Ladders, foot mechanisms for ladders, and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10612302-B2
Application number	US-201815897995-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2018
Priority date	Feb 16, 2017
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

Various embodiments of ladders, ladder legs, ladder feet, foot mechanisms for ladders, and related methods are provided herein. In one embodiment, a foot is pivotal relative to a leg or rail of the ladder between a first position and at least a second position. A biasing force is applied to the foot to maintain the foot in either of the user-selected positions until a force is applied to pivot the foot to another position. In one embodiment, the foot mechanism maintaining the foot at a desired position may include a pair of pins that couple the foot to another component (e.g., a housing member, an insert member or a rail of the ladder). At least one of the two pins may be displaceable relative to the other pin during pivoting of the foot.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A ladder comprising:
a first assembly having a first pair of spaced apart rails and a first plurality of rungs extending between, and coupled to, the first pair of spaced apart rails;
an adjustable foot mechanism associated with the first assembly, the adjustable foot mechanism comprising:
a housing member;
a foot coupled with the housing member and configured to pivot between at least a first position and a second position relative to the housing member;
a first pin coupling the housing member with the foot;
a second pin coupling the housing member with the foot, wherein pivoting of the foot from the first position to the second position effects displacement of the second pin relative to the first pin; and

at least one biasing member configured to maintain a biasing force between the housing member and the foot at each of the first position and the second position.

2. The ladder of claim 1 , wherein the biasing force is applied between the first pin and the second pin.

3. The ladder of claim 2 , wherein the adjustable foot mechanism is coupled with one rail of the first pair of rails.

4. The ladder of claim 2 , wherein the adjustable foot mechanism is coupled with an adjustable leg member, the adjustable leg member being pivotally coupled with one rail of the first pair of rails.

5. The ladder of claim 1 , further comprising a seat member disposed between the first pin and the at least one biasing member.

6. The ladder of claim 5 , wherein the housing member includes at least one wall having an elongated slot and an opening formed therein, wherein the first pin extends through the elongated slot and wherein the second pin extends through the opening.

7. The ladder of claim 6 , wherein the foot includes at least one side wall having an opening and a cam groove formed therein, wherein the first pin extends through the opening of the at least one side wall and the second pin extends through the cam groove.

8. The ladder of claim 7 , wherein neither the first pin nor the second pin are directly coupled with the rail member.

9. The ladder of claim 6 , wherein the cam groove includes a curved path.

10. The ladder of claim 6 , further comprising a first end notch at a first end of the cam groove, wherein the second pin engages the first end notch when the foot is in the second position.

11. The ladder of claim 10 , wherein the foot is pivotal between the first position, the second position and at least a third position, and wherein the at least one biasing member is configured to maintain a biasing force between the housing member and the foot at the third position.

12. The ladder of claim 11 , further comprising en-second end notch at a second end of the cam groove, wherein the second pin engages the second end notch when the foot is in the third position.

13. The ladder of claim 1 , wherein the foot includes a traction surface configured to engage a support surface when the foot is in the first position, and wherein the foot includes at least one engagement surface configured to engage a support surface when the foot is in the second position.

14. The ladder of claim 13 , wherein the housing member includes a traction surface configured to engage a support surface when the foot is in a third position relative to the housing member.

15. The ladder of claim 1 , wherein the at least one biasing member is disposed in a channel formed in the housing member.

16. The ladder of claim 1 , further comprising an insert member, wherein the at least one biasing member is disposed in a channel formed in the insert member.

17. The ladder of claim 1 , wherein the at least one biasing member includes at least two coiled springs.

18. A ladder comprising:
a first assembly having a first pair of spaced apart rails and a first plurality of rungs extending between, and coupled to, the first pair of spaced apart rails;
an adjustable foot mechanism associated with the first assembly, the adjustable foot mechanism comprising:
a housing member;
a foot coupled with the housing member and pivotal between at least a first position and a second position relative to the housing member, the foot including at least one side wall having an opening and a cam groove formed therein;
at least one biasing member configured to maintain a biasing force between the housing member and the foot at each of the first position and the second position;
a first pin coupling the housing member with the foot and a second pin coupling the housing member with the foot, wherein the biasing force is applied between the first pin and the second pin, wherein the first pin extends through the opening of the at least one side wall and the second pin extends through the cam groove.

19. The ladder of claim 18 , wherein the cam groove includes a curved path configured to effect the change of distance between the first pin and the second pin upon rotation of the foot from the first position to the second position.

20. The ladder of claim 19 , further comprising a first end notch at a first end of the cam groove, wherein the second pin engages the first end notch when the foot is in the second position.

21. The ladder of claim 18 , wherein the housing member includes a traction surface configured to engage a support surface when the foot is in a third position relative to the housing member.

Assignees

• Wing Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Maxfield B Scott
• Jonas Gary M
• Moss N Ryan
• Russell Brian B

Classifications

• E06C1/12 Primary

  extensible, e.g. telescopic · CPC title

• E06C7/46

  Non-skid equipment · CPC title

• E06C7/42 Primary

  Ladder feet; Supports therefor (for scaffold elements E04G5/02) · CPC title

• E06C7/423

  Ladder stabilising struts · CPC title

• E06C7/44 Primary

  Means for mounting ladders on uneven ground · CPC title