GB2137683A

GB2137683A - Securing device for ladders and the like

Info

Publication number: GB2137683A
Application number: GB08305709A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Howard Fillery; Melvyn Wroe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-03-02
Filing date: 1983-03-02
Publication date: 1984-10-10
Also published as: GB8305709D0

Abstract

A securing device suitable for securing ladders on vehicles or against theft, e.g. from a vehicle or from a building site. The securing device comprises a retaining arm having depending flanges 3 at or towards each end. A shaft or spindle 7 extends slidably through the retaining arm and formed or provided at or towards one end with retaining means, such as a hook 8, engageable with a retaining structure and provided at or towards the other end with a threaded portion 9 and a nut 10 operable to displace the retaining means and the retaining arm towards each other. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Securing device for ladders and the like This invention relates to an improved device for securing ladders or the like.

The securing device of the present invention is of particular, but not exclusive application to the transportation of ladders on vehicles.

Another application is for securing ladders against theft, e.g. from a vehicle or from a building site. The device could also be used for transporting or securing long members such-as pipes or poles.

Broadly stated, a securing device according to the present invention comprises a retaining arm having depending flanges at or towards each end extending away therefrom, a shaft or spindle extending slidably through the retaining arm and formed or provided at or towards one end with retaining means engageable with a retaining structure and provided at or towards the other end with means operable to displace the retaining means and the retaining arm towards each other.

The retaining means is preferably in the form of a hook at the one end of the shaft or spindle which hook is engageable with a transverse bar of a vehicle roof-rack or a railing or post associated with a building or a securely mounted eye-bolt or ring. The retaining means could, alternatively, be an elongate member fixedly or pivotally carried on the shaft or spindle and insertable between a pair of transverse bars of a vehicle roof-rack or a pair of railings or posts and, by angular displacement engageable behind such pair of bars, railings or posts.

The displaceable means preferably comprises a threaded end to the shaft or spindle engaged by a nut which preferably has a tommy bar secured thereto for rapid operation and to facilitate securing the device against theft. For this purpose the retaining arm is conveniently provided with an aperture at a location enabling the hasp of a padlock to be passed therethrough and over the tommy bar to prevent angular displacement of the latter to unscrew the nut.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a securing device according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device of Fig. 1, and Figure 3 is an end elevation of the device of Fig. 1 and showing in phantom lines a ladder secured to a vehicle roof-rack.

The securing device of this example comprises a retaining arm indicated generally at 1 comprising an elongate generally rectangular plate 2 with downwardly depending flanges 3 at its opposed ends and upstanding reinforcing flanges 4 which meet at a central boss 5 formed with a throughbore 6 through which slidably extends a shaft or spindle 7 formed at one end with retaining means in the form of a hook 8 and at the other end with a thread 9 engaged by a nut 10 having a tommy bar 11 secured thereto.

Fig. 3 illustrates the device of this embodiment used to secure a double-run ladder on the roof-rack of a vehicle. Such roof-racks have spaced bars extending transversely of the general direction of length of the vehicle to support a load in spaced relationship to the vehicle roof and one such bar is identified by the reference 1 2 with the two ladder runs supported thereon being identified by the references 1 3 and 14, the treads of the ladders being indicated at 15.

The securing device of this embodiment. is placed on the ladder with the retaining arm 1 extending transversely thereacross and the flanges 3 extending down opposed sides of the ladder so that top ladder run 14 is partially embraced by the retaining arm 1. The retaining hook 8 is engaged under the roofrack bar 1 2 and the tommy bar 11 is operated to screw the nut 10 on the thread 9 so that it engages the boss 5 and forces the retaining arm 1 down against the top ladder run 14 and brings the retaining hook 8 up under the roof-rack bar 1 2 so as to clamp the ladder runs 13, 14 between the retaining arm 1 and the roof-rack bar 8.It will be appreciated that the shaft or spindle 7 extends between the rungs 1 5 of the ladder runs 13, 14 and that this affords further security in addition to the clamping action in preventing or limiting any potential displacement of the latter runs in their direction of length.

In order to prevent theft, an aperture 1 6 is formed in one of the reinforcing flanges 4 and if desired another may be formed in the other reinforcing flange 4. Such an aperture 16 is radially spaced from the throughbore 6 by a distance which is less and preferably less than one-half the projected length of the tommy bar 11 into a plane parallel with the plate 2.

With such an arrangement the hasp of a padlock may extend around the tommy bar and through the aperture 1 6 whereby angular displacement of the tommy bar 11 to release the nut 10 is prevented. It is preferred that the tommy bar 11 extends away from the nut 10 in a direction away from the general plane of the plate 2 to further increase the security of the padlock as any attempt to slide the padlock hasp towards the free end of the tommy bar materially increases the spacing towards the aperture 1 6 and hence such displacement is limited.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the securing device of the present invention can be used to secure ladders on building sites against theft. The roof-rack bar 8 could be considered as a fixedly secured upright pillar or post or could be part of a railing.

As an alternative to the arrangement described, the retaining hook 8 could be an elongate member which, when substantially parallel to a pair of adjacent bars 1 2 could be passed between them and then rotated through an angle, e.g. 90 to engage behind such adjacent bars. As the retaining arm 1 is rotatable relative to the shaft or spindle 7, such an elongate member could be rigid with the shaft or spindle 7 or could be rotatably mounted thereon. It is not necessary for the retaining arm to be rotatable relative to the shaft or spindle 7 as the latter could be of any desired cross-section, e.g. rectangular and the bore 6 of complementary cross-section.

Although as described above, the retaining arm 1 extends transversely across the ladder run 14, it could extend parallel thereto with the flanges 3 embracing adjacent ladder rungs 1 5. It is generally preferred to have the retaining arm extend transversely of the ladder run and a suitable span between the flanges 3 is 44.35 cms (17+ ins.).

The means for displacing the retaining arm 1 and the hook 8 towards each other could alternatively be a toggle mechanism with suitable locking means and operable to draw the spindle or shaft 7 through the retaining arm 1.

Claims

1. A securing device comprising a retaining arm having depending flanges at or towards each end extending away therefrom, a shaft or spindle extending slidably through the retaining arm and formed or provided at or towards one end with retaining means engageable with a retaining structure and provided at or towards the other end with means operable to displace the retaining means and the retaining arm towards each other,

2. A securihg device according to Claim 1, in which the retaining means is in the form of a hook at the one end of the shaft or spindle which hook is engageable with a retaining structure, such as a transverse bar of a vehicle roof-rack or a railing or post associated with a building or a securely mounted eye-bolt or ring.

3. A securing device according to Claim 1, in which the retaining means is an elongate member fixedly carried on the shaft or spindle and insertable between a pair of transverse bars of a retaining structure such as a vehicle roof-rack or a pair of railings or posts and, by angular displacement engageable behind such pair of bars, railings or posts.

4. A securing device according to Claim 1, in which the retaining means is an elongate member pivotally carried on the shaft or spindle and insertable between a pair of transverse bars of a retaining structure such as a vehicle roof-rack or a pair of railings or posts and, by angular displacement engageable behind such pair of bars, railings or posts.

5. A securing device according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the displacing means comprises a thread formed on the shaft spindle at or towards its said other end arranged to be engaged by a nut.

6. A securing device according to Claim 5, in which said nut has a tommy bar secured thereto for rapid operation and to facilitate securing the device against theft.

7. A securing device according to Claim 6, in which the retaining arm is provided with an aperture at a location for receiving the hasp of a padlock to be passed therethrough and over the tommy bar to prevent angular displacement of the latter to unscrew the nut.

8. A securing device according to Claim 7, in which the tommy bar extends away from the nut in a direction away from a plane substantially normal to the spindle and containing the retaining arm.

9. A securing device according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the displacing means comprises a toggle mechanism provided with locking means arranged to draw the shaft or spindle through the retaining arm.

10. A securing device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.