Barrier for lift platform
AssigneeMobile Tech, Inc.
InventorMichael A. Rhea
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A safety barrier for a vehicle mounted lift for wheelchairs is normally in an upright blocking position even when the lift platform is at a ground level. The barrier includes upper and lower panels which are hinged together and coupled with a pair of lever arms. A tubular slide coupled with each lever arm cooperates with a rigid link to bias the forward ends of the arms to elevated positions to maintain the barrier in an upright position. When the lever arms are manually lowered, the barrier upper and lower panels fold upon themselves to provide a ramp over which a wheelchair may be rolled for loading onto the lift platform. The arms are supported by the links in cantilevered positions and are connected to the panels for absorbing by deflection of the arms the energy from impacts from the wheelchair against the barrier.
Claims22
A safety barrier for an outer edge of a wheelchair lift platform to prevent inadvertent movement of the wheelchair across the edge, said barrier comprising:
- collapsible panel means adapted to be secured to the platform adjacent said edge for movement of the panel means between a collapsed position permitting movement of a wheelchair over said panel means and across said platform edge and a raised position of the panel means physically blocking movement of the wheelchair across said edge;
- at least one elongated, relatively rigid arm having a pair of ends, one end of the arm being pivotally coupled to the panel means and the other end of the arm being adapted to be pivotally coupled to the platform whereby swinging of the arm with respect to said platform moves the panel means to and from said respective positions;
- and
- spring means operably associated with the arm biasing the latter to hold the panel means in its raised position, said spring means being yieldable to permit swinging of the arm to move the panel means to its collapsed position allowing movement of a wheelchair on and off the platform, said panel means comprising a pair of elongated substantially planar panels each having a pair of elongated sides, and hinge means operably coupled with each panel for interconnecting the panels along a side of each panel for movement of the panels from positions with one panel plane disposed in general extension from the other panel plane when the panel means is in its raised position, to positions with the plane of one panel folded back along the plane of the other panel when the panel means is in said collapsed position.
A safety barrier for a vehicle-mounted lift having a load platform and means for raising and lowering said platform, said barrier comprising:
- a rigid elongated upper panel;
- a rigid elongated lower panel having a longitudinal lower edge for hinged attachment to an edge portion of said loading platform and a longitudinal upper edge which is hingedly secured to an edge of the upper panel;
- an elongated, relatively rigid arm having forward and rearward ends, the forward end of the arm being coupled with the upper panel;
- biasing means coupled with the arm for entering a force on the arm to urge the upper and lower panels into generally upright positions, said arm being swingable against the force of the biasing means to fold the upper panel onto the lower panel, thereby permitting loading of the platform from said edge when the safety barrier is attached thereto.
A barrier for an edge of a wheelchair lift platform, said barrier comprising:
- a pair of elongated, relatively rigid, spaced apart arms, each arm having a pair of ends, one end of each arm being adapted to be coupled to the platform in spaced relationship from said edge with the arms extending towards the edge;
- means coupled with each arm and adapted to be coupled with the platform for holding the arms in dispositions cantilevered upwardly from the platform with the other ends of said arms spaced vertically from the platform and proximal said edge;
- and
- panel means secured to the arms proximal said other ends and depending therefrom in disposition to be engaged by a wheelchair on the platform moving toward said edge to prevent movement of the wheelchair over said edge, the cantilevered arms being sufficiently elastic to absorb energy from impact of the wheelchair against the panel means secured to the arms.
A barrier for an edge of a planar wheelchair lift platform, said barrier comprising:
- a collapsible wall means having upper and lower edges, the lower edge of the wall means being secured to the platform adjacent said edge for movement of the wall means between a collapsed position with the wall means upper edge being lowered permitting movement of a wheelchair over the wall means and across said platform edge, and a raised position of the wall means with the upper edge of the latter elevated from the lower edge thereof disposing the wall means to physically block movement of the wheelchair across said platform edge;
- at least one elongated, relatively rigid arm having a pair of ends, one end of the arm being operably connected to the upper edge of said wall means for moving the latter between said positions responsive to movement of said one end of the arm;
- pivot means mounted on the platform and manually movable on a reciprocable path of travel generally parallel to the plane of the platform, said pivot means being pivotally coupled with the other end of said arm;
- an elongated, rigid link pivotally coupled to the platform and to said arm intermediate said ends of the latter, said link being disposed to provide a prop holding the arm in disposition with one end of the arm holding the wall means in its raised position when said pivot means is at a first position on its reciprocable path of travel, said link being swingable to permit movement of the arm to a position moving the wall means to its collapsed position when said pivot means is moved to a second position on its path of travel;
- and
- means biasing said pivot means toward said first position, whereby the wall means is held in disposition to prevent movement of a wheelchair across the platform edge except when the pivot means is moved to said second position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.