Passenger aerial cableway

Claim 1

A method of loading passenger carrying vehicles of an aerial cableway comprising: transporting a plurality of passenger carrying vehicles, including the chair or gondola portions thereof, along a single travel path from a loading station to an unloading station along transport and return runs, providing at least first and second loading areas at the loading station, spaced apart longitudinally along the single travel path of said vehicles, passing each vehicle by each of said at least first and second loading areas successively, marking each loading area for queuing skiers awaiting a vehicle into a plurality of separate lanes, the number of lanes corresponding to the number of passengers transported by each vehicle, each lane terminating at a location adjacent said travel path without interference with the vehicle, displaying a GO signal for each said lane, controlling the display of the GO signals for the lanes of each of the loading areas, so that before each vehicle travels past the loading areas the GO signals for only one loading area are activated, the display of the GO signals for the lanes of each loading areas being activated by the arrival of a vehicle at a predeftermined location only one time out of the number of loading areas, whereby successive vehicles are loaded at successive loading areas, such as one at the first loading areas and the next at the second loading area in the case of two loading areas.

Claim 2

A method of loading passenger carrying vehicles of an aerial cableway comprising: transporting a plurality of passenger carrying vehicles, including the chair or gondola portions thereof, along a single travel path from a loading station to an unloading station along transport and return runs, providing at least first and second loading areas at the loading station, spaced apart longitudinally along the single travel path of said vehicles, passing each vehicle by each of said at least first and second loading areas successively, marking each loading area for queuing skiers awaiting a vehicle into a plurality of separate lanes, the number of lanes corresponding to the number of passengers transported by each vehicle, each lane terminating at a location adjacent said travel path without interference with the vehicle, displaying a GO signal for each said lane, controlling the display of the GO signals for the lanes of each of the loading areas, so that before each vehicle travels past the loading areas the GO signals for only one loading area are activated, the display of the GO signals for the lanes of each loading areas being activated by the arrival of a vehicle at a predeftermined location only one time out of the number of loading areas, whereby successive vehicles are loaded at successive loading areas, such as one at the first loading areas and the next at the second loading area in the case of two loading areas.