Motion connection parallel transit
A long distance transit system for transferring passengers at a high rate of speed, the transit system comprises at least one mainline train, at least one station train, a rail system having at least one station with at least one mainline track and at least one station line. At least one mainline train travels exclusively on the at least one mainline track and the at least one station train travels on at least one station line. At least one mainline train travels at a consistent speed on at least one mainline track. At least one station train travels from at least one station to at least one mainline track reaching a speed substantially equal to that of the at least one mainline train and traveling adjacent thereto.
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCHNot Applicable
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to a transit system wherein passengers board and exit while at high speeds.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONSafe, fast, and energy efficient forms of travel are always in demand. The airlines are not as energy efficient as other forms of travel and hijacking is a possible threat in that the plane can be used as a missile of sorts. This results in long security lines. The rail system we currently have makes many stops and only services a small portion of the country. These stops and starts also increase energy use. A transit system that can travel at high speeds and cover thousands of miles without stopping is of great demand.
The instant invention, as disclosed within this application, fills this need. The art referred to and/or described within this application is not intended to constitute an admission that any patent, publication or other information referred to herein is “prior art” with respect to this invention. In addition, this section should not be construed to mean that a search has been made or that no other pertinent information as defined in 37 C.F.R. §1.56(a) exists.
All US patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Without limiting the scope of the invention a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.
A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification is provided as well only for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. 1.72. The abstract is not intended to be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn at least one embodiment, a long distance transit system transfers passengers and/or cargo at a high rate of speed. The transit system has a mainline train, a station train, and a rail system having at least one station with at least one mainline track and at least one station line. The mainline train travels exclusively on a mainline track and a station train travels on a station line. In at least one embodiment, the mainline train travels at a consistent rate of speed on the mainline track and a station train travels from the station to the mainline track reaching a speed substantially equal to that of the mainline train and travels adjacent thereto.
In at least one embodiment, passengers can pass from the mainline train to the station train when the trains are adjacent one another.
In at least one embodiment, the rail system includes multiple station lines and a single mainline track.
In at least one embodiment, the mainline train and/or the station train are electrically propelled.
In at least one embodiment, portions of the station lines are adjacent to and separate from the mainline track.
In at least one embodiment, the station lines attach to the mainline tracks.
In at least one embodiment, a platform allowing passengers to transfer from one train to another connects the mainline train to the station train.
In at least one embodiment, the passenger platform includes a mainline track platform extending from the mainline train and a station platform extending from the station train. The mainline track platform and the station platform connect to form a passenger platform.
In at least one embodiment, a wind deflector is used to protect passengers from wind while moving between the mainline train and the station train.
In at least one embodiment, a double rail system wherein the station line includes portions adjacent to the mainline track which extend along the majority of the length of the mainline track.
In at least one embodiment, multiple mainline trains travel along the mainline track at substantially equal speeds and are substantially evenly spaced from one another.
These and other embodiments which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for further understanding of the invention, its advantages and objectives obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof and the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is illustrated and described embodiments of the invention.
A detailed description of the invention is hereafter described with specific reference being made to the drawing.
While this invention may be embodied in many different forms, there are described in detail herein specific preferred embodiments of the invention. This description is an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments illustrated. It should be noted that the term “docking walls” includes the floor and ceiling of the passage formed when a train docks with another train or at a station; it can also include the sides of the passage. The term “cargo” can include freight. The terms passengers, freight, and cargo can be used interchangeably throughout this application when referring to a transfer between a mainline train and a station train. At various times one term might be used for a particular embodiment better, but this does not exclude any of the three terms when only one term is used.
In the embodiment of
Passengers and/or cargo can be transferred between the mainline train 20 and the station train 30 while maintaining a cruising speed. The station train 30 can reach a speed equal to that of the mainline train 20 such that docking walls 33 can extend from one or both of the trains 20/30 to allow transfer of passengers and/or cargo between the trains (
The passengers and/or cargo can then be transported to the station 35 which is shown schematically in
As shown in
In
Though not necessary in some embodiments, the deflector portions 34 as shown can be used. When unloading passengers at the station the deflectors may protect the passengers/cargo 50 from wind. When in transit, as shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments the mainline train is substantially larger than the station train 30. In some embodiments, the mainline train 20 has one seating section that is transferred as a block of seating into the station train 30 (this can allow the passengers to remain seated during the transfer). In some embodiments the mainline train 20 has an open section that allows for the transfer of a block of seating from the station into the open space of the mainline train 20. In some embodiments, the station train 30 can dock at least two times with the same mainline train 20: 1) to make a complete transfer of passengers to the mainline train 20 and/or 2) to receive a complete transfer of passengers from the mainline train 20. This can be done by the passengers on foot or by also transferring the seats and passengers as a whole. In order to do this the seats can be set on sliders that slide from one train through the passage of the sidewalls 33 and into the other train. A pulley system or moving walkway type technology can achieve this.
As shown in
As shown in
In
In some of the embodiments disclosed within this application the station 35 is adjacent to or immediately above (or could be immediately below) the mainline tracks 25. In some embodiments the station is located at a position that is not directly in line with the mainline track 25. In some embodiments the station 35 is a substantial distance from the track. A portion of a train system 10 is shown in
It should also be pointed out that the station track 27 as shown can actually be another mainline track such that the mainline track 25 shown serves another smaller mainline “loop” (here shown as 27).
Though the loops and mainline track disclosed in this application can cover thousands of miles, there are embodiments wherein significantly less miles are represented by the figures. In some embodiments these loops can be called micro-loops wherein the trains 20/30 travel at a slower speed and are closer to one another though at substantially regular intervals. In some embodiments the mainline trains 20 travel at speeds less than 50 mph.
The above disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not exhaustive. This description will suggest many variations and alternatives to one of ordinary skill in this art. The various elements shown in the individual figures and described above may be combined or modified for combination as desired. All these alternatives and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the claims where the term “comprising” means “including, but not limited to”.
Further, the particular features presented in the dependent claims can be combined with each other in other manners within the scope of the invention such that the invention should be recognized as also specifically directed to other embodiments having any other possible combination of the features of the dependent claims. For instance, for purposes of claim publication, any dependent claim which follows should be taken as alternatively written in a multiple dependent form from all prior claims which possess all antecedents referenced in such dependent claim if such multiple dependent format is an accepted format within the jurisdiction (e.g. each claim depending directly from claim 1 should be alternatively taken as depending from all previous claims). In jurisdictions where multiple dependent claim formats are restricted, the following dependent claims should each be also taken as alternatively written in each singly dependent claim format which creates a dependency from a prior antecedent-possessing claim other than the specific claim listed in such dependent claim below.
This completes the description of the preferred and alternate embodiments of the invention. Those skilled in the art may recognize other equivalents to the specific embodiment described herein which equivalents are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto.
Claims
1. A long distance transit system for transferring passengers at a high rate of speed, the transit system comprising at least one mainline train, at least one station train, a rail system having at least one station with at least one mainline track and at least one station line, the at least one mainline train travels exclusively on the at least one mainline track, the at least one station train traveling on the at least one station line, the at least one mainline train travels at a consistent speed on the at least one mainline track, the at least one station train travels from the at least one station to the at least one mainline track reaching a speed substantially equal to that of the at least one mainline train and traveling adjacent thereto.
2. The transit system of claim 1 wherein at least one passenger passes from the at least one mainline train to the at least one station train when the trains are adjacent one another.
3. The transit system of claim 1 wherein the rail system includes multiple station lines and a single mainline track.
4. The transit system of claim 1 wherein the at least one mainline train and the at least one station train are electrically propelled.
5. The transit system of claim 1 wherein portions of the station lines are adjacent to and separate from the mainline track.
6. The transit system of claim 1 wherein the station lines attach to the mainline tracks.
7. The transit system of claim 2 having at least one passenger platform constructed and arranged to connect the at least one mainline train to the at least one station train, the at least one passenger platform constructed and arranged to allow for transfer of passengers between the mainline train and the station train.
8. The transit system of claim 7 wherein the at least one passenger platform includes a mainline track platform extending from the at least one mainline train and a station platform extending from the at least one station train, the mainline track platform and the station platform connecting to form the at least one passenger platform.
9. The transit system of claim 7 having a wind deflector constructed and arranged to protect passengers from wind while moving between the mainline train and the station train.
10. The transit system of claim 1 being a double rail system wherein the station line includes portions adjacent to the mainline track which extend along the majority of the length of the mainline track.
11. The transit system of claim 1 wherein multiple mainline trains travel along the mainline track at substantially equal speeds and are substantially evenly spaced from one another.
12. The transit system of claim 1 wherein a transfer is made between the mainline train and the station train while the mainline train and station train while either train is disposed vertically beneath the other.
13. The transit system of claim 6 wherein a first section of the mainline track is shared with the station line and a second section of the mainline track is separate and adjacent to the station line to provide for a side transfer between the trains.
14. The transit system of claim 1 having laser sensors on the sides of the train in order to align the trains.
15. The transit system of claim 1 having multiple pairs of track, the pairs of track adjacent one another, each of the pairs of track comprising a station track and a main track.
16. The transit system of claim 1 wherein the mainline tracks are elevated, being over 40 feet off the ground.
17. The transit system of claim 16 wherein the station is disposed above the mainline tracks, the station tracks rising up to the station.
18. A long distance transit system for transferring passengers at a high rate of speed, the transit system comprising at least one mainline train, at least one station train, a rail system having at least one station with at least one mainline track and at least one station line, the at least one mainline train travels exclusively on the at least one mainline track, the at least one station train traveling on the at least one station line, the at least one mainline train travels at a consistent speed on the at least one mainline track, the at least one station train travels from the at least one station to the at least one mainline track reaching a speed substantially equal to that of the at least one mainline train and traveling adjacent thereto, the mainline train and the station train having sidewalls, the mainline train and the station train having a connected condition, in the connected condition: 1) the sidewall of the mainline train extending toward the station train and the sidewall of the station train extending towards the mainline train such that the sidewalls of each train connect to form a platform and ceiling from one train to the other, 2) wind deflectors extending from the front and back of the mainline train extending outward to connect to wind deflectors extending from the front and back of the station train, the wind deflectors protect against wind and form walls between the mainline train and the station train.
19. The transit system of claim 18 wherein laser sensors are used to align the mainline train and the station train before the connected condition.
20. The transit system of claim 18 wherein docking lock bars secure the deflectors together.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 8, 2009
Publication Date: Dec 9, 2010
Inventor: Joseph L. Parsley (Town Creek, AL)
Application Number: 12/455,819
International Classification: B61K 1/00 (20060101); B61D 47/00 (20060101); E01B 25/00 (20060101);