JP5500920B2 - Chair lift chair - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a chair of a chair lift having at least one seat, a protection bar extending across the seat in a transverse direction and capable of turning from an open position to a closed position, and a footrest. The invention further relates to a chair lift comprising this type of chair.

  A chair for a chair lift has at least one, generally eight or more, for example, ten seats arranged adjacent to each other. In order to prevent passengers from falling or sliding off the chair, such a chair has a protective bar extending across its entire width. The protection bar can be swung from a position above the passenger (open position) to a position (closed position) where the horizontal bar extends on the thigh in front of the passenger.

  Protective bars often include footrests on which passengers can rest and support their feet, and where applicable, skis or snowboards are fixed (eg, US Pat. The footrest is secured to the chair's protective bar via a support bar and extends downwardly between the seats or in front of the seat. The footrest itself includes a bar or tube that protrudes laterally from the support bar and is secured to the lower end of the support bar. As a result, the passenger can place his / her feet on a footrest projecting from the side toward the center of the seat, and the ski or snowboard is suitably secured thereto. Thus, passengers need to share a support bar with two bars or tubes projecting sideways with the passengers seated next to them, so undesirable collisions between adjacent passenger sports equipment Will occur many times.

  The distance between the protection bar and the seating surface is determined according to the chair lift regulations so that the passengers with long legs are comfortable enough to afford the space under the protection bar. The distance is too big for short people. Therefore, a person who is short may slip out from under the horizontal bar, particularly when his / her legs are short and his / her foot cannot be supported by the footrest. In order to reduce the risk that a short person slips through in this way, it is known from Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 that a fixed part, specifically, a protective panel is arranged on a protective bar. The fixing component extends in a direction toward the center of the front edge of each seating surface in the closed position of the protection bar. The protective bar is located between the thighs of the passengers when it has finished turning to the closed position.

  If yet another protective element is located between the passenger's legs, it becomes even more difficult to place the sporting goods there after passing it around the footrest. In addition, while the protective bar is closed, the passenger needs to concentrate on several things. First, widen the thigh to make room for the protective panel; Second, move the sporting goods to the opposite side of the footrest to close the bar without disturbing the footrest; All of this needs to be done without colliding with neighbors.

Austrian Patent No. 411523B Austrian Patent No. 411046B

  The invention is based on the object of providing a chair of the general type mentioned at the beginning which avoids the risks mentioned above.

  This object is achieved according to the invention by the support bar extending downward from the protection bar to the footrest in the central region in front of the seat in the closed position of the protection bar.

  Preferred and advantageous embodiments of the vehicle according to the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

  Thus, the present invention is based on replacing the central support bar for the footrest and the protective element. Therefore, the passenger only has to concentrate on the support tube with the footrest that moves between the legs while the protective bar is closed, so that the burden of concentration is reduced. Nevertheless, the support tube between the legs provides a safety against slipping out of the protective bar and a footrest that allows passengers on the chair to comfortably transport.

  Since each passenger will have their own footrest, unwanted contact between adjacent passenger sports equipment can also be largely avoided.

  For example, when a standard footrest made in the form shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 is used, when the protective bar is closed, it is necessary to move the foot with sports equipment relatively away There is. This may cause a collision with a neighboring person's sports equipment. To avoid this, the footrest width must be reduced. However, if it does so, for example, the size of the part which supports a board will not be enough for a snowboarder.

  In order to avoid this, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the footrest has a plate-like support. In a preferred development of the invention, the support surface formed by this support extends in the direction of movement upstream and / or downstream of the footrest connection of the support bar.

  As mentioned above, prior art footrests are formed of bars or tubes that extend laterally from the support bar. This prior art footrest first forms only a linear support, and secondly this linear support extends only to both sides of the support bar. Due to the design of the footrest according to the invention, preferably with a two-dimensional support extending upstream and / or downstream of the support bar connection, the passenger rarely keeps the ski or snowboard exactly parallel to the direction of travel. The fact that there is no consideration is taken into account and the support surface is expanded, increasing the choice of passengers. It also increases the flexibility of the option of placing feet and / or sports equipment on the footrest.

  Various contour shapes are structurally possible for the footrest. A preferred simple shape in the context of the present invention is a generally rectangular or elliptical contour shape. Of course, a “cornered” contour shape such as a rectangle preferably has rounded corners. However, for example, V-shaped or kidney-shaped contours are also possible. In a preferred embodiment, the footrest may have a shape that tapers backward, in particular a wedge shape. As a result, while the protective bar is closed, the foot or sports equipment is gradually spread when it contacts the footrest.

  Within the context of the present invention, there are various options for manufacturing the footrest. In a preferred option, the footrest comprises a frame with an opening in the center. Such a frame can be constituted by, for example, an arcuate and / or composite tube or bar. Due to the opening in the center or central region, the footrest does not naturally accumulate snow.

  In an alternative that is also preferred in the context of the present invention, the footrest includes a plate. The plate preferably has one or more openings. Of course, a lattice is also conceivable.

  The footrest may define a substantially planar support surface or a curved support surface. Within the meaning of the present invention, the substantially planar support surface is also defined by a frame having, for example, an arcuate and / or composite tube or bar and having an opening in the center. The contour shape formed by this frame or top surface defines a plane or “support surface” on which a passenger can rest a foot or sporting equipment.

  The curved support surface can be formed by a curved plate, for example. The curved plate preferably has an opening through which snow can be dropped.

  In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the chair according to the invention can have a separating element between the seating surfaces which is higher than the seating surface. With this separation element, passengers immediately notice if they are seated in the transition area from one seat to the next. This will allow the passenger to immediately correct their seating position, even before the protection bar turns to the closed position. Thus, the passenger's leg naturally takes a position where an unpleasant collision with the support bar of the footrest is substantially avoided.

It is a front view of the chair by this invention. It is a side view of the chair of FIG. FIG. 2 is an illustration of an embodiment of a footrest according to the present invention being used by a skier. It is a figure of the snowboarder in use of a footrest.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the drawings of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention.

  1 and 2 show an embodiment of a chair 1 according to the present invention. This comprises, as is well known, a frame 2 connected to a support rod 4 via a joint 3 and a clamping device 5 to a traction cable 9. The chair 1 has six seats 14 arranged next to each other and having a seating surface 6 and a backrest 7. In order to prevent passengers from falling from the chair 1, the protective bar 8 is moved from the upper open position (shown in FIG. 1) to the lower closed position (also shown in FIG. 1). Can be moved to. The protection bar 8 can be opened and closed automatically using a mechanism 15 that interacts with a device (not shown) provided at the departure / arrival station, or manually by a passenger. In addition, the chair can include a hood 16.

  Utilizing a closed annular traction cable 9 (shown only in FIG. 1), the chair 1 can be routed from a trough (not shown), suitably via one or more intermediate stops. It is transported to the mountain departure / arrival point and returns to its original state. In this case, the chair 1 can be disconnected from the traction cable 9 at the landing and re-coupled to the cable using the clamping device 5 shown in the example of FIG. It can also be clamped fixedly.

  The chair 1 has a number of footrests 11 corresponding to the number of seats 14, and the footrests are connected to the protection bar 8 via support bars 12. The support bar 12 extends downwardly from the front center of each seat 14 of the protection bar 8 so that the support bar 12 is located between the passenger's legs when the protection bar 8 is closed. As a result, the support bar 12 prevents slipping off between the seat surface 6 and the protection bar 8 for each passenger.

  In the exemplary embodiment shown, the footrest 11 includes a tube that forms a substantially rectangular closed frame 13. Of course, a non-hollow bar may be used instead of the tube. In order to protect the sporting goods, the tube may be completely or partially covered by a coating, for example made of plastic. The front side 15 and rear side 16 of the frame 13 and the edge of the frame 13 are rounded to avoid injury to passengers and damage to sports equipment.

  The frame 13 is connected to the support bar 12 via the mounting plate 17. The mounting plate 17 is fixed to the frame 13 so that the frame 13 extends both upstream and downstream of the support bar 12 (as viewed in the direction of movement). The length of the frame 13 extending upstream and downstream of the support bar 12 may vary depending on requirements. The frame 13 may extend only upstream or downstream of the support bar 12. The rear side 16 of the frame may narrow in a wedge shape toward the rear so that the foot or sports equipment is gradually pushed out as it contacts the footrest 11 while the protective bar is closed. Of course, this wedge-shaped region may extend to the front region of the footrest 11 or may be only in the front region.

  An opening 19 through which snow can fall is formed in the center so that snow does not accumulate on the footrest even if the frame 13 has a substantially plate-like contour shape.

  As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the footrest 11 according to the present invention has a support surface that is large enough for skiing or snowboarding, even though it does not extend laterally beyond known footrests. This is especially true for snowboards. This is because during travel on a chair lift, the snowboard is not generally parallel to the direction of travel but faces slightly diagonally, so that the region extending upstream and / or downstream of the support bar 12 This is because it works as a support surface for the supplies.

  However, in the closed position of the protection bar 8, the support bar 12 extends between the thighs 17, 18, 19 of the passenger so that a particularly short person such as a child cannot slip out from under the protection bar 8. For this purpose, however, it is important that the support bar 12 is arranged between the thighs 17, 18, 19 of the passenger. This is based on the premise that the seating position of the passenger on the seat 14 is accurate. Furthermore, especially when the protective bar 8 is closed automatically, the thighs 17, 18, 19 are completely or partially under the support bar 12 while the protective bar 8 is closed, Is not properly seated on the seat 14 so that the support bar 12 does not hold the passenger's leg.

  In order for the passenger to correctly sit on the seat 14, a separating element 20 that is higher than the seat surface 6 is arranged between the seats 14, specifically between the seat surfaces 6 of the seat 14. This separation element 20 immediately notices if the passenger is not properly seated in the center of the seat 14. Therefore, the passenger can correct the seating position even before the protection bar 8 is automatically or manually closed.

In addition, the front edge of each seat or at least some of the seats 14 allows the passengers, in particular the child to spread the legs to some extent and properly seat in the seats 14 and easily place the support bar 12 between the legs. In the region of the part 21, a central region having a different design from the region arranged next to it can be arranged. The central region is, for example drawings, paintings in particular, the pattern, such as a logo such as a logo of the company, or may be a mark. In a simple embodiment, the marks can constitute geometric shapes (eg, circles, crosses, triangles, squares, lines, etc.) that are generally simple and help identify areas that should be freed up on their own. The mark may also be a cartoon character or a mascot picture, for example. This is in particular to keep the area free by having the child pay attention to the picture at least when getting into the chair 1 and urging them to sit properly on the seat 14 and spread their legs to some extent.

  In summary, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can be illustrated as follows. The chair 1 of the chair lift is arranged on the protective bar 8 by means of at least one seat 14, a protective bar 8 that extends transversely across the seat 14 and can be pivoted from an open position to a closed position, and a support bar 12. And a footrest 11. In the central position in front of the seat 14 in the closed position of the protection bar 8, the support bar 12 extends downward from the protection bar 8 to the footrest 11. The footrest 11 forms a plate-like support for passenger feet and sports equipment.

Claims (14)

Corresponding to each seat (14), at least one seat (14) for one person, a protection bar (8) extending transversely across the seat (14) and pivotable from an open position to a closed position A chair lift chair comprising: a footrest (11) disposed on the protective bar (8) by a support bar (12) provided;
In the central position in front of the seat (14) in the closed position of the protective bar (8), the support bar (12) extends downward from the protective bar (8) to the footrest (11) ,
Chair seat surface (6) is, to the region of its front edge (20), characterized in Rukoto to have a different central regions of adjacent regions and the design of the seat (14).   The chair according to claim 1, characterized in that the footrest (11) forms a plate-like support.   The chair according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the footrest (11) has a substantially rectangular outline.   The chair according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the footrest (11) has a substantially circular or elliptical profile. The footrest (11), chair according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a shape which tapers rearwardly.   The chair according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the footrest (11) comprises a frame (13) having an opening (19) in the center.   7. Chair according to claim 6, characterized in that the frame (13) comprises an arcuate and / or composite tube or bar. Chair according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the footrest (11), characterized in including that the plate.   The chair according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the footrest (11) defines a flat support surface.   9. Chair according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the footrest (11) defines a curved support surface.   11. The footrest (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it extends upstream and / or downstream in the direction of movement with respect to the connection to the support bar (12). chair.   12. A chair according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a separating element (20) which is higher than the seating surface (6) is arranged between the seating surfaces (6). Chair according to claim 1 in the central area in the region of the front edge of the seat surface (6) (20), characterized that you have figures provided. Permanently connected to the troughs and mountain destinations, tow cable (9) that goes around between the troughs and mountain destinations, or permanently connected to the tow cable (9), or A chair lift comprising a chair (1) coupleably coupled to the tow cable (9) for sending a person from a valley landing to the mountain landing or returning, if appropriate, chairlift, characterized in that the chair (1) is designed according to any one of claims 1 to 1 3.

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