Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02423721 2003-03-27
TITLE' Transport System for Attachment to Chairlift
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a transport system for attachment to the
chairs of a chairiift,
to allow articles to be carried up hill underneath the chairs. The transport
system of the
present invention has been developed especially for transporting iuge carts,
and will be
described with particular reference to this application- However, it will be
appreciated that
the transport system could in fact be used for transporting any of a wide
range of articles,
~o (e_g. toboggans, small vehicles).
Background Art
Luge carts are unpowered wheeled carts with a braking and steering system
which are used
~s for recreational rides down a prepared track. At the bottom of the track,
the luge carts need
to be returned to the top of the track for further use. Hitherto, carts have
been taken back up
to the top of the track in batches in a vehicle, but this requires the
provision of a separate
vehicle track and thus additional expense.
2o Disclosure of Invention
Luge carts trades, toboggan runs, mountain bike tracks and the like often
extend over the
same general area as a chairlift, and it is convenient to use the chairlift as
a return transport
means for the luge carts or similar articles. It is therefore an object of the
present invention
z5 to provide a transport system for returning luge carts and similar articles
to the top of the run.
making use of the existing chairlift facilities.
The present invention provides a transport system for attachment to the chair
of a chairlift,
said system including one or more hooks, the or each hook being pivotally
securable to a
ao chairlift chair, and means for pivoting the or each hook between a first
position in which the
hook can support an article beneath said chair and a second position in which
said hook is
disengaged from the said article.
Preferably, the or each hook is provided with a safety device preventing
accidental
ss disengagement of said hook from the said article.
CA 02423721 2003-03-27
Brief Description of Drawings
By way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is
described in
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a sketch side view showing the overall layout of the component
parts of the
present invention;
Figure 2 is a rear view showing the initial engagement of the lifting hooks
with the luge carts;
Figure 3 is a view of part of Figure 2 on a larger scale;
Figure 4 is a side view of a single lifting hook and associated safety device;
is Figure 5 is a longitudinal section through the components of Figure 4;
Figures fi - 11 are a sequence showing the components of Figures 4 and 5
during the stages
of initial engagement between a lifting hook and a luge cart; and
2o Figure 12 is a side view showing the disengagement of a lifting hook from a
loge cart.
Best Mode for Canyinc~ out the Invention
Referring in particular to Figures 1 - 3 of the drawings, the transport system
of the present
2s invention is built into the back 2 of a chairlift chair 3; the chair back 2
may be reinforced or
replaced by a stronger model, to take the additional loading.
The rear surface of the back 2 of the chair 3 supports at least one pair of
spaced hangers 4,
which are rigidly secured down the back of the chair and extend a short
distance beneath
as the chair. Figures 1 and 2 show two pairs of hangers 4, but it will be
appreciated that a
single pair of hangers could be used on a narrow chair, and three or more
pairs on a wider
chair. Each pair of hangers supports one luge cart 1.
The hangers 4 support a shaft 5 which is mounted in bushes 6 for rotation
relative to the
ss hangers. One end of the shaft 5 carries a lever 7, upon the outer end of
which is mounted a
roller 8. The opposite end of the shaft 5 (not shown) is supported in a
bearing 6 at the other
CA 02423721 2003-03-27
3
end of the chair back. The shaft 5 extends parallel to the length of the
chair.
A pick up device 9 is mounted between the hangers of each pair of hangers 4.
Each pick up
device 9 (shown on a larger scale in Figure 3) includes a sleeve 10 which is
rigidly secured
s to the shaft S and carries a pair of spaced parallel hooks 11 which extend
with the length of
each hook substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 5.
Each hook 11
has a safety hook 12 pivoted to it by a pivot bolt 13: the safety hook 12 can
swing relative to
the hook 11 limited by the travel of a stop 14 secured to the side of the hook
11 and
arranged to project into a circular cutout 15 on the corresponding safety hook
12.
ra
A T piece 16 is mounted between each pair of hooks 11 with the upright of the
T rigidly
secured to the sleeve 10, parallel to the lengths of the hooks 11. The
crosspiece 17 of each
T piece extends parallel to the sleeve 10 and bears against the inner face of
each hook 11,
at around the mid point of the length of the hook. Thus, if the sleeve 10
rotates with the
r5 shaft 5 in the direction of arrow 8 (Figure 5), the crosspiece 17 of the T
piece 16 bears
against the corresponding hooks 11 and rotates the hooks in the same
direction.
A pair of coil springs 23 are mounted on the sleeve 10, with one end of each
spring bearing
against the adjacent hook 11, and the other end bearing against the upright of
the T. piece
20 16, resiliently biasing each of the hooks 11 in the direction of arrow A
(Figure 5).
Alternatively, the hooks 11 may be mounted rigidly on the sleeve 10 and the
coil springs 23
omitted, if a less cushioned system is acceptable.
As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in side view each hook 11 provides a tong flat
arm 11a, the
25 free end of which is formed into a hook portion 11 b. Each safety hook 12
consists of a flat
plate formed with an enlarged portion 18 at its upper end and an L. shaped
portion 19 at its
lower end. The plane of each safety hook 12 is parallel to the plane of the
corresponding
hook 11. Each safety hook 12 is dimensioned so that the lower edge of the L
shaped
portion 19 of the safety hook lies just above the end of the hook portion 11b
of the hook 11
3o when the safety hook 12 hangs in the closed position.
Figures 1, 2 and 3 show part of the handle bars of a lugs cart 20:- the handle
bars 21 are
secured together by a lifting bracket 22 which is rigidly secured to the
handle bars and offers
a convenient lifting point far the lugs cart 20; the bar 22 is substantially
horizontal when the
s5 lugs cart is resting flat on the ground. Since the handle bars 21 project
upwards from the
main body of the lugs cart 20, the bar 22 lies well above the main body of the
lugs cart,
CA 02423721 2003-03-27
Q
across the centre line of the loge cart- Thus, if the hooks 11 travel across
above the main
body of the loge cart 20, the hooks 11 can engage the bar 22 to lift the loge
cart.
The above described system is used as follows:- when a rider finishes with a
loge cart, the
s cart 1 is moved into position beneath the path of travel of the chairlift at
a point where the
chairlift has finished its downhill travel, turned round the bull wheel, and
is about to move
uphill. Acs shown in Figure 1, the length of the loge cart 1 is arranged
parallel to the path of
travel of the chairlift, with the handle bars 21 and the lifting bracket 22
forwards, i.e. so that
the loge cart is pointing in the intended direction of travel of the
chairlift. The loge carts may
~o be positioned using a conveyor, or manually.
Referring in particular to Figures 6 - 1 i , when the chairlift chair moves
cowards the loge cart.
the components of the transport system, and ir1 particular the hooks 11 and
12, are in the
disengaged positioned shown in Figure 6:- the longitudinal axis of each hook
11 is at an
~s acute angle to the vertical and the safety hook 12 hangs substantially
vertical. The pair of
hooks 11 aligned with the loge cart impact against the lifting bracket 22 of
that cart, as
shown in Figure 7. This pushes the hooks 12 in the direction of an-ow C,
moving the hooks
12 away from the hook portions of the hooks 11 so that the hook portions are
free to engage
the lifting bracket 22. However, the hooks 12 cannot move beyond the position
of Figure 8
Zo because of the engagement of the stop 14 with the cutout 75.
Further movement of the chair in the direction of movement of the chairtift
(arrow L) pushes
Lhe hooks 11 in the direction of arrow C also, but the biasing effect of coil
springs 23 urges
the hook portions 11 b of the hooks 11 into engagement with the bracket 22
(Figure 9). In
2s this position, the bracket 22 lies below the corresponding safety hooks 12,
which therefore
are free to swing back under gravity in the direction of arrow A, to close off
the top of the
corresponding hook portion 11 b and prevent the bracket 22 from disengagement
with the
hook portion 11 b.
3o As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the hooks 11 gradually move back towards the
carrying
position shown in Figure 11, and the safety hooks 12 swing back with the hooks
11. In the
position shown in Figure 11, the loge cart is suspended underneath the
chairlift chair by the
lifting bracket 22 and is prevented from disengagement with the hooks 11 by
the safety
hooks 12.
The loge cart is held securely in this position until the chairlift chair
approaches the end of
CA 02423721 2003-03-27
the upwards run, and it is necessary to disengage the loge cart from the chair
either just
before or just after the chairlift chair passes around the fuming bull wheel
to begin the
downward travel.
s To disengage the luge cart, it is necessary to move the safety hooks 12 away
from the
corresponding hook portions 11 b and to invert the hook portions 11 b so that
the bracket 22
can drop clear- This is achieved by rotating the shaft 5 using the lever 7 and
roller 8, as
shown in Figure 12.
~o A ramp 24 is located at the desired disengagement area: the ramp 24 is
located to one side
of the chair, such that the roller B (travelling in direction L) travels up
the ramp 24, rotating
the lever 7 in the direction of arrow D. Since the lever 7 is rigidly secured
to the end of the
shaft 5, the movement of the lever 7 rotates the shaft 5 also and with it each
collar 10; the
crosspiece 17 of the T. piece 18 rotates with the sleeve 10 and thus rotates
the hooks 11
~s also. As the hooks 11 rotate, the engagement between the stop 14 and the
cutout 15
rotates the safety hooks in the same direction, to a position at which the
enlarged pofion 18
of each safety hook 12 acts as a counterweight to swing the corresponding hook
12 clear of
the hook portion 11 b of the corresponding hook 11. This is the position shown
in Figure 12,
in which the hook portion of each hook 11 is open and the bracket 22 of the
luge cart is able
2o to drop clear of the hook.
As the chair continues its forvvard movement, the roller 8 travels dawn the
ramp 24, pivoting
the fever 7, shaft 5, hooks 11 and safety hooks 12 back to their original
position, as shown in
Figure 5.
The whole sequence is then repeated when the chair reaches the bottom of the
run, to pick
up a fresh luge cart.
The system has been described on the basis of using two spaced hooks per lugs
cart, but a
so single hook per lugs cart could be used, or more than two hooks per lugs
cart could be
used, depending upon the size and design of the lugs cart.
It will be appreciated that the above described system involves a minimum of
handling of the
lugs carts and also can provide a system in which staff are not required to
work in close
proximity to a moving chairlift, if conveyors are used to move the lugs carts
towards and
away from the chairlift.
