Collapsible ladder having highly nesting rungs with integral stand-off projections

• US 6,460,654 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2001
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: X-IT Products LLLP
• Original Assignee: X-IT Products LLC
• Inventors: Ive, Andrew D., Dibelardino, Ezio C., Dibelardino, Aldo J.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHIN SHUE, ALVIN C
• Application Number:
  US10/029,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20020053487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 281 Days
• Field of Search: 182/228.1, 182/70, 182/196-199
• US Class Current: 182/197
• CPC Class Codes: E06C 1/525 made of a continuous strip of material
• CPC Class Codes: E06C 1/56 Rope or chain ladders
• CPC Class Codes: E06C 9/14 with non-rigid longitudinal members, e.g. rope or chain ladders, ladders of the lazy-tongs type

Abstract

A collapsible ladder having rungs of a relatively strong and thin material with integral stand-off projections that allow the ladder to be safely descended and of a cross-section that allows the ladder rungs to nest to a high degree of compactness. The ladder is readily deployed by means of a cover having two sets of temporary fasteners. In an emergency, the ladder is deployed by partially unwrapping the cover to a first state which allows an attaching member to be removed and placed over a window sill. After insuring that narrow fabric supports, which attach the attaching member to the rungs, are not twisted between the attaching member and a top rung of the ladder, the multiple rungs (still wrapped by the cover and secured by a second set of temporary fasteners) are supported using a handle attached to the cover. The handle is then held outside the window and dropped. The momentum of the falling package of rungs is sufficient to open the second set of temporary fasteners and thereby reliable deploy the ladder in its proper orientation. Also disclosed is an attaching plate, which may optionally be used to stabilize the attaching member to a wall surface beneath a window sill and to ensure that the attaching member will attach securely over any window sill, regardless of the thickness of the wall.

Claims

1. A collapsible escape ladder comprising:

an attaching member, said attaching member for attaching said escape ladder over a window sill of a building;

multiple ladder rungs, each formed with an elongated first portion and at least two integral stand-off projections, said two integral stand-off projections extending transverse to the longer dimension of the first portion at opposite ends thereof in the longer dimension, said first portion having a thickness and cross-section so as to enable the multiple ladder rungs to nest when stacked in the collapsed state, each rung being formed of linear segments that are stamped from sheet metal so as to form rungs having a flat top surface and side surfaces that extend downward and outward and have an integral stand-off projection that extends from near each rung end, said multiple ladder rungs being identically shaped;

a webbing support that is made of fire-resistant material, the width of the webbing support being about 1 inch and the thickness about ⅛

inch, said webbing support attached to each rung by being riveted, there being a rivet near each rung end, wherein one head of the rivet directly engages the webbing support and the other head of the rivet directly engages the rung, the webbing support being oriented so that the width dimension of the webbing support is transverse to the length dimension of the rungs, thereby enabling the webbing support to be folded inward toward the center of each rung when the ladder is in the collapsed state.

2. A collapsible escape ladder comprising:

an attaching member, said attaching member for attaching said escape ladder over a window sill of a building;

multiple ladder rungs, each formed with an elongated first portion and at least two integral stand-off projections, said two integral stand-off projections extending transverse to the longer dimension of the first portion at opposite ends thereof in the longer dimension, said first portion having a thickness and cross-section so as to enable the multiple ladder rungs to nest when stacked in the collapsed state, each rung being formed of linear segments that are extruded and then stamped so as to remove metal from between the integral stand-off projections, said multiple ladder rungs each having a flat top surface and side surfaces that extend downward and outward, said multiple ladder rungs being identically shaped;

a webbing support that is made of fire-resistant material, the width of the webbing support being about 1 inch and the thickness about ⅛

inch, said webbing support attached to each rung by being riveted, there being a rivet near each rung end, wherein one head of the rivet directly engages the webbing support and the other head of the rivet directly engages the rung, the webbing support being oriented so that the width dimension of the webbing support is transverse to the length dimension of the rungs, thereby enabling the webbing support to be folded inward toward the center of each rung when the ladder is in the collapsed state.

3. A collapsible escape ladder comprising:

an attaching member, said attaching member for attaching said escape ladder over a window sill of a building;

multiple ladder rungs, each formed with an elongated first portion and at least two integral stand-off projections, said two integral stand-off projections extending transverse to the longer dimension of the first portion at opposite ends thereof in the longer dimension, said first portion having a thickness and cross-section so as to enable the multiple ladder rungs to nest when stacked in the collapsed state, each rung being formed of linear segments, said multiple ladder rungs each having a flat top surface and side surfaces that extend downward and outward, said multiple ladder rungs being identically shaped;

a webbing support that is made of fabric, the width of the webbing support being about 1 inch and the thickness about ⅛

inch, said webbing support attached to each rung by being riveted, there being a rivet near each rung end, wherein one head of the rivet directly engages the webbing support and the other head of the rivet directly engages the rung, the webbing support being oriented so that the width dimension of the webbing support is transverse to the length dimension of the rungs, thereby enabling the webbing support to be folded inward toward the center of each rung when the ladder is in the collapsed state.

4. A collapsible escape ladder comprising:

an attaching member, said attaching member for attaching said escape ladder over a window sill of a building;

multiple ladder rungs, each formed with an elongated first portion and at least two integral stand-off projections, said two integral stand-off projections extending transverse to the longer dimension of the first portion at opposite ends thereof in the longer dimension, said first portion having a thickness and cross-section so as to enable the multiple ladder rungs to nest when stacked in the collapsed state, each rung being stamped from sheet metal so as to form rungs having a flat top surface and side surfaces that extend downward and outward and have an integral stand-off projection that extends from near each rung end, said multiple ladder rungs being identically shaped;

a webbing support that is made of fire-resistant material, the width of the webbing support being about 1 inch and the thickness about ⅛

inch, said webbing support attached to each rung by being riveted, there being a rivet near each rung end, wherein when the ladder is in the deployed state, a bottom head of the rivet directly engages the webbing support and the top head of the rivet directly engages the rung, the webbing support being oriented so that the width dimension of the webbing support is transverse to the length dimension of the rungs, thereby enabling the webbing support to be folded inward toward the center of each rung when the ladder is in the collapsed state.

5. A collapsible escape ladder comprising:

an attaching member, said attaching member for attaching said escape ladder over a window sill of a building;

multiple ladder rungs, each formed with an elongated first portion and at least two integral stand-off projections, said two integral stand-off projections extending transverse to the longer dimension of the first portion at opposite ends thereof in the longer dimension, said first portion having a thickness and cross-section so as to enable the multiple ladder rungs to nest when stacked in the collapsed state, each rung being extruded and then stamped so as to remove metal from between the integral stand-off projections, said multiple ladder rungs each having a flat top surface and side surfaces that extend downward and outward, said multiple ladder rungs being identically shaped;

a webbing support that is made of fire-resistant material, the width of the webbing support being about 1 inch and the thickness about ⅛

inch, said webbing support attached to each rung by being riveted, there being a rivet near each rung end, wherein when the ladder is in the deployed state, a bottom head of the rivet directly engages the webbing support and the top head of the rivet directly engages the rung, the webbing support being oriented so that the width dimension of the webbing support is transverse to the length dimension of the rungs, thereby enabling the webbing support to be folded inward toward the center of each rung when the ladder is in the collapsed state.

6. A collapsible escape ladder comprising:

an attaching member, said attaching member for attaching said escape ladder over a window sill of a building;

multiple ladder rungs, each formed with an elongated first portion and at least two integral stand-off projections, said two integral stand-off projections extending transverse to the longer dimension of the first portion at opposite ends thereof in the longer dimension, said first portion having a thickness and cross-section so as to enable the multiple ladder rungs to nest when stacked in the collapsed state, each rung being formed of linear segments, said multiple ladder rungs each having a flat top surface and side surfaces that extend downward and outward, said multiple ladder rungs being identically shaped;

a webbing support that is made of fabric, the width of the webbing support being about 1 inch and the thickness about ⅛

inch, said webbing support attached to each rung by being riveted, there being a rivet near each rung end, wherein when the ladder is in the deployed state, a bottom head of the rivet directly engages the webbing support and the top head of the rivet directly engages the rung, the webbing support being oriented so that the width dimension of the webbing support is transverse to the length dimension of the rungs, thereby enabling the webbing support to be folded inward toward the center of each rung when the ladder is in the collapsed state.