Improvements in or connected with Ladders.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 27th July, 1894-Accepted, 1st Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Ladders.
I, JOHN BATCHELAR, of No. 48, Hammersmith Road, West Kensington, in
the County of Middlesex, Ladder Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in or connected with ladders, and is
applicable more especially to that class of ladders which are employed in orchards
for gathering fruit and other purposes.
In gathering fruit, pruning and similar operations, it is usual to rest the ladder
against the trunk or branch of a tree, but it is sometimes necessary to gather fruit
from branches which are too fragile to sustain the weight of a ladder, and a person
standing thereon.
Now the object of the present invention is to unite two ladders at their upper
parts in such manuer that they may be opened to give an extended base, whilst,
at the same time, they may be readily separated and used as single ladders when
required.
For this purpose, I fix, by screws, rivets or otherwise upon each side of each
ladder a short distance below the upper part thereof, a metal fitting formed with a
projecting car provided with a central aperture, and I crank the ears upon one
ladder to come within or without the ears upon the other ladder, whilst pass a
connecting bolt through the several ears and fix it, against accidental displacement,
by means of a fly or other nut.
The ears are formed to project from each ladder in such manner that when the
ladders are separated at the lower part, to form an extended base, the upper ends
will meet and constitute a stop against further extension.
Dated this 27th day of October 1893,
VAUGHAN & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Ladders.
I, JOHN BATCHELAR of No. 48, Hammersmith Road, West Kensington, in the
County of Middlesex, Ladder Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in or connected with ladders and is
applicable more especially to that class of ladders which are employed in orchards
for gathering fruit and other puposes.
In gathering fruit, pruning and similar operations, it is usual to rest the ladder
against the trunk or branch of a tree but it is sometimes necessary to gather fruit
from branches which are too fragile to sustain the weight of a ladder and a person
standing thereon.
Now, the object of the present invention is to unite two ladders at their upper
parts in such manner that they may be opened to give an extended base, whilst, at
the same time, they may be readily separated and used as single ladders, when
required.

page_text: For this purpose, fix, by screws, rivets or otherwise upon each side of each
ladder a short distance below the upper part thereof, a metal fitting formed with a
projecting ear provided with a central aperture, and I crank the ears upon one
ladder to come within, or.without the ears upon the other ladder whilst I pass a
connecting bolt through the several ears and fix it against accidental displacement
by means of a fly or other nuti
1
The ears are formed to project from each ladder in such manner that when the
ladders are separated at the lower part to form an extended base the upper ends
will meet and constitute a stop against further extension.
And, in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying drawings, more fully
to describe the same.
Figure 1. represents a perspective view showing, in their extended position, two
connected ladders having the present invention applied thereto.
Figure 2. is a side view of the upper part of the combined ladders drawn to an
enlarged scale and showing the two ladders in their contracted or closed position
parallel to each other and
Figure 3. is a horizontal section taken on a line 1-1 of Figure 2.
In the several figures, in which like parts are indicated by similar letters of
reference, Figures 2. and 3. are drawn to an increased scale with respect to Figure 1.
a represents the two ladders each of which has fixed upon each side at a short
distance below the upper part thereof a metal fitting b. formed with a projecting
ear 6 provided with a central aperture and the ears from one ladder which are
cranked at 6* come within or it might be without the ears 6' from the other
ladder, whilst a connecting bolt c. is passed through the apertures of the several
overlapping ears b' to form a hinge pin and is fixed against accidental displacement
by means of a fly nut c¹ or it might be any other suitable form of nut.
The ears bare formed to project from each ladder a. in such a manner that when
the ladders are separated at the lower part to form an extended base, as represented
at Figure 1, the upper ends thereof will meet and constitute a stop against further
extension, and, for this purpose, the upper ends of the ladders a. are bevelled or
formed with facets a' which meet upon a vertical plane drawn through the axis of
the bolt e.
By the means hereinbefore described the combined ladders a. will give the
required extended base to enable them to be self-supporting, whilst at the same
time by unscrewing the nut c' and withdrawing the bolt or hinge pin c. they may
be readily separated and used as single ladders, when required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. A ladder provided with a projecting apertured ear upon each side and at a
suitable distance below the top thereof so that two such ladders may be combined
by overlapping the ears and passing a bolt through the apertures of the same,
substantially as herein shown and described.
2. The combination of two ladders, each provided with a projecting apertured
ear upon each side thereof, the ears upon the one ladder being cranked to fit within
or without the ears upon the other and a removeable bolt passing through the
apertures of all the ears, the latter being arranged at such a distance below the
tops, of the ladders that the upper ends of the ladders meet and; form a stop, when
the ladders are extended, substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 27th day of July 1894.
VAUGHAN & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.