Granted Patent B1

US 8,640,826 · App. 13/328,077 · Granted Feb 4, 2014

Inventor: Richard R. Beilstein (Cedarburg, WI)

Abstract

Claims (30)

1. A trailer rub rail portable ladder, comprising:

two rub rail mounting members, each one of said two rub rail mounting members respectively includes a rub rail slot formed in respective ends of said two rub rail mounting members and are sized to receive a rub rail of a semi-trailer, said rub rail slots respectively create first and second lock fingers, wherein a lock through opening is formed through said first and second lock fingers of said mounting members, said lock through openings are sized to receive one of a bolt of a locking device and a fastener, said one of the locking device and the fastener preventing said trailer rub rail portable ladder from being removed from the rub rail; and

one end of at least one hand rail is attached to at least one of said two rub rail mounting members; and

a ladder portion includes two ladder side rails and a plurality of step members, said plurality of step members are retained between said two ladder side rails, said two ladder side rails respectively have one end which is pivotally retained relative to said rub rail mounting members, said ladder portion pivotable between a use position and a retracted position when said rub rail slots receive the rub rail, wherein a portion of said ladder portion is retained behind the rub rail when in said retracted position, all of said plurality of step members are located above the rub rail when in said retracted position, and all of said plurality of step members are located below and in front of a top surface of the rub rail when in said use position.

2. The trailer rub rail portable ladder of claim 1 , further comprising:

a substantially V-shaped hand rail slot is formed in said at least one of said two rub rail mounting members to receive said one end of at least one hand rail.

3. The trailer rub rail portable ladder

said one end of at least one hand rail is one end of a first hand rail and one end of a second hand rail, and a substantially V-shaped hand rail slot is formed in each one of said two rub rail mounting members to respectively receive said ends of said first and second hand rails.

4. The trailer rub rail portable ladder of claim 1 wherein:

an opposing end of said at least one hand rail is terminated with an end cap.

5. The trailer rub rail portable ladder of claim 1 , further comprising:

a ladder hinge member is attached to one end of each said ladder side rail, said two rub rail mounting members are pivotally retained relative to said two ladder hinge members.

6. The trailer rub rail portable ladder of claim 5 , further comprising:

a pivot pin is used to pivotally retain one of said two ladder hinge members relative to one of said two rub rail mounting members.

7. The trailer rub rail portable ladder of claim 1 wherein:

a plurality of lengthwise projections are formed on a top of each one of said plurality of step members.

8. The trailer rub rail portable ladder of claim 1 wherein:

said two ladder side rails, said plurality of step members and said at least one hand rail are each fabricated from a tubular material.

9. The trailer rub rail portable ladder of claim 1 , further comprising:

each one of said ladder side rails are fabricated from a tube, wherein each one of said ladder side rails respectively has a wheel having an axle, each of said wheels is partially inserted into a perimeter of a tubular cross section of said ladder side rails respectively, and ends of each of said axles are attached to said tubes.

10. A trailer rub rail portable ladder, comprising:

two rub rail mounting members, each one of said two rub rail mounting members respectively includes a rub rail slot formed in one end of said two rub rail mounting members, a thickness of said rub rail slots is rigidly defined;

each one of said two rub rail mounting members respectively having one end of a hand rail attached thereto, each one of said two rub rail mounting members respectively having a substantially V-shaped hand rail slot to receive said ends of said hand rails; and

a ladder portion includes two ladder side rails and a plurality of step members, said plurality of step members are retained between said two ladder side rails, said two ladder side rails respectively have one end which is pivotally retained relative to said rub rail mounting members, wherein said rub rail slots are sized to receive a rub rail of a semi-trailer, said ladder portion pivotable between a use position and a retracted position when said rub rail slots receive the rub rail, wherein a portion of said ladder portion is retained behind the rub rail when in said retracted position, all of said plurality of step members are located above the rub rail when in said retracted position, and all of said plurality of step members are located below and in front of a top surface of the rub rail when in said use position.

11. The trailer rub rail portable ladder of claim 10 wherein:

an opposing end of each of said hand rails respectively is terminated with an end cap.

12. The trailer rub rail portable ladder of claim 10 , further comprising:

a ladder hinge member is attached to one end of each said ladder side rail, said two rub rail mounting members are pivotally retained relative to said two ladder hinge members.

13. The trailer rub rail portable ladder of claim 12 , further comprising:

a pivot pin is used to pivotally retain one of said two ladder hinge members relative to one of said two rub rail mounting members.

Assignments (9)