Patent ID: 6866118

Claim:
A ladder apparatus for providing access to an area over an elevated structure, comprising: (a) a housing secured to the elevated structure, the housing having a proximal end, a distal end, opposing sides, and a central opening disposed between the proximal end, the distal end, and the opposing sides; (b) a ladder pivotally mounted to the housing, the ladder including an upper ladder section and at least one lower ladder section mounted to the upper ladder section; (c) a motorized deploying means for: (1) controllably allowing the ladder to be pivotally and gravitationally deployed from a stowed configuration to a partially deployed configuration, (2) controllably allowing the at least one lower ladder section to be longitudinally and gravitationally deployed from the partially deployed configuration to a fully deployed configuration, (3) longitudinally retracting the at least one lower ladder section from the fully deployed configuration to the partially deployed configuration, and (4) pivotally retracting the ladder from the partially deployed configuration to the stowed configuration; (d) control means for controlling the motorized deploying means; and (e) a power source providing electrical energy to the motorized deploying means and to the control means.