Folding staircase
AssigneeMorryde International, Inc.
InventorsGary E. Tompkins, Anthony J. Granzotto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A folding staircase for use in a door opening having a threshold. The folding staircase has a pair of stringers that have an upper end and a lower end that is adapted for contacting a ground surface. The stringers are spanned by at least one tread. A hinge is connected to a floor near the door opening and a threshold plate pivotally connected thereto is movable between a use position and a stowed position. The staircase may be provided with a lifting mechanism that biases the staircase and threshold plate toward their stowed positions. The lifting device provides a variable force that provides more rotational force when the staircase would require a user to bear more of its weight and less force when less of the weight of the staircase would be borne by a user.
Claims24
A staircase pivotable through an opening for a door of a vehicle, the staircase comprising:
- a pair of stringers spanned by one or more treads;
- a lower end adapted for contacting a ground surface and an upper end opposite the lower end;
- a stop bracket coupled to the pair of stringers;
- and
- a hinge of the upper end, the hinge comprising:
- a floor mounting portion that is adapted to be mounted on a floor of the vehicle;
- and
- a threshold plate having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the first end coupled to the floor mounting portion and pivotable with respect thereto about a pivot axis and the second end coupled to the upper end;
- wherein the staircase has a stowed position and a use position rotationally offset from the stowed position, and, when in the stowed position, the threshold plate is positioned above the floor mounting portion with a center of gravity of the staircase disposed rearwardly of the pivot axis to bias the pair of stringers rearwardly and the stop bracket abuts a door jamb at least partially defining the opening preventing the staircase from falling inward into the vehicle and allowing the door to close.
A staircase pivotable through an opening for a door of a vehicle, the staircase comprising:
- a pair of stringers spanned by one or more treads, the pair of stringers each extending along an axis;
- a lower end adapted for contacting a ground surface and an upper end opposite the lower end;
- and
- a hinge coupled to the upper end, the hinge comprising:
- a floor mounting portion that is adapted to be mounted on a floor, and
- a threshold plate having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the first end pivotally coupled to the floor mounting portion and the second end coupled to the upper end, the threshold plate comprising a spanning portion and an offsetting portion extending away from a lower surface of the spanning portion at an angle with respect thereto, such that the offsetting portion extends generally vertically when the staircase is pivoted to a first position;
- and
- an adjustable leg coupled to one of the pair of stringers at the lower end, the adjustable leg extending and configured to slide along a plane of the stringer to adjust a length thereof;
- wherein the staircase has the first position and a second position rotationally offset from the first position, and when in the first position, the adjustable leg is configured to contact the ground surface and, when in the second position, the adjustable leg is disposed at least partially above the stringer adjacent to the opening for the door of the vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.