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US 2017/0246993 A1Published application
Horizontal retractable vehicle step
AssigneeLund Motion Products, Inc.
InventorAnthony Nicholas Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A horizontally moving retractable vehicle step is attachable to a vehicle, such as a low to the ground vehicle like a van. The horizontal vehicle step can provide access to different portions of the vehicle. Further, the horizontal vehicle step can act as a safety mechanism to reduce potential harm to a user in accidentally stepping in gaps between the vehicle and a curb.
Claims21
(canceled)
An extendable step configured for horizontal motion, the extendible step comprising:
- a pair of arms rotatably configured to be attached to a vehicle at a first end, wherein a first arm of the pair of arms is rotatable about a first horizontal axis and a second arm of the pair of arms is rotatable about a second horizontal axis;
- and
- a stepping platform attached pair of arms at a second end, said stepping platform defining a stepping surface;
- wherein the stepping platform and the pair of arms are configured to rotate between a stowed and deployed position;
- wherein the stepping platform remains generally parallel to a plane P, defined by a plane passing along the stepping surface both when the stepping platform is in the stowed and the deployed position;
- and
- wherein an angle between the plane defined by the stepping surface extending outwards away from the vehicle and a horizontal plane extending outwards away from the vehicle does not decrease or increase in angle more than 15 degrees from the stowed to the deployed position.
4 more elements
An vehicle having a horizontally extending step for ease of access, the vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle frame;
- and
- a horizontally extending step comprising:
- a pair of arms rotatably configured to be attached the vehicle frame at a first end, wherein a first arm of the pair of arms is rotatable about a first horizontal axis and a second arm of the pair of arms is rotatable about a second horizontal axis;
- and
- a stepping platform attached pair of arms at a second end, said stepping platform defining a stepping surface;
- wherein the stepping platform and the pair of arms are configured to rotate between a stowed and deployed position;
- wherein the stepping platform remains generally parallel to a plane P, defined by a plane passing along the stepping surface both when the stepping platform is in the stowed and the deployed position;
- and
- wherein an angle between the plane defined by the stepping surface extending outwards away from the vehicle and a horizontal plane extending outwards away from the vehicle does not decrease or increase in angle more than 15 degrees from the stowed to the deployed position.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.