California Inventor Develops Platform Lift System with Integrated Ladder
Published in: US Fed News Service
Date: 5/9/2008
Jay P. Penn of Redondo Beach, Calif., has developed a platform lift apparatus.
According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: “A platform lift system includes a mounting frame that is fixedly engaged into a scuttle hole formed in a horizontal supporting surface (i.e., attic floor or room ceiling) and a foldable ladder that is supported by the frame. A separate trolley carries a lift platform that may be selectively raised or lowered in order to transport objects to/from the attic space.”
An abstract of the invention, released by the Patent Office, said: “The trolley is moveable horizontally along a track that may be provided on a floor of the attic space. At a first end of travel of the trolley along the track, the trolley is disposed laterally alongside and vertically offset from the mounting frame such that the space above the mounting frame is unimpeded to permit a user to access the attic space using the deployed ladder. At a second end of travel of the trolley along the track, the trolley is aligned vertically with the mounting frame to permit use of the lift platform. The trolley further includes a drive system that controls the movement of a plurality of lift tethers that are coupled to the platform. The platform is raised by withdrawing the lift tethers, and is lowered by paying out the lift tethers. The ladder further includes a track that provides a guide for movement of a lift platform.”
The inventor was issued U.S. Patent No. 7,357,223 on April 15.
The patent has been assigned to Spacelift Products, Inc., Redondo Beach.
The original application was filed on Nov. 28, 2006, and is available at: https://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=7,357,223.PN.&OS=PN/7,357,223&RS=PN/7,357,223.
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