Motorized rack system

A vehicular ladder delivery system, comprising:

• a static rack mounted to the roof of a vehicle, wherein the static rack has a pair of upwardly extending ladder grips each of which is located near a respective side rail of a ladder near one end of the ladder;
• a pivotable and extendible ladder rack assembly including:
• a base member mounted to the roof of a vehicle;
• an elongated pivoting member;
• a slideable ladder carriage member;
• wherein the elongated pivoting member is pivotably mounted to the base and wherein the elongated pivoting member has an inboard ladder grip, which is located at one end of the elongated pivoting member and which is adapted for engagement with one side rail of the ladder near the other end of the ladder;
• wherein the slideable ladder carriage member slideably extends from the other end of the elongated pivoting member and wherein the slideable ladder carriage member at its distal end has an outboard ladder grip mounted thereto and also adapted for engaging the other side rail of the ladder near the other end of the ladder;
• wherein the pivotable slideable carriage member retracts into the elongated pivoting member such that the respective inboard and outboard ladder grips are spaced to engage the respective side rails of the ladder near the other end of the ladder;
• wherein the slideable ladder carriage member is extendible from the pivoting member such that the respective inboard and outboard ladder grips can be spaced further apart than the width of the ladder;
• wherein the pivotable and extendible ladder rack assembly has a first locked-down, home position in which the elongated pivoting member is horizontally positioned on top of the vehicle and in which the slideable ladder carriage member is retracted into the pivotable slideable carriage member so that the ladder grip of the pivoting member and the ladder grip of the slideable ladder carriage member hold the ladder in a horizontal position on the roof of the vehicle;
• wherein the pivotable and extendible ladder rack assembly has a second fully-tilted, but not extended, position in which the elongated pivoting member is pivoted at an acute angle with respect to the base while the sliding member remains retracted into the pivoting member so that the ladder is held in position between the inboard and outboard ladder grips;
• wherein the pivotable and extendible ladder rack assembly has a third fully-tilted and extended position in which the elongated pivoting member is pivoted to extend at an acute angle with respect to the base and the slideable ladder carriage member is extended outwardly from the pivoting member so that the ladder rests against the outboard ladder grip of the slideable ladder carriage member and the ladder grips are spaced apart to permit removal from and placement on the slideable ladder carriage member of a ladder;
• a mechanism for positioning the pivotable and extendible ladder rack assembly in the first locked-down position;
• a mechanism for positioning the pivotable and extendible ladder rack assembly in the second fully-tilted, but not extended, position;
• and
• a mechanism for releasing the slideable ladder carriage member such that the pivotable and extendible ladder rack assembly assumes the third fully-tilted and extended position.