Abstract:
An accessible passageway assembly is assembled by a plurality of railing units, a plurality of columns, a plurality of step plates and slope guide plates; specifically, the plurality of railing units are spaced by columns to form inner fences and outer fences of the passageway. A support bar is positioned between the lower end of columns of the inner fences and the lower end of columns of the outer fences. A platen is disposed above the support bar. The rear and front end of the support bar and the platen include an extending tongue piece respectively for fast snap-fit of the step plate and the slope guide plate of the passageway. The connection part of the railing unit and the column can be a movable hinge, such that the angle of the railing unit can be adjusted according to the passageway height difference and change, such that the accessible passageway can be quickly assembled and disassembled indoors or outdoors.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an accessible passageway, particular to an accessible passageway assembly which can be quickly constructed through assembly of a plurality of components in a snap-fit way and quickly assembled/disassembled. Furthermore, the gradient of the passageway can be adjusted according to the on-site environment. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     With the civilization and economic development, the government and the society began to pay more attention to people with mobility problems due to aging, diseases or accidents. In addition to the establishment of a sound medical system, people with mobility problems need to be provided with ancillary facilities to facilitate their mobility. For example, in public places, more accessible passageways have been provided to enable people with mobility problems to move and enter/exit buildings through wheelchairs or slow motion. 
     Conventional accessible passageways are mostly fixed passageways, which are mainly laid and paved with cement and stone. Both sides of a passageway are disposed with fences which are mostly made of stainless steel welding. The lower ends of the fences are fixed by cement. 
     However, the fixed passageways are almost unable to be changed after the laying is completed, without use of flexibility, unable to be adjusted according to the location changes or according to different age and injury conditions. Usually, in the outdoor exhibition hall or a large gathering place, a temporary passageway can be constructed through assembly of plates, but the temporarily constructed passageway, often because of simple structure and lack of stability, is prone to danger, unless there are people in the side to assist. 
     In view of the aforementioned shortcomings with regards to the wearable device, after a long period of research in conjunction with improvement on the aforementioned deficiency, the present invention is eventually presented by the inventor. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is a major objective of the present invention to provide an accessible passageway assembly which is constructed through assembly of a plurality of components in a snap-fit way and is suitable for indoor or outdoor use in different occasions. 
     It is a secondary objective of the present invention to provide an accessible passageway assembly whose appearance can be designed to achieve fast and stable engagement of components that constitute the accessible passageway assembly such as railing units, columns, step plates, and slope guide plates to achieve a safe assembly structure. 
     It is another objective of the present invention to provide an accessible passageway assembly in which the connection part of the railing unit and the column is a movable pivot, so that the gradient of the entire passageway can be adjusted at any time depending on the person using it or the laying place. 
     It is a further objective of the present invention to provide an accessible passageway assembly which can be assembled in a U-shape) (180°), L-shape (90°), linear or other shapes according to the on-site environmental requirements since each component is assembled by snap-fitting. The gradient of the step plate can be adjusted in the range of 5° to 13°. 
     It is a further objective of the present invention to provide an accessible passageway assembly, through arrangement of a plurality of thin railings between the railing units, people with mobility difficulties, even in unaccompanied, can move freely through the support of the thin railings. 
     The detailed structure, application principles, functions and effectiveness of the present invention will be apparent with reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an assembly perspective view of an accessible passageway assembly in the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged view of Part A in.  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of Part A in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view showing a support bar and a platen assembled to a column according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view showing a support bar and a platen assembled to a column according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged view of Part B in.  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view showing the assembly of a support bar, a platen and a guide support bar in the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged perspective view of Part C in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged view of Part D in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 10A  is an assembly perspective view of an upper pivot element in the present invention; 
         FIG. 10B  is an exploded perspective view of an upper pivot element in the present invention; 
         FIG. 11A  is an assembly perspective view of a lower pivot element in the present invention; 
         FIG. 11B  is an exploded perspective view of a lower pivot element in the present invention; and 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view showing a step plate supported by a lower railing support bar according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1 . As shown, an accessible passageway assembly in the present invention is assembled by a plurality of railing units  100 , a plurality of step plates  200  and a slope guide plate  300 . Specifically, the railing unit  100  is assembled by an upper railing support bar  10 , a lower railing support bar  20 , and a plurality of thin railings  30  which are provided with interval between the upper railing support bar  10  and the lower railing support bar  20 . Parts of the railing units  100  are connected at interval through an inner column  40   a  to form an inner fence  1000  of the passageway, and parts of the railing units  100  are connected at interval through an outer column  40   b  to form an outer fence  2000  of the passageway. 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . As shown, each said inner column  40   a  is connected to a support bar  50  disposed between each of the outer columns  40   b . As shown, the support bar  50  is connected to the inner column  40   a  or the outer column  40   b  through a connecting element  21 . The connecting element  21 . is provided with a vertical plate  21   a  that is locked and fixed onto the inner column  40   a  or outer column  40   b  through a screw. A bump  21   b  is disposed at the lower end of vertical plate  21   a  such that the bump  21   b  can be embedded into both sides of the support bar  50 , and the support bar  50  can be fixed between the inner column  40   a  and the outer column  40   b.    
     Please also refer to  FIG. 4 . As shown, the upper end of the support bar  50  is formed with a plurality of convex hooks  51 , and the front and rear side thereof are provided with a protruding lip plate  52 ,  53 , respectively. The lower end of a platen  60  is provided with a hook  61  for engagement with the convex hook  51  of the support bar  50 . The front and rear sides thereof are provided with a pressing lip  62 ,  63 , respectively; thus, when the platen  60  is joined to the upper end of the support bar  50  by the hook  61 , its protruding pressing lips  62 ,  63  and the lip plates  52 ,  53  of the support bar  50  may form an accommodation space, so that the step plate  200  can be inserted sideways into the accommodating space, whereby the step plate  200  is supported and fixed by the support bar  50  at both the front and rear ends. 
     The gradient between the lip plates  52 ,  53  of the support bar  50  and the pressing lips  62 ,  63  of the platen  60  may vary depending on the mount position of the support bar  50  and the platen  60 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , when the support bar  50  and the platen  60  are located close to the steps of the building, the lip plate  52   a  at one end thereof and the pressing lip  62   a  can be tilted downwards for insertion of the step plate  200 , the lip plate  53   a  and the pressing lip  63   a  at the opposite end can be tilted upwards. Also, a retaining groove  54  is formed on the lip plate  53   a  for a wall-against fastener  70  to be embedded therein. 
     As shown, the wall-against fastener  70  is an aluminum extruded frame, which includes a frame body  71 . One side of the frame body  71  is coupled to an inverted L-shaped member  72  to be against one side of the support bar  50 . A buckle portion  73  is formed at an end of the frame body  71 . A bump  74  is formed at a tail end of the buckle portion  73  for insertion of a retaining groove  54  of the support bar  50 . Thus, the wall-against fastener  70  can be quickly snapped into the support bar  50  and the platen  60 . Also, the frame body  71  can be against the building steps such that wheelchairs can access the building easily. 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 6 and 7 . When the support bar  50  and the platen  60  are arranged at the forefront of the passageway, a lip plate  53   b  at one end and a pressing lip  63   b  can be tilted downwards. A retaining groove  54   b  is formed on the lip plate  53   b  for an oblique lead plate fastener  80  to be embedded therein. 
     As shown, the lead plate fastener  80  is provided with a frame body  81 . One side of the frame body  81  is attached to an inverted L-shaped member  82  to be against one side of the support bar  50 . A buckle portion  83  is formed at an end of the frame body  81 , and a bump  84  is formed at an end of the buckle portion  83  to be embedded into a retaining groove  54   b  of the support bar  50 . Thus, the lead plate fastener  80  can snap into the support bar  50  and the platen  60  quickly. In addition, a coupling hole  85  is formed in the interior of the frame body  81 . The coupling hole  85  allows a guide support bar  91  to be assembled and fixed by a first thumb lock  92 . An end of the guide support bar  91  gets obliquely contact with the ground. An end of the guide support bar  91  can be used for engagement with a guide plate member  86  with an end in a pointed shape through a second thumb lock  93 , such that a wheelchair can enter the passageway through a slope guide plate  300  provided between the two guide supports bars (as shown in  FIG. 1 ). Also, the guide plate member  86  can be fixed through a ground fixture  87 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 8 . As shown, after the step plate  200  is supported and fixed by the support bar  50  at the front and rear end, the gap between two sides of the step plate  200  and the lower railing support bar  20  of the railing unit  100  can be covered by a cover plate  95 . 
     Please refer to all of  FIGS. 9, 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B . An upper railing support bar  10  of the railing unit  100  is connected to an upper end of the column  40  through an upper pivot element  10 A, and the lower railing support bar  20  is connected to a lower end of the column  40  through a lower pivot element  20 A. The upper pivot element  10 A and the lower pivot element  20 A are provided with fixing portions  10 A 1 ,  20 A 1  and pivot portions  10 A 2 ,  20 A 2  respectively. The inner surfaces of the fixing portions  10 A 1 ,  20 A 1  are provided with through holes for fixing to the column  40 . The opposite ends of the fixing portion  10 A 1 ,  20 A 1  are provided with holders  10 A 3 ,  20 A 3 . The outer edges of the holders  10 A 3 ,  20 A 3  are formed with arc-shaped recesses  10 A 4 ,  20 A 4 . 
     The pivot portions  10 A 2 ,  20 A 2  are frame-shaped bodies that can be fitted into the holders  10 A 3 ,  20 A 3  of the fixing portions  10 A 1  and  20 A 1 . The sides of the pivot portions  10 A 2 ,  20 A 2  are formed with a forward projecting convex portion  10 A 5 ,  20 A 5 . When the pivot parts  10 A 2  and  20 A 2  are attached to the holders  10 A 3  and  20 A 3 , the convex parts  10 A 5  and  20 A 5  are simultaneously brought into contact with the recesses  10 A 4  and  20 A 4  of the fixing portions  10 A 1  and  20 A 1  so that the pivot portions  10 A 2  and  20 A 2  can be slightly rotated up and down on the fixing portions  10 A 1 ,  20 A 1 . Thereby the gradient thereof can be adjusted according to on-site environment when two ends of the upper railing support bar  10  and the lower railing support bar  20  penetrate into the interior of the pivot portions  10 A 2 ,  20 A 2 , respectively. 
     Please then refer to  FIG. 12 . As shown, to provide more stable support for the step plate  200 , the lower railing support bar  20  also functions to assist in supporting the step plate  200 . As shown, two sets of upwardly extending clips  201  and a groove  202  allowing for insertion of the thin railings  30  are formed on the lower railing support bar  20  at the position corresponding to each of the thin railings  30 ; a protruding side plate  203  is formed on a side of the lower railing support bar  20  facing the step plate  200 ; a through hole is provided on the surface of the protruding side plate  203  for insertion of a buckle  204 ; a horizontally extending upper tongue piece  205  and a horizontally extending lower tongue piece  206  are provided at the upper and lower end of the buckle  204 , respectively; additionally, a side piece  207  is formed at the upper end of the lower railing support bar  20  facing the step plate  200 ; a space is formed between the side piece  207  and the clip  201  for insertion of a locking tab  208 ; the upper ends of the locking tabs  208  are horizontally extended, whereby the locking plate  208  and the upper tongue piece  205  can hold the step plate  200  up and down; the upper tongue piece  205  and the lower tongue piece  206  can be embedded therein to support the supporting thin tube  209  of the step plate  200 . 
     When the upper railing support bar  10 , lower railing support bar  20  and thin railings  30  are all fixed, the spacing between each of the thin railings  30  may be covered by a partition  103 , respectively. 
     The movement range of the upper railing support bar  10  and the lower railing support bar  20  can be set between 5° to 13°. Thus, the gradient of each step plate  200  can be adjusted between 5° and 13° as required and the slope guide plate  300  can also be tilted between 5° and 13° to provide wheelchair facilitation. Moreover, the plurality of step plates  200  can also be assembled in a U-shape (180°), L-shape (90°) and linear type according to on-site requirements. 
     Accordingly, the accessible passageway assembly of the present invention has the following effects: 
     1) The accessible passageway assembly in the present invention can be assembled and disassembled quickly and arbitrarily; 
     2) The accessible passageway assembly in the present invention, is composed of several components; the number of components is small, the structure is simplified, and the gradient and height of the accessible passageway assembly can be adjusted according to the actual demand, thereby wheelchairs can be accessed easily; and 
     3) The accessible passageway assembly in the present invention adopts high-strength lightweight aluminum alloy forging materials, with good overall carrying capacity and weather resistance, by which outdoor life can reach more than a decade. 
     As above, the accessible passageway assembly in the present invention certainly has an unprecedented innovative structure, which is not found in any publication. Also, there are no similar products in the market. Therefore, it possesses novelty undoubtedly. In addition, the present invention has unique features and functionality far from the others in the art. It is indeed more inventive than the others in the art, and meets the requirements of the application requirements of the new patent law. Accordingly, the patent application has been filed in accordance with patent law. 
     It should be noted that the described are preferred embodiments. However, the structural features of the present invention are not limited thereto, and changes and modifications may be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as disposed by the appended claims.