Patent ID: 7341139

Claim:
A travelator, moving ramp or escalator for transporting people, comprising: a people mover; a balustrade extending alongside the people mover throughout its length, the balustrade comprising: a handrail belt comprising an endless loop and having an upper handhold portion, which a passenger can grasp with a hand for support, a lower return portion, and a turn-around portion between the handhold portion and the return portion; a balustrade frame comprising a turn-around guide arranged at an end of the balustrade to support and guide the turn-around portion of the handrail belt, the turn-around guide comprising a number of pressure rollers spaced apart by a distance from each other and arranged in a sequence having a form of a circular arc; and a drive assembly operatively arranged to move the handrail belt, the drive assembly comprising: a drive belt comprising an endless loop having a contact portion in driving contact with the handrail belt over a predetermined length; and a power mechanism to drive the drive belt, positioned substantially within a horizontal projection of the loop of the handrail belt and on a side of the balustrade or at least partially inside the loop of the handrail belt, wherein the contact portion of the drive belt is passed over at least some of the pressure rollers of the turn-around guide, between the pressure rollers and the turn-around portion of the handrail belt.