Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Variable capacity of body
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-22
2003-03-04
Patel, Kiran (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Variable capacity of body
C296S165000, C296S026140
Reexamination Certificate
active
06527324
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a slide-out room for a recreational vehicle or similar mobile living quarters unit and a mechanism for effecting adjustment of the slide-out room relative to the main living area.
The width of recreational vehicle and manufactured housing units is limited to that which can be accommodated for traveling on public roads. Accordingly, it is common to provide recreational vehicles with a slide-out room which can be retracted into the main living area when the recreational vehicle unit is moved, but which can be extended from the main living quarters to provide auxiliary living space when the unit is parked for use.
The slide-out room is extended and retracted through an aperture in one of the side walls of the structure defining the main living area. The slide-out room includes a back wall which, may register with the aperture when the slide-out room is in the fully retracted position within the main living quarters. It is desirable that the back wall register with the aperture not only to assure that the aperture is completely closed, but also because decals are commonly applied to the side-walls of recreational vehicles and it is desirable that the portion of decal extending across the back wall of the slide-out room be aligned with the portions of the decal extending along the main wall. For all of these reasons, it is desirable to be able to adjust the back wall of the slide-out room with respect to the aperture in the wall defining a part of the main living area through which the slide-out room is extended and retracted.
Slide-out rooms are generally supported on the main living area by coaxial extendable tubular members. Commonly, two or more extendable tubular members are used to support a slide-out room, but with smaller slide-out rooms only a single tubular member may be used to minimize costs. However, problems of aligning and orientating the slide-out room are particularly acute when the slide-out room is supported by only a single tubular member. According to another aspect of the present invention, adjustments are provided to adjust the position of the slide-out room with respect to the extendable member, thus providing accommodations for the deflection inherent in the slide-out room and the single tubular member upon which it is supported. Accordingly, it is possible to use a single extendable member to support a slide-out room.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an adjustable alignment mechanism for a slide-out room for installation in the space between the main living area floor and the slide-out room floor. The alignment mechanism includes a base plate attachable to a surface of either the main floor or slide-out room floor in the space between the floors. A pivot assembly has a pivot lever attached to the base plate at one end with a roller at the opposite end bearing against the other floor surface. A wedge assembly is attached to the base plate and is operable to adjust the pivot angle of said pivot assembly relative to said base plate thereby raising and lowering the roller end of the pivot lever to vertically adjust the position of the slide-out room relative to the main room.
In a preferred embodiment, the alignment mechanism includes a wedge threaded onto an adjusting screw and disposed between a pair of brackets attached to the base plate so that the wedge slides toward one bracket to engage camming blocks on the pivot lever to increase the pivot angle of the pivot lever when the adjusting screw is rotated in one direction and the wedge slides toward the other bracket to decrease the pivot angle of the pivot lever when the adjusting screw is rotated in the opposite direction. A retaining nut holds the adjuster assembly together.
In a most preferred embodiment, the pivot lever is pivotably attached to one of the brackets of the adjuster assembly by pivot screws receivable in threaded holes in the camming blocks.
Preferably, the alignment mechanism is used in pairs at the slide-out room aperture to align the back wall of the slide-out room with the side wall of the main room.
Alternatively, additional alignment mechanisms may be positioned inward from the slide-out room aperture to adjust other portions of the slide-out room relative to the main room
Accordingly, the invention accomplishes a primary objective of providing a means to adjust the back wall of the slide-out room with respect to the aperture in the main living area wall through which the slide-out room extends and retracts. The invention accomplishes a further objective of providing a means to adjust the position of the slide-out room with respect to the main living area.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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McManus Martin P.
McManus Patrick W.
Baker & Daniels
VT Holdings II, Inc.
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