Ladder Slide Bracket With Adjustable Friction Channel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ladder accessories often obstruct ladder movement or require removal to ascend, making it difficult to access higher rungs while carrying tools and materials, leading to safety issues and potential spills.
Innovation Solution
A bracket with an adjustable channel and friction mechanism that allows slidable attachment to a ladder's vertical side rail, enabling easy movement and secure positioning without obstructing the user's path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a bracket clamps around the ladder rail to provide secure support, then the bracket remains stable, but the bracket cannot be easily repositioned vertically
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket employs a dynamic friction-based gripping system that can transition between a locked stable state and a movable state. The friction elements engage with the rail to provide stability during use, but can be easily disengaged by applying force to the movable component, allowing repositioning without complex mechanisms.
2Ease of manufacture
If a bracket is designed with a fixed width channel to fit the ladder rail, then the manufacturing is simple, but the bracket cannot accommodate different ladder rail widths
Solution Approach 1:
The channel width is made adjustable through a dynamic mechanism that allows the rail engagement surfaces to be repositioned relative to each other. This enables the same bracket to accommodate different ladder rail widths while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure, balancing manufacturing ease with adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket structure is divided into separable components, particularly the channel formation elements, which can be independently adjusted or reconfigured. This segmentation allows the channel width to be modified without redesigning the entire bracket, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving versatility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The bracket provides convenient, safe, and efficient support for tools and materials, allowing users to move up and down the ladder without hindrance, reducing the risk of accidents and spills by keeping supplies within reach.
Implementation Method 1
a friction element positioned on the first side of the base plate, wherein the friction element is positionable between an engaged position and a disengaged position
Data Source
AI summary
A bracket for attachment to a ladder which includes a channel for engaging the vertical side rail of the ladder, the bracket having a base plate, means associated with the base plate for adjusting the width of the channel to conform to the width of the side rail; and a gripping mechanism associated with the base plate and which is movable between a first configuration wherein the bracket is frictionally engaged with the side rail and a second position releasing the side rail from frictional engagement such that the bracket can be slidably moved to a desired vertical position along the side rail.