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US 7,637,519 B2Granted
Moveable support platform
Assignee89908, Inc.
InventorsHorst Leitner, Anthony Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A retractable vehicle step is attachable to a vehicle or truck. The vehicle step facilitates access to a cargo hold of the vehicle. Advantageously, the vehicle step may be pulled out from under the vehicle by the foot of a user. The vehicle step desirably has a covered and protected biasing mechanism for transitioning between retracted and extended positions of the stepping member.
Claims20
A retractable vehicle step configured to be mounted to a vehicle having a side panel, comprising:
- a first support arm, a second support arm and a step member;
- said step member comprising an upper stepping surface defining a support plane and an outer tip;
- said first and second support arms connected to the step member so that said first support arm and said second support arm are pivotable with respect to said step member about a third axis and a fourth axis, respectively;
- wherein said first support arm and said second support arm are configured to allow said step member to move between a retracted position wherein said outer tip of said step member is located at a first height and a deployed position outward from said retracted position wherein said outer tip of said step member is located at a second height upward from said first height of said outer tip in said first position, wherein said step member is angled downward in an outboard direction when in said retracted position.
1 more element
A method of moving a foot operated retractable vehicle side step from a first position to a second position, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a stepping member including an outer tip and being moveable between a retracted position and an extended position relative to a side portion of a vehicle, said outer tip of said stepping member located at a first height when said stepping member is in said retracted position;
- providing a biasing mechanism being operably coupled to said stepping member such that in said retracted position said biasing mechanism urges said stepping member toward said retracted position;
- wherein a user of the foot operated retractable vehicle side step can operate the foot operated retractable vehicle side step by engaging the user's foot on said stepping member and pulling outwards to overcome said biasing mechanism to initiate movement of said stepping member toward said extended position;
- pulling said stepping member outwards such that said biasing mechanism is manipulated beyond its inflection point, at which time said biasing mechanism assists said movement of said stepping member toward said extended position, said outer tip in said extended position being located at a second height upward from said first height in said retracted position, wherein said stepping member is angled downward in an outboard direction when in said retracted position.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.