Patent ID: 6948588

Claim:
A ladder system through which a ladder is retained on a deck of a water craft by a track arrangement and the ladder is aligned in a first location that is substantially vertical to a gate in an enclosure to permit egress of a person from a body of water onto the deck and said ladder is rotatable 180° from a first position to a second position that is substantially vertical to a side rail and the ladder is movable from the first location to a second location adjacent the gate for storage, said track arrangement being characterized by a rail having a length that extends from a first end that is located on the deck adjacent an opening for the gate to a second end that is located on the deck a fixed distance past the opening, said rail having an axial space that extends from said first end to the second end with an axial slot along a top surface of said rail that extends into said axial space from said first end to said second end, said axial slot having a dimension that is smaller than a width of said axial space such that first and second lips are defined along said top surface of said rail; a first hinge member having a first pin through which a first strap is connected to a second strap and a second pin through which the second strap is connected to a third strap; a first connector having a first head that is located in said axial space with a first projection that extends from said first head through said axial slot, said first strap of said first hinge member being secured to said first projection while said third strap of said first hinge member is secured to a first leg of said ladder; a second hinge member having a third pin through which first fourth strap is connected to a fifth strap and a fourth pin through which the fifth strap is connected to a sixth strap; and a second connector having a second head that is located in said axial space with a second projection that extends from said second head through said axial slot, said fourth strap of said second hinge member being secured to said second projection while said sixth strap of said second hinge member is secured to a second leg of said ladder, said first strap of said first hinge member and said fourth strap of said second hinge member members remaining stationary when said ladder is rotated from the first position to the second position such that said second strap of said first hinge member and said fourth strap of said second hinge member respectively pivot on said first and third pins to align said second and third straps over said first strap and said fifth and sixth straps over said third strap and thereby bring said ladder into vertical alignment in a plane that is adjacent the side rail such that on movement of said ladder to the second location, the ladder is behind the enclosure and thereby hidden from view.