Moveable support platform
View Patent ↗A retractable vehicle step is attachable to a vehicle or truck. The vehicle step facilitates access to a cargo hold of the vehicle. Advantageously, the vehicle step may be pulled out from under the vehicle by the foot of a user. The vehicle step desirably has a covered and protected biasing mechanism for transitioning between retracted and extended positions of the stepping member.
1. A retractable vehicle step configured to be mounted to a vehicle having a side panel, comprising:
a first support arm, a second support arm and a step member;
said step member comprising an upper stepping surface defining a support plane;
said first support arm configured to pivot about a first axis near an upper end of said first support arm and said second support arm configured to pivot about a second axis near an upper end of said second support arm, wherein said first and second support arms are connected to the step member so that said first support arm and said second support arm are pivotable with respect to said step member about a third axis and a fourth axis, respectively; and
a spring mount configured to engage a spring, said spring acting on the upper end of said second support arm above said second axis,
wherein said first support arm and said second support arm are configured to allow said step member to move between a retracted position and a deployed position outward from said retracted position and said spring biases said step member in both said retracted and said deployed positions.
2. The vehicle step of claim 1 , wherein said support plane defined by said step member is angled with respect to the horizontal when in said retracted position.
3. The vehicle step of claim 2 , wherein said step member is angled downward in an outboard direction when in said retracted position.
4. The vehicle step of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of said step member is configured to be located above a bottom edge of said side panel in said retracted position and at least a portion of said step member is configured to extend outward from said side panel in said deployed position.
5. The vehicle step of claim 1 , wherein in the deployed position, said arms and said step member act to self-energize said vehicle step.
6. The vehicle step of claim 1 , wherein said second support arm is configured to be positioned inboard from said first support arm.
7. The vehicle step of claim 1 , wherein an outboard end of said upper stepping surface is configured to be vertically spaced no more than ½ inch below the bottom edge of the side panel when said step member is in said retracted position.
8. The vehicle step of claim 1 , wherein the upper stepping surface has a top, and the top of said upper stepping surface is configured to be vertically spaced no more than ½ inch below said side panel of said vehicle when in said deployed position.
9. The vehicle step of claim 1 , wherein said first and second support arms of said vehicle step contact each other when said vehicle step is in said deployed position.
10. The vehicle step of claim 1 , wherein said spring helps to deploy said step member from said retracted position toward said deployed position.
11. The vehicle step of claim 1 , wherein the upper stepping surface has a bottom, and the bottom of said upper stepping surface is configured to be vertically spaced no more than 1 inch below said side panel of said vehicle when in said retracted position.
12. A vehicle step of claim 1 , wherein said spring mount is pivotably coupled to the upper end of the second support arm above said second axis and engages said spring.
13. A vehicle comprising the vehicle step of claim 1 .