, mating fabric hook and loop fastener material (e.g., Velcro®), buttons and/or snaps, etc., but plastic locking ties (e.g., Ty-Raps®) are preferred for ease of use, economy, security, and ease of removal when desired.  
      These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of an article holder for a ladder according to the present invention, shown installed upon a conventional ladder.  
       FIG. 2  is a detailed perspective view of the article holder according to the present invention, showing further details and alternative features thereof.  
       FIG. 3  is a side elevation view in section of the article holder according to the present invention, showing further details, the folded configuration being shown in broken lines. 
    
    
      Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.  
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      The present invention comprises several embodiments of an article holder for removable attachment to a ladder, for holding small power and hand tools and equipment, parts, fasteners, and other articles for a worker standing on the ladder.  FIG. 1  of the drawings provides an environmental perspective view of the article holder  10  installed upon an opened ladder L, with  FIG. 2  providing an enlarged view with further details and  FIG. 3  clearly showing the depending pockets of the device.  
      The article holder  10  essentially comprises a generally rectangular, flexible, planar article support sheet  12 , which is secured across the upper portion of the ladder L. The article support sheet  12  may be formed of a number of suitable flexible materials, e.g., plasticized fabrics, fabric mesh, heavy gauge natural and synthetic fabrics, and/or leather, as desired. The support sheet  12  has a first or ladder step attachment edge  14  and a parallel opposite second or ladder shelf pivot crossmember attachment edge  16 . The two edges  14  and  16  are specifically adapted for respective attachment to the penultimate step S and to the crossmember C to which the ladder shelf or platform P is pivotally mounted. The edges  14  and  16  may include a generally evenly spaced series of grommets  18 , through which various attachment devices may be secured.  
      In  FIG. 2 , various alternative attachments are shown installed through the grommets  18  of the first edge  14 , e.g., a wire hook  20  and tie string or cord  22 . However, the use of plastic locking ties  24  (e.g., Ty-Raps®) is preferred for ease of use, economy, security, and ease of removal when desired. A series of such plastic locking ties  24  is shown in  FIG. 1 , securing the first edge  14  of the device to the penultimate step S of the ladder L. Alternatively, other attachment means may be used, e.g., mating hook and loop fabric straps  26   a  and  26   b  and mating snap fastener straps  28   a  and  28   b . It will be understood that the showing of a series of different types of fasteners on a single article holder  10  in  FIG. 2  is for illustrative purposes in a single drawing and that the device  10  would normally be equipped with only a single type of attachment.  
      The article holder  10  includes at least one (and preferably two) pocket(s)  30  therein, with the two pockets  30  preferably located generally symmetrically on the device, as shown by the pocket openings  32  formed through the article support sheet  12 . Each pocket  30  is formed of a first panel  34  and an opposite second panel  36 , with their upper edges  38  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) secured to the article support sheet  12  adjacent the edges of the pocket openings  32 . The remaining edges  40  of the two panels  34 ,  36  are stitched or otherwise secured together to form a closed pocket  30 , with the exception of the pocket opening  32 . The two panels  34 ,  36  of which each pocket  30  is formed result in the pocket structures depending from the plane of the article support sheet  12 , particularly if they are formed of relatively flexible material and/or they contain a reasonable mass therein. This assures that the pockets  30  will remain substantially vertically oriented at all times, regardless of the configuration and orientation of the ladder L to which the article holder  10  is attached. The pocket(s)  30  are preferably constructed with rounded bottom portions, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in order to avoid tight corners that may gather or collect small articles therein. Each of the pockets  30  may include an openable closure  42  (e.g., a flap, etc., as shown in broken lines in  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) for securing over the pocket opening  32 , if so desired, but the depending configuration of the pockets  30  precludes any great need for such closure.  
      The flexible support sheet  12  further includes a generally central fold line  44  extending thereacross between the two edges  14  and  16  and substantially parallel thereto. This fold line  44  may be formed across the material of the support sheet  12  by stitching the two sides together along a narrow seam, or otherwise forming such a fold line. The purpose of the fold line  44  is to facilitate the folding together of the preferably relatively heavy material of which the support sheet  12  is made as the ladder L is folded.  
      The pocket(s)  30  perform well for holding relatively small articles A (e.g., nails or screws, wire nuts, etc., as shown in the cross section view of  FIG. 3 .) However, some additional security is required for larger tools that will not fit within the pocket(s)  30 . Accordingly, one or more magnets  46  may be installed upon the upper surface (i.e., opposite the pockets  30 ) of the article support sheet  12 , for attracting and retaining tools T (e.g., pliers, screwdriver, etc. as shown in  FIG. 1 ) formed of ferrous metals. The magnet(s)  46  may in turn be secured to the support sheet  12  by magnet holders comprising one or more straps  48  which extend across a portion of the support sheet  12 , or rivets  50  extending through the magnet  46  and underlying support sheet  12 , or some other means, as desired. The straps  48  allow the magnets  46  (e.g. elongate bar magnets, as shown, or other configuration) to be removed from the device  10  if such removal is necessary, e.g., when placing or holding magnetic media on the support sheet  12 .  
      In conclusion, the article holder for use with ladders provides a most convenient means for workers using ladders to retain tools, small parts, and other articles close at hand without concern that such tools and articles will fall from the ladder. The device may be secured to the ladder on a semipermanent basis by means of plastic locking ties, or various other means as desired. The unique configuration of the device allows it to fold readily about its centerline when the ladder is folded, thereby reducing bulk in the interstice between the legs of the ladder when folded. The depending pockets of the device assure that their mouths or openings will always remain above the interiors of the pockets, thereby assuring that parts and other articles will remain securely within the pockets, regardless of the orientation of the ladder. Accordingly, the article holder for ladders will prove to be a most popular accessory for most anyone who has occasion to perform some work while standing upon a ladder.  
      It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.