Importance

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Abstract

A stairway chairlift for transporting passengers in ascending and descending directions along a stairway includes a rail mounted adjacent one stairway wall and further includes a motorized chair unit movable along the rail. A seat, for carrying the passenger, is mounted to the top of the chair unit, and a swivel mechanism permits the seat to be rotated around a vertical axis to facilitate movement of the passenger onto and off of the seat. To minimize interference with ordinary use of the stairway, the seat is pivotally mounted to a horizontal plate which moves inwardly or outwardly in response to rotation of the seat so as to maintain a substantially constant clearance between the seat and the stairway wall. To further reduce interference with ordinary use of the stairway, the seat can be folded upwardly, as can be a foot rest mounted adjacent the lower end of the chair unit. A pair of arms, having inwardly curved end portions, can be lowered to form a retaining barrier around the seat as a passenger is being transported, and can be raised to permit the passenger to leave the seat after such transportation has been completed.

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First Claim