Railways – Traction – Cable
Reexamination Certificate
2003-05-16
2004-05-04
Le, Mark T. (Department: 3617)
Railways
Traction
Cable
C104S028000, C105S149100, C105S149200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06729241
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cableway system (also referred to as a cable railroad system, a ropeway system, aerial tramway, etc.) having at least one load-bearing and conveying cable that can be moved between a valley station and a mountain station. The cable is guided over deflection pulleys in the stations, and it supports transportation devices that can be coupled to the load-bearing and conveying cable and that are formed by cabins and by chairs. The transportation device can be uncoupled from the conveying cable in the stations, moved along guide rails through entry and exit regions located in the stations and then once more coupled to the conveying cable.
It has been known to equip aerial cableway systems either with chairs or with cabins. The chairs are thereby generally used to convey skiers from a lower station (the valley station) to a higher station (the mountain station). Cabins are primarily used to convey snowboarders, walkers and other persons without skis strapped to their feet from the valley station to the mountain station or from the mountain station to the valley station.
Access for the skiers to the entry point is generally effected through an access barrier, which is opened as soon as a chair is moved through the valley station. The skiers enter the boarding region via a slightly inclined ramp and the relevant chair approaches the skiers from behind. After the skiers sit down on the chair, they are conveyed out of the boarding region.
Access for users to the aerial cableway system without skis is typically effected via a platform, along which the cabins are moved. The passengers waiting on the platform are able to enter the moving cabins.
It has also further been proposed to equip aerial cableway systems both with chairs and with cabins, chairs and cabins being coupled alternately to the load-bearing and conveying cable. In this case, the numbers of chairs, on the one hand, and of cabins, on the other hand, depend on the numbers of skiers and the other passengers. In such a aerial cableway system, however, there is the difficulty that, because of the different types of continuous movement of the skiers, on the one hand, and of the nonskiers, on the other hand, these can hamper one another or only the requirements of one type of user can be met.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a cableway system, which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which allows both skiers and persons who have not strapped on any skis to be conveyed without difficulties during embarking and disembarking the transportation devices, because of the different types of continuous movement of these two groups.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, an aerial cableway system, comprising:
a valley station and a mountain station each having a deflection pulley and guide rails;
a load-bearing and conveying cable disposed to move between said valley station and said mountain station and to be guided over said deflection pulleys in said stations;
a plurality of transportation devices including cabins and chairs each having a coupling device for coupling the respective said transportation device to said load-bearing and conveying cable, a device for uncoupling the respective said transportation device from said load-bearing and conveying cable in said stations, for moving said transportation devices along said guide rails through said stations, and for coupling the respective said transportation device to said load-bearing and conveying cable; and
said stations each having an entry region and an exit region each divided into a first sector and into a second sector disposed to follow each other in a transport direction of said transportation devices, said first sector being configured for users of said cabins and said second sector being configured for users of said chairs.
In other words, the objects of the invention are achieved in that the entry and exit regions provided in the stations are respectively subdivided into two mutually separate sectors which follow each other in the direction of movement, a first sector being intended for the users of the cabins and a second sector is intended for the users of the chairs.
The first sector of the entry and exit region in the valley station is preferably located before the second sector, in the direction of movement of the traction operating means. According to further preferred features, the second sector of the exit region for the skiers in the mountain station is located before the first sector of the exit and entry region for the non skiers, in the direction of movement of the traction operating means. In addition, the sectors of the entry regions are preferably accessible via respectively associated access barriers. Furthermore, the opening of the access barriers in the two sectors can be controllable as a function of the type of traction operating means respectively moving into the relevant sector. In particular, the access barrier for the second sector located in the valley station can be controllable in a manner known per se as a function of the movement of the chairs.
Furthermore, equipment is preferably provided in the valley station and in the mountain station by means of which the opening and closing of the doors of the cabins in the first sectors of the entry and exit regions and the opening and closing of covering hoods of the chairs can be effected.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a aerial cableway system having at least one load-bearing and conveying cable that can be moved between a valley station and a mountain station, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3347173 (1967-10-01), Carlevaro
patent: 4391200 (1983-07-01), Bajulaz
patent: 4784065 (1988-11-01), Brochand
patent: 5172640 (1992-12-01), Cathiard
patent: 5213048 (1993-05-01), Kunczynski
patent: 5383407 (1995-01-01), Souchal
patent: 5454326 (1995-10-01), Goirand
patent: 6427601 (2002-08-01), Albrich
Dür Gerd
Dür Herbert
Gabriel Gerhard
Greenberg Laurence A.
Innova Patent GmbH
Le Mark T.
Mayback Gregory L.
Stemer Werner H.
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