| US 7,500,334 B2 | ||
| Access tower | ||
| John Timothy Stevens, The Coppice, 1 Home Farm Close, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 2PT (United Kingdom) | ||
| Filed on May 19, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/437,503. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0266668 A1, Nov. 22, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. B66C 23/62 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 52—117 | 16 Claims |

| 1. An access tower comprising:
a base part;
a top part;
two mutually spaced side parts extending from the base part to the top part, and inclined cross parts each extending from
one side part to the other and having an upper end and a lower end, the inclined cross parts being arranged one above another
and inclined in opposite senses, the inclined cross parts being rigid and being connected to the side parts;
wherein the lower one of the two successive oppositely inclined cross parts has its upper end attached to an articulation
node to which the lower end of the upper one of said two successive oppositely inclined cross parts is attached; and the articulation
node further being attached to one of the side parts, a section of the side part opposite said articulation node, which section
extends between the upper end of said upper inclined cross part and the lower end of said lower inclined cross part, being
collapsible so that said upper inclined cross part together with the portion of the tower above it can be lowered into a position
in which said upper inclined cross part extends substantially parallel to said lower inclined cross part, a releasable locking
device being provided to prevent collapse of the collapsible section,
said section comprising an upper portion and a lower portion which are pivotally attached together, and the locking device
comprising a lever which is mounted on one said portion and which is movable between a locking position, in which it is engageable
with the other said portion to prevent collapse of said section, and a release position.
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