Aircraft non-ambulatory/ambulatory boarding and off-loading system
OwnerJeff Ganiereinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention is a loading system, which is a combination adjustable height stairway and a landing platform at one end that can be elevated to the level of the aircraft loading door and a lifting portion for loading articles to and from the landing platform. Both the lifting portion and the adjustable height stairway are side by side and are adapted to move in unison to and from the aircraft and further adapted to independently elevate or descend. The stairway and lifting portion may each be independently operated by at least one hydraulically driven motor. The system can moved to and from the aircraft using a combination of independent drive wheels and swivel wheels in order to provide tight maneuverability of the combined stairway and lifting portion.
Claims13
An aircraft loading system comprising:
- an adjustable height stairway portion including a landing at one end of a stairway which can be elevated to an aircraft service door, said stairway portion;
- being means for boarding and off-loading ambulatory passengers from the aircraft;
- each step of the stairway having means for maintaining a horizontal orientation with the elevating and lowering of the stairway portion to allow the continuing boarding or off-loading of ambulatory passengers at any operational elevated height of the stairway portion;
- a lifting portion, the lifting portion being means for lifting and lowering articles and non-ambulatory passengers to and from the landing;
- the lifting portion including a platform that can be elevated so as to be in close juxtaposition with the landing so that the articles can be transferred to or from the platform from or to the landing;
- the stairway portion and the lifting portion being in a generally parallel side-by-side relationship and connected with each other so as to move along the ground surface in unison, and for allowing, when positioned along the aircraft body with the landing juxtapositioned to the aircraft service door, the simultaneous off-loading or boarding of ambulatory passengers and articles or non-ambulatory passengers;
- means for independently elevating and lowering the stairway portion and the lifting portion;
- and
- steering and mobility means for steering and moving the system in position for servicing an aircraft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.