Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-25
2001-07-24
DePumpo, Daniel G. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C105S444000, C105S447000, C182S018000, C182S088000, C182S127000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264222
ABSTRACT:
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
This document is copyrighted ©1999 Freightliner Corporation. A portion of this disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to a retractable stairway assembly for a vehicle such as a truck, the stairway being deployable for use in entering and exiting the vehicle and being stowable when not in use.
The design of many large vehicles, in particular cab-over-engine trucks, does not allow easy access into the cab of the vehicle. Often, the cab is positioned at a substantial height above the ground, making it difficult for a driver or passenger to enter and exit the cab. Therefore, steps or some type of foot support structure are often provided for use by an individual when climbing up into the cab as well as when exiting from the cab. However, there is often little space available beneath the door to the cab for steps or the like because the door often is positioned almost directly above a forward wheel of the truck in a cab-over-engine truck design.
Although various approaches have been used to facilitate the entry and exit of an individual from a vehicle, a need nevertheless exists for a retractable stairway assembly having novel and non-obvious improvements over known constructions.
SUMMARY
A retractable stairway assembly is disclosed for a vehicle having a cab, the cab having a cab side wall with a doorway within which a door is positioned when the door is closed, the retractable stairway assembly being shiftable from a stowed position to at least one deployed position. At least when fully deployed, the steps are available for use by someone who is ingressing into or egressing out of the cab through the doorway when the door is opened.
In accordance with one aspect of a first embodiment of a retractable stairway, the stairway is pivoted to the vehicle by a pivot for pivoting movement about an upright axis between the stowed and deployed positions. When stowed, the stairway in this embodiment is substantially beneath the cab. An actuator is coupled to the vehicle and to the stairway and is operable to pivot the stairway between stowed and deployed positions. In this embodiment, an elongated guide member is mounted to the vehicle at a location spaced from the pivot. A stairway coupler is slidably mounted to the guide member and also pivotably coupled to the stairway. The coupler is slidable along the guide member as the stairway is pivoted between the stowed and deployed positions. The coupler suspends the stairway at least in part from the guide member. Additional support for the stairway is also provided by the pivot.
As another aspect of this embodiment, the guide member may have an elongated straight section or may be entirely straight. The straight section may extend at least along the portion of the guide member along which the coupler slides. The straight section has a longitudinal axis. The coupler may pivot about the longitudinal axis of the straight section as well as slide along the straight section during stowing and deployment of the stairway. In addition, a link element may pivotally couple the coupler to the stairway so that, during stairway movement, the coupler pivots relative to the stairway, slides along the guide member, and also pivots relative to the longitudinal axis of the straight section.
The coupler may include a linear bearing which slidably couples the coupler to the straight section of the guide member while permitting pivoting of the coupler relative to the longitudinal axis of the straight section. Consequently, a mechanically simple, yet effective, mechanism is provided for supporting the stairway during pivoting movement. In one specific orientation, with the forward direction corresponding to the front of a vehicle and the rear direction corresponding to the rear of the vehicle, the stairway guide member is positioned rearwardly of the pivot.
The link element may be adjustable in length for use in adjusting the elevation of the stairway relative to the vehicle at the location of the link element. The link element may, for example, comprise a turnbuckle mechanism to facilitate this adjustment. Although the link element may take various forms, in one specific embodiment, the link element has a first set of threads and a second set of threads. In this case, the first set of threads has a like-handedness (e.g. either right handed or left handed), and the second set of threads has a handedness which is opposite to the handedness of the first set of threads. One of the first and second sets of threads is threadably coupled to the coupler and the other of the first and second sets of threads is threadably coupled to the platform directly or through another element. Throughout this description, a reference to one component being coupled to another includes direct connection as well as indirect connection of the components through other components. As a result, when the link member or element is rotated in a first direction, the distance between the coupler and the stairway at the location of the link element increases. In contrast, rotating the link element in a second direction opposite to the first direction shortens this distance. Thus, easy adjustment of the elevation of the stairway relative to the vehicle is permitted.
In accordance with a specific embodiment, the stairway may include an upper platform having a top surface, front and rear edges, and first and second side edges. The platform may also include a platform reinforcement positioned below the top surface of the platform and extending generally transversely across the platform in a direction from the first side edge toward the second side edge. In one specific form, the platform reinforcement comprises a one-piece elongated member, such as a reinforcing rod, extending transversely across the entire platform from the first side edge to the second side edge. The link element may include a link pivot which pivotally couples the link element to the platform reinforcement. In this case, the link element permits the coupler to pivot relative to the platform reinforcement and thereby relative to the stairway as the coupler slides during the deployment and stowing of the stairway. The link pivot in one specific form comprises a ball joint connector.
The stairway may include an outer side wall assembly including a first upright panel having opposed front and back faces with steps of the stairway being coupled to and projecting outwardly from the back face of the first panel. The front face of the side wall assembly may be substantially aligned with the cab side wall when the stairway is in the stowed position. The stairway may also include a second upright panel spaced apart from the first panel and also spaced inwardly relative to the cab side wall when the stairway is stowed. The steps may be mounted to and extend between the first and second panels. Each of these panels includes a respective upper edge portion and the platform may be mounted to and extend between the upper edge portions. The first panel may include a plurality of spaced-apart foot receiving openings, each of the foot receiving openings being associated with a respective one of the plurality of steps. The foot receiving openings may be positioned such that, when an individual's foot is inserted through the foot receiving opening, the foot rests upon the step associated with the opening. A plurality of step cleats may also be provided, with each step cleat being associate with a respective one of the foot receiving openings. The step cleats in one approach project outwardly from the first panel in a direction opposite to the steps. Each of the step cleats have an upper surface which may be at substantially the same elevation as the elevation of the upper surface
Blakewood, Jr. Charles H.
Delurey Paul J.
Johnston David J.
Massey, III William G.
Mayenburg Michael von
DePumpo Daniel G.
Freightliner LLC
Klarquist Sparkman Campbell & Leigh & Whinston, LLP
Shriver J. Allen
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