Inventors:
David P. Egen - New York NY
International Classification:
B62B 502
Abstract:
A carriage for descending stairs carrying a person under the control of an operator, i. e. , an able-bodied person walking behind the carriage. The person in the carriage rests upon a seat with an upright back. The carriage is supported at its sides upon two support units each of which has an endless belt which extends along a rigid longitudinal frame with two pulleys mounted upon horizontal axes at the opposite ends of the frame, and with belts extending around those pulleys and forming two longitudinal runs between the pulleys. Each belt is formed by a continuous strip of heavy fabric with a continuous strip of flexible rubber bonded to the fabric. The belts of the support units act as brakes to retard the movement down the stairs. Each frame construction is a rigid channel member with a channel within which the bottom run of the belt is positioned, and the fabric belt has a high-friction surface which slides along the bottom surface presented by the frame construction and the entire weight is supported by those mating surfaces. The top run of each belt is held in an upper channel which insure alignment of the belts and may also impose a braking action on the free movement of the belt.