| SterraClimb LLC Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
| 20100032911 | Stair-Climbing Wheeled Vehicle - A wheeled vehicle comprising a power-driven spider assembly for ascending and descending stairs. The vehicle includes an angular position sensor providing input to a controller operable to control a servo-motor to effectively lock the position of the spider relative to the frame, regardless of the hand truck's spatial orientation relative to a vertical plane, or any balancing of the hand truck. The angular position sensor provides input to the controller, which is programmed with predefined angular zones of instability, and causes the controller to accelerate rotation of the spiders through those zones when the wheeled vehicle is in the descent mode, to avoid instability of the hand truck. A hand truck may include a removable basket and/or a pivotable platform usable to transport loads. | 02-11-2010 |
| 20090309319 | Stairclimbing and Descending Hand Truck - A towing device comprising a power-assisted spider wheel assembly for ascending and descending stairwells is capable of avoiding unintentional back turning hazards that may result while descending shallower stairwells by applying torque alternatively in the climb-down and climb-up direction to the spider assembly responsive to the angle formed between the spider assembly and lower stair riser. This ensures that the unit will not suddenly fall to a lower tread, which results if the lower-leaning wheel is not first pinned against the lower inside riser and rolls forward instead. The torque exerting means may also lock said spider assembly in a fixed arbitrary orientation during ascent and descent to allow the spider assembly to achieve a safe orientation before stopping mid-stairwell increasing safety. | 12-17-2009 |
| 20090133517 | Mechanical Tri-Wheel Retention Assembly for Stair-Climbing Wheeled Vehicle - While there have been described herein the principles of the invention, it is to be a mechanical tri-wheel retention assembly for a stair-climbing wheeled vehicle having a tri-wheel assembly. The ass has a tri-lobular roller cam mechanism to retain the tri-wheel at a desired angular position for normal two-wheeled operation, and further includes a spring-loaded roller that is configured to pop out of a locking mode in the event of an overload condition, permitting rotation of the tri-wheel assembly to a next predetermined angular position at which point the tri-wheel assembly will be retained, thus preventing damage to the unit and the locking mechanism. The mechanical tri-wheel retention assembly may further include a solenoid actuator configured to automatically disengage the mechanical tri-wheel retention assembly. | 05-28-2009 |