US2991037A - Hook construction - Google Patents

Description

July 4, 1961 w, BECHER, JR 2,991,037

HOOK CONSTRUCTION Q Filed May 26, 1960 l7 l3 INVENTOR.

Willia/m/ Becker, J1: F 0 9. 3 BY Fm, M

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,991,037 'HOOK CONSTRUCTION r William Becher, Jr., 3533 Parkridge'Circle NW.,

Canton, Ohio Filed May 26, 1960, Ser. No. 31,857

4 Claims. ((31.248-211) V I My invention relates to improvements in hook construction, and more specifically to a ladder hook construction for supporting containers, such as buckets and paint cans, on the rungs of ladders in a new and unique fashion. Even more specifically, my invention relates to a hook construction for supporting containers, such as buckets and paint cans, on the rungs of ladders in such a manner that the bucket or paint can is positioned supported at the outer side of a side rail of the ladder in a secure manner.

Many prior constructions of hooks have been used for supporting various types of receptacles on the rungs of ladders, for'instance for the purpose of picking fruit from trees and painting various types of structures. One such early and commonly used form of construction is to fashion a double hook from heavy wire, that is, in a generally S-shape, whereby the upper hook engages over a rung of a ladder and the lower hook may be engaged by the bale or handle of a container, thereby supporting the container on ladder in a position to be used.

The prime difliculty with this form of ladder hook is that the container is supported on the rung of the ladder between the side rails thereof. Thus, the person using the container must stand directly over the same and it is diflicult and awkward to gain access to the inner confines of the container.

Various forms of improvements have been provided over this simple, very early, form of hook construction and certain of these have attempted to support the container outwardly adjacent one of the side rails of the ladder. For instance, one such improved form is fabricated from a single piece of metal, and is provided with a hook for engaging a rung of the ladder, a generally U- shaped portion of set dimensions connected to the hook and engaging over a side rail of the ladder, with finally a straight laterally extending member connected to the U-shaped member laterally outwardly of the ladder side rail for supporting the container through engagement with the bale or handleithereof.

One major difliculty with this prior improved form of hook construction is that side rails on ladders have various lateral thickness, depending on the material from which the ladder is constructed and also depending on the length of the ladder. Thus, unless this improved hook construction is fabricated for a particular construction of ladder, the U-shaped member thereof will not properly engage the side rail of the ladder and the container will not be securely supported at the side of the ladder.

Another major difliculty with this prior improved form of hook construction is that this construction is a single purpose hook, that is, it can be used'merely for the purpose of attempting to support a container laterally outwardly of the side of the ladder. It, therefore, is a single "ice -It is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to provide an improved hook construction for use with ladders and the like which overcomes the diificulties and disadvantages of the prior constructions as discussed above. a

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a hook construction for ladders and the like which may be used to support various forms of containers'laterally outwardly of the side rail of aladder in order to place the container in a convenient position-for use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hook construction for ladders and the'like which purpose hook useable for one specific purpose and is otherwise not useable for supporting containers in other positions, suchas the position in which containers are supported by the old conventional S-shaped hook.

Finally, another major difficulty with this improved form of hook construction is that it is formed rigidly in one piece extending fully and is therefore extremely bulky. For this reason, this prior improved form of hook construction must be carried separately and cannot be conveniently carried in a workmans pocket for use as desired.

automatically adjusts for various lateral thickness of side rails on the ladders so that, despite the size of the particular ladder side rail, the container is always securely and safely supported thereon. a M a ,7

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a hook construction for ladders and the like which is universally useable, that is, for securely'and safely supporting containers laterally outwardly ofeithe'r side rail of a ladder or between the ladder side rails as desired.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a hook construction for ladders and the like which may be conveniently folded to a flat minimum size for easily being placed in a workmans pocket for use when desired.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hook construction for ladders and the like which satisfies all of the above objects in a simple and eflicient manner, yet may be easily fabricated, and provided for use at a nominal expense.

These and other objects are accomplished by the parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and subcombinations comprising the present invention, the nature of which is set forth in the following general statement, a preferred embodiment of whichillustrative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principlesis set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and which is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims forming a part hereof.

In general terms, the improved hook construction for use on ladders and the like comprising thepresent invention may be stated as including, a rung hook adapted for engagement generally longitudinally over a general laterally extending rung of a ladder, adjacent one of the generally longitudinally extending side rails of the ladder. This rung hook is pivotally connected .to generally U- shaped connection means, in the form of a U-shaped connection member having spaced legs and a connecting portion extending between said legs. The rung hook is pivotally connected to one of the connection member legs for pivotal movement at least in a direction toward and away from the ladder side rail, and the connection member may be positioned with one leg adjacent each of the inner and outer sides of the ladder side railwith the connecting portion adjacent a front face of this side rail.

Still further engagement means is operably connected to the connection member leg adjacent the side rail outer side, that is, this engagement means is connected to the connection member leg opposite from the connection member leg to which the rung hook is pivotally connected, for engaging a container supporting the same at the ladder side rail outer side. This connection means is preferably comprised of a second hook which may be formed as a part of the connection member leg but is preferably pivotally connected to the connection member leg for pivotal movement toward and away from the ladder side rail outer side.

More specifically, the rung hook is preferably generally sheet-like and is wrapped laterally around the connection member leg to provide the pivotal connection therebetween. Further, more specifically the second hook is preferably likewise formed sheet-like and is also prefer ably wrapped around the other connection member leg to provide the pivotal connection therebetween. Finally, more specifically the second hook preferably extends generally laterally, that is, at generally a right angle to the plane of extension of the rung hook.

By way of example, an embodiment of the improved book construction for use on ladders and the like of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals indicate similar parts through the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the hook construction of the present invention in full lines supporting a bucket laterally outwardly adjacent the right-hand side rail of a ladder, with the support of this bucket by the hook construction being shown intermediate the rung of the ladder between the side rails thereof and laterally outwardly adjacent the left-hand side rail thereof in dot-dash lines;

FIG. 2, an enlarged top plan view of the hook construction of the present invention; and

FIG. 3, a side elevation of the hook construction of the present invention shown in full lines in extended position and in dot-dash lines in folded position.

As shown in the drawings, the hook construction of the present invention preferably includes a rung hook, generally indicated at 10, having the hook portion 11 and connector portion 12. As shown, the rung hook preferably is formed generally sheet-like and is merely wrapped at the connector portion 12 to form a hollow generally cylinder shape.

A connection member is generally shown at 13 and is generally U-shaped, having the spaced leg portions 14 and 15 connected by the connecting portion 16. The connection member 13 is preferably formed from conventional rod material so that the leg portions 14 and 15 thereof are generally cylindrical in shape.

The engagement hook is generally indicated at 17 having a hook portion 18 and a connector portion 19. This engagement hook 17, similar to the rung hook '10, is also preferably formed generally sheet-like with the connector plnrtion 19 being wrapped in hollow generally cylindrical s ape.

One major difference, however, between the rung book 10 and the engagement hook 17 is that the respective hook portions 11 and 18 are formed differently, that is, preferably extending in different directions and of different shape. Hook portion 11 of the rung hook 10 is of a size adapted for engagement over a rung 20 of a ladder 21 and is formed extending in the same general plane as the connector portion 12 of this rung hook. The hook portion 18 of the engagement hook 17, however, is formed of a smaller size, adapted for engagement with the bale 22 of a container, such as the bucket 23, and is formed extending normal to or generally perpendicular to the connector portion 19 of this engagement hook.

In assembly of the hook construction of the present invention, once the rung hook 10 and connection member 13 have been formed, it is merely necessary to insert the connection member leg portion 14 telescoped through the rung hook connector portion 12, with the end 24 of leg portion 14 then being enlarged, as shown, in any usual manner to retain rung hook 10 and connection member 13 pivotally assembled. The engagement hook 17 is telescopically assembled with the connection member leg portion 15 in the same manner, with the end 25 of leg portion 15 likewise being enlarged in any usual manner to retain the engagement hook 17 and connection member 13 pivotally assembled, as shown.

Thus, as shown in the drawings, when the hook construction of the present invention in its preferred form is in flat fully extended position, the rung hook '10 extends one plane and the engagement hook. 17 extends in this same general plane, with both of these hooks being pivotal normal to this plane through the pivotal connections with the connection member 13. Furthermore, the hook portion 11 of the rung hook 10 opens in this same plane, whereas the engagement book 17 preferably opens normal to this plane.

With the preferred form of the hook construction of the present invention engaged over the rung 20 of a ladder 21 in its usual working position, for instance as shown in the center of FIG. 1 intermediate the length of the rung 20, the rung hook 10 opens rearwardly and downwardly and extends generally longitudinally, being connected to the connection member leg 14 for lateral pivotal movement. The U-shaped connection member 13 opens rearwardly and the leg portion 15 thereof is pivotally connected to the engagement hook 17 for lateral pivotal movement. Finally, the hook portion 18 of the engagement hook 17 preferably opens laterally.

As shown in FIG. 3 in dot-dash lines, in the preferred form of the hook construction of the present invention, the engagement hook 17 may be pivoted to assume a position within the confines of the connection member 13, and then the rung hook 10 may be likewise pivoted to overlie and extend across both the engagement hook 17 and connection member 13. Thus, in this folded position, the preferred form of the hook construction occupies a minimum of space and may be easily carried in the pocket of a workman for use as desired.

As is shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the hook construction of the present invention is universally useable for supporting a bucket or other container on a ladder at virtually any position. As shown, the hook construction may be used at the right-hand side of the ladder with the rung hook 10 engaged over the rung '20 of the ladder 21 inwardly adjacent the inner side of the right-hand side rail 26, with the connection member 13 engaged over the right-hand side rail 26, and with the engagement hook 17 adjacent the outer side of the right-hand side rail 26 and engaging the bale 22 of a bucket.

Furthermore, the hook construction, as illustrated at the center of FIG. 1, may be used as a straight double hook with the rung hook 10 engaged over the rung 20 and the connection member 13 and engagement hook 17 extending substantially straight downwardly to support bucket 23. Finally, as shown at the left of FIG. 1, the rung hook 10 may be engaged over the rung 20 adjacent the inner side of the left-hand side rail 27, with the connection member 13 engaged over the left-hand side rail 27, and with the engagement hook 17 positioned adjacent the outer side of the left-hand side rail 27 engaged with the bale 22 of the bucket 23.

Thus, with the hook construction of the present invention, a bucket or other container may be supported outwardly adjacent either side rail of a ladder or between the side rails of the ladder. Furthermore, when a container is being supported outwardly adjacent either of the side rails of the ladder, the connection member 13 is free to pivot with reference to the rung hook 10 and engagement hook 17, and securely engage and wedge the particular side rail over which it is positioned. This not only makes the hook construction virtually universally useable for any width of ladder side rail, but at the same time firmly engages the particular side rail to securely support the container.

It is further pointed out, as is clearly shown in FIG. 1, when a container, such as the bucket 23, having a pivotally connected bale, such as the bale 22, is supported outwardly adjacent either of the ladder side rails, the bale 22 is pivoted toward this side rail, thereby exposing a large percentage of the confines of the bucket 23. This provides greatly increased convenience for using the bucket'2'3 in view of the convenient entry into the same without interference from the bale 22.

Although, the preferred embodiment of the hook construction of the present invention is illustrated and described as having the rung hook and engagement hook 17 formed of sheet-like wrapped construction, and the connection member 13 formed merely of bent cylindrical rod, it is obvious that many variations can be made in the construction without departing from the broad principles of the present invention. It should be understood, therefore, that it is not intended to limit the principles of the present invention to the exact particular form shown.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom, be cause such words are used for descriptive purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiment of the improved construction illustrated and described herein is by way of example and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown.

Having now described the invention, the construction, operation and use of preferred embodiment therefor, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby, the new and useful construction and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Hook construction for use on a ladder having longitudinally extending laterally spaced side rails joined by longitudinally spaced laterally extending rungs, including a rung hook engageable generally longitudinally over a run adjacent an inner side of a side rail, generally U- shaped connection means having spaced legs and a connecting portion for engagement over said side rail with the legs adjacent said inner side and an outer side of said side rail and the connecting portion adjacent a front face of said side rail, pivot means connecting the rung hook to the connection means leg adjacent said side rail inner side for pivotal movement at least in a direction toward and away from said side rail, an engagement hook having an upwardly opening hook portion for engaging a container, and second pivot means connecting the engagement hook to the connection means leg adjacent said side rail outer side for pivotal movement at least in a direction toward and away from said side rail; whereby, the weight of the container will wedge the connection means legs against the side rail sides.

2. Hook construction for use on a ladder having longitudinally extending laterally spaced side rails joined by longitudinally spaced laterally extending rungs, including a sheet-like rung hook extending generally longitudinally and having a hook portion engageable generally longitudinally over a rung adjacent an inner side of a side rail, generally U-shaped connection means having generally cylindrical spaced legs and a connecting portion for engagement over said side rail with the legs adjacent said inner side and an outer side of said side rail and the connecting portion adjacent a front face of said side rail, the rung hook having a generally hollow cylindrical wrapped portion telescoped pivotally over the connection means leg adjacent said side rail inner side for pivotal movement toward and away from said side rail, and engagement means operably connected to the connection means leg adjacent said side rail outer side for engaging a container; whereby, the weight of the container will wedge the connection means legs against the side rail sides.

3. Hook construction for use on a ladder having longitudinally extending laterally spaced side rails joined by longitudinally spaced laterally extending rungs, including a sheetlike rung hook extending generally longitudinally and having a hook portion engageable generally longitudinally over a rung adjacent an inner side of a side rail, generally U-shaped connection means having generally cylindrical spaced legs and a connecting portion for engagement over said side rail with the legs adjacent said inner side and an outer side of said side rail and the connecting portion adjacent a front face of said side rail, the rung hook having a generally hollow cylindrical wrapped portion telescoped pivotally over the connection means leg adjacent said side rail inner side for pivotal movement toward and away from said side rail, a generally sheetlike engagement hook having an upwardly opening hook portion for engaging a container, the engagement hook being wrapped above the hook portion in a generally hollow cylindrical connection portion, and the engagement hook connection portion being pivotally telescoped over the connection means leg adjacent said side rail outer side for pivotal movement toward and away from said side rail; whereby, the weight of the container will wedge the connection means legs against the side rail sides.

4. Hook construction as defined in claim 3 in which the hook portion of the engagement hook extends and opens upwardly generally normal to the side rail outer side.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 982,604 Herring I an. 24, 1911 1,593,043 Stroecker u July 20, 1926 1,865,283 Sohnle June 28, 1932 2,536,967 Thurgate I an. 2, -1 2,622,833 Robinson Dec. 23, 1952

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