ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 9 -- United States Patent no. 12,352,106, issued on July 8.
"Safety step ladder with supported reach" was invented by William Fink Jr. (Glen Mills, Pa.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A safety step ladder is formed of a climb leg and a support leg, and includes a specialized hinging arrangement to attach the support leg to the climb leg at a location below the midpoint of the climb leg such that the top portion of the climb leg somewhat overhangs the support leg. The specialized hinging arrangement is also configured so that the support leg is raised upward when closing against the climb leg (ensuring that in the closed position the support leg does not extend below the c...