Cooperative escalator and wheel chair

The combination of an escalator and a wheel chair, and including;

• the escalator having side walls spaced to closely pass spaced side frames of the wheel chair, an endless belt of flights extending between vertically spaced floor levels to move within the confines of the spaced side walls, and having lower and upper platforms at said spaced floor levels and means to maintain a horizontal disposition of the flights as they are vertically offset by means to form steps as they are propelled by motor means,
• the wheel chair having a main wheel support rotatable outside of each side frame and on a common axis aft of the center of gravity when a person is seated in the wheel chair, and a downwardly extensible wheel support at the front of each side frame and on independent lift axes well forward of said center of gravity,
• a track extending between the lower and upper platforms, said track having variable displacement with respect to the vertical disposition of the flights,
• and the wheel chair having a flight engageable anchor means extensible from at least one of the side frames, and a manually operable control means to extend the anchor means into flight engagement and thereafter engageable with the track and operable to extend the wheel supports at the front of each side frame in response to the variable displacement of the track from the flights to depress said front wheel supports.

A multi-purpose wheel chair for normal use and for transport upon variably offset flights of an escalator having spaced side walls and a track variably displaced from the flights to control the horizontal disposition of the wheel chair, and including;

• spaced side frames to pass closely within the confines of the spaced side walls of the escalator,
• a main wheel support rotatable outside of each side frame and on a common axis aft of the center of gravity when a person is seated in the wheel chair,
• a downwardly extensible wheel support at the front of each side frame and on independent lift axes well forward of said center of gravity,
• and control means engageable with the track to extend the wheel supports at the front of each side frame in response to the variable displacement of the track from the flights to depress said front wheel supports and controllably maintain the horizontal disposition of the wheel chair.

A multi-purpose wheel chair for normal use and for transport upon variably offset flights of an escalator having spaced side walls and a track variably displaced from the flights to control the horizontal disposition of the wheel chair, and including;

• spaced side frames to pass closely within the confines of the spaced side walls of the escalator,
• a main wheel support rotatable outside of each side frame and on a common axis aft of the center of gravity when a person is seated in the wheel chair,
• a downwardly extensible wheel support at the front of each side frame and on independent lift axes well forward of said center of gravity,
• a flight engageable anchor means extensible from at least one of the side frames,
• and manually operable control means to extend the anchor means into flight engagement and thereafter engageable with the track and operable to extend the wheel supports at the front of each side frame in response to the variable displacement of the track from the flights to depress said front wheel supports.

A multi-purpose collapsible wheel chair for normal use and for transport upon variably offset flights of an escalator having spaced side walls and a track variably displaced from the flights to control the horizontal disposition of the wheel chair, and including;

• spaced side frames to pass closely within the confines of the spaced side walls of the escalator,
• a main wheel support rotatable outside of each side frame and on a common axis aft of the center of gravity when a person is seated in the wheel chair,
• a downwardly extensible wheel support at the front of each side frame and on independent lift axes well forward of said center of gravity,
• control means disposed between each side frame and main wheel support and at least one of said control means being engageable with the track to extend the wheel supports at the front of each side frame in response to the variable displacement of the track from the flights to depress said front wheel supports and controllably maintain the horizontal disposition of the wheel chair,
• and a collapsible motion transfer means coupling the control means at opposite side frames to operate one from the other.

An escalator for the transport of a wheel chair having spaced side frames with main wheel supports and having control means with a track follower to depress said front wheel supports and thereby maintain the horizontal disposition of the wheel chair during vertical displacement of escalator flights, and including;

• side walls spaced to closely pass the side frames of the wheel chair,
• an endless belt of flights extending between vertically spaced floor levels to move within the confines of the spaced side walls,
• lower and upper platforms at said spaced floor levels and means to maintain a horizontal disposition of the flights as they are vertically offset by means to form steps as they are propelled by motor means,
• and a variably displaced track extending between the lower and upper platforms and engaged by the track follower of the said wheel chair control means operable in response to said variable displacement of the track to maintain the horizontal disposition of the wheel chair with the main and front wheel supports carried upon adjacent flights.

An escalator for the transport of a wheel chair having spaced side frames with spaced main and downwardly extensible front wheel supports and downwardly extensible anchor means and having control means with a track follower to depress said anchor means into engagement with escalator flights and to depress said front wheel supports and thereby maintain the horizontal disposition of the wheel chair during vertical displacement of a riser at adjacent escalator flights, and including;

• side walls spaced to closely pass the side frame of the wheel chair,
• an endless belt of flights with risers extending between vertically spaced floor levels to move within the confines of the spaced side walls,
• lower and upper platforms at said spaced floor levels and means to maintain a horizontal disposition of the flights as they are vertically offset by means to form steps and expose the risers at adjacent flights as they are propelled by motor means from one platform to the other,
• and a variably displaced track extending between the lower and upper platforms and engaged by the track follower of the said wheel chair control means operable to extend the anchor means of the wheel chair into engagement with a flight and adjacent riser and operable in response to said variable displacement of the track to maintain the horizontal disposition of the wheel chair with the main and front wheel supports carried upon adjacent flights separated vertically by said riser.

An escalator for the transport of a wheel chair having spaced side frames with spaced main and downwardly extensible front wheel supports and downwardly extensible anchor roller means and having control means with a track follower to depress said anchor roller means into engagement with supporting surfaces and to depress said front wheel supports and thereby maintain the horizontal disposition of the wheel chair during vertical displacement of a riser at adjacent escalator flights, and including;

• side walls spaced to closely pass the side frames of the wheel chair,
• an endless belt of flights with risers extending between vertically spaced floor levels to move within the confines of the spaced side walls and each riser having a supporting surface comprised of longitudinally disposed upstanding ribs and a pocket adapted to receive said anchor roller means and formed therein at the riser of the next adjacent flight,
• lower and upper platforms with longitudinal fingers disposed between the said upstanding ribs of the flights passing beneath said platforms to intercept and discharge the anchor roller means from the pocket at said spaced floor levels and means to maintain a horizontal disposition of the flights as they are vertically offset by means to form steps and expose the risers at adjacent flights as they are propelled by motor means from one platform to the other,
• and a variably displaced track extending between the lower and upper platforms and engaged by the track follower of the said wheel chair control means operable to extend the anchor means of the wheel chair into engagement with a flight and adjacent riser and operable in response to said variable displacement of the track to maintain the horizontal disposition of the wheel chair with the main and front wheel supports carried upon adjacent flights separated vertically by said riser.