Material or article handling – Self-loading or unloading vehicles – Loading or unloading by other carrier or mover means – and...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-31
2003-07-29
Bratlie, Steven A. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Self-loading or unloading vehicles
Loading or unloading by other carrier or mover means, and...
C414S921000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06599079
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to passenger or wheelchair lifts and, more particularly, to an apparatus for locking a wheelchair lift in the stowed position.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As is known in the art, various types of lifting devices are used to move passengers between a lowered level, such as a ground level, and an elevated level, such as the floor level of a vehicle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,488 to Saucier et al., the specification and drawings of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, illustrates therein a typical dual parallel arm hydraulic lift, which is reproduced herein as FIG.
1
.
The lift L includes a platform
12
that may be used to lift passengers, such as those in wheelchairs, from a ground level to a floor level F of the vehicle V by actuation of hydraulic cylinders
38
. When the platform
12
reaches the floor level F, a bridge plate
34
, which is pivotally coupled to the platform
12
, operates to bridge any gap between the platform
12
and the floor F, thereby allowing smooth transfer of the wheelchair between the platform
12
and an interior of the vehicle V.
When not in use, the platform
12
is folded to a vertical position (the stowed position) such that the entire lift L is disposed within the vehicle V, allowing the doorway D of the vehicle V to be closed. A known problem with such an arrangement is that the hydraulic cylinders
38
will typically drift over time, possibly allowing the platform
12
to come to rest against the inside of the vehicle door. Not only can this produce an annoying rattling during movement of the vehicle, but it can also impede operation of the door.
A solution to this problem is proposed in the '488 patent by locking a protrusion on the bottom of the bridge plate
34
into a cavity
41
in the vehicle floor F. Interference between the bridge plate
34
(which is attached to the platform
12
) and the cavity
41
prevents the stowed platform
12
from drifting outward. This solution is undesirable for a number of reasons, chief among them being the relatively large number of parts required to releasably latch the bridge plate
34
.
There is therefore a need for an apparatus that prevents drift of a stowed lift platform, without requiring a large number of parts or a complex interconnection of those parts. The present invention is directed toward meeting this need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wheelchair-lifting platform for transporting a passenger seated in a wheelchair back and forth between a passenger door of a vehicle and the ground, such that the platform can be automatically folded, retracted, secured and stored in the vehicle when not in use and that can be automatically released, unfolded and deployed when in use. One embodiment of the present invention is an automatically folding and unfolding platform having a spring-loaded and dampened latching hook that automatically latches the platform when it is retracted and automatically releases the platform at the start of its deployment cycle. The platform is folded and stored within the vehicle when not in use.
One object of the present invention is to provide an improved wheelchair-lifting platform. Related objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3811729 (1974-05-01), Vornberger
patent: 4138023 (1979-02-01), Rohrs et al.
patent: 4576541 (1986-03-01), Dunn et al.
patent: 4808056 (1989-02-01), Oshima
patent: 5085555 (1992-02-01), Vartanian
patent: 5263808 (1993-11-01), Kent
patent: 5445488 (1995-08-01), Saucier et al.
patent: 5542811 (1996-08-01), Vartanian
patent: 5641262 (1997-06-01), Dunlop et al.
patent: 31 23 546 (1981-06-01), None
patent: 2 207 111 (1987-07-01), None
patent: 57-186541 (1982-11-01), None
Antrim Russell G.
Budd Alfred
Hermanson Jeffrey J.
McCormick Ned W.
Pierrou James R.
Bratlie Steven A.
Michael Best & Friedrich LLC
The Braun Corporation
LandOfFree
Apparatus for locking a wheelchair lift in the stowed position does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus for locking a wheelchair lift in the stowed position, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus for locking a wheelchair lift in the stowed position will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3068335