JPH063996Y2 - Storage stepladder - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial field of application) The present invention relates to a storage stepladder in which a front leg support and a rear leg support can be folded during storage.

(Prior Art) This type of storage stepladder has been widely used for general household use, and is used for carrying or unloading objects on high furniture or in a ceiling-side storage such as a kitchen. In recent years, the height of the furniture itself and the position of the storage are becoming higher, and in response to such a situation, there is an increasing demand for relatively tall stepladders in general households.

When such a stepladder is used, when a human stands on the upper trouser (top board), the body tends to be unstable.
In order to eliminate such instability, conventionally, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, a handrail frame body 50 protruding upward from the upper end tread 7 is formed on the front leg support 1, and a person grasps the handrail frame body 50 and holds it. It is designed so that it can be stably stood on the upper tread 7.

However, in the structure including the fixed handrail frame body 50 as described above, the height of the entire stepladder during storage is increased, and the compactness as the storage stepladder is lacking. Even if you try to hold it, you have to bend your body extremely forward, and you cannot say that you can lift your body in a stable state.

(Object of the Invention) An object of the present invention is to provide a storage stepladder that can perform a lifting operation and a work on the upper tread in a comfortable and stable state, and can be folded very compactly when stored.

(Technical Means for Achieving the Purpose) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention connects the pair of left and right front leg columns and the pair of left and right pair of rear leg columns together so that the upper ends of the pair are pivotably connected to each other to form a front leg. In a storage stepladder equipped with multiple treads between columns, a handrail guide holder is provided on the front surface of each front leg column, and a guide part that is slidably fitted and supported by each guide holder The left and right handrail frame bodies, which are composed of the handle part that projects further forward, extend between the use position that extends far above the front leg support and the storage position that is generally within the front leg support height direction. It is movably supported by each guide holder, and each of the left and right handrail frames can be stored in the guide holder centerline as a fulcrum to the front leg strut side, and the handrail frame is locked to the guide holder at the above-mentioned use position. Do It has a lock mechanism.

(Operation) When using a stepladder, open the front and rear leg columns downwards,
The handrail frame is rotated so that the handle portion is located on the front side, and the handrail frame body is extended upward to the use position and locked in the use position by the lock mechanism.

When storing, the lock mechanism is released, the handrail frame is lowered to the storage position, the handrail frame is rotated and stored inward, and the front and rear leg columns are folded.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an open leg state of a storage stepladder to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, a pair of left and right front leg columns 1 and a pair of left and right rear leg columns 2 are shown. The upper ends of the two are pivotally connected by a connecting pin 3 so as to be openable and closable. The front leg column 1 has three tread mounting shafts 6 for connecting the front leg columns to each other.
Are fixed at intervals in the up-down direction, and each mounting support shaft 6 has a foot 7 extending rearwardly rotatably supported thereon. The rear end of the tread 7 is the front leg support 1
It is pivotally connected by a pair of left and right connecting plates 10 which are parallel to each other, so that the treads 7 can move together. A cross member 9 connects the left and right rear leg columns 2 to each other.

A long guide groove 11 is formed in the connecting plate 10 in the length direction of the connecting plate, while an engaging pin 12 for connecting the left and right rear leg columns is fixed to the rear leg column 2 and The pin 12 is engaged with the guide groove 11 so as to be movable in the guide groove length direction. An enlarged diameter portion 14 for inserting the engagement pin 12 at the time of assembly is formed at the lower end portion of the guide groove 11, and a recessed portion 11a for a stopper that is recessed forward is formed at the upper end portion of the guide groove 11. .

A caster 16 is provided at a lower end portion of the rear leg support 2 via a bracket 16a, and the caster 16 is biased downward by a spring (not shown), for example. That is, when a person is not riding on the stepladder, it projects downward from the lower end of the rear leg support 2 like an imaginary line, and serves as a rolling wheel when moving the stepladder. On the other hand, when a person rides at a desired place, the weight of the person is pushed up like a solid line, so that the rear leg support 2 can be reliably fixed to the floor surface.

Next, the handrail frame body 21 and its mounting structure, which are essential parts of the present invention, will be described. The handrail frame body 21 has a vertical length approximately the same as the entire length of the front leg support 1, and has a front round pipe-shaped handle portion 25 and a rear round pipe-shaped guide portion 24 parallel thereto. The upper end portions of the handle portion 25 and the guide portion 24 are integrally formed via an arc-shaped upper end connecting portion 26a, and the lower end portions thereof are connected via a linear lower end connecting portion 26b. On the other hand, a hollow guide holder 20 is integrally formed with the front leg column 1 on the front surface of the front leg column 1, and the guide holder 20 extends, for example, from the vertical center of the front leg column 1 to the upper end. The guide portion 24 of the handrail frame 21 is fitted in the guide holder 20 so as to be movable in the length direction of the front leg column and rotatable about the holder center line. The state of FIG. 1 shows a use position in which the handrail frame body 21 is extended to the upper limit, and approximately half or more of the handrail frame body 21 projects upward from the upper end tread (top plate) 7.

An engaging hole 30 for locking the handrail frame body 21 in the use position is formed on the front surface of the upper end portion of the guide holder 20, and is provided on the inner side of the lower end portion of the guide holder 20 (the central portion side between the front leg columns). Is an engagement hole 3 for locking the frame body in the retracted state.
7 is formed on the one hand, and the engaging hole 30
A lock button 33 that can be pushed in is provided so as to engage with the like.

FIG. 3 shows the structure of the lock button 33 in detail,
The lock button 33 is integrally provided with a collar portion 33a in the guide portion 24, is fitted into the hole 29 of the guide portion 24 so as to be movable in the guide portion radial direction, and is biased radially outward by the leaf spring 35. It is held so as to project outward.
That is, when the lock button 33 is pushed in, the lock is released so that the guide portion 24 can be moved and rotated in the longitudinal direction, and the guide portion 24 is locked by engaging with the engagement hole 30 of the guide holder 20. .

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1. The front leg support 1 has a rear leg support storage space inside the rear part, and the rear leg support 2 is accommodated in the space. .

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the lower end portion of the guide holder 20, and a lower opening semicircular detent notch for fitting the rear end connecting portion 26b of the handrail frame 21 to the lower end portion of the guide holder 20. The part 39 is formed.

Next, the operation will be described. When the legs are set in the open state as shown in FIG. 1, the engagement pin 12 is located at the upper end of the guide groove 11. The handrail frame body 21 is extended upward to the use position with the handle portion 25 projecting forward. In this state, the lock button 33 engages with the upper end engaging hole 30 of the holder 20, and the rear end connecting portion 26b of the handrail frame 21 is engaged.
Engages with the notch portion 39 in FIG. 4, and by these, the handrail frame body 21 is securely fixed to the use position in FIG.

When a person moves up and down, the user can move up and down while holding both handle parts 25 in a natural posture, and when working on the upper end tread 7, hold the upper end part of the handrail frame body 21 to stabilize the body. You can work with.

In addition, if you kick the tread 7 to the rear while moving up and down,
The connecting plate 10 is pushed rearward and upward together with the front leg support 1,
As a result, the upper end concave portion 11a of the groove 11 engages with the engaging pin 12, and thus serves as a stopper and the stepladder is maintained in an open state. That is, the stepladder will not be inadvertently closed.

To fold and store the stepladder, first press the lock button 33 to release the lock, move the handrail frame body 21 downward as shown by the phantom line in FIG. 1, and use the holder center line as the pivot point. It is stored by turning to the center of the left and right width. At this time, the lock button 33 automatically engages with the lower end engagement hole 37 of the guide holder 20 as shown in FIG. 5, and the handrail frame body 21 is fixed in the retracted state.

Next, hold the rear end of the upper tread 7 in FIG. 1 and pull it up.
Then, the connecting plate 10 moves upward together with the tread 7, the rear leg support 2 is pulled forward, and the engaging pin 12 moves to the lower side of the guide groove 11 along the rear end edge of the guide groove 11. However, it can be folded compactly as shown in FIG.

In the folded state of FIGS. 5 and 6, the tread 7 and the rear leg support 2
Fits substantially completely within the front-rear width and height of the front leg support 1, and the handrail frame 21 also fits substantially within the height of the front leg support 1, and it folds very compactly with almost no overhanging forward.

(Other Embodiments) (1) As shown in FIG. 7, the guide holder 20 may be formed separately from the front leg column 1 and detachably fixed to the front leg column 1 with bolts 40 or the like.

(2) In the illustrated embodiment, the handrail frame bodies 21 are provided on both the left and right front leg columns 1, but the handrail frame bodies 21 may be provided on either the right side or the left side.

(Effect of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, the handrail guide holders 20 are provided on the front surfaces of the front leg columns 1, and the guide portions 24 slidably fitted and supported by the guide holders 20 and the guide portions 24 are provided. The left and right handrail frame bodies 21 configured by the handle portion 25 that extends substantially in front of the guide portion 24 substantially in parallel with each other are located within the height range of the front leg support 1 and the use position where they extend largely above the front leg support 1. It is supported by each guide holder 20 so as to be movable in the length direction of the front leg support between the accommodating positions where it can be accommodated, and can be stored in the left and right handrail frame bodies 21 on the side between the front leg support with the center line of the guide holder as the pivot. Since the handrail frame body 21 in the above-mentioned use position is locked by the guide holder, the following advantages can be obtained.

(1) Handrail frame body 21 having a handle portion 25 that projects forward
Since it is equipped with, it is easy to grasp the handle part 25 when moving up and down,
You can move up and down with a stable posture in a natural posture. Especially when used by women and the elderly, it is extremely practical.

(2) In the use position, the handrail frame body 21 is in a state of being extended more largely upward than the front leg support 1, so that the upper strut (top plate) 7
By holding the handrail frame body 21 even during the above work, the body can be stabilized in a natural state.

(3) At the time of storage, the handrail frame body 21 can be housed within the approximate height range of the front leg support 1, and can be folded inward with the center line of the holder as a fulcrum. It is extremely compact and can be easily stored even in a narrow and low storage space, making it extremely practical as a storage stepladder with a handrail frame.

The important advantages of the present invention will be described below again in detail.

(A) Each of the left and right front leg columns 1 is provided with a handrail frame body 21 formed in a frame shape from a guide portion 24 and a handle portion 25 which are parallel to each other. Fits in the guide holder 20, but handles 25
Is configured so as to come to a position projecting forward of the front leg support 1 (that is, the guide portion 24) in a use state when not stored.

That is, each handrail frame 2 is in the use state when not stored.
Since the handle portion 25 of No. 1 is located in front of the front leg support 1, both handle portions 25 can be easily grasped, and the handle portion 25
You can grab in a natural position to stabilize and lift your body.

(B) As described above, the handrail frame body 2 having a frame shape on each of the left and right sides.
1 is a stepladder having a structure in which the handrail frame body 21 is projecting forward and is easy to grasp, and both handrail frame bodies 21 are pivotally stored between the front leg columns 1 with the guide holder 20 portion as a pivotal fulcrum. Therefore, it can be folded compactly when it is stored, and the storage space can be saved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a storage stepladder to which the present invention is applied in an open leg state, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1, and FIG.
III-III sectional enlarged view of FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is an IV-IV sectional enlarged view (front view) of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a front view of the storage stepladder in a folded state, and FIG. 6 is FIG. VI arrow view, FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing a modification of the guide holder, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a conventional example. 1 ... Front leg support, 2 ... Rear leg support, 7 ...
Tread, 20 ... Guide holder, 21 ... Handrail frame, 24 ...
Guide part, 25 ... Handle part, 30, 33 ... Engagement hole, lock button (lock mechanism)

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A storage stepladder having a plurality of treads between front leg columns, wherein upper ends of a pair of left and right front leg columns and upper ends of left and right pair of rear leg columns are pivotally connected to each other, and each front leg column is provided. A handrail guide holder is provided on the front surface of each of the left and right handrail frame bodies, each of which is composed of a guide portion slidably fitted to and supported by each guide holder, and a handle portion that extends substantially in front of and in parallel with the guide portion. , The front leg support is supported by each guide holder so as to be movable in the length direction of the front leg support between a use position that extends largely above the front leg support and a storage position that is generally within the height range of the front leg support, and left and right handrail frames. A storage stepladder characterized in that the body is rotatable and retractable between the front leg columns with the center line of the guide holder as a fulcrum, and has a lock mechanism for locking the handrail frame body to the guide holder at the above-mentioned use position.