Patent attributes
Stair climber apparatuses have a frame having an inclined support that extends from a bottom portion to a top portion; a plurality of stairs that are connected together in series and travel in a loop around the inclined support; an electric motor; and a control circuit that controls a speed of the electric motor and an output direction of the electric motor. The electric motor is operatively connected to the plurality of stairs so as to move the plurality of stairs in an upward direction along the inclined support and so as to alternatively move the plurality of stairs in an opposite, downward direction along the inclined support. An operator input device at the bottom portion of the inclined support inputs a boarding command to the control circuit. Based on the boarding command, the control circuit controls the electric motor so as to move the plurality of stairs along the inclined support. Methods are for operating the stair climber apparatuses.