US 4,879,843 AGranted

Dual purpose door system

AssigneeKawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsAtsushi Hamamoto, Mikio Ichiki

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Abstract

A dual-purpose door system includes a door to be snugly received within an aperture of a vehicle body. The door has the lower end pivotally connected to a slide unit which is mounted upon the body and movable in an outward/inward direction and a sideward direction together with the door for thereby opening and closing the door in an ordinary mode of the system, and the upper end detachably received and guided by a guide unit mounted upon the body. The system further includes an extension board pivotally supported at its one end to the top end of the door and outwardly swingable about the one end subsequent to an outward pivotal movement of the door so as to provide an extended stepping board or path for the passengers in an emergency mode of the system. There is provided a buffer for absorbing objectionable pulses or shock loads which may be impressed upon the door and the board when they are opened in accordance with the latter mode.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A dual-purpose door system, capable of being opened in two different modes, comprising:

a door frame defined within a supporting wall;
a door mounted within said door frame;
first means for opening said door in accordance with a first one of said two different modes by moving said door long a first path which comprises movement along a first path portion in a first direction, substantially perpendicular to a plane within which said door frame and said supporting wall are disposed, to a predetermined location point, and subsequently along a second path portion in a second direction substantially perpendicular to said first direction and parallel to said plane within which said door frame and said supporting wall are disposed;
second means for opening said door in accordance with a second one of said two different modes by moving said door along a second path which comprises movement along said first path portion in said first direction, substantially perpendicular to said plane within which said door frame and said supporting wall are disposed, to said predetermined location point, and subsequently along a second path portion which is a continuation of said first path portion in said first direction beyond said predetermined location point so as to permit pivotable movement of said door about a lower edge portion thereof;
and
selector means operatively cooperating with said first and second means for selectively permitting operation of said first means, while preventing operation of said second means, when said door is to be opened in accordance with said first one of said two different modes;
and for selectively permitting operation of said second means, while preventing operation of said first means, when said door is to be opened in accordance with said second one of said two different modes.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.