Patent US3672484A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3672484A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Passenger conveyor
Assignee: Industrie Pirelli SpA
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Filing: 1970-09-21
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Granted: 1972-06-27
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Expires: 1990-09-21
Abstract
Abstract A passenger conveyor having a high speed central zone joined at the respective ends by initial and terminal zones having gradually building up and slowing down speeds obtained by respectively elongating and shortening the support surface formed by the conveyor. The elongation and shortening takes place by virtue of the relative sliding movement of adjacent plates moved by a main drive means with which each plate engages and is temporarily connected thereto. The plates travel along a closed circuit and passenger convenience handles are also provided to move along with the plates to aid the passengers. The upper path of the conveyor is rectilinear while the lower return path has a rectilinear central portion and downwardly sloped end portions. Auxiliary drive means are provided at each end of the conveyor to transfer the plates between the upper and lower portions.
Inventors
- 👤 Attilio E Angioletti
- 👤 Sergio G Marocco
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 03:55
CPC Classifications
B; B66; B66B; B66B21/00; B66B21/10; B66B21/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
199 words
An improved passenger conveyor with an initial zone of accelerating speed, a central high speed zone and a terminal zone of decelerating speed having a plurality of plates forming a passenger supporting surface and moving on support frame means, where the speed variation is obtained by relative sliding of adjacent plates arranged to follow a closed circuit including a rectilinear upper travel path, a lower return path, and semi-circular transfer paths connecting the upper and lower paths, said plates being interconnected by articulated parallelogram means, said passenger conveyor comprising main drive means, to which the plates are removably connected, arranged to guide and simultaneously to impart motion individually to each plate along said central zone at constant high speed; auxiliary drive means to which the plates are removably connected, arranged in said initial and terminal zones to guide and simultaneously to impart motion individually to each plate at constant low speed; guide means for the articulated parallelogram means being provided only between the main drive means and the auxiliary drive means, whereby friction is reduced; and a plurality of convenience handles for the passengers, said handles being connected to at least some of said plates at regular spaced intervals.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
199 words
An improved passenger conveyor with an initial zone of accelerating speed, a central high speed zone and a terminal zone of decelerating speed having a plurality of plates forming a passenger supporting surface and moving on support frame means, where the speed variation is obtained by relative sliding of adjacent plates arranged to follow a closed circuit including a rectilinear upper travel path, a lower return path, and semi-circular transfer paths connecting the upper and lower paths, said plates being interconnected by articulated parallelogram means, said passenger conveyor comprising main drive means, to which the plates are removably connected, arranged to guide and simultaneously to impart motion individually to each plate along said central zone at constant high speed; auxiliary drive means to which the plates are removably connected, arranged in said initial and terminal zones to guide and simultaneously to impart motion individually to each plate at constant low speed; guide means for the articulated parallelogram means being provided only between the main drive means and the auxiliary drive means, whereby friction is reduced; and a plurality of convenience handles for the passengers, said handles being connected to at least some of said plates at regular spaced intervals.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
An improved passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein each said auxiliary drive means comprises a drive belt on which lie the plates in condition of maximum Superimposition, and rollers for moving said drive belt.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
79 words
An improved passenger conveyor according to claim 2 wherein the auxiliary drive means at the terminal zone of the passenger conveyor further comprises a plurality of auxiliary rollers whose length is at least equal to the width of the belt means of said auxiliary drive means, said auxiliary rollers being disposed along the highest portion of the path between the first and second roller with their axes of rotation being parallel to each other and defining a curved surface.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
73 words
An improved passenger conveyor according to claim 2 wherein each of said plates further comprises on each side of each plate parallel to the direction of motion, pin means and hook means, respectively, disposed on the leading and trailing ends of said side with respect to the direction of motion, the pins of one plate being engageable with the hooks of an adjacent plate when the plates are in condition of minimum superimposition.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
103 words
An improved passenger conveyor according to claim 1 wherein said handles each comprise a substantially L-shaped element the arms of which are of different lengths and the form therebetween an angle Alpha which is greater than 90* and less than 180*, each said element being pivotally connected at its vertex to the means connecting said plates to said parallelogram means, a wheel mounted on the free end of the shorter arms means for guiding and actuating said handles, said wheels moving within said guiding and actuating means, means for the passenger to grip said handle at the free end of the longer arm.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
84 words
An improved passenger conveyor according to claim 5 wherein said means for guiding and actuating the handles comprise a bilateral guide means extending along the whole upper travel path of the closed circuit followed by the plates, a Unilateral guide means extending along at least part of the lower return path of the conveyor adjacent the main drive means, a unilateral guide at each transfer path and switch means at the points joining the guides of the tranSfer paths and the returning path guide.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
90 words
An improved passenger conveyor according to claim 6 wherein said bilateral guide in the upper path comprises a pair of rails disposed below the plane of sliding of the plates with the mid-line of said pair of rails at a distance from the path of the vertices of the L-shaped handle elements equal to the product of the length of the shorter arm of said handle by the sine of angle Beta ( Alpha -90)* and that the wheel carried by the shorter arm runs between said pair of rails.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
92 words
An improved passenger conveyor according to claim 6 wherein said unilateral guide in the terminal transfer path adjacent the main drive means imparts a motion to the plates themselves and comprises a rail disposed above the plane of sliding of the plates with the distance between said rail and the path of the vertices of the handles is equal to the product of length of the shorter arm of the handle by the cosine of the angle Beta 1, the wheel on said shorter arm of the handle running below said rail.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
141 words
An improved passenger conveyor as claimed in claim 6 wherein the unilateral guide in the transfer path at the initial portion of the passenger conveyor comprises a rail constituting a prolongation of the upper rail forming part of the pair of rails present in the upper travel path, said rail being disposed inwardly of the circuit followed by the plates, the distance of said rail from the path of vertices of the handles at the main drive means equaling the product of the length of the shorter arm of the handle by cosine of angle Beta 1, said distance gradually decreasing until at the curved portion it reaches a value equal to the distance between the upper rail making part of the pair of rails of the upper rectilinear travel path and the corresponding path of the vertices of the handles.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
110 words
An improved passenger conveyor according to claim 6 wherein the unilateral guide in the transfer path at the terminal portion of the conveyor comprises two consecutive rails, switch means joining said consecutive rails, one rail corresponding to the curve of said transfer path and the other to the extreme rectilinear of the return path, said unilateral guide of the transfer path being disposed inwardly of the circuit followed by the plates at a distance from the path of the vertices of the handles equal to the distance between the lower rail and the corresponding path of the vertices of the handles, said distance gradually increasing towards the main drive means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
60 words
An improved passenger conveyor according to claim 10 further comprising switch means joining together the two consecutive rails forming the unilateral guide of the transfer path at the terminal portion of the conveyor, said switch means comprising the superimposition of the end of the rail of the transfer path on the end of the rail of the lower return path.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
82 words
An improved passenger conveyor according to claim 6 further comprising switch means at the initial transfer path of the conveyor constituted by the superimposition of the end of the rail forming the unilateral guide of the lower return path on the end of the rail forming the unilateral guide of the transfer path, the distance between the facing ends of said rails being slightly greater than the diameter of the wheel provided at the end of the shorter arm of the handle.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
62 words
An improved passenger conveyor according to claim 6 wherein switch means between the guides in the terminal portion of the conveyor comprises a spiral spring one end of which is arranged vertically in a space between the end of the rail constituting unilateral guide of the transfer path and the end of the rail constituting the unilateral guide of the return path.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
54 words
An improved passenger conveyor accorDing to claim 6 wherein the switch means between the guides in the terminal portion of the conveyor comprises a flat spring constituting an extension of the rail forming the unilateral guide of the transfer path below the end of the rail constituting the unilateral guide of the return path.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-06-27 | 1975-12-27 | 1976-06-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-06-27 | 1979-12-27 | 1980-06-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-06-27 | 1983-12-27 | 1984-06-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |