Resilient Elongated Member for Ladder Support

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing ladder support arrangements in vertically disposed passageways, such as manholes, cause damage to the inner walls due to penetration of fastening means and are laborious to install, often resulting in unstable ladder positioning that can lead to excessive forces and safety hazards.

Innovation Solution

An arrangement featuring a support bracket at the ladder's upper end, positioning brackets to maintain distance from the inner wall, and a resilient elongated member that secures these brackets to the wall without penetrating, using a ring-shaped strip that expands to clamp itself in place, minimizing wall damage and facilitating easy installation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If brackets are mounted to the wall by screws fixed in holes drilled in the inner wall, then the ladder is securely supported, but the structural integrity of the wall is damaged and leakage can occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveladder support stabilityVSAvoidwall damage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the harmful fastening means (screws, hooks, anchors) from the mounting system and replaces them with a resilient elongated member that secures brackets without penetrating the wall, thereby eliminating wall damage while maintaining support stability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The resilient elongated member acts as an intermediary between the brackets and the wall, providing secure mounting through friction and elastic deformation without direct penetration, thus preventing wall damage while ensuring reliable bracket attachment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If brackets are mounted by drilling holes and fixing screws, then secure ladder support is achieved, but the mounting process is laborious and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveladder support stabilityVSAvoidinstallation time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The invention removes the time-consuming steps of drilling, cleaning, and chemical anchoring by replacing the entire fastening system with a resilient elongated member that can be installed by simple insertion and expansion, dramatically reducing installation time while maintaining secure mounting

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The resilient elongated member is designed to self-secure the brackets to the wall through its own elastic properties, eliminating the need for additional fastening operations or specialized installation tools, thereby simplifying the installation process and reducing time requirements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the lower part of the ladder is not fixed to the wall but held at bay by spacers, then structural integrity is maintained, but the ladder is unstable and may act as a pendulum

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewall damageVSAvoidladder stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The resilient elongated member serves as an intermediary that actively secures the positioning brackets to the wall, preventing ladder movement and pendulum action, thereby achieving both wall integrity preservation and ladder stability simultaneously

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The resilient elongated member provides dynamic securing through its elastic properties, allowing for slight movements while maintaining overall ladder stability, preventing the ladder from acting as a pendulum without rigidly fixing it to the wall

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Ease of manufacture

If the lower part of the ladder is held at bay by spacers without securing, then installation is simpler, but excessive forces may damage the bracket and wall

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation simplicityVSAvoidbracket and wall durability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The resilient elongated member acts as a force-distributing intermediary that secures the positioning brackets to the wall, preventing excessive forces from damaging the brackets or wall while maintaining installation simplicity through its elastic mounting mechanism

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The resilient elongated member provides beforehand cushioning through its elastic properties, absorbing and distributing forces that would otherwise damage the brackets or wall, ensuring durability while maintaining easy installation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

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 solution provides a stable ladder support system that minimizes wall damage, reduces installation time, and enhances user safety by preventing ladder movement and excessive forces, while allowing for quick and easy installation without the need for heavy machinery.

Implementation Method 1

a resilient elongated member for securing the at least one positioning bracket against the inner wall of the passageway... which due to its resilient properties exerts a force in a radial direction against the inner wall

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2096252B1Arrangement for supporting a ladder
Publication Date: 2012.10.10 WAVIN BV
  • EP2096252B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2096252B1 patent drawingFigure 4~7

AI summary

The present invention relates to an arrangement (1) for easy installing and stably supporting a ladder (2) in a passageway or manhole (7), such that damage to the wall (4) of the passageway due to for example penetration of fastening means is minimized. The invention provides an arrangement for supporting a ladder (2) comprising positioning brackets (5, 105) for positioning the lower part of the ladder at a distance from the inside wall (4), which positioning brackets are secured against the surface of the inner wall by a resilient elongated member (6). By bending this elongated member (6) in a ring shape and positioning this member inside the passageway (7), it exerts a radially directed force and thus clamps itself in position against the wall (4). Because the elongated member (6) clamps itself in a fixed position, the elongated member dos not need to be secured to the wall (4) by for example bolts. Thus the wall (4) maintains its structural integrity.