Patent Application
20090304483
The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, the leftmost digit(s) of a reference number indicates the drawing in which reference number appears.
The various embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are best understood by referring to
The drawings represent and illustrate examples of the various embodiments of the invention, and not a limitation thereof. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present inventions without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as described therein. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be included in another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Moreover, variations in selection of material and/or characteristics may be practiced to satisfy particular desired user criteria. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications as come within the scope of the features and their equivalents.
Furthermore, reference in the specifications to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “various embodiments,” or any variant thereof means that a particular feature or aspect of the invention described in conjunction with the particular embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in another embodiment,” “or variations thereof in various places throughout the specifications are not necessarily all referring to its respective embodiment.
Shown in
With reference to
Motor 102 is coupled to screw 208 the screw 20 through the upper screw support bearing 205. Motor 102 is configured, therefore, to generate rotation which transmitted to the screw 208 through upper bearing 205. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that coupling the motor to the screw 208 will result in only minute torque being applied to the upper portion of the rail 101.
In operation, motor 102 applies torque to the screw 208 which rotates and causes the trolley 109 to move along the rail in one of two directions depending upon the direction of movement selected by the operator.
An exemplary embodiment depicted in
In another exemplary embodiment depicted in
The ability to adjust allows the lift apparatus to be used when the vehicle is parked perpendicular to a downward slope, or decline. In such condition, the side of the vehicle toward the decline is usually raised by jacks or stabilizing feet so that the vehicle may be leveled. The riser length may be suitable for use in situations where the vehicle is parked on level ground, but if the vehicle is parked on a decline as describe above, the chair, may be too high for someone to sit in if trying to enter the vehicle, or too high from which to alight to the ground if exiting, and the lift apparatus would be useless. Thus, the riser may be adjustable to extend the chair and swing arm lower in those situations.
Motor 102 is on top of the rail 101 and its operation is controlled with a control switch 475 coupled thereto with control wiring 473. Wiring 473 may be removably coupled to motor 102 through wiring bracket 107 mounted near the lower support bracket 105. Motor may be any suitable electric motor capable of imparting torque to the lift system, and should preferably be capable of bi-directional operation in order to enable up and down movement of the trolley. For example, motor could be a 12 Volt motor. Control switch 475 should therefore also be configured to provide suitable bidirectional control to the operator. In other words, the operator needs to be able to command forward and reverse operation of the motor.
Operation of the lift apparatus will now be described. To enter the vehicle, the trolley should be at its lowest point. Swing arm 115 (with chair 491) is rotated through the doorway 423 to the exterior of the vehicle, along with riser 111, by virtue of the respective hinged connections. The operator sits in the chair 491, and using the control switch 475, commands the motor 102 to rotate the screw 208 causing the trolley 109 and the chair 491 to elevate. Once at the desired height, the operator may command the motor 102 to stop, and rotate the swing arm 115 with the chair 491 to the interior of the vehicle.
It will be appreciated that the lift disclosed herein is useful for those who are incapable of ascending stairs to enter such vehicles. Accordingly, angled riser 111 should be of a length such that when the trolley is at its upper most point, the user may simply stand up from the chair and rest his or her feet on the main deck 401. Further, the angle of the riser should be of a degree that given the length of the riser and the length of the swing arm a chair mounted to the swing arm is centered within the width of the doorway.
The above-described lift has many advantages over known lifts used in the industry. Such pre-existing lifts are installed on the outside of the vehicle adding width. They are also installed by the manufacturer and result in modifications to the frame and removal of storage space within the vehicle. Specifically, typical prior art lifts require the doorway to widened to place the chair into the center of the doorway when the chair is lifted. Manufacturers typically realize greater profit on uniformity of frame and the furnishings inside the RV. Such modification result in increased cost through not only the labor and time involved, but also in the redesign and refurnishing of the interior of the RV.
The present lift may be installed by anyone without any modifications to the bulkhead and cabin floor, and thus is suitable for use in any standard RV configured as described above. For travel and for unassisted entry/exit of the vehicle, the chair may be easily removed and the riser/swing arm assembly removed and/or folded to the interior of the vehicle, out of the stairwell. Further, the lifts are installed so that all storage space is still usable.
As described above and shown in the associated drawings, the present invention comprises a seated lift for recreational vehicles. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited thereto, since modification may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. It is therefore, contemplated by the following claims to cover any such modification that incorporate those features or improvements that embody the spirit and scope of the present invention.
