US 4,140,230 AGranted

Powered loading platform

OwnerMarvin R. Pearsoninventor

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Abstract

A powered loading platform for mounting upon opening-defining walls of a vehicle to facilitate loading of objects, such as wheelchairs, from the ground into the interior of the vehicle and including support means which pivotally supports a horizontal platform and is carried by a powered parallelogram linkage which moves the support means in an arc between a lowered and outwardly disposed position upon the ground and an inwardly disposed elevated position within the body of the vehicle. Upon reaching the elevated position, the wheelchair may be rolled into the interior of the vehicle and the platform may be collapsed and then pivoted to a vertically extending position entirely within the confines of the vehicle. The support means is pivotable about a vertical axis to permit the collapsed platform to be then swung to non-blocking position relative to the vehicle opening.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A powered platform comprising:

(a) a vehicle having a body with a floor therein and having side wall portions defining an opening therein;
(b) a drive box mounted on said side wall portions of said body inwardly thereof and laterally of the opening defined thereby;
(c) gear mechanism carried by said drive box;
(d) power means drivably connected to said gear mechanism for driving the same;
(e) movement-producing linkage mounted on said drive box and connected at one of its ends to said gear mechanism in driven relation;
(f) an L-shaped support pivotally connected in driven relation to said linkage at its other end;
(g) said support having a generally horizontally extending leg and an upright leg extending upwardly therefrom, the latter of which is connected to said linkage in movement-producing relation of said support;
(h) said linkage including a pivot member drivably connected to said gear mechanism and about which said linkage pivots, said linkage being constructed and arranged, when actuated by said gear mechanism through said pivot member, to move said horizontal leg of said support outwardly of said vehicle body in an arc from an elevated position within the confines of said vehicle body adjacent its floor to a lower horizontally extending position adjacent the ground;
and
(i) a loading platform pivotally mounted on said horizontal leg of said support and movable therewith and being swingable relative thereto when said support is disposed within the confines of said vehicle body between an outwardly extending generally horizontal position and an upright generally vertically extending inward position relative to the confines of said vehicle body.

7 more elements

A powered loading platform comprising:

(a) a vehicle having a body with a floor and opening-defining wall portions;
(b) gear mechanism carried by said vehicle body and rotatably mounted adjacent said opening-defining wall portions;
(c) power means connected to said gear mechanism in driving relation;
(d) pivotal support means;
(e) a loading platform pivotally mounted on said support means and movable therewith in supported relation and being movable about its axis of pivot between an outwardly extending approximately horizontal position to an approximately vertically extending position;
(f) power-transmitting linkage pivotally mounted adjacent said opening-defining wall portions of said body and including a pivot member about which it pivots connected to said gear mechanism in pivotally driven relation and connected to said support means in pivotal supporting and moving relation;
(g) said linkage being constructed and arranged to move said support means vertically along an arc between a lowered approximately ground-engaging position outside said vehicle body and an elevated position within the confines of said vehicle body whereby said loading platform may be elevated from an approximately ground-engaging level to floor level of said vehicle to facilitate loading of a vehicle such as a wheelchair through the opening defined by said portions and thereafter permit said platform to be swung upwardly to an approximately vertically extending position entirely within the confines of said vehicle body.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.