A Folding Portable Gangway, Applicable as Bridge, Stair-Case o Ladder for Bridging Over Spaces, more particularly Applicable for Landing Stages for Vessels.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 6th July, 1897-Accepted, 7th Aug., 1897
A Folding Portable Gangway, Applicable as Bridge, Stair-Case o
Ladder for Bridging Over Spaces, more particularly Applicable
for Landing Stages for Vessels.
I, CHARLES ANDRE GEORGES GALLICE, of 10 Rue d'Anjou, Paris, France, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention relates to the construction of a folding portable gangway having the
advantages, over existing constructions, of great lightness, and facility of manipulation,
being capable when not in use of being folded together so as to occupy a comparatively
small space, so that it can be readily stowed away on the deck of vessel or other
confined space where it is employed. It is applicable as bridge, staircase, or ladder;
when required for use it can be rapidly extended and secured in the extended position
so as to afford a rigid support when bridging over a space.
I will describe the construction of the said gangway with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 shews a side elevation for the same in its
extended condition when used as an inclined bridge from a quay to a boat. Figure 2
shews an enlarged section on line ab Figure 1, shewing the projecting heads on the
pivot bolts; Figure 3 shews the gangway folded together; Figure 4 shews its use as
a ladder, Figure 5 as a flight of stairs, and Figure 6 as horizontal bridge.
It will be seen that the gangway consists of two longitudinal side bearers composed
of a series of bars A A' pivoted together in the manner of a lazy tongs, the
articulated lattice-work structure thus produced being capable of being made to
assume any desired form of parallelograms, varying between the maximum extension
shown at Figure 1 and the closed-up condition at Figure 3. The bars constituting
the lattice-work are preferably formed of steel of profiled section, such as the channel
form shewn at Figure 2. In order to facilitate the sliding of the bars one upon the
other in folding and unfolding they are fitted with their flat faces back to back; they
are pivotted together by means of bolts, of which those, B, pass right across the
gangway and serve to connect the two side bearers with each other, while the other
bolts such as B₁ only serve as pivots for the bars of the separate bearers.
The wooden or other treads rest upon the bearers, and in order not to interfere
with the folding together, they are pivoted to the same pivot bolts that secure the
bars of the bearers, and their thickness must not exceed the width of the bars A A¹.
The treads may be arranged in a great variety of ways, according to the purpose to
which the gangway is to be applied. The gangway being extended, it is rendered
rigid by rendering immovable the diagonal bars of the parallelograms, or by
preventing the pivot bolts; or some of them, from moving. On the drawing the first
named arrangement is shewn, that is, the fixing of the diagonals; for this purpose
the pivot bolts d Figure 2 carry externally projecting heads E, over which are passed,
in the manner shewn at Figure 1, cords G fixed at one end to the first bottom
head E' and then passed in a zig-zag manner over and under the other heads, being
preferably wound with one or more turns round each.
A board H is provided, fixed to shoes h on one of the pivot bolts, for forming a

page_text: surface by which the gangway rests upon the quay wall, and at the other end of the
bearer is provided a foot K also attached to a pivot bolt and fixed to a plate I, which
can be secured in any convenient manner to the deck of the vessel.
Stanchions are pivotally attached at 1 to a swivelling ring on the bars A and
pass through eyes formed on the ends of the pivot-bolts B¹ so as always to be held at
right angles to the bearers, they have eyes at their upper ends through which are
passed cords serving as hand rails.
"
Having now particularly described and
ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A portable folding gangway having one or more longitudinal bearers constructed
of bars pivoted together in the form of lazy tongs or lattice work, so as to be capable
of being either extended to form a bridge, staircase or ladder, and secured in such
extended position, or be folded close together so as to be readily transportable,
substantially as described.
2. In a portable folding gangway such as is referred to in the first claim, securing
the bars forming the lattice work in their extended position, substantially in the
manner herein set forth.
3. The use of a portable folding gangway such as is referred to in the preceding
claims as a bridge for connecting a quay with a vessel, substantially as herein
described with reference to the drawing.
4. A folding portable gangway constructed and operating as herein described with
: reference to the drawings.
CLL
2 T 1
3007
ABEL & IMRAY.
Agents for the Applicant.