US2662587A

US2662587A - Chair for aerial skilifts

Info

Publication number: US2662587A
Application number: US128217A
Authority: US
Inventors: Mcilvaine Alexander
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-11-18
Filing date: 1949-11-18
Publication date: 1953-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 1970-12-15

Description

1953 A. M ILVAINE CHAIR FOR AERIAL SKI LIFTS Filed. Nov. 18, 1949 r IN V EN TOR.

ALEXANDER M /L VA/IVE A 770E415 Y Patented Dec. 15, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHAIR FOR AERIAL SKI LIFTS Alexander Mcllvaine, New York, N. Y. Application November 18, 1949, Serial No. 128,217

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates in general to aerial ski chair lifts, and in particular to improvements in the chairs for such lifts.

It is known to employ on aerial ski lifts chairs which are provided with foot-rests. However, heretofore, the foot-rests on such chairs are either fixed in position or they require an attendant to open the foot-rest and bring it into operating position before a passenger can be loaded. When the foot-rest is fixed in position on the chair, it frequently strikes the passenger before or after loading and requires that the lift cable be ele vated unduly in order to have the foot-rest clear irregularities in the right-of-way. On the other hand, when the latter type of chair is employed, the passage of the chair around the bull wheel at the top of the lift causes the foot-rest to close by contact with such wheel. In this event, an attendant is required to open the foot-rest after it has passed the bull wheel at the top or bottom of the lift.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a chair for a ski lift which has a retractable foot-rest.

It is a specific object of the invention to provide a ski lift chair in which the foot-rest is automatically and normally held out of the way for loading of passengers but which can be brought by the passenger into operating position during loading.

Another object is to provide a ski lift chair in which the foot-rest will not extend normally in unloaded state below the level of the chair seat so that it will not injure passengers after or before unloading.

According to the present invention, there 1s provided in an aerial ski lift, a lift chair having a dependent and movable foot-rest and means to move the foot-rest, preferably automatically, when the chair is unoccupied to a position where it does not extend substantially below the base of the chair seat. In one embodiment the foot rest is retracted by means of a spring or an elastic member and in a second embodiment it is maintained or retracted in the elevated position by an over-balancing weight. The foot-rest may be attached to the seat or to the lift cable.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of the chair;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the chair of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a second embodior at ment of the chair showing a form which retracts the foot-rest by counter-weight;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a third embodiment of the chair showing the foot-rest swinging upward behind the chair by spring action;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a fourth embodiment which retracts by flattening;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a fifth embodiment in which the foot-rest is aflixed to the ski lift cable.

It should be noted that all of the embodiments shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 show the foot-rest mounted on a dependent lever which is drawn upward by an overbalancing weight and in Figs. 1, 4 and 6 the foot-rest is spring-loaded. The essential features of the invention can be illustrated by reference to the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2, in which the chair It as of metal is fixed to a hanger rod I l by welding, which rod is fastened to the lift cable i2 by means of a fastening [3 of conventional design. The hanger is preferably curved as shown so that the center of gravity of the chair when loaded with a passenger I4 is below the clamp [3. The foot-rest i5 is attached to the end of a dependent lever 2G which, in this embodiment, is curved in inverted U form to arch over the passenger and is pivotally attached to a member fixed with respect on the hanger rod directly to the chair, preferably behind the back It at the pivot point 22. The curved lever is also preferably provided with a handle or control bar 59 disposed in a horizontal plane so that it is positioned within reach of the seated passenger. The foot-rest is preferably a platform It sloping upwardly toward the front so that when the feet I? of the passenger rest upon the foot-rest, the skis slope upward at the front ends thereof so that they do not tend to catch in underbrush or become lodged in the snow beneath the chair. In the front elevation, it is clear that the lever 2G is positioned in the center of the chair and that the platform i8 projects from it on each side to provide foot-rests for two passengers. It is to be understood that two identical levers can be used, instead of one, each mounted at or adjacent the sides of the chair. The lever 26 is provided, preferably with a projection 2| which serves as a stop when it contacts the hanger II. If desired, this stop can be slidably mounted on the lever and fixed in a desired position by a set-screw.

The normal operating position of the foot-rest of the chair of Fig. 1 is shown in solid lines, and when the passenger desires to alight, the control bar I9 is pushed upward and backward until the foot-rest l8 comes to rest on the hanger H. When the curved lever is in the position shown in broken lines, the foot-rest is completely out of the way of the passenger and remains in this position due to the fact that the center of gravity lies on the left side of the pivot 22. When the chair passes around the bull wheel of the cable, it does not cause the foot-rest to alter its position. When the chair reaches a loading station on the up-grade side, the passenger getssinto the chair and then reaches over-head'and pulls the foot-rest l8 downward by first grasping it andthen grasping the control bar l9.

Fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment ini'whiclr.

a counter-weight 23 is used to retract. the footrest l8a mounted on the other endofa'l'everz'oa" which also serves as an arm: rest; The lever 20a is pivoted at 24 on the side edge of the back.

16a. In this embodiment the feet I! of the passenger maintain the foot-rest [8a in the normal position shown: in. solid: lines," but: when the feet are removed as when the. passenger alights, the weight 23 swings downward. causing the footrest to beelevated to" the position shown in broken lines,. its backward; movement being arrested bystop 2 lb;

While in Figs. 1 and 2.the foot-rest is retracted by'passingtupwardirr front of the passenger, the embodiment "of Fig.4 provides means for swinging the foot-rest upward behind the passenger. Therfoot-rest lBb'l' iszmounted'. on a lever 25 pivotedat'thespointjfi on the side of'thechair lob and havingzalst'oprfl projectingtoward the center of the-chair; A spring; 28 has one end attached to the lever 25at'a -point between thevpivot 2B and-the foot-rest" I Bb'and theother end attached atla. point .29Ton' thechair; the point 28 being abovethe point26. Toretractthefoot-rest the passenger pushes? the lever backward and under the chair; thus stretching the spring 25 and causing thelever: to come to: rest-in the: position behind'the chairr as shownin the broken line, in which position it ismaintained by the spring 28; When'the'lever i's-to be brought into'operating position; the: passenger gets into the chair and with oneha'nd swings the lever under the chair torthe normalzposition; shown in solid lines. Instead of the springIZE; any elastic band may beZ'llSBdiII the sameiposition asthe-spring'2 8;

In Fig. 5 there is shownianotherembodiment utilizing a; counterbalance to retract the footrest; Inthis type; the entire chair Hlc is: pivotally mountediinside the arms 50: of a: forked hanger." I la having 'a. cross-bar 30? on whichthe seat isrfastened as bywelding"; The pivotal point P is so positioned that the ch'air has a normal tendency-"to tilt backward to the position shown in broken lines. Inthis type thechairb'ack 16c, armrest 3|, 1eg32'i-and foot-rest l8'c are hinged together. The weight. 34' causes the chair to flatten when iti'is 'rioto'ccupied. When? the passenger desires .to'. occupy thechair, it"is pulled downward by means of the foot rest'until the stop 21c" strikes the hanger He, and when occupied it remainsin: upright position, as shown.

In; that embodimentshown' in Fig. 6', the 7 footrest' I811 is attached to the free end of a lever- 38-,

the upper end of which is pivoted at 39 to a cable clamp 40 and normally held in retracted position by the spring 4| extending from the lever 38 to the clamp 40. A cord 42 has one end attached to the lever 38 and the other end fixed to the chair or hanger at a convenient point so that the occupant can pull the lever downward and fix the lever 38 in the hook 43 which is mounted on an. extension 44 of a chair arm? 451 In this case thearm' 45 is positioned in the center of the chair seat and. the foot-rest platform l8d extends on both sides of the lever 38 to provide foot-rests for two passengers;

It is characteristic of all embodiments of the chair of" the invention that when the ski chair 15.211013. occupied: the foot-rest retracts to a position.not lower than the chair seat and, in the preferred embodiment, to an over-head position. Thus, the foot-rest does not get in the way of passengers alighting nor'doesit create a hazard for persons over whom the ski chairsrmay'pass.

I claim:

1; An aerial skilift including achair having a seat and a back rest, an arm pivotally connected to a member fixed relative to the chair andsaid arm' extending downward below the seat but movable forward and upward'above' the seat; a foot rest carried by said arm, and means connccted to said arm for moving it'about'its'pivot to raise the foot rest forward and upward 'above the seat whereby olearance belowthe seat isincreased and users may have free aceess'tothe seat while wearing skis.

21 An aerial ski lift including" a chair having-"a seat and a back rest, an arm pivotally connected to the-chair adjacentthe back restand' extending forward and downward below the seat-but movable forward and upward above the'seat, a foot rest carried by said arm, and means connected to said arm for moving it about itspivot to raise thefoot rest forward and upward above the seat whereby clearance below the seat is increased and users may have-free access'to-the seat while wearing skis;

3 An aerial ski lift includinga chair having a seat and a back rest, an arm pivotally connected to a member 'fixed relative to the: chair and extending forward and downward below the seat when in an active position but movable toa raised inactive position, a foot rest carried by said arm, and spring meansconnected to said arm and to said member fixed with respect to said chair for holding said arm and foot' rest in said raised inactive position.

ALEXANDER 'McILVA-INE.

References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Datev 643,454.v Barrows Feb. 13, 1900 1,080,714 Meyrose- Dec; 9, 1913 1,140,211 Thomas May 18,- 1915 LQ MAAG McGowen Jan. 23; 1934 2,244,650. Curran June 3, 1941 2,325,141 Lloyd July'27, 1943