# US 5,343,979 A · Working gondola

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- Number: US 5,343,979 A
- Document ID: US5343979A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 07/797,873
- Filed: 1991-11-26
- Granted: 1994-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 1990-12-17
- Assignees: Doei Gaiso Yugen Gaisha
- Inventors: Hideo Goto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5343979A

## CPC

- E04G 3/34: characterised by supporting structures provided on the roofs
- E04G 3/30: suspended by flexible supporting elements, e.g. cables
- E04G 3/32: Hoisting devices; Safety devices
- E04G: SCAFFOLDING; FORMS; SHUTTERING; BUILDING IMPLEMENTS OR AIDS, OR THEIR USE; HANDLING BUILDING MATERIALS ON THE SITE; REPAIRING, BREAKING-UP OR OTHER WORK ON EXISTING BUILDINGS

## Abstract

A working gondola which carries a worker for cleaning e.g. glass windows of a building structure, has two powered winches for winding and unwinding two ropes respectively for up-, down-, left-, and rightward movement of its gondola, whereby cleaning of an extended area can be conducted with efficiency.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A working gondola comprising:
a gondola capable of carrying a worker for use in cleaning e.g. glass windows of a building structure;
at least a pair of gondola support arms arranged at a distance from each other on the rooftop of the building structure and extending outward;
a T-shaped suspender pivotably mounted to the upper of the gondola;
a gondola driver system for winding and unwinding a pair of ropes which extend downward from the distal ends of their respective gondola support arms to two side ends of the suspender respectively for up-, down-, left-, and rightward movement of the gondola;
a pair of supplementary rope guide cases having supplementary rope guide passages therein and mounted to two outer side walls of the gondola respectively;
a pair of supplementary ropes coupled at one end to their respective gondola support arms or to proper locations of the rooftop of the building structure and hanging down through their respective supplementary rope guide passages of the two supplementary rope guide cases to the ground;
two lock devices installed in the two supplementary rope guide cases respectively, each lock device having a lock lever which, when its corresponding supplementary rope is accidentally snapped off, will automatically be pressed down against the supplementary rope guide passage by the movement of the snapped rope extending through the supplementary rope guide passage; and
two lock release retainer devices provided for urging their respective lock levers of the two lock devices in lock release directions for free movement of the supplementary ropes, each device being arranged to, when its corresponding supplementary rope is accidentally snapped, release the lock action of the lock device through tilting motion of the T-shaped suspender.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A working gondola according to claim 1, wherein the gondola driver system is comprised mainly of two powered winches mounted on the rooftop of the building structure and actuated by a radio.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A working gondola according to claim 1, wherein the gondola driver system is comprised mainly of two powered winches mounted on the rooftop of the building structure and actuated by remote control.