Back to results
US 4,398,858 AGranted
Apparatus for loading and unloading a secondary vehicle into and from an automobile
AssigneeAmigo Sales, Inc.
InventorEdgar C. Paffrath
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A loading apparatus is operable to load or unload a secondary vehicle usable by a handicapped person to and from the rear passenger compartment of a four-door automobile. The secondary vehicle, a single passenger battery powered three wheel vehicle, is longer than the width of the rear door opening and the loading apparatus automatically swings the secondary vehicle during the process to pass endwise through the rear door opening and to be located parallel to the automobile when grounded at the beginning of the loading operation and at the conclusion of the unloading operation.
Claims26
For use in combination with an automotive vehicle having a frame, a driver's seat, and a rear door opening rearwardly of and adjacent to said driver's seat affording access to a compartment in the interior of the vehicle rearwardly of the driver's seat;
- a loading apparatus for loading and unloading a secondary vehicle usable by a handicapped person into or out of said compartment said secondary vehicle having a length greater than the width of said rear door opening and a width less than that of said rear door opening, said apparatus comprising a traversing head mounted within said automotive vehicle for movement transversely within said vehicle from an operating position adjacent said rear door opening and a retracted position spaced substantially inwardly to said vehicle from said rear door opening, a lifting head carried by said traversing head to be located within the interior of said vehicle when said traversing head is in said retracted position and to be located outside of said rear door opening when said traversing head is in said operating position, lift means on said lifting head detachably engageable with said secondary vehicle for raising and lowering said secondary vehicle between the ground and an elevated position above the lower edge of said rear door opening with said secondary vehicle disposed in a position parallel to said automotive vehicle, alignment means engageable between said lifting head and said lift means when said secondary vehicle is positioned in said elevated position by said lifting means to locate the secondary vehicle in a predetermined alignment with said lifting head, pivot means mounting said lifting head on said traversing head for pivotal movement about a substantially vertical axis, and latch means maintaining said lifting head in a stored pivotal position with respect to said traversing head automatically releasable upon the approach of said traversing head to said operating position to permit pivoting of said lifting head about said axis to a lift/lower position wherein the secondary vehicle is disposed in parallel relationship to said automotive vehicle and pivoting of said lifting head in the opposite direction about said axis to a relatched storage position wherein the secondary vehicle supported from said lifting head is located in an endwise position relative to said automotive vehicle for passage through said door opening upon traversing movement of said traversing head.
In an automotive vehicle of the four door type having a frame, and a driver's side rear door opening in said frame affording access to a compartment within said frame;
- the improvement comprising loading apparatus for loading and unloading a secondary vehicle having a length greater than the width of said opening into and out of said compartment via said opening, said apparatus comprising a traversing head mounted upon said frame for reciprocatory movement transversely of said automotive vehicle across the top of said compartment, reversible power means for driving said traversing head between a loading position adjacent said opening and a storage position remote from said opening, lift head means mounted on said traversing head for pivotal movement about a vertical axis, said lift head means including power driven elevating means for raising and lowering said secondary vehicle between the ground and an elevated position at which said secondary vehicle will clear the lower edge of said opening, and latch means connected between said traversing head and lift head and automatically operable to release said lift head means when the traversing head is moved from storage position to loading position for permitting pivoting of the lift head means to position the longitudinal centerline of a stored secondary vehicle approximately parallel to that of said automotive vehicle.
For use in combination with an automotive vehicle having a frame, a driver's seat, and a rear door opening rearwardly of and adjacent to said driver's seat affording access to a compartment in the interior of the vehicle rearwardly of the driver's seat;
- a loading apparatus for loading and unloading a secondary vehicle usable by a handicapped person into or out of said compartment through said door opening comprising a traversing head mounted within said automotive vehicle for movement transversely within said vehicle from an operating position adjacent said rear door opening and a retracted position spaced substantially inwardly of said vehicle from said rear door opening, a lifting head carried by said traversing head to be located within the interior of said vehicle when said traversing head is in said retracted position and to be located outside of said rear door opening when said traversing head is in said operating position, power driven lift means on said lifting head detachably engageable with said secondary vehicle for raising and lowering said secondary vehicle between the ground and an elevated position above the lower edge of said rear door opening, and latch means responsive to movement of said traversing head to said operating position releasable for permitting swinging of said lifting head upon said traversing head to dispose the elevated secondary vehicle between a position parallel to said automotive vehicle and a position endwise of said automotive vehicle to enable said secondary vehicle to pass endwise through said door opening upon movement of said traversing head and to be positioned parallel to said automotive vehicle during raising and lowering of said secondary vehicle.
In combination with an automotive vehicle having a frame, a driver's seat, and a rear door opening rearwardly of and adjacent to said driver's seat affording access to a compartment in the interior of the vehicle rearwardly of the driver's seat;
- a loading apparatus having a detachable vehicle grasping device for loading and unloading a secondary vehicle usable by a handicapped person into or out of said compartment through said door opening;
- and means supporting said vehicle grasping device on the frame for movement to lift the secondary vehicle, to swing the elevated secondary vehicle between a position parallel to said automotive vehicle and a position endwise of said automotive vehicle to enable said secondary vehicle to pass endwise through said door opening and to move the secondary vehicle endwisely into the interior of the automotive vehicle while locating said secondary vehicle in a position parallel to said automotive vehicle during raising and lowering of said secondary vehicle at the exterior of the automotive vehicle;
- said means for moving the vehicle grasping device comprising a traversing head mounted upon the frame for reciprocatory movement transversely of said automotive vehicle;
- reversible power means for driving said traversing head between a loading position adjacent the door opening and a storage position remote from said opening;
- a lift head suspending the vehicle grasping device and mounted on the traversing head for movement thereon from an initial position to swing the secondary vehicle through an arc which disposes it from a position of endwise alignment with the compartment to a position of generally longitudinal alignment with the automotive vehicle;
- the lift head including power driven elevating means for raising and lowering the grasping device and vehicle from the ground to a position in which it will clear the lower edge of said opening;
- and link means carried by the traversing head and reacting between the frame and lift head, operable automatically upon the approach of said traversing head to said loading position to swing the lifting head relative to the traversing head and swing the secondary vehicle through said arc.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.