US3722017A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Over-the-wing aircraft loading bridge
Assignee: General Steel Industries Inc
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Filing: 1971-07-26
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Granted: 1973-03-27
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Expires: 1991-07-26
Abstract
Abstract A bridge for transferring passengers between airport terminal buildings and access doors of aircraft located rearwardly of the aircraft wing has a main passageway member pivotally supported at the terminal building end on vertical and transverse axes and intermediate its ends on a track mounted rack propelled carriage on which it is elevatable and depressable by a combined hydraulic and screw jack system so that its outer end portion, slightly arched, may extend over the wing. At its outer end the main passageway mounts a lateral passageway for pivotal movement about a vertical axis and vertical movement about a horizontal axis of the lateral passageway. The lateral passageway mounts an outer end unit containing an operator''s cab, for pivotal movement about a vertical axis to positions parallel to aircraft fuselages. The outer end unit contains an extendible canopy for sealing engagement with the fuselage side.
Inventors
- 👤 P Gacs
- 👤 L Williams
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 04:14
CPC Classifications
B; B64; B64F; B64F1/00; B64F1/30; B64F1/305; B64F1/3055
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
219 words
A bridge for transferring passengers to aircraft comprising a main passageway member pivotally supported at one end on vertical and transverse axes and mounting a lateral passageway on its other end for pivotal movement about a vertical axis and about an axis transverse of said lateral passageway for alignment with an aircraft access door when said main passageway is generally parallel to the aircraft fuselage, a carriage movable horizontally in an arcuate path curved about said main passageway vertical pivot axis, said main passageway being supported intermediate its ends on said carriage, an arcuate track for guidingly supporting said carriage, and ground supported stationary power means for propelling said carriage to selected positions along said track, a drawbar pivotally secured to said carriage and extending in a direction generally parallel thereto, said drawbar being formed with teeth defining a rack along one of its longitudinal sides, said power means comprising a pinion in meshed relation with said rack, and a motor drivingly connected to said pinion, means engaging the longitudinal side of said drawbar opposite the toothed rack side and urging said teeth into constant meshed relation with said pinion, said power means including a brake for immobilizing said pinion and said rack and holding said carriage in selected positions arcuately of said track when said motor is deenergized.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
219 words
A bridge for transferring passengers to aircraft comprising a main passageway member pivotally supported at one end on vertical and transverse axes and mounting a lateral passageway on its other end for pivotal movement about a vertical axis and about an axis transverse of said lateral passageway for alignment with an aircraft access door when said main passageway is generally parallel to the aircraft fuselage, a carriage movable horizontally in an arcuate path curved about said main passageway vertical pivot axis, said main passageway being supported intermediate its ends on said carriage, an arcuate track for guidingly supporting said carriage, and ground supported stationary power means for propelling said carriage to selected positions along said track, a drawbar pivotally secured to said carriage and extending in a direction generally parallel thereto, said drawbar being formed with teeth defining a rack along one of its longitudinal sides, said power means comprising a pinion in meshed relation with said rack, and a motor drivingly connected to said pinion, means engaging the longitudinal side of said drawbar opposite the toothed rack side and urging said teeth into constant meshed relation with said pinion, said power means including a brake for immobilizing said pinion and said rack and holding said carriage in selected positions arcuately of said track when said motor is deenergized.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
191 words
A bridge for transferring passengers to aircraft comprising a main passageway member pivotally supported at one end on vertical and transverse axes and mounting a laterAl passageway on its other end for pivotal movement about a vertical axis and about an axis transverse of said lateral passageway for alignment with an aircraft access door when said main passageway is generally parallel to the aircraft fuselage, a carriage movable horizontally in an arcuate path curved about said main passageway vertical pivot axis, said main passageway being supported intermediate its ends on said carriage, said carriage including power means for elevating and lowering said main passageway member about said main passageway member transverse horizontal axis, said elevating power means comprising a hydraulic cylinder, a piston therein, a hydraulic pump, an electric motor drivingly connected to said pump, conduit means connecting said pump and said cylinder, electrically operated direction reversing valve means in said conduit, screw jacks, an electric motor drivingly connected to said screw jacks, said pump motor and reversing valve being electrically synchronized with said screw jack motor to provide simultaneous raising and lowering of said hydraulic piston and said screw jacks.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
191 words
A bridge for transferring passengers to aircraft comprising a main passageway member pivotally supported at one end on vertical and transverse axes and mounting a laterAl passageway on its other end for pivotal movement about a vertical axis and about an axis transverse of said lateral passageway for alignment with an aircraft access door when said main passageway is generally parallel to the aircraft fuselage, a carriage movable horizontally in an arcuate path curved about said main passageway vertical pivot axis, said main passageway being supported intermediate its ends on said carriage, said carriage including power means for elevating and lowering said main passageway member about said main passageway member transverse horizontal axis, said elevating power means comprising a hydraulic cylinder, a piston therein, a hydraulic pump, an electric motor drivingly connected to said pump, conduit means connecting said pump and said cylinder, electrically operated direction reversing valve means in said conduit, screw jacks, an electric motor drivingly connected to said screw jacks, said pump motor and reversing valve being electrically synchronized with said screw jack motor to provide simultaneous raising and lowering of said hydraulic piston and said screw jacks.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
103 words
A bridge according to claim 2 including a vertical guide member on said carriage for said main passageway member, a plurality of electric limit switches on one of said main passageway and guide members respectively at different heights, a contact element on the other of said main passageway and guide members engageable with respective limit switches when said main passageway member is at the corresponding height, said limit switches being selectively connectible to said elevating power means motor circuit to open the same and halt vertical movement of said main passageway member when a selected limit switch is engaged by said contacting element.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
72 words
A bridge according to claim 2 including safety means on the bottom of said main passageway member in the region normally adapted to overlie an aircraft wing for energizing said hydraulic pump drive motor and screw jack drive motor to raise said main passageway member a predetermined distance if the vertical distance between the top of the wing and the bottom of said main passageway member becomes less than a predetermined value.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
86 words
A bridge according to claim 4 wherein said safety means comprises a tension-responsive electric switch, a flexible tension member extending lengthwise of said main passageway member below the same and secured at its one end to said main passageway member and operatively connected at its other end to said switch, and means electrically connecting said tension responsive switch to said hydraulic pump drive motor and said screw jack drive motor to energize the same to elevate said hydraulic piston and said screw jacks a predetermined distance.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
101 words
In a bridge for transferring passengers to aircraft comprising a main passageway member, power means for selectively raising and lowering said main passageway member, said power means comprising a hydraulic cylinder, a piston therein, a hydraulic pump, an electric motor drivingly connected to said pump, conduit means connecting said pump and said cylinder, electrically operated direction reversing valve means in said conduit, screw jacks, an electric motor drivingly connected to said screw jacks, said pump motor and reversing valve being electrically synchronized with said screw jack motor to provide simultaneous raising and lowering of said hydraulic piston and said screw jacks.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
101 words
In a bridge for transferring passengers to aircraft comprising a main passageway member, power means for selectively raising and lowering said main passageway member, said power means comprising a hydraulic cylinder, a piston therein, a hydraulic pump, an electric motor drivingly connected to said pump, conduit means connecting said pump and said cylinder, electrically operated direction reversing valve means in said conduit, screw jacks, an electric motor drivingly connected to said screw jacks, said pump motor and reversing valve being electrically synchronized with said screw jack motor to provide simultaneous raising and lowering of said hydraulic piston and said screw jacks.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
101 words
In a bridge according to claim 6, a vertically stationary guide member for said main passageway member, a plurality of electric limit switches on one of said main passageway and guide members respectively at different heights, a contact element on the other of said main passageway and guide members engageable with respective limit switches when said main passageway member is at the corresponding height, said limit switches being selectively connectible to said elevating power means motor circuit to open the same and halt vertical movement of said main passageway member when A selected limit switch is engaged by said contacting element.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-03-26 | 1976-09-25 | 1977-03-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-03-26 | 1980-09-25 | 1981-03-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-03-26 | 1984-09-25 | 1985-03-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |