Telescoping stairway for accessing attic storage space
A stairway for use in an opening formed between an attic and a floor below comprises a frame adapted to fixedly engage the opening and a plurality of stairway sections operatively coupled to the frame. The stairway sections each have a pair of rails and a plurality of steps coupled between the respective rails. The rails further comprise respective upper and lower edge surfaces having corresponding shapes to permit nesting engagement of the stairway sections on top of each other and relative parallel movement of the stairway sections with respect to each other. Successive ones of the stairway sections are operatively coupled to each other such that they remain nested while being moved relative to each other. Upon reaching an extent of travel relative to each other, orientation of the successive ones of the stairway sections changes to a substantially contiguous and axially aligned structure in which the successive stairway sections are linked end-to-end to provide a continuous stairway. One or more locking pins may be adapted to lock the successive stairway sections in an end-to-end configuration.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to foldable stairs configured for installation in an opening between floors of a structure, such as an attic stairway, or more particularly, to an easily deployable stairway that permits access to an attic space located above a garage or living quarters.
2. Description of Related Art
Many homes have attic spaces above garages and living quarters, and these attic spaces often provide a storage location for various items. While some attic spaces are finished and have access via a fixed stairway, most attic spaces remain unfinished and have more rudimentary access systems. The most basic access system is a simple opening or scuttle hole formed in the ceiling dividing the attic space from the room below. The scuttle hole is often located above a closet or hallway, and may be covered by a hatch that comprises a removable portion of ceiling, such as formed from plywood or drywall. A user would position a ladder below the opening and access the storage space by climbing through the scuttle hole.
An improvement over this basic access system is a pull-down or fold-down ladder or stairway that is permanently coupled to a hingedly attached door covering the opening. The pull-down stairway may be folded into a plurality of sections to provide a generally compact structure when stowed. The user opens the door and unfolds the stairway to bring it into an operational position. This pull-down stairway provides improved convenience since the user does not have to transport a ladder to and from the access location, and the stairway is anchored to the opening to thereby provide an increased degree of safety for the user. When the stairway is stowed, it does not take up any floor space in the room below, in contrast to fixed stairways that take up substantial space.
A drawback of fold-down stairways is that they can be very cumbersome, difficult and unsafe to deploy. Depending upon the height of the ceiling, the folded stairway sections may be out of reach for many users unless another ladder or step stool is used. The user must unfold the stairway by pivoting a substantial portion of its mass while reaching upward often well above the user's head. If the user does not maintain a firm grip on the stairway as it unfolds, the unfolded stairway portions could inadvertently swing downward and strike the user with significant force. To return the stairway to the stowed position following use, the user repeats the same procedure in reverse. These disadvantages make the use of fold-down stairways impractical and undesirable for many users, particularly older homeowners and women that lack height and sufficient upper body strength.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide an improved way to deploy an attic stairway easily and safely, while avoiding the disadvantages of conventional fold-down attic stairways.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention overcomes the disadvantages of conventional fold-down attic stairways by providing a telescoping stairway that deploys without unfolding. Instead, the stairway includes plural sections that remain nested while stowed, and deploy by extending axially with respect to each other and link end-to-end to provide a continuous stairway.
More particularly, an exemplary stairway for use in an opening formed between an attic and a floor below comprises a frame adapted to fixedly engage the opening and a plurality of stairway sections operatively coupled to the frame. The stairway sections each have a pair of rails and a plurality of steps coupled between the respective rails. The rails further comprise respective upper and lower edge surfaces having corresponding shapes to permit nesting engagement of the stairway sections on top of each other and relative parallel movement of the stairway sections with respect to each other. Successive ones of the stairway sections are operatively coupled to each other such that they remain nested while being moved relative to each other. Upon reaching an extent of travel relative to each other, orientation of the successive ones of the stairway sections changes to a substantially contiguous and axially aligned structure in which the successive stairway sections are linked end-to-end to provide a continuous stairway. A locking pin may be adapted to lock the successive stairway sections in an end-to-end configuration.
In an embodiment of the invention, the rails of at least one of the stairway sections further include a slot extending substantially an entire length of each associated one of the rails. A slide block is adapted to travel within the slot of a corresponding one of the rails, and a pair of parallel linkages coupled between the slide block and a corresponding one of the rails of a successive one of the stairway sections. The parallel linkages are oriented in a first direction when the successive stairway sections are nested relative to each other and in a second, substantially perpendicular, direction when the successive stairway sections are joined. The pair of parallel linkages may also be are vertically offset with respect to each other. At least one locking pin may be adapted to lock at least one of the parallel linkages in the second direction. The slide block may further include at least one roller adapted to engage the slot to facilitate low friction movement of the slide block within the slot.
In another embodiment of the invention, a door is hingedly attached to the frame with at least a first one of the stairway sections being fixedly coupled to the door. A locking finger is operatively coupled to the frame and oriented to engage a corresponding opening of the door to thereby lock the door in a closed position when the stairway sections are stowed. A manual release lever may be adapted to disengage the locking finger from the opening. Alternatively, a release cable may be adapted to disengage the locking finger from the opening upon deployment of the stairway sections.
In another embodiment of the invention, at least one slider rail is coupled to the first one of the stairway sections. The frame further comprises a pivot point that slidably engages the at least one slider rail, wherein the slider rail defines a range of motion of the plurality of stairway sections in pivoting from a substantially horizontal stowed orientation to a deployed orientation disposed at a predetermined angle from horizontal. The slider rail may further comprise an end stop defining a limit of travel of the slider rail with respect to the pivot point. The slider rail may further comprise a temporary stop prior to the end stop defining an initial angle for deployment of the stairway sections prior to coming into contact with the floor.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, at least one deployment cable is associated with each rail of the plurality of stairway sections. The deployment cable controls relative movement of the plurality of stairway sections such that relative movement in a stairway deployment direction is provided by paying out the deployment cable and relative movement in a stairway stowing direction is provided by retracting the deployment cable. A rotatable drive screw carrying at least one pulley is engaged with the. Rotation of the drive screw in a first direction provides paying out of the deployment cable and rotation of the drive screw in a second direction provides retraction of the deployment cable. An electric motor may be operatively coupled to the drive screw to enable powered rotation of the drive screw in either the first or second directions. The electric motor and the drive screw may be coupled to the frame, or may be disposed within at least one of the plurality of stairway sections. Alternatively, a removable crank may be adapted to be operatively coupled to the drive screw to enable manual rotation of the drive screw. A pull rope may also be operatively coupled to the drive screw to enable manual rotation of the drive screw. The pull rope may be adapted to retract when not in use, with a removable hook adapted to retrieve the pull rope when retracted.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the upper edge surfaces of the plurality of stairway sections further comprise a generally convex rounded shape, and the lower edge surfaces of the plurality of stairway sections further comprises a generally concave rounded shaped adapted to nest with the generally convex rounded shape of the upper edge surfaces. The lower edge surfaces of at least one of the plurality of stairway sections may further comprises at least one roller adapted to enable low friction sliding engagement between successive ones of the stairway sections.
A more complete understanding of the telescoping stairway will be afforded to those skilled in the art, as well as a realization of additional advantages and objects thereof, by a consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment. Reference will be made to the appended sheets of drawings, which will first be described briefly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 4B1-4B3 are views of an exemplary manual drive mechanism for the stairway, in which
FIGS. 4C1-4C2 are side views of another exemplary manual drive mechanism for the stairway, in which
FIGS. 4D1-4D2 are top views of a drive mechanism as shown in
The present invention satisfies the need for an attic stairway that can be deployed safely and easily without the drawbacks of the conventional fold-down attic stairways. In the detailed description that follows, like element numerals are used to describe like elements illustrated in one or more figures.
Referring first to
The mounting frame 10 carries a plurality of stacked stairway sections. As best shown in
In an embodiment of the invention, the steps 114 may be adapted to snap or bolt into ladder sections 111, 121, and 131. To minimize space required for shipping, it is anticipated that the steps be left unattached to the ladder sections. The ladder sections 111, 121, and 131 would be folded by 90° from its normal (installed) operating position so as to lay parallel to the plane of the door 15 by use of rotating stowage pivot 151. Alternately, stowage pivot 151 could be substituted for a snap-in joint between the door 15 and ladder section 111 to provide improved packaging efficiency during shipping.
The stairway sections are coupled together by a plurality of slide linkages. As best shown in
Referring briefly to
In an embodiment of the invention, the stairway sections are deployed by a drive mechanism that includes drive motor 11, drive screw 21, pulleys 16, 26 and cables 18, 19 (see
The exemplary deployment sequence for the stairway sections is illustrated in
Each of the stairway sections include corresponding deployment cables. Each of these corresponding deploying cables are in communication with and also exert tension on cables 18 and 19. The tension that each of the corresponding deployment cables exerts on cables 18 and 19 determines the deployment sequence, such that whichever set of cables corresponding to a section of the ladder currently exerts the higher tension on cables 18 and 19 will deploy and the other ladder sections will remain in their relative positions. In
In
Referring now to
With the pulley adjust nut bracket 24 disposed at a right side of the drive screw 21 (as seen in
Returning to
An alternative embodiment of the drive mechanism is shown in FIGS. 4B1-4B4. As shown in
Another alternative embodiment of the drive mechanism is shown in FIGS. 4C1-4C2. As in the preceding embodiment, the motor 11 is replaced with a deploy spool 40 and a stow spool 44 each axially coupled to the drive screw 21. A length of rope 45 has ends wound onto each of the spools 40, 44, forming a loop of rope that passes through an opening in the door 15. An internal spring 42 coupled to the deploy spool 40 within a bracket 43 causes the deploy spool to wind up the excess rope. By pulling the rope in a first direction, the deploy spool 40 can be caused to rotate the drive screw 21 and thereby pay out the cables 18, 19 in the same manner as described above, with the excess rope winding onto the stow spool. The stairway can be stowed by pulling the rope in the opposite direction. When not in use, the rope will wind onto the deploy spool 40 by operation of the internal spring 42. The door 15 is provided with an indentation 46 that permits capture of the rope using a suitable hook 47 when it is desired to deploy the stairway. Although not shown, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that the rope driven drive mechanism could be combined with a clutch arrangement such that the rope can drive the shaft but not vice versa. This allows the rope to function as a backup drive mechanism to deploy the stairway.
Referring now to
As with the drive mechanism discussed above, the arrangement of pulleys provides an extension of cable 109 by a distance that is a multiple of the corresponding movement of the clevis 168. In the embodiment of the invention shown in
The second stairway section 121 includes a similar arrangement of pulleys and cables. After cable 109 enters the opening in the second stairway section 121, the cable 109 is guided into the interior of the stairway section 121 by guide pulley 186 to a termination point 193 at the back of clevis 192. Pulley 186 rotates on shaft 190, which is fixed to the interior structure of the second stairway section 121. Clevis 192 carries pulley 187 on shaft 191. Pulley 187 controls the slack of a third cable 209 that enables the deployment of the third stairway section 131. The second stairway section 121 further includes pulleys 188, 189 carried by respective shafts 195, 210. Shaft 195 is movable in a slot 197 against a bias provided by tension in the cables. The shaft 210 is fixed to the interior of second stairway section 121. Cable 209 originates at movable shaft 195, then passes around pulley 187, then back around pulley 188, then to pulley 189. Thereafter, the cable 209 exits through an opening in the body of the second stairway section 121 and enters a corresponding opening of third stairway section 131. Thus, as the payout of cable 109 is increased, pulley 187 moves closer to pulley 188, thereby increasing the payout of cable 209 exiting from second stairway section 121. The movable shaft 195 is further coupled to cable 182, that controls a release of a locking mechanism that couples the first and second stairway sections 111, 121 together (described below).
The arrangement of pulleys in the second stairway section 121 provides an extension of cable 209 by a distance that is a multiple of the corresponding movement of the clevis 192. In the embodiment of the invention shown in
Referring now to
A separate structure controls release of a locking mechanism that couples the first and second stairway sections 111, 121 together. The release structure includes cable 306 coupled to movable shaft 280, pulleys 307, 308, 309, and lever arm 303. Lever arm 303 is mounted to the interior of first stairway section 111 at pivot point 305. Cable 306 extends from movable shaft 280, around pulley 307, and terminates at an end of lever arm 303. The opposite end of lever arm 303 has cable 316 coupled thereto. Cable 316 is guided successively by pulleys 308, 309 to the locking mechanism (not shown). When tension is applied to cable 19, such as to retract the stairway sections, pulley 281 is caused to move leftward within slot 288. This transfers tension to cable 306, causing the lever arm 303 to pivot counterclockwise, in turn causing the cable 316 to withdraw and disengage the locking mechanism. Following the initial tension applied to pulley 281, the pulley 281 will return to the approximate center of the slot 288 by back tension applied by cable 109.
An alternative locking mechanism is illustrated in
As discussed above, the second and third stairway sections 121, 131 connect together to form a contiguous rail before the entire stairway assembly pivots the final portion before coming to rest on the floor. This portion of the stairway deployment is controlled by a slider release mechanism shown in
More particularly, a slider 339 carries the pivot joint 117 and is adapted to travel along the length of the slider rail 116. The slider includes a plunger 331 biased into a retracted position by spring 332. The plunger 331 includes a pin 335 that travels within a slot 336, which defines a range of travel of the plunger 331. Release cable 334 controls the movement of plunger 331 against the spring bias. The release cable 334 is guided by roller 337, passes through an opening in pivot joint 117, and terminates at pin 335 of plunger 331. During stairway deployment, the tension in release cable 334 pulls the plunger 331 against the spring bias into engagement with the partial stop of the slider rail 116. This precludes stop 330 on the slider rail 116 from dropping thus preventing the stop 330 from being in contact with the top surface of slider 339 and thus full deployment of the stairway. After the second and third stairway sections 121, 131 have coupled together to form a contiguous rail, the tension in release cable 334 drops so that it cannot overcome the spring bias, thereby retracting the plunger 331 to permit the full extension of the slider rail 116 until stop 330 comes into contact with the top of slider 339.
Referring now to
The door release plunger can be activated either automatically or manually. The automatic activation includes release tether 83 that is coupled to an end of the plunger shaft 71. The release tether 83 is guided by rollers 79, 81. Tension applied to the release tether 83 causes the plunger to pivot on pivot point 72 to cause the head 70 to release from the engagement with the receptacle 85. Thereafter, the head 70 will return to the original position by operation of the spring 73 and damper 74. The receptacle 85 includes a rounded top surface that guides the head 70 to engagement with the receptacle when the door 15 is closed. Manual activation of the plunger is provided by release lever 86 that is coupled to plunger head 70 and extends through opening 87 in door 15. Manual movement of the exposed end of release lever 86 causes the plunger head 70 to disengage from the receptacle 85.
Referring briefly to
While the three stairway sections are deploying, tension in cable 19 remains high while nevertheless still being much lower than that required to release the door 15. This deployment action also keeps cable 83 retracted. Cable 83 branches off to spring 380 at one end and cable 334 coupled to the far end of the spring. During deployment, the tension in cable 19 exerts force on spring 380 and cable 334, and ultimately overcomes the spring bias applied by spring 332 to prevent full deployment of the slider rail 116. As discussed earlier, when all three stairway sections are fully aligned and locked, the tension in cable 19 and spring 380 and cable 334 in direct communication is reduced to a level that is lower than the bias of the spring 332, thus allowing full extension of slider rail 116 to complete the deployment of the stairway. The purpose of spring 380 is to allow cable 83 to fully retract upon the initial deployment sequence (and following the plunger 331 being fully extended against the slider rail 116), thus allowing the door release mechanism to function properly. Accordingly, the spring constant (force) of spring 380 is selected to be much higher than that of spring 332 so not to disrupt the normal function of spring 332 that is intended to operate with lower cable forces.
An alternative stairway deployment mechanism is shown in
Stairway section 121 is further shown as including motor 230 and drive screw 231. The motor 230 is mounted to the interior of stairway section 121 and rotationally drives the drive screw 231. The opposite end of drive screw 231 turns within mount 232. A pulley adjust nut 233 is threadingly engaged with the drive screw 231 such that the pulley adjust nut moves axially along the length of the drive screw 231 as the drive screw rotates. Pulley adjust nut bracket 234 is carried by the pulley adjust nut 233, and in turn carries upper pulley 238 and lower pulley 245. Upper pulley 238 controls the paying out of cable 242 that enables the deployment of the third stairway section 131. Pulleys 236, 237 are fixedly mounted within the stairway section 121 and share a common axle 241. Cable 242 originates at the pulley adjust nut bracket 234, extends around pulley 236, back to upper pulley 238, then back around pulley 237, after which the cable 242 exits the stairway section 121 and engages stairway section 131. With the pulley adjust nut bracket 234 disposed relatively close to the motor 230, the slack in the cable 242 is taken up by the paths between the pulleys 236, 237 and pulley 238. Operation of the motor 230 causes the pulley adjust nut bracket 234 to move and thereby take up the slack in the cable 242. Thus, the drive mechanism produces an extension of cable 242 by a distance that is a multiple of the corresponding movement of the pulley adjust nut bracket 234. It should be appreciated that the first stairway section 111 would have a similar deployment mechanism to facilitate relative deployment of the second stairway section 121.
The lower pulley 245 serves to drive a corresponding mechanism located in the opposite side rail of the stairway section 121. More specifically, the opposite side rail includes a similar mechanism with a drive screw and pulley adjust nut bracket carrying an upper and lower pulley, though it does not include a motor. Instead, the lower pulley 245 shown in
An alternative embodiment of the slide block used to join adjacent stairway section rails is shown in
Lastly,
It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that micro-switches or other like devices that can sense position could be placed in key positions on the stairway to aid in the deployment sequence. More specifically, one or more micro-switches may be positioned to close when the hinge 14 is in the horizontal position and thus the ladder is stowed. Yet another micro-switch could be positioned to close when hinge 14 is in the maximum rotated position, such that it is fully deployed approximately 27° from the vertical. Other micro-switches may be positioned in locations that allow detection that bolts 311 are in the locked position indicating that the first-to-second stairway sections and second-to-third stairway sections are fully deployed and locked together. Additional micro-switches or sensors may be located to sense the door release mechanism position, such as via the position of cable 83 and under the foot of the ladder 364. The above micro-switches and/or sensors could be coupled to a central control unit that receives user input to activate the drive motor 11. Alternately, the micro-switches may provide position feedback that provides an input used to trigger audible or visual alarms, including lights or colored LEDs, such as to indicate deployment status of the stairway. It is further anticipated that the micro-switches or sensors could be positioned at the appropriate locations on both sides of the stairway. It is further anticipated that a mechanical linkage from the lower stairway sections may trigger a micro-switch on the first stairway section 111, such as using a protruding pin that is in communication with the bolt 311 positioned in the corresponding lower section of the stairway. This approach would be advantageous by eliminating (a) the potential for binding of electrical wires across the stairway sections, (b) the need for independent power sources for each stairway section, and/or (c) corrosion of electrical connectors that provide electrical connectivity between the stairway sections.
Having thus described a preferred embodiment of a telescoping attic stairway, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain advantages have been achieved. It should also be appreciated that various modifications, adaptations, and alternative embodiments thereof may be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention. The invention is defined solely by the following claims.
Claims
1. A stairway for use in an opening formed between an attic and a floor below, comprising:
- a frame adapted to fixedly engage the opening;
- a plurality of stairway sections operatively coupled to the frame and each having a pair of rails and a plurality of steps coupled between the respective rails, the rails further comprising respective upper and lower edge surfaces having corresponding shapes to permit nesting engagement of the stairway sections on top of each other and relative parallel movement of the stairway sections with respect to each other;
- wherein, successive ones of the stairway sections are operatively coupled to each other such that they remain nested while being moved relative to each other, and upon reaching an extent of travel relative to each other, orientation of the successive ones of the stairway sections changes to a substantially contiguous and axially aligned structure in which the successive stairway sections are linked end-to-end to provide a continuous stairway.
2. The stairway of claim 1, wherein the rails of at least one of the stairway sections further include a slot extending substantially an entire length of each associated one of the rails.
3. The stairway of claim 2, further comprising a slide block adapted to travel within the slot of a corresponding one of the rails, and a pair of parallel linkages coupled between the slide block and a corresponding one of the rails of a successive one of the stairway sections, the parallel linkages being oriented in a first direction when the successive stairway sections are nested relative to each other and in a second, substantially perpendicular, direction when the successive stairway sections are joined.
4. The stairway of claim 3, wherein the pair of parallel linkages are vertically offset with respect to each other.
5. The stairway of claim 3, further comprising at least one locking pin adapted to lock at least one of the parallel linkages in the second direction.
6. The stairway of claim 3, wherein the slide block further comprises at least one roller adapted to engage the slot to facilitate low friction movement of the slide block within the slot.
7. The stairway of claim 1, further comprising a door hingedly attached to the frame, at least a first one of the stairway sections being fixedly coupled to the door.
8. The stairway of claim 7, further comprising a locking finger operatively coupled to the frame and oriented to engage a corresponding opening of the door to thereby lock the door in a closed position when the stairway sections are stowed.
9. The stairway of claim 8, further comprising a manual release lever adapted to disengage the locking finger from the opening.
10. The stairway of claim 8, further comprising a release cable adapted to disengage the locking finger from the opening upon deployment of the stairway sections.
11. The stairway of claim 7, further comprising a pivot joint coupling the rails of the first one of the stairway sections to the door, the pivot joint permitting the rails of the stairway sections to be folded parallel to the door to provide a compact profile.
12. The stairway of claim 1, wherein the steps are selectively detachable from the rails.
13. The stairway of claim 1, further comprising at least one slider rail coupled to the first one of the stairway sections, the frame further comprising a pivot point that slidably engages the at least one slider rail, wherein the slider rail defines a range of motion of the plurality of stairway sections in pivoting from a substantially horizontal stowed orientation to a deployed orientation disposed at a predetermined angle from horizontal.
14. The stairway of claim 13, wherein the at least one slider rail further comprises an end stop defining a limit of travel of the slider rail with respect to the pivot point.
15. The stairway of claim 14, wherein the at least one slider rail further comprises a temporary stop prior to the end stop defining an initial angle for deployment of the stairway sections prior to coming into contact with the floor.
16. The stairway of claim 1, further comprising at least one deployment cable associated with each rail of the plurality of stairway sections, the at least one deployment cable controlling relative movement of the plurality of stairway sections such that relative movement in a stairway deployment direction is provided by paying out the at least one deployment cable and relative movement in a stairway stowing direction is provided by retracting the at least one deployment cable.
17. The stairway of claim 16, further comprising a rotatable drive screw carrying at least one pulley engaged with the at least one deployment cable, wherein rotation of the drive screw in a first direction provides paying out of the at least one deployment cable and rotation of the drive screw in a second direction provides retraction of the at least one deployment cable.
18. The stairway of claim 17, further comprising an electric motor operatively coupled to the drive screw to enable powered rotation of the drive screw in selected ones of the first and second directions.
19. The stairway of claim 18, wherein the electric motor and the drive screw are coupled to the frame.
20. The stairway of claim 18, wherein the electric motor and the drive screw are disposed within at least one of the plurality of stairway sections.
21. The stairway of claim 17, further comprising a removable crank adapted to be operatively coupled to the drive screw to enable manual rotation of the drive screw in selected ones of the first and second directions.
22. The stairway of claim 17, further comprising a pull rope operatively coupled to the drive screw to enable manual rotation of the drive screw in selected ones of the first and second directions.
23. The stairway of claim 22, wherein the pull rope is adapted to retract when not in use.
24. The stairway of claim 23, further comprising a removable hook adapted to retrieve the pull rope when retracted.
25. The stairway of claim 17, further comprising a control circuit adapted to control operation of the electric motor.
26. The stairway of claim 25, wherein the control circuit includes at least one micro-switch adapted to sense a deployment condition of at least one of the stairway sections.
27. The stairway of claim 1, wherein the plurality of stairway sections further comprises at least three stairway sections.
28. The stairway of claim 1, wherein the plurality of stairway sections further comprises at least two stairway sections.
29. The stairway of claim 1, further comprising at least one locking pin adapted to lock the successive stairway sections in an end-to-end configuration.
30. The stairway of claim 1, wherein the upper edge surfaces of the plurality of stairway sections further comprises a generally convex rounded shape, and the lower edge surfaces of the plurality of stairway sections further comprises a generally concave rounded shaped adapted to nest with the generally convex rounded shape of the upper edge surfaces.
31. The stairway of claim 1, wherein the lower edge surfaces of at least one of the plurality of stairway sections further comprises at least one roller adapted to enable low friction sliding engagement between successive ones of the stairway sections.
32. The stairway of claim 1, further comprising at least one handrail coupled to at least one of the plurality of stairway sections.
33. The stairway of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of stairway sections adapted to come into contact with the floor further comprises an adjustable foot.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 14, 2005
Publication Date: Dec 14, 2006
Inventor: Jay Penn (Redondo Beach, CA)
Application Number: 11/153,763
International Classification: E04F 11/00 (20060101);