The present invention relates to a movable skirt in a lift or elevator cabin.

In the lift sector, the term"skirt"defines a lower extension of the cabin and a similar extension (although normally a smaller one) of the floor door.

Such skirts are normally made of metal plate and have protective functions.

The cabin skirt, which is applied substantially as a lower extension of the cabin floor, serves the purpose of avoiding the danger of persons falling into the cabin shaft if the cabin does not stop exactly at the floor, but above it: in this case the skirt fills the empty space that would be created and prevents the person from falling into the cabin shaft.

Current building codes provide for the cabin skirt to extend inferiorly for at least 750 mm.

However, when renovating old systems one may find lift pits with a lesser depth than 750 mm and hence not suitable for housing this skirt.

To avoid the need for major, costly construction works, the only alternative option available today is that of using a shorter skirt, which however is not compliant with legal requirements.

DOSCLOSURE OF INVENTION.

The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks and to make available a cabin skirt that is compliant with the law and can be applied even when renovating systems whose pits have a depth of less than 750 mm.

A further aim is to obtain this in an extremely simple and economical manner.

Said aims are fully achieved by the skirt of the present invention, which is characterised by the contents of the claims set out below and in particular in that it is so shaped as to vary its own height automatically, reducing it from the normal height required, when the

skirt penetrates into the lift pit and the cabin is at the lowest floor of the system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.

This and other features shall become more readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated, purely by way of non limiting example, in the accompanying drawing tables, in which: -Figure 1 shows a front view of the skirt; -Figures 2 and 3 show a lateral view of the skirt, respectively in position of maximum and minimum extension; -Figures 4 and 5 show a lateral view of the skirt, in two different operative configurations, in an embodiment variation.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION.

With reference to the figures, the number 1 globally indicates a movable skirt, comprising a portion 2 that is fixed (relative to the cabin) and is anchored in a known way to the lower part of a door 5 of a lift cabin 6 (or to the cabin itself as shown in Figure 4), only partially shown herein because it is known.

The skirt, as shown in Figures 1,2 and 3, comprises a movable portion 3, able to slide relative to the fixed portion by means of linear sliding guides 4.

In the example shown in the figure, the movable portion slides on the fixed one, but according to a variation, not shown herein, it can slide within the fixed portion.

The fixed portion has an upper appendage 2a for anchoring the cabin of the lift or elevator, whilst the movable portion 3 has a lower appendage 3a destined to come in contact with a floor or base 11 of the lift pit, automatically causing the sliding of the movable portion 3 relative to the fixed portion 2 with the consequent reduction of the vertical extension of the skirt.

This occurs when the cabin is at the lowest floor of the system, whilst when the cabin

climbs the skirt automatically extends anew and returns to the initial size, shown in Figure 2, which provides for the vertical extension of the skirt to be at least 750 mm.

The extension of the skirt during the climbing of the cabin is produced by the force of gravity itself, i. e. by the weight of the movable portion, which slides downward until reaching a maximum extension end stop.

The sliding guides 4 are provided with balls to allow for a better sliding of the movable portion 3 relative to the fixed portion 2.

The skirt 1 is therefore a telescopic skirt, with variable vertical extension, which automatically reduces its extension (even below the measure prescribed by building codes) by contact with the base of the pit and automatically resumes its regular extension as soon as the cabin of the lift or elevator climbs.

The skirt of the present invention therefore allows to obtain the same safety results as fixed skirts in systems which, due to the insufficient depth of the pits, would not be legally compliant if simple fixed skirts were used.

According to an embodiment variation shown in Figures 4 and 5, the skirt 1 is not telescopic, but comprises a movable portion 3 hinged to the fixed portion 2 and connected to a pair of arms 7a and 7b, the latter being anchored to a lower extension 8 of the cabin.

Under normal conditions the arms are positioned on a same straight line, as shown in Figure 4, in which they are at their bottom dead centre and they constitute a reaction to any transverse forces exerted on the skirt, for instance in the direction indicated by an arrow 9, in such a way as to prevent the rotation of the movable portion 3.

When instead the cabin descends in proximity to the lower end stop, an element 10 anchored to the base of the shaft in which the cabin travels exerts a pressure against one of the arms, in particular the arm 7b as shown in Figure 5. This causes the rotation of the movable portion 3 until it lies substantially horizontal with the consequent reduction of the vertical extension of the skirt 1.

The skirt then resumes its normal configuration when the cabin climbs again, by simple force of gravity which brings the arms 7a and 7b to their lower dead centre.