Fall suppressing device for a vehicle configured to ride on descending and ascending escalators

A cart configured to ride on ascending and descending escalators after being moved onto the escalator, said cart comprising:

• a cart body;
• front wheels and rear wheels supported at lower portions of said cart body;
• a front-wheel-fall suppressing device that includes:
• a first arm coupled to said cart body proximate a rearward side of one of said front wheels for pivotal movement with respect to said cart body,
• a second arm coupled to said cart body proximate a forward side of said one of said front wheels for pivotal movement with respect to said cart body,
• a first engagement member fixed to a distal end of said first arm,
• a second engagement member fixed to a distal end of said second arm, and
• a damper having a first end fixed to said cart body proximate said one of said front wheels,
• said first and second engagement members biased into a position that is slightly spaced from a floor with said front and rear wheels in generally level contact with the floor, said first and said second engagement members configured to pivot in opposite directions, said damper is coupled between said cart body and said first and second engagement members for dampening movement of said first engagement member with respect to said cart body, and
• said first and second engagement members are interlocked such that movement of said first engagement member causes said second engagement member to undergo corresponding movement.

A cart configured to ride on ascending and descending escalators after being moved onto the escalator, said cart comprising:

• a cart body;
• front wheels and rear wheels supported at lower portions of said cart body;
• front-wheel-fall suppressing device that includes:
• a first arm coupled to said cart body proximate a rearward side of one of said front wheels for pivotal movement with respect to said cart body,
• a second arm coupled to said cart body proximate a forward side of said one of said front wheels for pivotal movement with respect to said cart body,
• a first engagement member fixed to a distal end of said first arm,
• a second engagement member fixed to a distal end of said second arm, and
• a damper having a first end fixed to said cart body proximate said one of said front wheels,
• said first and second engagement members biased into a position that is slightly spaced from a floor with said front and rear wheels in generally level contact with the floor, said damper is coupled between said cart body and said first and second engagement members for dampening movement of said first engagement member with respect to said cart body;
• and
• a rear-wheel-fall suppressing device having a third arm fixed to said cart body, a third engagement member fixed to a distal end of said third arm and a second damper fixed to said cart body and an other end of said third arm, said third arm being located at a rearward side of one of said rear wheels, said third engagement member being spaced from the floor with said front and rear wheels in generally level contact with the floor, said second damper being configured to dampen relative movement between said third engagement member and said cart body,
• said first and second engagement members being interlocked such that movement of said first engagement member causes said second engagement member to undergo corresponding movement.

A cart to be moved up or down by an escalator after being moved onto the escalator comprising:

• a cart body;
• a plurality of wheels arranged at a lower portion of said cart body;
• and a fall suppressing device having first and second engagement members and a damper, said first and second engagement members supported on said cart body at a rearward side of one of said wheel and in front of said one of said wheels, respectively, said first and second engagement members are spaced apart from a floor with said wheels in generally level contact with the floor, said engagement members being movable with respect to said cart body, said first and said second engagement members configured to pivot in opposite directions, said first and second engagement members are interlocked such that movement of said first engagement member causes said second engagement member to undergo corresponding movement,
• said damper configured to dampen the movement of both said first and second engagement members with respect to said cart body, and said cart is adapted to be moved onto the escalator such that a predetermined space is maintained between the cart body and the escalator.