Gangway
OwnerGünter Reinholdinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gangway and method for producing a gangway for use at variable angles of inclination. The gangway has a plurality of trapezoidal steps flexibly secured to a plurality of sides. A plurality of railing posts are rigidly secured to the trapezoidal steps and flexibly secured to a handrail. The railing posts have a concave shaped portion adjacent to the trapezoidal steps which prevents contact between the railing posts and the trapezoidal steps as the trapezoidal steps are displaced when the inclination of the gangway changes. A plurality of runners are secured at an acute angle to the underside of the gangway sides. The distance between the runners is smaller than the distance between the sides of the gangway, reducing the difference in degrees of inclination between the gangway sides as a pontoon on which an end of the gangway rests lists.
Claims18
A gangway comprising:
- (a) a plurality of sides spaced apart from each other in a substantially parallel manner;,
- (b) a plurality of trapezoidal steps flexibly secured to said plurality of sides;
- (c) a handrail;
- (d) a plurality of railing posts flexibly secured to said handrail at one end, and rigidly secured to said plurality of trapezoidal steps at an opposite end, wherein at least one of said plurality of railing posts has a concave shaped portion in a region adjacent to said plurality of trapezoidal steps;
- and
- (e) a plurality of runners secured to an underside of said plurality of sides at a defined acute angle in relation to said plurality of sides;
- wherein a distance between said plurality of runners along an axis parallel to said plurality of trapezoidal steps is smaller than a second distance between an associated plurality of sides along said axis parallel to said plurality of trapezoidal steps.
A method for producing a gangway for use at variable angles of inclination, comprising:
- (a) flexibly securing a plurality of trapezoidal steps to a plurality of sides spaced apart in a substantially parallel manner;
- (b) rigidly securing said plurality of trapezoidal steps to one end of a plurality of railing posts, wherein at least one of said plurality of railing posts has a concave shaped portion in a region adjacent to said plurality of trapezoidal steps;
- (c) flexibly securing an opposite end of said plurality of railing posts to a handrail;
- and
- (d) securing a plurality of runners to an underside of said plurality of sides at a defined acute angle in relation to said plurality of sides;
- wherein a distance between said plurality of runners along an axis parallel to said plurality of trapezoidal steps is smaller than a second distance between an associated plurality of sides along said axis parallel to said plurality of trapezoidal steps.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.