Abstract:
A quick release bracket for a ladder having a tie-down member includes a frame receiving therein the tie-down member in a form fit and being formed with pinholes. The frame is to be removably fixed at a fixing location. The quick release bracket also includes removable pins shaped to fit into the pinholes. The pins fix the ladder to the frame when the pins are inserted into the pinholes.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
     Field of the Invention  
       [0001]     The invention lies in the field of ladders, especially marine ladders used on swim floats, docks, and seawalls, for example. The invention relates to a quick release bracket for mounting a ladder, for example, to a dock, or releasing the ladder from the dock easily and quickly without a tool.  
         [0002]     In the prior art, the ladders are generally mounted to a dock with a tie-down member that is fixed to the dock surface by nuts and bolts. Whenever a ladder needs to be removed, for example, for storage during the winter or to prevent against theft, it is necessary to remove the nuts and bolts and install them back again. Whenever a ladder needs to be relocated, the screws need to be undone and secured at the new location.  
         [0003]     Therefore, there is a need for a device that can be used to quickly and easily release and relocate the ladder without needing a tool.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved bracket that can be used to easily secure and remove a ladder to and from the position at which it is to be used.  
         [0005]     With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, in a ladder system having a ladder with a tie-down member, the ladder to be secured at a fixing location, a quick release bracket comprising:  
         [0000]     a frame receiving therein the tie-down member in a form fit and being formed with pinholes, the frame to be removably fixed at the fixing location; and  
         [0000]     removable pins shaped to fit into the pinholes, the pins fixing the ladder to the frame when the pins are inserted into the pinholes.  
         [0006]     In accordance with another feature of the invention, the frame is approximately U-shaped to define an interior shape; and the tie-down member has an exterior shape substantially corresponding to the interior shape of the frame.  
         [0007]     In accordance with a further feature of the invention, there is provided at least one securing device for fastening the pins to the frame.  
         [0008]     In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the securing device is a spring-loaded ball bearing for removably fastening the pins to the frame.  
         [0009]     In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the securing device is a cable connecting a respective one of the pins to the frame.  
         [0010]     In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, there is provided a fastening assembly mounting the frame to the fixing location.  
         [0011]     In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the fastening assembly is at least one nut and bolt assembly.  
         [0012]     In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, each of the pins has an expanded portion at one end and a projecting part at another end; the expanded portion has a diameter larger than a diameter of at least one of the pinholes; and the projecting part removably locks the pin in position in one of the pinholes.  
         [0013]     In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, the frame has a safety portion defining an interior chamber for accommodating therein at least a portion of at least one of said pins.  
         [0014]     In accordance with again another feature of the invention, the frame has two sides, one of the sides being formed in an approximate upside-down U-shape and another of the sides being formed in an approximate upside-down L-shape.  
         [0015]     In accordance with again a further feature of the invention, the upside-down U-shape has an inner leg with pinholes and an outer leg without pinholes.  
         [0016]     With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, a quick release bracket for a ladder to be removably fixed at a fixing location and having a tie-down member, comprising:  
         [0000]     an approximately U-shaped frame for receiving the tie-down member, the frame being formed with pinholes, the frame to be removably fixed at the fixing location; and  
         [0000]     removably pins to be inserted into the pinholes and fix the ladder to the frame when the pins are inserted into the pinholes.  
         [0017]     With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, a ladder assembly, comprising:  
         [0000]     a ladder having a ladder body and a tie-down member; and  
         [0000]     a quick release bracket having:  
         [0000]    
       
         
           
              a U-shaped frame receiving the tie-down member of the ladder therein, the frame being formed with pinholes; and  
              pins shaped to be removably inserted into the pinholes and removably secure the ladder to the bracket.  
           
         
       
     
         [0020]     With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, a removable ladder kit, comprising:  
         [0000]     a ladder to be secured at a fixing location and having a tie-down member; and  
         [0000]     a quick release bracket having:  
         [0000]    
       
         
           
              a frame to be removably fixed at the fixing location, the frame: 
            receiving therein the tie-down member in a form fit; and     being formed with pinholes; and    
         
              removable pins shaped to fit into the pinholes, the pins fixing the ladder to the frame when the pins are inserted into the pinholes.  
           
         
       
     
         [0025]     With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, a quick release bracket for a ladder having a tie-down member with an exterior shape, comprising:  
         [0000]     at least one removable securing device; and  
         [0000]     a frame having:  
         [0000]    
       
         
           
              a frame body defining an interior shape substantially corresponding to the exterior shape of the tie-down member for receiving the tie-down member therein;  
              a safety portion defining an interior chamber for accommodating therein at least a portion of the at least one removable securing device; and  
              a connecting portion shaped to removably receive the at least one removable securing device for removably securing the tie-down member to the frame.  
           
         
       
     
         [0029]     Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.  
         [0030]     Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a quick release ladder bracket, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown because various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.  
         [0031]     Additional advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be clear from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0032]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a ladder mounted to a dock by a quick release bracket according to the invention;  
         [0033]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the ladder and the quick release bracket of  FIG. 1  before they are assembled together;  
         [0034]      FIG. 3  is a fragmentary, enlarged perspective view of the quick release bracket of  FIG. 1  and the corresponding attachment portion of the ladder;  
         [0035]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the bracket and ladder of  FIG. 1  along the section line IV-IV in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0036]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged, partially hidden, fragmentary, elevational side view of the quick release bracket of  FIG. 2  with the corresponding connecting portion of the ladder viewed from the interior of the ladder; and  
         [0037]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged, partially cross-sectional, partially hidden, and plan view of the quick release bracket of  FIG. 1  with the corresponding connecting portion of the ladder. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0038]     The invention may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention.  
         [0039]     Before the invention is disclosed and described, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.  
         [0040]     The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0041]     Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly to  FIGS. 1 and 2  thereof, there is shown a ladder  100 , which is mounted to a dock  200  by a quick release bracket  300  according to the invention. The ladder  100  has a ladder body  110  and a tie-down member  120  to be mounted to the dock  200 .  
         [0042]     As can be seen more clearly in  FIG. 3 , the quick release bracket  300  has a U-shaped frame  310  for receiving the tie-down member  120  of the ladder  100 . The U-shaped frame  310  is formed with four pinholes  320 , two on each side thereof. The pinholes  320  on one side of the U-shaped frame  310  align with the pinholes  320  formed on the other side of the U-shaped frame  310 . Two pins  330  are attached to the U-shaped frame  310  by cables  340  and are to be inserted into the pinholes  320 . Of course, the U-shaped frame  310  may be formed with more pinholes and more pins can be used to increase stability. Also, it is not necessary to secure the pins  330  to the frame  310 .  
         [0043]     As can be seen in  FIG. 4 , the U-shaped frame  310  of the quick release bracket  300  is fixed to the dock  200  by nut and bolt assemblies  400  (only one nut and bolt assembly  400  is shown in  FIG. 4 ). The U-shaped frame  310  as shown in  FIG. 4  has a cross-section in which one side  314  of the U-shaped frame  310  has an upside-down U-shape and the other side  312  of the U-shaped frame  310  has an upside-down L-shape. The inner leg  313  of the upside-down U-shaped side  314  is formed with pinholes  320 . In contrast, the outer leg  315  of the upside-down U-shaped side  314  does not have pinholes  320 . Therefore, the upside-down U-shaped side  314  forms a chamber  317 , which partially accommodates the pins  330 . Not only does the chamber  317  provide protection for the pins  330 , more importantly, the outer leg  315  forming the chamber  317  guards the distal ends of the pins projecting from the inner leg  313  and, thereby, prevents a person from catching their foot on the pin  330 . The left side  314  as viewed in  FIG. 4  need not be in the squared-off U-shape. To further prevent injury to a user, the cross-section can have a curve at the top. Thus, the two corners shown in  FIG. 4  are eliminated. Another alternative is to form the left side  314  with a hemispherical cross-section.  
         [0044]     The outer side  315  of the upside-down U-shape side  314  may limit the distance that the pins  330  can extend. The upper side  316  of the upside-down L-shape side  312  may also, to certain extent, protect the pins  330 . Preferably, the pins  330  have an expanded portion  332  at one end thereof, which has a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the pinhole  320  to prevent over-insertion of the pins  330 . The pins  330  may also have a projecting part  324  at the other end thereof, which can lock the pins  330  in position, but can be inserted into and pulled out of the pinhole  320  with slight force. The preferred embodiment of the projecting part  324  is a spring biased ball bearing that can be pressed into the shaft of the pin  330  when the projecting part  324  is passing through the pinholes  320  (having a diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the pin  330 ).  
         [0045]      FIGS. 5 and 6  are side and top views of the quick release bracket  300  with the corresponding portion of the tie-down member  120  of the ladder  100  in assembled condition.  
         [0046]     The quick release bracket  300  according to the invention has the advantage that the ladder  100  can be secured to and released from the dock  200  quickly without using any tools. The ladder  100  can be quickly mounted to the dock  200  by lowering the tie-down member  120  into the U-shaped frame  310  of the quick release bracket  300  (which is already secured to the dock  200 ) and inserting the pins  330  into the pinholes  32   u  formed in the U-shaped frame  310 . The ladder  100  can also be quickly removed from the dock  200  by removing the pins  330  from the pinholes  320  and lifting the ladder  100  from the U-shaped frame  310  of the quick release bracket  300 . This facilitates the storage and repair of the ladder. In other words, the bracket  300  can be fixed to the dock and left there permanently or semi-permanently, but the ladder can be removed at any time and stored somewhere else after use until the next time it is needed. In this way, the life span of the ladder  100  can be extended.