NL1039036C2

NL1039036C2 - Floor plate or floor for multifunctional vehicles.

Info

Publication number: NL1039036C2
Application number: NL1039036A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Marcel Johannes Hendrikus Schouten; Sjoerd Hendrik Bijl
Original assignee: Beheers En Beleggingsmij Verachtert B V
Priority date: 2011-09-15
Filing date: 2011-09-15
Publication date: 2013-03-18

Description

FLOOR PLATE OR FLOOR FOR MULTIFUNCTIONAL VEHICLES

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

5

The present invention relates to a floor plate or floor intended to be secured to the bottom plate of a transport vehicle. More in particular, the floor plate or floor of the present invention allows securing one or more chairs for the transport of passengers and/or a functional container in a fixed position on the floor or floor plate and loading and 10 unloading the functional container onto and off the transport vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Improved vehicle floor plates or floors were previously described. EP 1 028 885 (WO 15 99/25601) relates to a floor adjusted to the bottom plate of transport means, comprising a plate on which several chairs/seats or other help means for passenger transport can be fastened. The floor plate is provided with recesses distributed in a suitable way over the surface. In the mentioned recesses fastening means for chairs and such can be applied. The floor with its many recesses has a very high flexibility for furnishing minibuses. The 20 chairs are fastened to the floor plate which is itself fastened to the bottom plate of a vehicle. The floor plate has floor section parts with an inverted U-shape made of extruded aluminium. These sections have side edges constructed in such a way to lay form-matching onto each other. Through extrusion, also rail section parts are available which can be inserted in the floor between the floor section parts. The rails have a 25 dovetail shape in vertical sense for inserting a dovetailed section for fastening a chair/seat leg, which is done with bolts. The interconnection between floor section parts and, if necessary, rail section parts is done by means of adhesion, welding and such.

The floor according to EP 1 028 885 may be provided with a floor covering that 30 comprising holes corresponding to the mounting positions for the selected vehicle cabin's layout. The presence of many openings gives an untidy appearance to the floor. Moreover, after placing the covering material, the created floor cannot be flat. Another disadvantage is that the mentioned cover plate is placed on top of the floor plate such as the non-used recesses are covered. Thus, if another seating is subsequently selected, a 35 new cover plate have to be laid on the floor which is time and money consuming.

1039036 2

The floor described in EP 1 028 885 necessitates at least two rail section parts for fastening each chair or seat which creates many rail section parts in the floor. Moreover, fastening the chairs to the floor using screws or bolts is a step that requires time and physical effort.

5 WO 2005/037597 describes a modified and improved floor constructed of rail section and floor section parts. The improved floor is fastened on the bottom plate of transport vehicles, such as mini busses, for passenger transport. The rail and floor section parts are mechanically interlockable and are applied in a longitudinal direction of the transport 10 vehicle. On the mentioned floor plate or floor chairs/seats can be coupled to a single rail section part mostly without tools. The floor plate described in WO 2005/037597 does not offer the possibility of temporarily holding and transporting other elements, such as a container, in the vehicle.

15 The aim of the present invention is to provide a solution and to overcome at least part of the above mentioned disadvantages. An object of the present invention is to provide a modified and improved floor plate or floor having several recesses and allowing passengers and/or containers transport, fixation, loading and unloading into a transport vehicle. The floor plate or floor according to the present invention is described hereafter 20 and in the claims.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, the present invention provides floor plate or floor intended to be 25 secured to the bottom plate of a transport vehicle for the transport of passengers seated in seats, whereby the floor plate or floor has substantially a smooth and flat upper surface, which floor plate or floor is provided with parallel and longitudinally extending recesses in the form of open rails or grooves for attaching and fastening the seats and for retaining a slidable fixation element for at least temporarily retaining a functional 30 container in a fixed position on the floor or floor plate and for loading and unloading the functional container (6) onto and off the transport vehicle.

In another preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to a floor plate or floor consisting of mechanically interlockable rail or groove section parts and floor section 35 parts. The possibility to interlock different section parts offers on one hand a high 3 flexibility regarding the width of the transport vehicle that can be used and on the other hand a high flexibility regarding the number of grooves or rails that can be created in the floor plate or floor.

In a preferred embodiment, the floor plate or floor of the present invention is provided 5 with the rails or grooves for attaching and fastening seats. Said rails or grooves are provided with means suitable for attaching and fastening seats.

In a further preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to a floor plate or floor wherein the rails or grooves for attaching and fastening seats are provided with a 10 continuous narrow slit on the upper side to internally form a mechanical strong U-shape with bevelled flanges; said bevelled flanges are provided with a serration with a short pitch on the inside for form-matching receipt of a special T-headed bolts for fastening seats base plates. The mentioned special T-headed bolt is constructed in such a way, that after being inserted in the grooves or the rails, it can be rotated in a quarter of a 15 turn. The rotation results in that the T-Headed bolt fits form-matching in the mentioned serration of the groove or rail. This allows a rapid and safe fastening of the seat base plate onto the floor plate or floor.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to a floor plate or floor, wherein 20 the rails or grooves for attaching and fastening seats are located at least on one side, preferably at either sides of the slidable fixation element.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to a floor plate or floor, wherein the seats are foldable over two mutually perpendicular axis of rotation into a suitable 25 vertical position whereby the first axis of rotation is situated between the back support and the sitting element of the seat and the second axis of rotation is situated eccentrically lengthwise beneath the sitting element. Folding of the seats will make available a considerable space in the transport vehicle. In the made available space, a container for example can be placed.

30

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to a floor plate or floor wherein the slidable fixation element comprises a main frame having spaced, generally parallel side edges suited to be engaged in at least one of the central longitudinal recesses in the form of a rail or groove of said floor plate or floor, a front end and a rear end. The 35 slidable fixation element comprises at least one container engaging roller mounted at 4 said rear end of the main frame. The slidable fixation element further comprises a jib including two spaced, parallel tubular or substantially parallel partially tubular members, said members are interconnected by a cross bar and are fixed to the main frame at pivot points near the rear end of said main frame, defining a horizontal pivot axis, and a hook 5 element interconnecting said tubular or partially tubular members of said jib and extending upwardly therefrom to terminate in a hook located above a plane defined by said tubular or partially tubular members of said jib. The slidable fixation element further comprises at least one hydraulic cylinder connected to said main frame near said front end and to said cross bar or to said front end and operable to pivot said jib about said 10 horizontal pivot axis. The hook element of the slidable fixation element may be moved and is suited to engage a functional container and load or unload said functional container onto or off the transport vehicle on which the main frame is mounted.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to a floor plate or floor, wherein 15 the slidable fixation element, when slided to the rear end of the floor plate or floor, defines an intermediate position whereby the functional container is partly inside the transport vehicle. This is advantageous as the functional container is thus hold in a fixed position at a height that is easily accessible to the user.

20 In a preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to a floor plate or floor, wherein the functional container and its content may be used when hold and fixed in said intermediate position.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to a floor plate or floor, wherein 25 the slidable fixation element is removable from the transport vehicle. As a result, the floor plate or floor is suitable for passengers transport after unfolding said seats.

In a preferred embodiment, the functional container is provided with at least one wheeled leg, preferably two wheeled legs, more preferably 4 wheeled legs. This is 30 advantageous for an easy transport of the functional container after unloading it off said transport vehicle.

In a preferred embodiment, the functional container comprises tools and/or kits such as, preferably low pressure, fire extinction tools or environmental emergency response tools. 35 5

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to a floor plate or floor secured to the bottom plate of a transport vehicle in a mechanical or chemical way or a combination thereof.

5 In a second aspect, the present invention provides for the use of a floor plate or floor according to the present invention in a transport vehicle for passenger and/or for functional container transport.

The floor plate or floor according to the present invention offers an easy seats mounting 10 method, easy loading and unloading of a container onto and off the transport vehicle. Moreover, the floor plate or floor according to the present invention allows holding the container in a fixed position on the floor or floor plate while using it which offers to the user an easy accessibility to the content of the container. In addition and in case of fire or environmental emergency, the multifunctional use of the transport vehicle avoids a 15 considerable waste of time as it allows people evacuation simultaneously to the treatment of the emergency.

Therefore, the present invention provides, but is not limited to: 20 1. A floor plate or floor (1) intended to be secured to the bottom plate of a transport vehicle for the transport of passengers seated in seats, whereby the floor plate or floor has substantially a smooth and flat upper surface, which floor plate or floor is provided with parallel and longitudinally extending recesses (2,4) in the form of open rails or grooves for attaching and fastening the seats (3) and for retaining a slidable 25 fixation element for at least temporarily retaining a functional container (6) in a fixed position on the floor or floor plate (1) and for loading and unloading the functional container (6) onto and off the transport vehicle.

2. The floor plate or floor (1) according to point 1 wherein the rails or grooves for 30 attaching and fastening seats (3) are provided with means suitable for attaching and fastening seats.

3. The floor plate or floor (1) according to any of points 1 and 2, wherein the rails or grooves for attaching and fastening seats (3) are located at least on one side, 35 preferably at either sides of the slidable fixation element.

6 4. The floor plate or floor (1) according to any of the previous points 1-3, wherein the seats (3) are foldable, preferably over two mutually perpendicular axis of rotation into a suitable vertical position whereby the first axis of rotation is situated between the back support (7) and the sitting element (8) of the seat and the second axis of 5 rotation is situated eccentrically lengthwise beneath the sitting element (8).

5. The floor plate or floor (1) according to any of the previous points 1-4, wherein the slidable fixation element and/or the floor plate comprises: -a main frame (9) having spaced side edges (10, 11) suited to be engaged in at least 10 one of the central longitudinal recesses (4) in the form of a rail or groove of said floor plate or floor (1), a front end (12) and a rear end (13); - at least one container engaging roller (14) mounted at said rear end (13) of the main frame (9); -a jib (15) including two spaced tubular or partially tubular members (16, 17), said 15 members are fixed to the main frame (9) at pivot points (18) near the rear end (13) of said main frame (9), and a hook element (19) interconnecting said tubular or partially tubular members (16, 17) of said jib (15); -at least one hydraulic cylinder (20) connected to said main frame (9) near said front end (12) and to said jib (15); 20 whereby said hook element (19) is suited to engage a functional container (6) and load or unload said functional container (6) onto or off the transport vehicle on which the main frame (9) is mounted.

6. The floor plate or floor (1) according to any of the previous points 1-5, wherein the 25 slidable fixation element, when slided to the rear end (13) of the floor plate or floor (1), defines an intermediate position whereby the functional container (6) is partly inside the transport vehicle.

7. The floor plate or floor (1) according to any of the previous points 1-6, wherein the 30 slidable fixation element is removable from said floor plate or floor (1).

8. The floor plate or floor (1) according to any of the previous points 1-7, wherein the functional container (6) is provided with at least one wheeled leg (21), preferably two or more wheeled legs (21).

7 9. The floor plate or floor (1) according to any of the previous points 1-8, wherein the functional container (6) comprises tools such as fire extinction tools.

10. The floor plate or floor (1) according to any of the previous points 1-9, secured to the bottom plate of a transport vehicle in a mechanical or a chemical way or a 5 combination thereof.

11. Use of the floor plate or floor (1) according to any of the previous points 1-10, in a transport vehicle for passenger transport and/or for functional container (6) transport.

10

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a general view of a floor plate or floor according to the invention. A is a view of the floor plate or floor showing the location of the foldable seats and the functional 15 container according the invention. B shows a top view of a floor plate or floor according to the invention. C is a side view of a floor plate or floor according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing of the functional container illustrated in a transport configuration on the floor plate or floor.

20 FIG. 3 is a frontal view of the functional container when in transport configuration on the floor plate or floor. The side view is parallel to the grooves or rails of the floor plate or floor and shows the side of the functional container connected to the slidable fixation element.

25 FIG. 4 is a side view of the functional container when in transport configuration on the floor plate or floor. The side view is perpendicular to the grooves or rails of the floor plate or floor.

30 FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of a floor plate or floor showing the functional container when hold in a fixed intermediate position.

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are a schematic drawing of a floor plate or floor showing the functional container when hold in a fixed intermediate position and an example of 35 arranging tools in the functional container.

8 FIG. 8 - FIG. 11 are general view of a floor plate or floor according to the invention illustrating the configuration of the slidable fixation element for the loading onto (figure 8, 9, 10 and 11 subsequently) or unloading off (figures 11, 10, 9 and 8 subsequently) the floor vehicle of the functional container.

5 FIG. 12 is a view of the slidable fixation element according to an embodiment of the floor plate or floor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

10

As used herein, the following terms have the following meanings: "A", "an”, and "the" as used herein refers to both singular and plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. By way of example, "a compartment" refers to one or 15 more than one compartment.

"About" as used herein referring to a measurable value such as a parameter, an amount, a temporal duration, and the like, is meant to encompass variations of +/-20% or less, preferably +/-10% or less, more preferably +/-5% or less, even more preferably +/-1% 20 or less, and still more preferably +/-0.1% or less of and from the specified value, in so far such variations are appropriate to perform in the disclosed invention. However, it is to be understood that the value to which the modifier "about" refers is itself also specifically disclosed.

25 "Comprise," "comprising," and "comprises" and "comprised of" as used herein are synonymous with "include", "including", "includes" or "contain", "containing", "contains" and are inclusive or open-ended terms that specifies the presence of what follows e.g. component and do not exclude or preclude the presence of additional, non-recited components, features, element, members, steps, known in the art or disclosed therein.

30

The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers and fractions subsumed within that range, as well as the recited endpoints.

9

The expression "% by weight" (weight percent), here and throughout the description unless otherwise defined, refers to the relative weight of the respective component based on the overall weight of the formulation.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in disclosing the invention, including technical 5 and scientific terms, have the meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. By means of further guidance, term definitions are included to better appreciate the teaching of the present invention.

The terms "secured", "fastened" and "attached" are used herein as synonyms.

10

The term "longitudinal" refers in the present context to the front-to-back or back-to-front direction of a person using a vehicle wherein the floor plate or floor or the present invention is secured. More in particular, we assume that the floor plate or floor of the present invention is used in a vehicle and that the longitudinal direction is also the 15 longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

The terms "upright", "horizontal", "longitudinal", "transverse", "sideward", "forward", "backward", "perpendicular", "flat", etc., i.e. terms denoting a direction are usually preceded by the term "essentially" and if not, may be implicitly understood to be 20 preceded with "essentially". As such, the directions as they can be deduced or are presented theoretically should be considered as the directions which are preferred. However, deviations from this preferred direction may be allowed up to 45°, preferably up to 30°, more preferably up to 20°, even more preferably up to 10°, yet more preferably up to 5°, most preferably up to 1°. When a direction is thus indicated as 25 "upright", "horizontal", "longitudinal", "transverse", "sideward", "forward", "backward", "perpendicular", etc., it may refer to a direction within a cone around said preferred directions with opening angle less than 45°, preferably less than 30°, more preferably less than 20°, even more preferably less than 10°, yet more preferably less than 5°, most preferably less than 1°. The direction of a "flat" surface can be characterized by the 30 direction of the normal to that surface. A "flat" surface in the context of this application may be slightly curved, in that the normal in any point of the surface deviates less than 10° from the average normal to the surface, preferably the deviation is less than 5°, more preferably less than 2°, even more preferably less than 1°, most preferably, less than 0.5°.

10

The terms "straight", "rectangular", "cylindrical" or "circular", "along", etc., i.e. terms denoting a shape or curve are usually preceded by the term "essentially" and if not, may be implicitly understood to be preceded with "essentially". As such, the shapes or curves as they can be deduced or are presented theoretically should be considered as the 5 shapes or curves which are preferred. However, deviations from these preferred shapes or curves may be allowed. A "straight" curve, may thus be slightly curved, whereby the deviation can be characterized by the ratio of the length of the curve to the radius of curvature. A "rectangular" shape may have slightly curved side edges, whereby the deviation can be characterized by the ratio of the radius of curvature to the length of the 10 side edge, or the angles may deviate from 90°, whereby the deviation is characterized by the relative deviation ratio, etc. A "cylindrical" or "circular" shape may be slightly eccentric, e.g. oval, whereby the deviation from a cylindrical or circular shape can be characterized by the ratio of the difference between the radius of curvature and radius of the circular base or circle to the radius of the circular base or circle itself. A first 15 trajectory "along" a second trajectory may slightly deviate from the shape of the second trajectory, whereby the deviation can be characterized by the ratio of the deviation which is transverse to the second trajectory to the length of the second trajectory. These ratios are preferably smaller than 100%, more preferably smaller than 30%, even more preferably smaller than 10%, yet more preferably smaller than 3%, still more preferably 20 smaller than 1%, yet even more preferably smaller than 0.3%, most preferably smaller than 0.1%.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a floor plate or floor intended to be secured to the bottom plate of a transport vehicle for the transport of passengers seated 25 in seats, whereby the floor plate or floor has substantially a smooth and flat upper surface, which floor plate or floor is provided with parallel and longitudinally extending recesses in the form of open rails or grooves for attaching and fastening the seats and for retaining a slidable fixation element for at least temporarily retaining a functional container in a fixed position on the floor or floor plate and for loading and unloading the 30 functional container onto and off the transport vehicle.

The present invention concerns a floor plate which can be used in a vehicle transporting one or more passengers, one or more functional containers and/or a combination of both. The floor plate is easily installable in a vehicle and it well equipped to ensure the safety of all passengers before, during and after transport.

11

The present invention relates to a floor plate or slab or floor and consists of rail section and floor section parts and is secured on the bottom plate of transport vehicles in which on the mentioned floor plate or floor chairs/seats are attachable. The mentioned securing of the floor plate or floor to the bottom plate can be done in a mechanical as well as a 5 chemical way or a combination thereof, in which the rail- and floor section parts are applied in a longitudinal direction of the transport vehicle, in which the mentioned chairs/seats can be coupled, mostly without tools in a so called chair/seat track on the mentioned rail section parts.

10 In an embodiment of the present invention, the floor plate or floor is intended to be secured to the bottom plate of a transport vehicle for the transport of passengers, whereby the floor plate or floor has substantially a flat upper surface and is provided with parallel and longitudinal extending recesses such as rails or grooves for attaching and fastening seats into these rails or grooves to the floor plate or floor and at least one 15 central longitudinal recess in the form of a rail or groove, wherein a slidable fixation element is provided for at least temporarily holding a functional container in a fixed position on the floor or floor plate and for loading and unloading the functional container onto and off the transport vehicle.

20 In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a floor plate or floor consisting of mechanically interlockable rail or groove section parts and floor section parts. The thickness of the rail or groove and floor section parts is comprised between 20 and 80 mm, preferably between 30 and 70 mm, more preferably between 50 and 60 mm. The width of the rail section part is between 20 and 80 mm, preferably between 30 25 and 70 mm, more preferably between 50 and 60 mm and that of the floor section part is between 150 and 250 mm, preferably between 170 and 240 mm, more preferably between 180 and 230 mm.

In the floor section parts a center ridge is applied in the middle of the profile for more 30 rigidity. The vertical side ridges of the floor section parts are receding in vertical sense and show continuous projections which fit form-matching onto the continuous projections of the groove or rail section part. Further, the continuous projection of the floor section parts is applied left and right in reverse order. The same counts for the continuous projections of the groove or rail section part (not shown). The latter is done to be able to 12 create a floor plate with the sections in the inverted position and with that make them repeatedly fit form-matching against each other.

In a preferred embodiment, the chairs/seats can be coupled to a single rail section part, 5 in which the mentioned rail section part has a continuous narrow slit on the upper side to internally form a mechanical strong U-shape with short bevelled flanges, which bevelled flanges are provided with a serration with a short pitch S on the inside for form-matching receipt of special T-headed bolts for fastening the base plates of the chairs/seats, in which fastening or locking of the mentioned T-headed bolt in the floor is done with an 10 instrument provided with a lever, in which the mentioned U- shape of the mentioned rail section part is provided with relatively thick sides to absorb extreme intermittent loads, in which rail and floor section parts are mechanically interlockable and the floor can be fastened on the top side of the corrugated section of the bottom plate of the transport vehicle. The floor or floor plate according to the invention is further developed in such a 15 way, that on the inside of the bevelled flanges a serration is provided for form-matching placement of the special T-headed bolt with operating lever for fastening the base plate of the chair/seat to be mounted. The advantage is that mounting the base plate of the chairs can be done at every distance between them in the transport vehicle.

20 In another preferred embodiment, the floor section parts special are provided with coverable recesses in a suitable pattern for retractors with ratchet construction and common retractors of securing belts for fastening wheelchairs, in which the material of the rail-and floor section parts is a rigid and ductile material with a relatively high shear and/or bending strength. This allows, in case of need, the transport of people in 25 wheelchairs.

In another preferred embodiment, the floor plate or floor according to the invention is developed in such a way, that the mentioned special T-headed bolt for the chair/seat attachment is constructed in such a way, that when the T-headed bolt is stuck into the 30 slit, that after a quarter of a turn, it fits form-matching in the mentioned serration on the inner side of the rail section part. The advantage is that sliding in longitudinal direction and naturally crosswise direction of the chair/seat in relation to the floor is impossible.

Furthermore, the floor plate or floor according to the invention is further developed in 35 such a way, that the mentioned special T-headed bolt for fastening the base plate of the 13 chair/seat legs of the other end is provided with a locking pivotable eccentric construction with an operating mechanism constructed as a lever for a spring-loaded support on a matching cylindrical ring and thus clamps the base plate of the chair/seat legs onto the mentioned rail section part of the floor plate. The special T- headed bolt with lockable 5 pivotable eccentric construction with lever allows a quick-connector for fastening the base plate of the chair/seat legs to the rail section part.

In a preferred embodiment of the floor plate or floor, the rails or grooves for attaching seats are located at least on one side, preferably on either side of the slidable fixation 10 element. The distance between the transport vehicle wall and the nearest rail or groove for attaching the seats may be larger than 1cm, preferably larger than 5cm, more preferably larger than 7cm, even more preferably larger than 8cm, still more preferably larger than 9cm, even still more preferably larger than 10cm, yet more preferably larger than 11cm, yet still more preferably larger than 12cm, most preferably larger than 13cm, 15 but may be smaller than 40cm, preferably smaller than 35cm, more preferably smaller than 30cm, even more preferably smaller than 25cm, still more preferably smaller than 24cm, even still more preferably smaller than 23cm, yet more preferably smaller than 22cm, yet still more preferably smaller than 21cm, most preferably smaller than 20cm 20 In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, seats/chairs are fold-in, swing aside chair, also called folding chair or fold-up chair. In a more preferred embodiment, said seats/chairs are capable of being folded between an unfolded position suitable for transport of passengers and a folded position suitable for transport of one or more containers and/or passengers. In an even more preferred embodiment, the back 25 support can be folded down hingeably over the seat element to a practically horizontal position, wherein in the normal sitting position the chair shape is maintained by locks, the fold-up chair may foldable over two mutual perpendicular not in the same horizontal plane situated axis of rotation into a suitable vertical position of the whole fold-up chair, wherein the first axis of rotation is situated between the back support and the seat 30 element and the second axis of rotation is situated eccentrically lengthwise beneath the seat element, blocking is done around the mentioned first axis of rotation by means of a first locking mechanism and around the mentioned second axis of rotation by means of a second locking mechanism. In the mentioned extended vertical position the fold-up chair is spring loaded. The foot support of the fold-up chair is constructed as rigid vertical 35 beams hingeably mounted to the seat element, wherein the material of the supporting 14 framework of the dismountable fold-up chair is a strong rigid material, whereby in the vertical position the fold-up chair due to its rotation about the second axis is in a lowered position near the vehicles bottom, so that it is coupled torsionally stiff around the second axis and it is also detachable from the horizontal surface of the floor plate attached to the 5 bottom plate of the transport vehicle. A safety-belt system can be also attached to the seat.

In a more preferred embodiment, the chair comprises a head support comprising one or more bars, which is connected to said back support by means of said bars which can 10 slide along sliding means attached to said back support, and whereby said head support can slide between an extended position and a bottom position. In a more preferred embodiment, the chair comprises a transfer mechanism capable of transferring a force from the head support to the back support locking mechanism for unlocking the back support from said unfolded position.

15

In a preferred embodiment, the seats are manually foldable. Preferably the seats are foldable over two mutually perpendicular axis of rotation into a suitable vertical position. The first axis of rotation is situated between the back support and the sitting element of the seat and the second axis of rotation is situated eccentrically lengthwise beneath the 20 sitting element. The folding of the seats allows the creation of an empty space inside the transport vehicle for the loading of one or more containers, preferably one or more functional containers.

In a preferred embodiment, the floor plate or floor according to the present invention is 25 provided with parallel and longitudinally extending recesses for retaining a slidable fixation element for at least temporarily retaining a functional container in a fixed position on the floor plate or floor. Preferably at least one, more preferably at least two recesses are used for retaining said slidable fixation element. More preferably, at least one, most preferably at least two central recesses are used for attaching the slidable 30 fixation element to the floor or floor plate by a sliding movement.

In an embodiment, the slidable fixation element comprises at least one connector, preferably at least two connectors, for attaching and fixing the sildable fixation element to the floor plate or floor. Preferably this connector is releasable such that a foot support 35 can be removed from the floor plate or floor. In a preferred embodiment, the connector 15 comprises a sledge, a T-bolt-like profiled damping member and a clamping actuator, whereby the clamping actuator is placed on the sledge and is capable of lifting the T-bolt-like profiled clamping member such that the connector is clamped with the T-bolt-like profiled clamping member to the vehicle floor, preferably to a rail comprising a U-shaped 5 cross section and/or overhanging edges in said vehicle floor.

In a more preferred embodiment, the sledge comprises a frame and two profiled plates, each of which is capable of rotating around a preferably essentially longitudinal pivot axis which is fixed with respect to the frame. In a more preferred embodiment, the T-bolt-like 10 profiled clamping member comprises a slab-like upper part and a, preferably flatiron-like, lower part, preferably comprising essentially straight side edges and/or a peak-shaped front and/or back end. In an even more preferred embodiment, the lower part of said T-bolt-like profiled clamping member comprises upstanding side faces which are at least partly slanted with respect to the sides of the slab-like upper part of said T-bolt-like 15 profiled clamping member. In a more preferred embodiment, the clamping actuator comprises a spindle, a spindle frame and a lifting frame, - whereby the slab-like upper part of the T-bolt-like profiled clamping member is introduced through an essentially rectangular hole in the bottom of the spindle frame, whereby preferably the T-bolt-like profiled clamping member is 20 restrained from moving in the longitudinal direction by the front/back side of the hole in the bottom of the spindle frame; - whereby the T-bolt-like profiled clamping member is attached to the lifting frame, preferably by an essentially cylindrical pivot bar whereby the pivot bar is inserted in a transverse hole through an upper end of the slab-like upper 25 part of the T-bolt-like profiled clamping member and rests in slanted slits along the sides of the lifting frame, whereby the lifting frame is capable of moving along the longitudinal direction with respect to the spindle frame and the spindle is introduced through the spindle frame and the lifting frame in a longitudinal direction such that turning the spindle results in a longitudinal 30 movement of the lifting frame with respect to the spindle frame, thereby moving said pivot bar upwards or downwards since it follows the slanted slits in the lifting frame's sides.

In a preferred embodiment, the spindle frame fits into the frame of the sledge and may 35 slide forwards/backwards, but essentially not sideward, whereby the peak-shaped front 16 or back end of the lower part of the T-bolt-like profiled clamping member fits between the two profiled plates of the sledge and helps to push the two profiled plates of the sledge outwards when the T-bolt-like profiled clamping member is guided in between the profiled plates.

5 In a preferred embodiment, the spindle frame can be attached to the bottom of the foot support of the chair or rigid arm. In a more preferred embodiment, the outer shape of the spindle frame is such that it fits a hole in the bottom of the foot support whereby the spindle frame can be fixed in said hole and/or the spindle frame can be attached with a bolting system to the foot support and/or the spindle frame can be welded to said foot 10 support and/or the spindle frame can be attached to the foot support in any way known in the art.

In a preferred embodiment of the floor plate or floor according to the present invention, said sidable fixation element comprises a main frame having spaced side edges suited to 15 be engaged in at least one of the central longitudinal recesses in the form of a rail or groove of said floor plate or floor, a front end and a rear end. The slidable fixation element further comprises a jib that extends at a right angle from a pivot point at said main frame and terminates at its free end portion with a hook for releasably grasping containers and the like. Thus the jib comprises two parts a horizontal part and a vertical 20 part, fixed to each other at a connection point such that both parts form an angle of about 90°. Each part comprises two spaced tubular or partially tubular members. The tubular member of the horizontal part are fixed to the main frame at pivot points near the rear end of said main frame. The vertical part of the jib further comprises a hook element interconnecting said tubular or partially tubular members of said jib. Said hook 25 element is suited to engage a functional container and load or unload said functional container onto or off the transport vehicle on which the main frame is mounted.

The slidable fixation element further comprises at least one container engaging roller mounted at said rear end of the main frame and at least one hydraulic cylinder connected to said main frame near said front end and to said jib.

30

In a preferred embodiment, the slidable fixation element is removable from the floor plate or floor of the present invention in order to be used for passengers transport. In another preferred embodiment, the vertical part of the jib, comprising the two spaced tubular or partially tubular members and the hook element, is foldable and/or rotatable 17 and/or pivotable relative to the horizontal part of the jib. The vertical part of the jib is then pivoted downwardly until reaching a substantial horizontal position.

The functional container suitable to be loaded onto the transport vehicle comprises tools and/or kits which are to be used during environmental emergencies such as, but not 5 limited to, preferably low pressure, fire extinction tools. In a preferred embodiment, the functional container is provided with at least one wheeled leg, preferably two or more wheeled legs. This facilitates to movement of said container by the user when the container is unloaded of the floor plate or floor.

10 The invention will now be further detailed in association to the accompanying drawings.

FIG 1A shows a general view of an example, according to the present invention, of a floor plate or floor 1 wherein a functional container 6 having wheeled legs 21 is attached to the hook element 19 of the jib 15 of a sildable fixation element. The latter attached to 15 the floor plate or floor 1 by sliding into two central recesses 4. The floor plate or floor showed in Fig 1A further contains seats/chairs 3 that are fastened to said floor plate or floor 1 such as the seats/chairs 3 are positioned at either side of the slidable fixation element. Fig 1A further the seats/chairs 3 in the unfolded position suitable for transport of passengers and in the folded position suitable for transport of one or more containers 20 and/or passengers. FIG IB and FIG 1C show a top view and a side view of the floor plate or floor as illustrated in FIG 1A.

FIG 2 and FIG 4 show the functional container 6 after being loaded onto the floor plate or floor 1 of the present invention, thus in transport configuration wherein the hydraulic 25 cylinder 20 is retracted. The slidable fixation element is provided with connectors (not shown) that are used to block it and thus prevent any movement of the functional container when it's loaded onto the floor plate and/or during the movement of the vehicle.

30 FIG 3 is a side view of the functional container 6 when in transport configuration on the floor plate or floor 1. The side view is parallel to the grooves or rails (2, 4) of the floor plate or floor 1 and shows the side of the functional container 6 connected to the slidable fixation element.

18 FIG 5, FIG 6 and FIG 7 illustrate an embodiment of the invention wherein the slidable fixation element is slided to the rear end of the floor plate or floor 1 defining an intermediate position whereby the functional container 6 is partly inside the transport vehicle, but can be opened and used. The functional container 6 is then fixed and 5 stabilized by fixing and stabilizing using the slidable fixation element connectors. The functional container 6 may then be used when being in said intermediate position. Moreover, the stability of the functional container 6 is due to the fact that when the slidable fixation element is slided to the rear end of the floor plate or floor 1, the moment acting on the container 6 in order to drop it out of the floor plate or floor is counteracted 10 by an opposite moment coming from the reaction force induced to the functional container 6 by the jib 15 at the point of the hook 19.

FIG 6 further shows an example of functional container 6 comprising tools and/or kits that are stored in two compartments of the functional container 6. Said compartments 15 are designed and suitable to be rotated over a vertical axis. The movement of said compartments, as shown in FIG 6, is comparable to the movement of a regular "room door". The compartments can also be designed to move differently, for example according to a translation movement that is compared to the movement of "sliding doors". FIG 7 shows an example of the kits and/or tools that can be stored in the 20 functional container 6. In the example shown in FIG 7, the tools and/or kits are, preferably low pressure, fire extinction tools and/or kits.

FIG 8, FIG 9, FIG 10 and FIG 11 illustrate the floor plate or floor 1 according to the present invention. Considered subsequently from FIG 8 to FIG 11 is an illustration of the 25 different positions of the functional container 6 during its unloading off the floor plate or floor 1. Considered subsequently from FIG 11 to FIG 8 is an illustration of the different positions of the functional container 6 during its loading onto the floor plate or floor 1. The unloading of the functional container 6 off the floor plate or floor 1 is obtained by the movement of the jib 15 due to the extension of the hydraulic cylinder 20. The loading 30 the functional container 6 onto the floor plate or floor 1 is obtained by the movement of the jib 15 due to the retraction of the hydraulic cylinder 20. The extension or the retraction of the hydraulic cylinder 20 results in a pivot movement of the two spaced tubular or partially tubular members 16, 17 of the jib 15. When the main frame 9 of the slidable fixation element is at the rear end of the floor plate or floor 1, the jib 15 is 35 permitted to pivot. The jib 15 pivots about the pivot points 18 located near the rear end 19 13 of the main frame after the extension of the hydraulic cylinder 20. As a result, the functional container 6 is lowered to the underlying terrain when the functional container 6 is being unloaded. In loading the functional container 6, the action is reversed and the hydraulic cylinder 20 retracted and the main frame 9 slided to the front end of the floor 5 plate or floor 1 to move the functional container 6 to the transport position illustrated in FIG 2.

FIG. 12 illustrates the slidable fixation element comprising the main frame 9 which is made up of two elongated, tubes of rectangular cross-section having spaced side edges 10 10, 11. The tubes are suited to be inserted and slided into at least one central longitudinal recess 4 in the form of a rail or groove, preferably into 2 central longitudinal recesses in the form of rails or grooves 4. At the rear end of each tube of the main frame 9, a roller 14 is mounted. As is well known, the rollers 14 guide the functional container 6 during movement onto or off of the vehicle. The jib 15 comprises two spaced, parallel 15 tubular or substantially parallel partially tubular members interconnected by a cross bar 22. The parallel tubular or substantially parallel partially tubular members are fixed to the main frame at pivot points 18 near the rear 13 end of said main frame, defining a horizontal pivot axis. The vertical part of the jib 15 contains have an upstanding A frame structure that terminates in a hook element 19 of a conventional construction which 20 opens generally forwardly. The A frame structure is interconnecting said tubular or partially tubular members and extending upwardly therefrom to terminate in a hook element 19 located above a plane defined by said tubular or partially tubular members of the jib 15.

25 FIG. 12 also illustrates the hydraulic cylinder 20 which is connected to the main frame 9 near its front end 12 and to said cross bar 22. The hydraulic cylinder 20 is operable to pivot the jib 15 about said horizontal pivot axis around the pivot points 18.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the slidable fixation element 30 is completely removed from the floor plate or floor 1 after unloading the functional container 6. The slidable fixation element can also be designed such as upstanding A frame structure, also called the vertical part of the jib, is foldable and lowered until reaching a substantial horizontal position. The floor plate or floor is then used for passenger transport after unfolding the seats.

20

In another preferred embodiment, the floor plate or floor of the present invention is secured to the bottom plate of transport vehicle in a mechanical as well as chemical way or a combination thereof.

It is supposed that the present invention is not restricted to any form of realization 5 described previously and that some modifications can be added to the presented example of fabrication without reappraisal of the appended claims. Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, many modifications and alternations may be made by a person having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of this invention which is defined by the appended claims.

1039036

Claims

1. Floor plate (1) intended to be attached to the bottom plate of a passenger transport vehicle seated in a seat, the floor plate having a substantially smooth and flat surface, the floor plate being provided with recesses (2, 4 in the form of open rails or grooves for fixing and holding the seats (3) and for holding a slidable fixation element for at least holding a functional container (6) in a fixed position on the floor plate ( 1) and for loading and unloading the functional container (6) into and out of the vehicle.

The floor plate (1) according to claim 1, wherein the recesses are parallel and extend longitudinally.

The floor plate (1) according to any of claims 1-2, wherein the rails or grooves for fixing and retaining the seats (3) are provided with means suitable for attaching and holding the seats.

4. The floor plate (1) according to any of claims 1-3, wherein the rails or grooves for fixing and holding the seats (3) are located at least on one side, preferably on both sides of the seat. sliding fixation element.

5. The floor plate (1) according to any of the preceding claims 1-4, wherein the seats (3) are foldable.

The floorboard (1) according to any of the preceding claims 1-5, wherein the slidable fixation element comprises: 30. a main frame (9) with spaced apart side edges (10, 11) suitable for being coupled in at least one of the central longitudinal recesses (4) in the form of a rail or groove of the floor plate (1), a front end (12) and a rear end (13); - at least one container-coupling roller (14) mounted on the rear end 35 (13) of the main frame (9) 1039036 - a jib (15) with two spaced apart tubular or partially tubular members (16, 17), the members are fixed at pivot points (18) at the rear end (13) of the main frame (9) to the main frame (9), and a hook element (19) connecting the tubular or partially tubular rods (16, 17) to each other; - at least one hydraulic cylinder (20) connected to the main frame (9) at the front end (12) and to the jib (15); wherein the hook element (19) is suitable for coupling a functional container (6) and loading and unloading the functional container (6) on or from the vehicle on which the main frame (9) is mounted.

7. The floor plate (1) as claimed in any of the foregoing claims 1-6, wherein the slidable fixation element, when slid towards the rear end (13) of the floor plate (1), defines an intermediate position at which the functional container (6) ) is partially in the vehicle.

The floor plate (1) according to any of the preceding claims 1-7, wherein the sliding fixation element is removable from the floor plate (1).

The floor plate (1) according to any of the preceding claims 1-8, wherein a functional container (6) is attached to the sliding fixation element.

10. The floor plate (1) according to the preceding claim 9, wherein the functional container (6) is provided with at least one leg on wheels (21), preferably two or more legs on wheels (21).

The floor plate (1) according to any of the preceding claims 9-10, wherein the functional container (6) comprises tools such as low pressure fire extinguishers.

The floor plate (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1-11, attached to the base plate of the vehicle in a mechanical or chemical manner, or a combination thereof.

Use of the floor plate (1) according to one of the preceding claims 1-12, in a vehicle for transporting passengers and / or for transporting the functional container (6).

A fixation element adapted for at least holding a functional container (6) in a fixed position on a floor plate (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1-12, and for loading and unloading the functional container (6) in and out of a vehicle equipped with the floor plate.

A system consisting of a floor plate according to any one of claims 1-12 and a functional container. 1039036