Patent Publication Number: US-9902406-B2

Title: Commuter train and railway car exit ladder assembly and methods of storage and use

Description:
This U.S. Utility Patent Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/757,844 filed on Jan. 29, 2013, which is entitled “Commuter Train and Railway Car Exit Ladder and Methods of Storage and Use” and which is commonly-owned and incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE SUBJECT MATTER 
     The field of the subject matter is an exit ladder assembly for use with commuter trains and railway cars, such as Amtrak trains, including methods of storage and use. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Commuter trains, including those that run both underground and above-ground, are utilized by millions of people each day. Railway cars and trains that travel longer distances, such as high speed rail and Amtrak, use these same tracks and stations to pick up and drop off passengers. 
     Most of these trains are either level with the platform or require one step to get from the train to the platform. If a step is required, it is usually permanently attached to the train by the door. When the train pulls out of the station, the door is elevated usually several feet above the ground. This design feature can present a significant problem, if the train is forced to stop and the passengers are forced to exit the train between stations, such as in an emergency. 
     Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a removable and storable ladder assembly for commuter trains, passenger trains and railway cars, wherein the ladder assembly is: a) easily stored near the doors of the train or railway car without getting in the way of passengers, b) easily removable from the storage area, c) easily transported to the door where the passengers need to exit, and d) easily and securely locked in place, so that passengers can safely exit the train or railcar in an emergency. 
     SUMMARY OF THE SUBJECT MATTER 
     Contemplated ladder assemblies include: a) at least two rails, b) at least one step, wherein each step is coupled to the at least two rails, such that the rails are relatively vertical and the steps are relatively horizontal, c) at least one grappling footing peg, wherein the peg is operationally coupled with a rail, d) at least one safety handle, wherein the handle is coupled with at least one rail, and e) at least one commuter train, passenger train or railway car coupling fixture, wherein the coupling fixture operationally engages with a mating fixture on the commuter train, passenger train or railway car. 
     In addition, contemplated ladder assemblies for use with a commuter train, a passenger train or a railway car include: a) at least two rails, b) at least one step, wherein each step is coupled to the at least two rails, such that the rails are relatively vertical and the steps are relatively horizontal, c) at least one grappling footing peg, wherein the peg is operationally coupled with a rail, d) at least one safety handle, wherein the handle is coupled with at least one rail, and e) at least one commuter train, passenger train or railway car coupling fixture, wherein the coupling fixture operationally engages with the ladder assembly. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  shows a contemplated ladder assembly. 
         FIG. 2  shows a contemplated ladder assembly. 
         FIG. 3  shows a contemplated ladder assembly that has been collapsed for storage and is in storage on the inside of a train car or railway car. 
         FIG. 4  shows another contemplated ladder assembly. 
         FIG. 5  shows a close-up view of the coupling mechanism used to temporarily attach the ladder assembly to the step of at least one commuter train, passenger train or railway car (not shown). 
         FIG. 6  shows a contemplated embodiment where the safety handles are rotated on a 90 degree vertical axis to collapse and lay flat on a ladder assembly. 
         FIG. 7  shows another contemplated ladder assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A ladder assembly has been developed that allows passengers to safely exit a train no matter how far the door is above the ground, and a contemplated ladder assembly and how it is coupled to a commuter train or railway car is shown in the Figures included and will be described in detail herein. Contemplated ladder assemblies are designed such that passengers can exit the train as quickly and safely as possible. For example, contemplated ladders are designed and angled such that the passengers can exit the train facing forward and not facing into the train car. 
     Specifically, a removable and storable ladder assembly for commuter trains, passenger trains and railway cars has been developed, wherein the ladder assembly is: a) easily stored near the doors of the train or railway car without getting in the way of passengers, b) easily removable from the storage area, c) easily transported to the door where the passengers need to exit, and d) easily and securely locked in place, so that passengers can safely exit the train or railcar in an emergency. It should be understood that an “emergency”, as it is used herein, is any unscheduled or emergency stop of a commuter train, passenger train or railway car, where the stop also isn&#39;t at a designated train station. 
     Contemplated ladder assemblies  100  and  200  include and are shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 : a) at least two rails  110  and  210 , b) at least one step  120  and  220 , wherein each step is coupled to the at least two rails  110  and  210 , such that the rails are relatively vertical and the steps are relatively horizontal, c) at least one grappling footing peg  130  and  230 , wherein the peg is operationally coupled with a rail  110  and  210  and is designed to contact the ground and provide stability to the ladder assembly  100  and  200 , d) at least one safety handle  140  and  240 , wherein the handle is coupled with at least one rail  110  and  210 , and e) at least one commuter train, passenger train or railway car coupling fixture  150  and  250 , wherein the coupling fixture operationally engages with a mating fixture  160  and  260  on the commuter train, passenger train or railway car  170  and  270 . Also in this embodiment, a locking device  180  is coupled to the ladder assembly and is designed to feed through a hole (not shown) on the coupling fixture  150  and mating fixture  160  on the railway car, such that the ladder assembly  100  is temporarily coupled with the step  190 . A close-up view of this particular mechanism is shown in  FIG. 5 . 
       FIG. 5 , as mentioned, shows a close-up view of the coupling mechanism used to temporarily attach the ladder assembly  500  to the step  590  of at least one commuter train, passenger train or railway car (not shown). A contemplated coupling fixture  550  operationally engages with a mating fixture  560  on the commuter train, passenger train or railway car step  590 . Also in this embodiment, a locking device  580  is coupled to the ladder assembly and is designed to feed through a hole  585  on the coupling fixture  550  and mating fixture  560  on the railway car, such that the ladder assembly  500  is temporarily coupled with the step  590 . 
     Contemplated ladder assemblies comprise at least one step, as disclosed earlier, and it is understood that each step has a front portion that is at the greatest distance from the commuter train, a passenger train or a railway car and a back portion that is at the shortest distance from the commuter train, a passenger train or a railway car. Each step has a top portion that extends between the front portion and the back portion and is designed to support the foot or feet of a passenger. In some embodiments, each step may be rotatably affixed to each rail, so that the steps can be rotated from a horizontal plane to a more vertical plane to aid storage of the ladder assembly on a train or in a railway car. 
     In contemplated embodiments, each step comprises a safety kick plate that is coupled to the back portion of the step and is at approximately a 90 degree angle with the top portion of the step. A contemplated kick plate is shown in  FIG. 6  as reference number  695  and holds the passenger heel in place just in case the foot slips backwards while the passenger is walking down the stairs. This is important especially for commuter trains, where women may have shoes with heels on them. Contemplated ladder assemblies are also marked in key and strategic places for safety purposes, including markings on the handrails and rungs. 
     Contemplated ladder assemblies comprise multi-directional grappling footing pegs that can securely stabilize the ladder on any type of sediment or concrete. These footing pegs also are spring-loaded or otherwise telescoping so that they can reach and put force on the ground in order to stabilize the ladder when the ladder assembly is in use. In contemplated embodiments, the at least one grappling footing peg is extendable from a stored position in order to engage with the ground. In other embodiments, the at least one grappling footing peg is spring-loaded, telescoping or a combination thereof. 
       FIG. 3  shows a contemplated ladder assembly  300  that is being stored inside the train or railway car (not shown), such that it can be easily removed from storage, assembled quickly and used to exit the car in an emergency. In this embodiment, the at least one safety handle  340  is removed from the at least two rails  310  and stored with the rest of the ladder assembly  300 . In some contemplated embodiments, each of the safety handles  340  may be folded in on the ladder assembly  300 , so that the handles remain connected to the ladder assembly. In this embodiment, the left safety handle will be folded in a 90 degree angle to the right and the right safety handle will be folded in a 90 degree angle to the left, such that they lay flat on one another and lay flat on the ladder assembly.  FIG. 6  shows directional arrows  680  indicating how the safety handles  640  may be folded to produce the stored ladder assembly  300 . 
     In addition, a contemplated ladder assembly  400  for use with a commuter train, a passenger train or a railway car is shown in  FIG. 4  and includes: a) at least two rails  410 , b) at least one step  420 , wherein each step is coupled to the at least two rails  410 , such that the rails are relatively vertical and the steps are relatively horizontal, c) at least one grappling footing peg  430 , wherein the peg  430  is operationally coupled with a rail  410  and is designed to contact the ground and provide stability to the ladder assembly  400 , d) at least one safety handle  440 , wherein the handle  440  is coupled with at least one rail  410 , and e) at least one commuter train, passenger train or railway car coupling fixture  450 , wherein the coupling fixture  450  operationally engages with the ladder assembly  400  and is permanently fixed to a step  460  on the commuter train, passenger train or railway car  470 . In this embodiment, the at least one safety handle  440  removably slides into mating openings  442  and are held in place with removable pins  445 . 
     A contemplated coupling fixture  450  is shown in  FIG. 7 , where the coupling fixture  750  is permanently fixed to the step  760  and operationally engages or couples with the ladder assembly  700  to hold it in place. In this embodiment, the ladder assembly is temporarily held in place and there are no locking pins or connecting mechanisms to physically attach the step to the ladder assembly, as there are in earlier embodiments. As is clear, the ladder assembly  700  is prevented from moving from side-to-side as the passengers (not shown) exit the train. 
     Ladder assemblies comprise handles that fold up when the ladder is in storage and then fold out when the ladder is in use. In some contemplated embodiments, there are locking pegs or devices on the ladder assembly that hold the handles in place and steady during use, as previously disclosed. 
     As disclosed earlier, the ladder assembly is designed to securely fasten to the train with the use of a fastening attachment or coupling fixture and a corresponding mating fixture in some embodiments. Contemplated fastening attachments are customizable based on the type of railcar being used with the ladder assembly. There are locking bolts or securing apparatus that locks the ladder assembly securely in place on the train car. In some embodiments, the coupling fixture is on the train or railcar and is designed to hold the ladder assembly securely in place. 
     Contemplated ladder assemblies can be made from any suitable material, as long as the ladder is strong and able to be stored and used repeatedly. In some embodiments, the ladder assembly is made from aluminum, but it could also be made from a combination of materials, including plastics and composites, along with other metals and materials. 
     Thus, specific embodiments of exit ladders and ladder assemblies for use with commuter trains and railway cars, such as Amtrak trains, including methods of storage and use thereof have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the disclosure herein. Moreover, in interpreting the specification, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced.