Patent ID: 8636134

Claim:
A tread plate assembly for a passenger conveyer system, the assembly comprising: a first tread plate projecting from a first skirt plate; a second tread plate projecting from a second skirt plate and arranged adjacent the first tread plate; a link pivotally connected to the first skirt plate and slidably and pivotally connected to the second skirt plate; and a bridge member connected to the link and arranged between the first skirt plate and the second skirt plate to form a moving skirt of the passenger conveyer system; wherein the link is configured to vary a position of the bridge member as a function of a relative position of the first and the second skirt plates to one another; and wherein the link is configured to push the bridge member away from one or both of the first skirt plate and the second skirt plate in one or more transition portions of a closed loop path through which the first tread plate and the second tread plate are configured to travel in the passenger conveyer system.