Stair lift device
AssigneeRutherford Independence Limited
InventorsGordon Molnar, Peter Shaw
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stair lift for lifting and lowering at least one person on a rail on a stairway. There is a carriage mountable to the rail, the carriage having a track engaging drive, and a motor to power the drive, the powered drive causing the carriage to move along the rail. There is a central support post mounted on the carriage and an offset arm connected to the seat support post. The offset arm is mounted to the carriage in one of a left side or a right side position. A seat is mounted on the offset arm, and a notched plate secures the seat in position on the offset arm in either the left side or right side position and permits the seat to swivel between a sideways facing position and an upward facing position to facilitate the person getting into and out of the seat.
Claims42
A stair lift for lifting and lowering at least one person on a stairway, the stair lift comprising:
- a rail, the rail having a structural portion and a track, the structural portion of said rail having an upper surface, said rail including a track retaining profile on said upper surface, said track mountable to the upper surface and slidably retained in said track retaining profile, said track comprising a row of plastic molded teeth shaped to engage a spiral drive;
- a carriage mountable to said rail, said carriage having a track engaging spiral plastic drive gear, and a motor to power said drive gear, said powered drive causing said carriage to move along said rail;
- a seat support mounted on said carriage,
- said seat support being mountable to said carriage in one of a left side or a right side position;
- a seat pivotally mounted on said seat support on a laterally offset pivot axis, and
- a means for angularly securing said seat in position on said seat support in either said left side or right side position and for selectively releasing said seat to permit said seat to swivel about said laterally offset pivot axis between an upward facing position and a sideways facing position on said seat support to facilitate said person getting into and out of said seat.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.