Abstract:
Compensating landing plates automatically deploy from a subway or railroad car as its doors open in spanning any gap spacing between the car and a station platform where the car stops.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    A Provisional Patent Application covering the invention described herein was filed Dec. 7,  2006 , and assigned Ser. No. 60/873,243. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program. 
       REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
       [0003]    NOT APPLICABLE 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    This invention relates to manners of avoiding injuries to passengers boarding and alighting from subway and railroad cars, in general, and to compensations for existing gap spacings in platform constructions,in particular. 
         [0006]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0007]    Injuries to train passengers as a result of platform gap spacing has come more-and-more to the forefront. Such injuries were previously derided as resulting from the passenger&#39;s own carelessness in not noting the gaps that existed. “Being in a hurry”, “being too busy talking to another person”, “not looking”, were just some of the “reasons” spouted as to why the injuries occurred—and by implication, how they could have been avoided. Suggestions to avoid opportunities for accidents and injuries to arise have frequently been presented as common-sense solutions, such as: a) leave yourself plenty of time; b) be careful of slippery conditions; c) be careful around tracks and platforms; d) use handrails when boarding and exiting; and e) watch for a platform gap. Only through the actions of personal injury lawyers in the past few years have the inadequacies of platform and train design been revealed as the major cause of these accidents—almost all of them, tragically, resulting in major and significant injuries, and occasionally deaths. 
         [0008]    As has previously been set forth, railway trains have been in use as a popular mode of transportation for well over a century. In the course of its travel, a railway train stops at various train stations along a predetermined route to pick up and discharge passengers and/or cargo. During a typical stop, the railway train approaches and enters a train station and moves into a position of adjacent proximity with a station platform, aligning at least one of its sides with the station platform&#39;s edge. Invariably, there is a gap between the side of the train car and the edge of the station platform. This gap varies in size but may be quite significant, especially if the station platform or the apparatus to the platform is curved. The gap between the train and the station platform poses a danger to the boarding and alighting passengers who may accidentally fall partially or entirely into the gap. The danger is especially great with respect to elderly, handicapped, and young passengers. 
         [0009]    As a result of the personal injury lawyers&#39; activities, remedial actions have started to be taken: a) recorded station announcements to be careful of the platform gap are increasingly being made to alert boarding passengers as to the problem; b) conductor announcements are being made on the trains to alert the exiting passengers; c) stenciled “watch the gap” warnings are being placed near platform edges; d) wooden edge boards are being tacked to the side of the platform to reduce the gap; e) coloring the platform edge in yellow as a warning sign is being implemented more frequently; f) railroad tracks are being moved closer to the platform in the areas where the gaps are more prevalent; g) tons of stone ballast are being added to the track bed, followed by elevating and shifting the tracks closer so as to try to make the car doors more level with the platform. By and large, the response of the industry has been that “Solutions could take a long, long while”. The explanation given is that “we can&#39;t go the opposite way and have trains striking platforms”. 
         [0010]    For such reason, substantially all the efforts for correction have been taken by the station operators. Typical is the proposed development of planar sheet-like members which project outwardly from the platform as the train moves into proximity with the platform on its approach. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    As will become clear from the following description, the present invention differs from these and like proposals by working from a modification from the train-position rather than from the platform-position. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    These and other features of the present invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the single Figure of the drawing, in which: 
           [0013]      FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  are pictorial views helpful in an understanding of one embodiment of the invention in which a plate slides out from the train to the station platform from the area of the car doors; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a pictorial view helpful in a understanding of a second embodiment of the invention in which the plate drops from the train to rest on the platform, similarly extending from the area of the doors to overlay the gap. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    Recognizing that some of the train passengers may be vision impaired and not able to clearly see a written warning or a highlighted color area near a platform&#39;s edge, and recognizing further that other passengers may be hearing-impaired and not able to hear or understand a spoken warning, the embodiments of the present invention operate to offer their protection independently of the ability of the passenger to register the train station&#39;s intended alert. At the same time, the embodiments serve to operate substantially simultaneously with those energizations and controls of the train itself in opening and closing its passenger doors. Thus, in the first embodiment of the invention, contemporaneous with the actions of the train&#39;s engineer or conductors to open the doors, the control signals generated slide metal landing plates out from the body of the train underneath the doors, to extend to the platform—thereby closing the gap spacing (which otherwise could extend from some 2 inches to as much as 15 inches where the platform presents the general shape of a curve). Upon actuating the control to close the doors after the passengers have boarded or alighted, any appropriate type of retention spring or piston could be activated to withdraw the plate back, and the train can then start up and proceed on its way. 
         [0016]    In  FIG. 1   a,  the train doors are shown at  10 ,  12 , the compensating landing plate slide is shown at  14  and the platform gap spacing is shown at  16 . In  FIG. 1   b,  the retention spring is shown at  20 , the alternate piston is shown at  22 , and the tracks on which the plate  14  slides are shown at  24 . The plate  14  can be composed of any appropriate material to support the weight of the boarding and/or departing passengers. Reference numerals  50  identify windows on the side  51  of the subway or railroad car, reference numeral  55  indicates the slide track for the plate  14  as concealed in the floor of the car and reference numeral  60  identifies a limit switch at the edge of the compensating landing plate. The edge of the station platform is shown at  65  and the plate  14  can be composed of any appropriate material to support the weight of the boarding and/or departing passengers—such as ½ inch magnesium diamond plate. An appropriate electric motor with a threaded shaft and limit switch could be employed where the plate  14  meets the platform, or an air piston with spring tension can be employed to retract the compensating plate once the air is released. 
         [0017]    In the second embodiment of  FIG. 2 , cables  30  can be included within the metal sheeting of the sides of the car and springs  40  may be employed to assist in dropping the plate  14  via a hinge  18  into position. In its operation, as the doors open, the tension on the plate is released and the plate  14  drops into position. The springs put pressure on the plate to start the plate downwardly on its initial descent. The weight of the plate  14  carries it down fully, along the cable path  35 —and once the doors close, the procedure is reversed and the plate is pulled up. As with the embodiment of FIGURE la, the cables  30 —or like connectors—would be activated by the same signaling energized by the train&#39;s engineer or conductors to control the door openings. (As will be noted both  FIGS. 1   a  and  2  illustrate the compensating plate in its deployed position.) 
         [0018]    As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is but a simple matter to retrofit existing trains to implement the teachings of the invention. The engineer and/or conductor activators for the doors are already in place. The gap covering plates (of whatever material selected) can be manufactured on a moment&#39;s notice. The cabling, the slide tracks, and any energizing motors needed to move the two can be implemented and installed just as easily. With the teachings of the invention, no longer would it be accepted to contend that “solutions could be a long time coming”, or that there are not very many inexpensive solutions. 
         [0019]    Whether the teachings of the invention and its embodiments are incorporated as part of a railroad system, or as part of a government run subway system, dynamically moving the plates outwardly from the train car towards the platform in the described manner effectively operates to overlay the gap spacing and protect against the injuries it previously caused. 
         [0020]    While there has been described what are considered to be preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the invention.