Foldable slidable vehicle end enclosure
AssigneePortec, Inc.
InventorsChandrakant D. Ravani, James C. Robertson, Jaroslaw J. Rostafinski
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AssigneePortec, Inc.
InventorsChandrakant D. Ravani, James C. Robertson, Jaroslaw J. Rostafinski
Estimating the term…
An enclosure for a vehicle end opening disposed between two side walls includes a pair of bi-fold door assemblies, each comprising inner and outer panels hingedly connected to one another with the outer edges of the innermost panel in turn hingedly connected to a hinge rod normally disposed adjacent the outer limits of the end opening. Intermediate lock means are included with each pair of door panels for selectively precluding relative displacement therebetween and when actuated allows of folding of each pair of door panels to provide a collapsed juxtaposed relationship following which the folded door assembly may be pivoted about the hinge rod 90.degree. or until parallel to the vehicle side walls. The hinge rod supporting each door assembly is in turn supported and guided by hanger and track means extending longitudinally of the vehicle whereby the folded and pivoted door assembly may be displaced in a sliding manner to a retracted or stored position within the interior of the vehicle sides, at which point locking means are actuated to retain the door assembly secured.
An end enclosure for a transport vehicle having a floor and two side walls defining an end opening therebetween including, a pair of door assemblies each having an inner door panel and an outer door panel, each said panel provided with an outside face and an inside face and having an inner edge and an outer edge, intermediate hinge means pivotally joining the respective inner edge of each said outer panel to the respective outer edge of each said inner panel of each said door assembly in a manner providing a vertically extending clearance therebetween and whereby said inner and outer panels may be folded into a juxtaposed parallel condition, slidable vertically disposed hinge means carried by each said outer panel adjacent its outer edge, hanger means within said vehicle adjacent each said side wall and connected to said slidable hinge means, track means fixedly disposed within said vehicle and extending longitudinally of each said side wall, each said hanger means supported by a respective one of said track means to permit sliding displacement of said folded door assemblies to and from a stored position within said vehicle in a direction parallel to said side wall, intermediate lock means carried by each said door panel adjacent said vertically extending clearance and independently operable to lock each said pair of joined door panels to one another in a co-planar position as when disposed in a closed position normal to said vehicle side walls and storage lock means carried by said vehicle and operable to engage and retain said folded door assemblies in said stored position within said vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.