Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – End gates
Reexamination Certificate
2003-02-18
2004-12-28
Morrow, Jason (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
End gates
C296S061000, C296S062000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06834903
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable to this application.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable to this application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle tailgates and more specifically it relates to a tailgate ramp system for providing a safe and convenient system for loading/unloading all-terrain vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Loading ramps for vehicles have been in use for years. A conventional loading ramp is comprised of an elongate rigid structure that is extended between the vehicle and the ground surface at an angle for loading an ATV or other item.
The main problem with conventional loading ramps is that they are unsafe to load/unload an ATV. Loading ramps are susceptible to being misaligned thereby causing the ATV to fall off the loading ramps during loading/unloading thereof. A further problem is that loading ramps will sometimes fall from the vehicle while loading/unloading because they are not secured to the vehicle. Another problem with conventional loading ramps is that they require a significant amount of storage room within the vehicle making them difficult to transport.
Examples of patented devices which may be related to the present invention include U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,149 to Boone; U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,058 to Otis; U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,335 to Johns; U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,777 to Brammer; U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,474 to Holland; U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,594 to Harper; U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,523 to Clark et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 2,806,735 to Smith; and U.S. Pat. No. 399,468 to Lund et al.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for providing a safe and convenient system for loading/unloading all-terrain vehicles. Conventional loading ramps are unsafe and difficult to store during nonusage.
In these respects, the tailgate ramp system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a safe and convenient system for loading/unloading all-terrain vehicles.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of loading ramps now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new tailgate ramp system construction wherein the same can be utilized for providing a safe and convenient system for loading/unloading all-terrain vehicles.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new tailgate ramp system that has many of the advantages of the loading ramps mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new tailgate ramp system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art loading ramps, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a pair of telescoping structures pivotally attached to a pickup box, wherein each telescoping structure is comprised of a frame structure and a plurality of telescoping sections slidably positioned within the frame structure. The telescoping sections have cross members for supporting the wheels of a vehicle during loading/unloading thereof.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a tailgate ramp system that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.
A second object is to provide a tailgate ramp system for providing a safe and convenient system for loading/unloading all-terrain vehicles.
Another object is to provide a tailgate ramp system that operates as both a tailgate and loading ramps.
An additional object is to provide a tailgate ramp system that allows easy access to the interior of a pickup box without having to lower/lift a tailgate.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2806735 (1957-09-01), Smith
patent: 3642156 (1972-02-01), Stenson
patent: 4750777 (1988-06-01), Brammer
patent: 5244335 (1993-09-01), Johns
patent: 5312149 (1994-05-01), Boone
patent: 5536058 (1996-07-01), Otis
patent: 5540474 (1996-07-01), Holland
patent: 5597195 (1997-01-01), Meek
patent: 5685594 (1997-11-01), Harper
patent: 5803523 (1998-09-01), Clark et al.
patent: D399468 (1998-10-01), Lund et al.
patent: 5988725 (1999-11-01), Cole
patent: 6155622 (2000-12-01), Reed
patent: 6484344 (2002-11-01), Cooper
patent: 2002/0172584 (2002-11-01), Huggins
patent: 2003/0122396 (2003-07-01), Humphrey et al.
Harper Galen R.
Kern Bill
Morrow Jason
Ream Dale J.
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