Patent Application
20230173988
The technology discussed below relates generally to automotive features, and more specifically to loading and offloading ramps for automotive vehicles.
The moving, hauling, and transporting of heavy equipment, items and recreational vehicles is a common occurrence in today's society. Such equipment, items, and recreational vehicles can include wheelchairs, furniture with casters, ATVs, roto tillers, lawn tractors, heavy duty mowers, motorcycles, dirt bikes, skidoos, etc. Furthermore, such heavy equipment is most often loaded onto the beds of pickup trucks and, less often, into the storage compartments of SUVs and minivans.
Typically, the loading and unloading of the equipment is accomplished in one of two ways: either one or more individuals manually lifts up the piece of equipment, for example, and with difficulty maneuvers the piece of equipment into the storage compartment or onto the bed of the vehicle; or makeshift ramps, such as a pair of two by eights or a pair of two by tens are propped against the rear ledge or open tailgate of the vehicle. The piece of equipment is then pushed up the ramp and pushed into the rear storage compartment or on the bed of the vehicle.
The dangers and difficulties of loading and unloading such equipment are obvious. Lifting an ATV or a lawn tractor on and off the bed of a vehicle is hard, dangerous, and unsafe. Serious injury could result to all members of a party involved in lifting the equipment should even one member of the party lose his grip on the equipment. In addition, the above-mentioned types of equipment are bulky, awkward, and not even designed to be lifted, loaded, and unloaded from one surface to another surface having a different elevation from the first surface.
The dangers and difficulties are not avoided by using makeshift planks as ramps. The individuals still must push with great exertion the piece of equipment up the planks all the while maintaining the alignment of the wheels, rollers, casters, or skids with the planks so that the piece of equipment doesn't roll off the planks. In addition, in order to unload the piece of equipment, the moving party must first align the piece of equipment with the planks, and then simultaneously restrain and allow the downward sliding or rolling motion of the piece of equipment. Again, should the piece of equipment roll off the planks or get away from the moving party, serious damage to the equipment and serious injury to the members of the moving party could occur. In view of the above, there is a definite need for a more secure, convenient, safe, and solid system or assembly for loading and unloading all types of heavy, awkward equipment on and off of transport and hauling vehicles.
Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide ramp assemblies for pickup trucks, trucks, and vehicles in general with improved use and storage capabilities.
The following summarizes some aspects of the present disclosure to provide a basic understanding of the discussed technology. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated features of the disclosure, and is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the disclosure in summary form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
Various examples and implementations of the present disclosure related to collapsible ramps. At least one aspect of the present disclosure includes ramp assemblies. According to at least one embodiment, a ramp assembly may include a first ramp member and a second ramp member configured to telescope relative to the first ramp member. The first ramp member may include a first top panel. The second ramp member may include a second top panel, a housing below the second top panel, and a rod coupled to the second top panel with the rod extending from the second top panel into the housing.
Further aspects of the present disclosure include methods of making ramp assemblies. According to one or more embodiments, such methods may include forming a first ramp member including a first top panel. A second ramp member may be formed to include a second top panel, a housing below the second top panel, and a rod coupled to the second top panel, the rod extending from the second top panel into the housing. The second ramp member may be coupled to the first ramp member to telescope into and out from the first ramp member.
Additional aspects of the present disclosure include methods of using a ramp assembly. According to one or more embodiments, such methods may include extending a plurality of ramp members in telescoping fashion. Each ramp member may be locked in the extended position by positioning a respective top panel associated with each ramp member against a respective top surface. A top panel may be displaced away from the top surface for at least one ramp member. The at least one ramp member may be telescoped into another ramp member, where the top panel of the at least one ramp member is positioned over the top panel of the other ramp member into which the at least one ramp member is telescoped.
Other aspects, features, and embodiments associated with the present disclosure will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the following description in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
The illustrations presented herein are, in some instances, not actual views of any particular ramp assembly or vehicle, but are merely idealized representations which are employed to describe one or more aspects of the present disclosure. Additionally, elements common between figures may retain the same numerical designation.
Aspects of the present disclosure a telescoping ramp assembly.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the collapsible ramp assemblies 102 are configured to telescope outward in the direction of the arrow in
The collapsible ramp assemblies 102 of the present disclosure can include a plurality of ramp members coupled together to facilitate the telescoping capabilities. An example of such a telescoping ramp assembly is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,692, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the collapsible ramp assemblies 102 converts between a collapsed, telescoped inward configuration and an extended, telescoped outward configuration.
Similar top panel, rod, and spring assemblies are also included with each of the remaining ramp members. For example, the third ramp member 516 is telescoped into the second ramp member 504, with a top panel 518 positioned over the top panel 506 of the second ramp member 504. Further, the depicted embodiment includes a fourth panel member 520 telescoped into the third ramp member 516, with a top panel 522 positioned over the top panel 518 of the third ramp member 516.
As shown in
Additional features of the present disclosure include methods of making a ramp assembly. Generally speaking, such methods may include forming a plurality of ramp members sized and configured to telescope into each other and comprising one or more of the features described and/or depicted in the present disclosure. For example, a method may include forming a first ramp member 502 including a first top panel 508, and forming a second ramp member 504. The second ramp member 504 may be formed to include a second top panel 506, a housing 512 below the second top panel 506, a rod 510 coupled to the second top panel 506 with the rod 510 extending from the second top panel 506 into the housing 512 to facilitate movement of the second top panel 506 up and down. Additionally, one or more embodiments may include a spring 514 positioned relative to the rod 510 to exert a force on the rod 510.
The second ramp member 504 can be coupled to the first ramp member 502 to telescope into and out from the first ramp member 502. In some examples, the second ramp member 504 can be coupled to the first ramp member 502 with the second top panel 506 positioned over the first top panel 508 when the second ramp member 504 is telescoped into the first ramp member 502. In such examples, the spring 514 may be compressed when the second top panel 506 is positioned over the first top panel 508.
Further, in some examples, the second ramp member 504 can be coupled to the first ramp member 502 with the second top panel 506 positioned adjacent a surface 602 of the second ramp member 504 when the second ramp member 504 is in a telescoped outward position. In such examples, the spring 514 may be at least partially decompressed when the second top panel 506 is positioned adjacent the surface 602 of the second ramp member 504.
Additionally, as described herein above, the second ramp member 504 can be coupled to the first ramp member 502 to form a step 702 between the first ramp member 502 and the second ramp member 504, and the second top panel 506 may be positioned adjacent to the step 702 when the second ramp member 504 is in a telescoped outward position.
Yet additional aspects of the present disclosure include methods of using a ramp assembly. According to one or more examples, such methods may include extending a plurality of ramp members in telescoping fashion, such as ramp members 502, 504, 516, 520. Each ramp member may be locked in the extended position by positioning a respective top panel associated with each ramp member against a respective top surface. For example, the top panel 506 may be positioned against the surface 602, and locked from telescoping inward by step 702, as described herein.
A top panel may be displaced away from the top surface for at least one ramp member, and the at least one ramp member may be telescoped into another ramp member with the top panel of the at least one ramp member positioned over the top panel of the other ramp member into which the at least one ramp member is telescoped. For example, as described herein, the top panel 506 of the second ramp member 504 can be displaced away from the surface 602, and the second ramp member 504 can be telescoped into the first ramp member 502 with the top panel 506 of the second ramp member 504 positioned over the top panel 508 of the first ramp member 502.
Employing one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a user can utilize a ramp for moving objects between higher and lower surfaces, and can collapse the ramp when not in use.
While features of the present disclosure may have been discussed relative to certain embodiments and figures, all embodiments of the present disclosure can include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more embodiments may have been discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used in accordance with any of the various embodiments discussed herein. In similar fashion, while exemplary embodiments may have been discussed herein as device, system, or method embodiments, it should be understood that such exemplary embodiments can be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods.
The various features associate with the examples described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings can be implemented in different examples and implementations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, although certain specific constructions and arrangements have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, such embodiments are merely illustrative and not restrictive of the scope of the disclosure, since various other additions and modifications to, and deletions from, the described embodiments will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
This application is a continuation of, and claims priority to and the benefit of co-pending nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 16/578,220 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Sep. 20, 2019, which claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/734,463 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Sep. 21, 2018, U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/734,474 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Sep. 21, 2018, U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/747,574 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Oct. 18, 2018, U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/775,793 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Dec. 5, 2018, and U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/786,226 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Dec. 28, 2018, the entire content of all of the above being incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth below in their entireties and for all applicable purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62734463 | Sep 2018 | US | |
| 62747574 | Oct 2018 | US | |
| 62775793 | Dec 2018 | US | |
| 62786226 | Dec 2018 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16578220 | Sep 2019 | US |
| Child | 18103980 | US |
