Material or article handling – Self-loading or unloading vehicles – Conveyor
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-13
2001-09-25
Werner, Frank E. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Self-loading or unloading vehicles
Conveyor
C414S921000, C414S546000, C014S069500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293748
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to ramp assemblies. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a ramp assembly that is storable, particularly in a vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The increasing use of light vans and other such carrier vehicles to carry people increases the need of means to facilitate the boarding of those relatively high vehicles, especially when such vehicles are used for transporting people having mobility problems. Such means are also more than useful when the vehicle is used to transport goods that may require a parcel truck or a hand truck to carry them in and out of the vehicle.
Boarding means for light carrier vehicles can generally be discriminated in two categories: lifts and ramps.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,538, issued on Jul. 20, 1993 and entitled “Passenger Lift with an Electric Safety Interlock”, Jules M. Tremblay describes a passenger lift to help people into and out of vans and buses. Tremblay's lift comprises a platform pivotally connected to the vehicle by a pair of spaced armatures. The lift also includes mechanisms to move the platform from a storage position to a horizontal position as well as to operate the platform.
Tremblay's lift possesses drawbacks common to most lifts. First, the lifting and storing mechanisms are bulky and require passenger and/or storage room. Secondly, since the lift is attached to the floor of the vehicle near one of the doors thereof, it obstructs the passageway to the passengers who want to board the vehicle without using the lift. Moreover, the lift cannot be easily moved to facilitate boarding the vehicle through another entrance.
Ramps are usually less obstrusive since they usually do not include a lifting mechanism. An example of such a ramp is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,399, which was issued to Tremblay et al. on Jun. 10, 1997, and entitled “Movable Ramp Assembly”. The proposed ramp assembly includes mounting structures, guides and a deployment mechanism to store and deploy the ramp.
A first drawback of this ramp assembly is that the deployment mechanism is relatively complex and therefore prone top break.
Another drawback of Tremblay's ramp assembly is that it requires mounting structures to be fixedly mounted to the vehicle and thus cannot be moved from between different entrances of the vehicle according to boarding requirements.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved ramp assembly.
Another object of the invention is to provide a ramp assembly that is both storable and configured for mobility.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
More specifically, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a storable ramp assembly comprising:
first and second generally parallel longitudinal end members;
a panel assembly hingedly mounted to the first and second end members and including at least two longitudinal intermediate panels hingedly interconnected side by side; and a ramp deployment mechanism mounted between the first and second end members to move the first and second end members between a close and a spaced relationship;
wherein, a) when the first and second end members are in a close relationship, at least two intermediate panels are layered and the ramp assembly is in a storing configuration and b) when the first and second end members are in a spaced relationship, the at least two intermediate panels are oriented so as to form a generally continuous plane and the ramp assembly is in an operating configuration.
Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3818528 (1974-06-01), Petersen
patent: 4718812 (1988-01-01), Smalley et al.
patent: 5062174 (1991-11-01), DaSalvo
patent: 5228538 (1993-07-01), Tremblay
patent: 5308215 (1994-05-01), Suacier
patent: 5636399 (1997-06-01), Tremblay et al.
patent: 5671496 (1997-09-01), Smith
patent: 5697754 (1997-12-01), Raymer
patent: 5752800 (1998-05-01), Brincks et al.
patent: 3326027 (1985-01-01), None
patent: 2215301 A (1989-09-01), None
“Activan by Ricon”, Copyright 1998, Ricon Corporation U. S. A., 6 pages, (1998).
“Activan Ford Windstar Ricon innovation in Mobility”, Copyright 1996, Ricon Corporation U. S. A., 2 pages, 91996).
“FoldAway A6000”, Copyright 1999, Ricon Corporation, U. S. A., 2 pages, (1999).
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