Bridges – Gangway – ramp – or dock leveler – Attached
Reexamination Certificate
2003-06-13
2004-10-12
Hartmann, Gary S. (Department: 3671)
Bridges
Gangway, ramp, or dock leveler
Attached
Reexamination Certificate
active
06802096
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to passenger loading bridges and more particularly to a cab floor assembly for use in passenger loading bridges for servicing commuter and conventional aircraft.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In order to make aircraft passengers comfortable, and in order to transport them between an airport terminal and an aircraft in such a way that they are protected from the weather and other environmental influences, passenger loading bridges are used which can be telescopically extended and the height of which is adjustable. Passenger loading bridges in common use at airports today have a bubble section at their aircraft servicing end from which extends a small cab portion. The cab portion includes a floor that is generally continuous in its width, and which may be intermediately hinged to provide some horizontal adjustment when the cab is rotated at a high angle relative to the apron or ground. In many of today's passenger loading bridges the leading edge of the cab portion at the floor level is provided with a bumper for being positioned close to the aircraft that is being serviced. The bumper will either contact the aircraft or will be so close to the aircraft that it will close the gap between the aircraft and the bridge, so to prevent passengers and objects from falling therebetween.
A problem that is often encountered at airports is the need to provide bridge access to a variety of different aircraft types. For example, large commercial aircraft have significantly different door configurations compared to the door configurations that are found on smaller commuter-type aircraft. Given the existence of a number of aircraft manufacturers, each with their own particular aircraft doorway design, and the lack of a standardized configuration for the entry way of an aircraft, airport service personnel are confronted on a daily basis with the need to provide an access way to a number of aircraft doorway configurations and orientations with a single boarding bridge assembly.
In the case of large commercial aircraft, the door is opened typically by means of a lateral displacement of the door panel, for example the door may open by pivoting about an axis that is inclined slightly from vertical. More specifically, the pivot axis is inclined such that the door panel rises as it is being opened, thereby providing clearance between the lower edge of the door panel and the floor of the boarding bridge. Since the aircraft door does not come into contact with the floor structure of the passenger loading bridge during either the opening or closing procedure, boarding bridges have typically been constructed to define a planar floor element which is positioned elevationally below the door opening and positioned to extend outwardly from the doorway of the aircraft when the bridge is in a docked position.
Traditional boarding bridge designs include a substantially flat cab floor surface, which permits the door of a large commercial aircraft to be opened or closed subsequent to the bridge being abutted against or docked up to the aircraft. There are, however, some notable exceptions to this. For instance, with either one of a DC-9 and a MD-80 type aircraft, the door panel initially rises as it is being opened, and then subsequently descends to approximately 3 inches below the doorway sill height when fully opened. Accordingly, the lower edge of the door panel of a DC-9 type aircraft, including the MD-80 family of commuter jets, will contact the floor of a traditional passenger loading bridge. A prior art solution to this problem is to modify the cab floor of a passenger loading bridge that is to be used with DC-9 type aircraft to include a permanent depression or step-down. The depression provides clearance for the door panel to swing freely open without making contact with any part of the passenger loading bridge. Unfortunately, as will be obvious to one of skill in the art, the depression poses a potential hazard to passengers and employees as they move about within the cab. For instance, there is an increased likelihood that an individual may trip or stumble when walking on such an uneven floor surface.
In contrast to the large commercial aircraft, commuter aircraft oftentimes utilize a door assembly that pivots about a horizontal axis positioned at the lower end of the door. In some instances, the door of a commuter aircraft is fitted with a series of steps on its interior surface. In its open position the door defines a stairset that extends approximately to the ground level for accessing the aircraft or alternatively for deplaning from the aircraft. The fact that commuter aircraft doors pivot about a horizontal axis creates a number of complications for the operator of a conventional boarding bridge structure which has been designed for use with aircraft having doors that pivot about a vertical axis. For instance, the bridge operator is faced with the challenge of providing a floor system between the commuter aircraft and the main structure of the bridge. Furthermore, the stairset often includes a handrail. The handrail is moveable between a stowed position and an extended position after the stairset is deployed. This handrail provides a problem for the use of a passenger loading bridge, in that the handrail will extend several feet away from the fuselage of the aircraft and will block the bumper of the cab of the conventional boarding bridge from being driven right up next to the fuselage of the aircraft as is possible with large aircraft not equipped with the foldout stairs and handrail.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,757 issued to Mitchell et al. on Jun. 9, 1998, disclosed is a dual-purpose passenger loading bridge capable of replicating the utility of a non-specialized passenger loading bridge for servicing larger commercial aircraft and also serving the special needs of commuter aircraft. The bridge includes a cab having a floor that is provided with a cutout portion for accommodating the stair components of a commuter aircraft, in particular the aircraft's handrail. A movable floor panel normally covers the cutout section to provide a level floor surface for servicing larger commercial aircraft. In addition, there is provided a movable bumper section that is stowed in a first fixed position to provide an approximately continuous bumper surface for engaging the fuselage of commercial aircraft. When a commuter aircraft is to be serviced the movable bumper section is displaced to a second position from its first position at the leading edge of the cab floor, and an actuator slides the movable floor panel laterally to expose the cutout portion of the cab floor. The bridge is mated to the aircraft doorway such that the stair components are accommodated within the cutout portion of the cab floor, for example the aircraft's handrail is positioned as far to the operator's right as is practicable. Finally, the movable floor panel is moved toward the aircraft's handrail within the cutout portion, such that the cutout portion is substantially covered.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,826 issued to LeBaron et al. on Mar. 6, 2001, disclosed is an aircraft engagement assembly similar to the one that was described by Mitchell et al. Specifically, LeBaron et al. teach a sliding floor element that is associated with a length adjustable bumper subassembly. The engagement assembly allows the floor structure of the boarding bridge to be opened to provide a passageway for accommodating an opening or closing aircraft door, which opening is subsequently closed to provide an embarkation platform extending between the aircraft and the main structure of the boarding bridge.
Several disadvantages are associated with the systems of Mitchell and LeBaron. As will be obvious to one of skill in the art, neither system is suitable for servicing a DC-9 type aircraft wherein the lower edge of the door panel is substantially at the passenger loading bridge floor level. In particular, neither Mitchell nor LeBaron teach a passenger loading bridge for allowing the d
DEW Engineering and Development Limited
Freedman & Associates
Hartmann Gary S.
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