US 4,542,805 AGranted

Automatically retractable, rotatable step assembly

OwnerDavid A. Hamlin, Melvin L. Gloverinventors

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Abstract

An automatically retractable pivotal step assembly is used on scaffolding and storage structures, particularly in a warehouse environment. The automatic retractability feature is particularly important in keeping the step assembly from being struck and broken off by loading equipment, or causing injury to workers or damage to material being transported by loading equipment. The step assembly is pivotally secured to a stanchion member of the storage rack structure at a selected height to permit a warehouse worker to ascend to a second or higher level of the storage structure and then be automatically returned and stored in a retracted position behind the stanchion member when not being used. Several step assemblies may be vertically aligned on the stanchion in combination at increasing heights to permit access to multiple levels of the structure.

Claims17

Dependent claims

An automatically retractable, rotatable step used with storage racking, to provide access to the upper levels of said racking, and which is adaptively secured to a stanchion of said racking to support a foot of a person after being activated to a position substantially normal to said stanchion and which is then automatically retracted and returned to and stored, after being inactivated and the foot removed, in a substantially upright position, immediately adjacent to and clearing the front edge of the stanchion to thereby clear aisle way space adjacent to the storage rack, and which comprises:

(a) a pivotal support member secured to the stanchion;
and
(b) a cross member brace, perpendicularly secured to the pivotal support member and adaptively positioned along said support member rearward of the stanchion and which is further adapted to supportively abut the back side of the stanchion thereby restricting further downward pivotal rotation of said support member, when the step is fully activated;
and
(c) a means to automatically retract the step after being inactivated which is secured to the pivotal support member.

2 more elements

An automatically retractable rotatable step assembly, pivotally secured to a storage racking stanchion member to provide access to the upper levels of the storage rack, being manually rotated substantially through 90 degrees before being effectively stopped at a substantially horizontal, active position while said step assembly is then automatically and rotatably retracted to and stored in a substantially vertical inactive position, said step comprising:

(a) a pair of elongated arms, spaced apart on and connected to opposite sides of the racking stanchion member and having a foot contacting portion at the front end and a counterweight portion at the back end of said arms and;
(b) a cross member brace connected to the elongated arms rearward of their pivotal attachment to the stanchion member, and which is adaptively positioned to supportively abut the back side of the stanchion member at a first lower location when the elongated arms are substantially upright in the stored, inactive position, behind the front side of the stanchion member, thereby preventing further upward rotation of said arms, and to alternately supportively abut the back side of said stanchion member at a second upper location when the elongated arms have been rotatably extended to a substantially horizontal active position, said cross member brace thereby preventing further downward rotation of the elongated arms;
and
(c) a pivotal connecting hinge, insertably secured through concentric apertures in each elongated arm and each side of the stanchion member and secured outside each elongated arm to permit pivoting of the step assembly.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.