US20060048310A1

US20060048310A1 - Foldable bridge platform

Info

Publication number: US20060048310A1
Application number: US10/900,084
Authority: US
Inventors: Cheng-Shing Tin; Chin-Chin Kao; Ming-Hwa Shou
Original assignee: Dynamic Healthtech Inc
Current assignee: Dynamic Healthtech Inc
Priority date: 2004-07-28
Filing date: 2004-07-28
Publication date: 2006-03-09

Abstract

A foldable bridge platform including a platform, a base bracket with casters installed beneath the bottom thereof, and a vertical rail erected and secured on the base bracket which provides the platform with a guide for adjusting the height thereof. The platform includes at least one main board and two side boards which are pivotally connected to the outer sides of the main board. The main board has a plurality of supporting bulges fixed at the outer sides thereof in order to support the horizontally unfolded side boards. By folding up the side boards of the platform, the width of the bridge platform can be greatly reduced. The foldable bridge platform is thereby convenient for movement and storage.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to a bridge platform, and more particularly, to a foldable bridge platform which is capable of assisting a disabled person when he negotiates stairs or a rugged place.
Climbing stairs is difficult both for disabled persons who utilize a wheelchair and for other disabled persons with limited mobility. Nonetheless, stairs exist everywhere in human society. To assist the disabled person in traversing stairs, or a concave or rugged place, a bridge platform capable of being adjusted the height thereof is provided.
A conventional bridge platform has wheels installed beneath the bottom thereof, and therefore, possesses mobility. However, the conventional bridge platform is too wide to pass through a narrower channel while it is being moved inside a building. Moreover, the conventional bridge platform is overly large, and therefore, is inconvenient for storage.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a foldable bridge platform which adopts a foldable structure in order to decrease the width of the platform for facilitating the movement and storage of the bridge platform.
The foldable bridge platform provided by the present invention includes a platform, a base bracket with casters installed beneath the bottom thereof, and a vertical rail erected and secured on the base bracket for providing the platform a guidance to adjust the height thereof. The platform includes at least one main board and two side boards which are pivotally connected to the outer sides of the main board. The main board has a plurality of supporting bulges fixed at the outer sides thereof in order to support the horizontally unfolded side boards. By folding up the side boards of the platform, the width of the bridge platform can be greatly reduced and the objective of the present invention is thereby attained.
These and other objectives of the present invention will become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These as well as other features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the drawings therein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foldable bridge platform of the present invention stored in a compact condition.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a foldable bridge platform of the present invention with the foldable platform thereof partially opened.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the portion “A” of the foldable bridge platform of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of a foldable bridge platform of the present invention with the foldable platform thereof fully unfolded.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the folded and unfolded configurations of a foldable bridge platform 1 are shown respectively. The bridge platform 1 is capable of being transported to a place with a height difference for utilization in assisting a disabled person in easily traversing a concave or rugged place. The bridge platform 1 includes a platform 10, a base bracket 11, and a vertical rail 12.
The base bracket 11 is mainly utilized to support the vertical rail 12 and keep the vertical rail 12 standing upright. The base bracket 11 includes a pair of elongated side struts 110 which are parallel with each other; a plurality of casters 112 installed beneath the side strut 110 for facilitating the movement and orientation of the bridge platform 1; and a transverse strut 111 capable of maintaining the specific distance between the pair of side struts 110, which is connected to the side struts 110 in order to assemble a base bracket 11.
The vertical rail 12 is installed in an upright manner onto the base bracket 11 adjacent to the rear ends of the side struts 110. The vertical rail 12 facilitates the adjustment of the height of the platform 10. The specific height of the vertical rail 12 is sufficient for the platform 10 to adjust the height thereof when providing the bridging function.
Referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 3, one of the objectives of the present invention is that the bridge platform 1 must be foldable so that the bridge platform 1 can consume less space. The platform 10 includes a main board 100; at least two side boards 101 which are pivotally connected to the main board 100 via one or more hinges 102; and a plurality of supporting bulges 103 fixed at the outer edges of the main board 100 in order to support the side boards 101 when the platform 10 is unfolded for use, which also restricts the side boards 101 to being folded upward. Consequently, in order to store or move the bridge platform 1, a consumer merely folds the side boards 101 up to decrease the width of the platform 10 which facilitates the movement of the bridge platform 1. In contrast, when the consumer moves the bridge platform 1 to a place with height difference in order to install the platform 10 for utilization by disabled persons, he simply unfolds the side boards 101 which allows the side boards 101 to lie horizontally. The span of the platform 10 is, thereby, sufficiently extended for disabled persons to traverse a place with height difference.
In addition, two ramp plates 104 can be attached to the outer sides of the side boards 101. The ramp plate 104 is pivotally connected to the side board 101 through one or more hinges which may have the same structure as that of the hinges 102, as illustrated in FIG. 2. When the ramp plate 104 is unfolded for utilization, the ramp descends from the side board 101 toward the ground. The outer edge of the ramp plate 104 will press against the ground. Because of this, a disabled person riding a wheelchair can easily move his wheelchair onto the platform 10 in order to pass over a rugged place. Furthermore, on the front end of the bridge platform 1 a safety handrail 105 can be added to help prevent the disabled person from inadvertently falling from the platform 10. The handrail 105 also provides assistance to persons with limited mobility while they pass through the platform 10, and therefore, enhances the usage safety of the bridge platform 1.
While an illustrative and presently preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.

Claims

1. A foldable bridge platform, comprising:

a platform;

a base bracket; and

a vertical rail erected and secured on the base bracket for providing the platform with a guide to adjust the height thereof,

wherein the platform includes a main board and two side boards, the two side boards respectively and pivotally connected to the outer sides of the main board, and the main board having a supporting bulge fixed at the outer edges thereof in order to support the horizontally unfolded side board.

2. The foldable bridge platform of claim 1, wherein a plurality of casters are installed beneath the base bracket.

3. The foldable bridge platform of claim 1, wherein the base bracket includes a pair of elongated side struts which are parallel with each other, and a transverse strut which is connected onto the side struts at the rear ends thereof.

4. The foldable bridge platform of claim 1, wherein the vertical rail is installed onto the rear end of the base bracket.

5. The foldable bridge platform of claim 1, wherein a handrail is installed onto the front side of the base bracket.

6. The foldable bridge platform of claim 1, wherein the side board is pivotally connected to the main board via one or more hinges.

7. The foldable bridge platform of claim 1, wherein two ramp plates are respectively and pivotally connected to the two outer sides of the side boards.

8. The foldable bridge platform of claim 1, wherein the ramp plate is pivotally connected to the outer side of a side board via one or more hinges.