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Closure bar for a chair of a chair lift and chair of a chair lift having the closure bar

Closure bar for a chair of a chair lift and chair of a chair lift having the closure bar description/claims

This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of Austrian patent Application A 2006/2006, filed Dec. 4, 2006; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The invention relates to a closure bar for a chair of a chair lift including side bars and a transverse bar, in which the transverse bar has a region that points towards the legs of a passenger, when in an operating position. The invention also relates to a chair of a chair lift including such a closure bar.

Chairs for chair lifts have up to eight seats located next to one another. Such chairs have closure bars, which extend across the entire width of the chair, in order to prevent the passengers from falling or slipping out of the chair. Through the use of swivel axes located in the region of the backrest, the closure bars can be swiveled from a position in which they are located above the passengers, into a position in which the transverse bar extends in front of the passengers across their thighs. Furthermore, provision is additionally made on some closure bars for a number of foot rests, which corresponds to the number of seats.

In the closed position, the closure bar, in particular the transverse bar, generally reliably prevents the passengers from falling out. However, due to the fact that the distance between the transverse bar and the seat is dimensioned in such a manner that large passengers with longer legs can also comfortably sit underneath the transverse bar, this distance is generally too large for smaller persons, so that it is possible for those smaller passengers to slip through underneath the transverse bar, in particular if the smaller persons, due to having shorter legs, are not capable of resting their legs on the foot rests.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a closure bar for a chair of a chair lift and a chair of a chair lift having the closure bar, which overcome the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type and with which the safety of the passengers on the chair lift is increased.

With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a closure bar for a chair of a chair lift. The closure bar comprises side bars and a transverse bar. The transverse bar has a region pointing towards the legs of a passenger in an operating position of the transverse bar, and the transverse bar has remaining regions. The region pointing towards the legs of a passenger in an operating position at least partly has a higher non-slip capability than the remaining regions.

With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided a closure bar for a chair of a chair lift. The closure bar comprises two side bars each having a surface, and a transverse bar. The transverse bar has a region pointing towards the legs of a passenger in an operating position of the transverse bar. The region pointing towards the legs of a passenger in an operating position at least partly has a higher non-slip capability than the surface of the side bars.

With the objects of the invention in view, there is furthermore provided a chair for a chair lift. The chair comprises at least one seat and a closure bar according to the invention. The closure bar swings or deviates to place the transverse bar transversely above the thighs of a passenger in the operating position.

If, in the closed state, that is in the operating position, the region of the closure bar pointing downward to the legs of the passenger at least partly has a higher non-slip capability than is the case with the respective materials of the closure bars and the covers of the closure bars which are typical in the state of the art, and which materials can also be used in the invention for the remaining regions of the closure bar, the danger to the passengers of slipping through under the closure bar, is decreased.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the closure bar itself, in the region of increased non-slip capability, can either be formed of a material with increased non-slip capability or can be formed by an additional layer with an increased non-slip capability, so that an improved hold is ensured for persons in both cases.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, which is particularly reliable, the region having an increased non-slip capability extends holohedrally or all-over across the transverse bar, so that it is not only the regions of the transverse bar which directly face the passenger in the operating position that hinder slipping and falling out, if the passenger encompasses the transverse bar so as to hold on to it.

Existing chair lift constructions can be simply and cost-efficiently retrofitted with closure bars according to the invention as well.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as constructed in a closure bar for a chair of a chair lift and a chair of a chair lift having the closure bar, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

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• Utility Patent

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