The present invention is related to a staircase climbing aid device.

Numerous older apartment houses have no lifts instal¬ led, partly caused by the substantial costs connected with installation of such and partly because the building as such does not allow for installation of a lift. Several such buildings, however, comprise staircases and stairs provided with banisters on opposite stairs having a distance between them and furthermore lacking any connection between the stairs of the different loors except for the walls of the staircase. Thus there exists a continuous free space from the ground floor to the top floor ceiling, also at all floors extending above the banisters to the space above each stair and stair landing.

In numerous such apartment houses lacking a lift and also lacking a possibility for installation of one, many people living there have problems climbing all the stairs, especially when carrying goods, such as food. It gets harder year by year to climb stairs for everybody.

The present invention provides a climbing aid device for such persons, which aid, by given conditions, to a certain extent can be utilized to draw the person up the stairs and additionally to lift goods of different kinds to a desired floor. Use of the present invention is however preferably limited to staircases having a certain minimum distance between the banisters, thereby allowing space for the pulling system without hindrances. With certain precautions, such as a wire pulling the handle of the aid device downward to the ground floor when not in use, the principle also may be used where there is no free space between the banisters

The aid mechanism may be used to lift goods only or to give a person a pulling aid up the stairs or both. The system also provides a high degree of personal safety as the upwards directed drawing force will stop if a certain maximum load is exceeded. Furthermore the user may start and stop the operation with his hand.

The above mentioned advantages are achieved with the staircase climbing aid device according to the present invention, as disclosed by the features stated in the claims.

The drawing discloses in Figure 1 schematically a s vertical section through a staircase having one embodiment of the present invention installed, Figure 2 discloses a modified embodiment of the present invention, in a vertical section corresponding to Figure 1, Figure 3 discloses a further em¬ bodiment adopted for transportation of goods in the stair space, opposite to the embodiment according to Figure 2, and Figure 4 discloses a ground view of a stair case having the device according to the present invention installed.

In Figure 1 one embodiment of the present invention is disclosed, comprising a driving device 6 arranged on the bottom floor in the middle between the banisters 2 in a staircase having walls 3. From the drive mechanism 6 a wire 1 is guided around a pulley 7 under the ceiling in the upper floor and down to the drive mechanism 6. To the wire 1 is secured a connector 5 to which is connected a shorter wire 4 with a handle 10. The wire 4 is connected to the connector 5 in a swivel way such that the handle 10 can be turned around the wire 1 without twisting the wire l _r by means of a glider bearing or such.

Figure 2 discloses a further embodiment of the inven¬ tion, in which the drive mechanism 8 conveniently is arranged at the upper floor, such as disclosed in Figure 2. From the drive mechanism 8 at the uppermost floor, or from the drive mechanism arranged near the ceiling, a wire 1 extends via a pulley 7 in the ceiling down through the free space in the middle of the staircase. To the lower end of the wire 1 is secured a hook as disclosed in Figure 2 or a handle 10 as disclosed in Figure 3. The hook in Figure 2 may be used for transportation of goods, such as a carrier bag 9 the hook and thereby the goods being transported in the space between the banisters 2. At a point above the hook a wire 4 is secured, having at its lower end a handle 10. The present embodiment only comprises one single wire 1 extending from the ceiling of the staircase down to the ground floor, which wire 1 is lifted by the electrically activated drive mechanism 8 which is controlled directly or via radio control by switches on the handle 10, as is the case also

in the first disclosed embodiment according to Figure 1.

By means of the switches on the handle 10 it is possible to start and stop the movement of the wire 1. If the wire 1 is loaded with a weight exceeding a predetermined value, the drive mechanism 8 stops, to ensure that persons are not drawn unwillingly up the stairs.

The speed of the wire 1 is adjusted to the speed in which a person climbs the stairs and as can be seen in Figure 3, the handle and the wire 4 can be held by a person independently of where in the staircase the person is located at the moment. Certainly the wire 4 and the handle 10 may be used without any goods or weight secured to the hook at the lower end.

If the handle is not activated during a predetermined period of time, such as 15 seconds, the wire 4 will be lowered down to the ground and rest here until a new user again activates the system. In case of the embodiment disclosed in Figure 2, the handle 10 may be situated on the stair side of the banister 2 when the time period expires after which the wire is lowered if not in use. In such a case the wire 1 therefore is lifted so much that the handle 10 is lifted above the banister 2 whereafter the drive mechanism 8 rests for a predetermined period of time to ensure that possible swinging of the wire 1, the wire 4, the hook and the handle 10, has decreased to such an extent that lowering of the same with certainty will take place in the open space between the banisters 2.

If desired, it can be assured that only authorized persons can use the lifting aid, such as by use of a key to be inserted in a locking device in the handle 10 before use or preferably by inserting of an admittance card and tipping a personal code on a control panel situated at the ground floor.

Furthermore it is advantageous to have the lifting system giving a signal by sound or light, or both, before the cable 1 is lifted upwards thereafter to be lowered to the ground floor. In this way a user on the way up the stairs may rest or talk with other persons at any level. The person then, when the signal is given, presses a button on the handle thereby in¬ dicating that the lifting device is occupied. The delay period from last activation thereby is extended further. This button may be the same as the one used to activate the drive mechanism or

a special button. With the lifting aid system according to the present invention, a person is given an aid for climbing stairs in a staircase by the upwardly directed force of a wire. It is, however, of importance that the person involved is able to completely control the speed and force encountered in the wire. Additionally, the lifting device allows for lifting goods simultaneously with the aid to a person climbing the stairs.

If desired the handle 10 with the load may be connected directly to the lower end of the wire 1, thereby omitting the hook as such, the hook thereby being connected with the handle 10 directly or preferably by a short wire such as disclosed in Figure 3. By such a modification the user does not need to lift the carrier bag with goods to the level of the banister 2 or above before hooking it to the wire, an operation which for many persons may be troublesome.

In a preferred embodiment, a control panel is arranged at the ground floor. An authorized user confirms the authorization by means of a key, a card or a code. A desired speed for the wire may be preprogrammed and adjusted according to the users personal code, or the user may set the system for a desired wire speed. The control panel ensures that only authorized persons may use the system and furthermore ensures that the wire speed is adjusted to the specific needs for a certain user. The handle 10 comprises a control button for start and stop as well as a control button for lowering the handle in such a way that the hook easily can be fixed to a bag 9 or such.

When pressing and holding the start button, the wire is drawn up by the drive mechanism 8 whereby the user is climbing the stairs. When releasing the button, the drive mechanism 8 instantly stops. Such needs may arise when the person walks across the stair landings or feels the need for a rest. If the start button is not activated within a preset period of time, the handle 10 is lifted so much above the stairs that on the hook is free to swing into the middle space between the banisters. The wire rests for a further predetermined time to ensure that swinging of the wire has decreased so much that the handle as well as the hook is kept between the banisters when lowering the handle 10 to the ground floor, in which position the system is

ready for the next user.

The control of the drive mechanism 8 may be by direct electrical connection from the handle to the drive mechanism, or by means of a radio transmitter from the handle.