Im- PROVEMENTS IN LADDERS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Henry Ellis, of No. 91, Gracechurch
Street, in the City of London, Engineer, for the Invention of “Im-
PROVEMENTS IN LADDERS."
Sealed the 3rd May 1870, and dated the 3rd March 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Henry Ellis
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 3rd March 1870.
'I, GEORGE HENRY ELLIS, of No. 91, Gracechurch Street, in the City
of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LADDERS," to be as follows:-
-
My improvements consist in the mode of constructing the sides or
pillars of ladders, also in the mode of fitting rounds or steps therein
and of jointing different lengths together. The material I employ
is plain or galvanized sheet iron, zinc, steel, or other suitable material.:
The sides or pillars are formed of a tube, the section of which is

page_text: somewhat in the form of a D, (with a flange at each angle) made in
the following manner: -I bend a piece of metal into a half circle with
flanged edges turned outwards. I then place a narrow piece close to
the flanges, and its edges are then turned, bent, or lapped round the
flanges of the semicircular piece, and seamed strongly down. The
rounds or steps are made of circular or other tubing, and the ends are
usually made to taper slightly in order that when driven firmly into
holes made at suitable distances in the pillars to receive them they will
wedge fast therein. To secure the rounds upon the other side of the
pillar they are soldered, wedged, or pinned. When I do not taper the
ends of the rounds, they are driven into their places, the ends fitting close
up to the inside of the semicircle and there secured by wedges or pins
driven through them, and bearing upon the inside of the ladder
pillar. I effect a junction of the different lengths by forming at the
ends of each suitable male and female sockets, so that the ends of each
length will fit into or over the ends of the other length somewhat like a
telescope. Suitable hoops or collars are provided at the ends of each
length to impart additional strength and security to the joints. A small
slide bolt, pin, or other contrivance is fitted close to the slide joint for
securing the lengths firmly together when the "ladder" is in use. The
slide joints are stopped by and supported upon the ends of the first round
of each length.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Henry Ellis in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 17th June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HENRY ELLIS, of No. 91, Gracechurch Street, in the City of London,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of March, in the year a
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Henry Ellis, Her special
licence that I, the said George Henry Ellis, my executors, administrators,

page_text: and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Henry Ellis, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LADDERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Henry Ellis, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Henry Ellis, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereto
annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say :-
My Invention consists in an improved mode of constructing the sides
or pillars of ladders; also in the mode of fitting rounds or steps
therein, and of jointing different lengths together, the material I employ
being plain or galvanized sheet iron, steel, zinc, or other suitable.
material.
To make my Invention better understood I will proceed to.
describe the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a length of ladder constructed according
to my Invention with part of another length jointed thereto; Figure 2,
side elevation of same; Figure 3, part sectional elevation; Figure 4,
plan; Figure 5, section of pillar on line A, B, of Figure 1; and
Figure 6, section of round or step on line C, D, of Figure 1. Figures
1, 2, 3, and 4 are drawn to a scale of 1½ inches to the foot, and Figures
5 and 6 full size. Similar letters are used in all the Figures to represent
similar parts.
I prefer to make the ladders in lengths of about seven feet, and
proceed in the following manner: - I form the sides a¹, a¹, of the

page_text: pillars a of pieces of plain or galvanized sheet iron, steel, zinc, or other
suitable metal, by preference of plain sheet iron. In the sides a¹, a¹, are.
made in any suitable manner holes of the proper shape for receiving the
ends of the rounds or steps b, b, b, b. The rounds are made circular
with a web or flange b' at the bottom out of one piece of metal, as
shewn in section at Figure 6, the ends being made slightly taper if
desired; near the ends of each round a hole is made for the purpose
herein-after described. The ends of the rounds are driven into the holes
made in the sides a', a', of the pillars and a rod c, Figure 5 (shewn
also in dotted lines, Figure 3), is then passed through the said holes in
the ends of the rounds (from top_to_bottom)_which_are_thus_securely_
fixed to the sides a¹, a', of the pillars and prevented from turning. The
semicircular parts d, d, of the pillars are now applied, the edges of the
sides a, a, being turned, bent, or lapped over the flanges of the semi-
circular pieces d, d, as shown in Figure 5. Instead of employing rods c
for fixing the rounds or steps they may be fixed by solder, wedges, or
other suitable means. The junction of the different lengths of ladder is
effected by male and female sockets, so that the ends of each length will
fit into or over the ends of the next lengths, as shewn in Figure 3, in
which the upper ends e of the pillars are shewn made smaller so as to
fit into the lower ends e¹ of the next length. If required the ends of
each length are provided with suitable hoops or collars to give additional
strength and security to the joints; the slide joints are stopped by and
supported upon the ends of the top rounds of each length, as shewn.
The lengths of ladder being made of plain sheet iron may be afterwards
galvanized, by which means any interstices at the joints will be
thoroughly closed or soldered. For securing the lengths firmly together
I employ a hook f, Figure 1, suspended to the link or S piece g fixed to
the bottom round of each length; the hook f takes into a hole in the
top round of the length below, thus firmly securing the two lengths
together, or a small slide bolt, pin, or other suitable contrivance may be
employed for securing the lengths together.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do
not confine myself to the precise details herein laid down; but what I
claim is, the construction of ladders of sheet metal in lengths of suitable
or convenient dimensions, and in jointing the same together, substantially

page_text: in the manner herein-before described and represented in the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Henry Ellis, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
GEORGE HENRY ELLIS. (L.S.)