An elevator car including: a door; and an apron movable between a deployed position and a retracted position; wherein in the deployed position the apron hangs below the door; wherein in the retracted position the apron is vertically overlapped with the door; and wherein in the retracted position the apron is engaged with the door such that it is movable sideways together with the door. As the apron is displaced upwards relative to the elevator car it will block the doorway. However, as the apron is engaged with the door in the retracted position, opening the door also moves the apron out of the way of the doorway so that the apron does not hinder passengers from using the elevator car.

An elevator installation includes an elevator shaft provided with shaft doors and a car moveable up and down in the shaft. The car has a car skirt moveable between a horizontal rest position and a vertical blocking position. The car skirt is pivotally and displaceably mounted on the car by a guideway. When the car skirt is in the blocking position, it can be supported on an adjacent one of the shaft doors.

An elevator installation includes an elevator shaft provided with shaft doors and a car moveable up and down in the shaft. The car has a car skirt moveable between a horizontal rest position and a vertical blocking position. The car skirt is pivotally and displaceably mounted on the car by a guideway. When the car skirt is in the blocking position, it can be supported on an adjacent one of the shaft doors.

An elevator system includes a car that can be moved along guide rails in an elevator shaft and a car apron attached to the car. The car apron is supported on the guide rails. The car apron is collapsible with two flat apron elements hinged together at a horizontal fold line. For the support, the car apron has a support structure that adjoins a lower end of the lower flat apron element and includes guide elements that engage the guide rails.

An elevator car (6) which is configured for traveling along a hoistway (4) extending between a plurality of landings (8a, 8b, 8c), comprises an apron (20) arranged below the elevator car (6). The apron (20) is movable between at least two positions including: a blocking position in which the apron (20) extends downward from a bottom (9) of the elevator car (6) blocking access to the hoistway (4) through an area below the elevator car (6); and an access position, in which the apron (20) allows access to the hoistway (4) through an area below the elevator car (6).

Elevator systems are provided. The elevator systems include an elevator car movable along an elevator shaft having a pit floor and a shaft top, the elevator car having a car door lock arranged to enable opening of doors by a landing door lock mechanism when the elevator car is located at a landing and an elevator safety system. The elevator safety system includes a car door lock securing device arranged to prevent manual opening of the elevator car doors when in a first state and permits opening of the elevator car doors when in a second state and a car apron affixed to the car door sill and operable from a stowed state to a deployed state, wherein when the car apron transitions from the stowed state to the deployed state, the car door lock securing device is transitioned from the first state to the second state.

Elevator systems including an elevator car having a car door sill and car apron assembly movable along an elevator shaft having a pit floor, are provided. The car apron assembly includes a collapsible guard with at least one guard element that is moveable from a deployed state to a compressed state. In the compressed state the at least one guard element is positioned within the car door sill. A guard frame is fixedly connected to the at least one guard element by one or more reinforcement elements, a translating member is arranged at each end of the guard frame, and a guide member fixedly connected to the elevator car. The collapsible guard is urged from the deployed state toward the compressed state as the guard element contacts the pit floor, and when transitioning from the deployed state to the compressed state, the translating member translates along the guide member.

Elevator toe guard assemblies are provided. The elevator toe guard assemblies include an elevator car frame, a buffer located within an elevator shaft, and a toe guard mounted to the elevator car frame. The toe guard has a first state being a fully extended state, a second state wherein the toe guard does not contact a pit floor during operation of an elevator car, and a third state wherein at least a portion of the toe guard is moved relative to the elevator car frame during an impact between the buffer and the pit floor.

Elevator systems are described. The systems include an elevator car movable along an elevator shaft having a pit floor. A car apron assembly is provided that includes an apron frame movably mounted to the elevator car, the apron frame having a frame base, a support arm, and an apron stop at an end of the support arm opposite the frame base, and a semi-rigid curtain extending between a car sill and the frame base. A shaft stop is arranged within the elevator shaft to interact with the apron stop. The curtain transitions from a deployed state to a compressed state when the apron stop contacts the shaft stop, and when in the deployed state the curtain extends below the elevator car to block an open landing door that is lower than the elevator car when the elevator car is positioned offset and above an adjacent landing.

Elevator systems are provided. The systems include an elevator car movable along an elevator shaft, the shaft having a pit floor and a shaft top, the elevator car having an elevator car door sill. A plurality of landings are arranged along the elevator shaft, wherein each landing has a landing door. A car apron assembly is provided that includes a car apron attached to the elevator car at the elevator car door sill, a first triggering element connected to at least one landing door, and a second triggering element operably connected to the car apron. The car apron is deployable from a stowed state to a deployed state when the first triggering element engages and actuates the second triggering element.