Vehicle egress aid
View Patent ↗A vehicle egress aid comprising an elongated body having a pair of grasping members at a distal end thereof, a striker latch engaging member at an opposite end thereof adapted to releasable engage a vehicle door striker latch member, and a lever member located in proximity to the striker latch engaging member and adapted to actuate the striker latch engaging member to engage with and be removed from the vehicle door striker latch member. The vehicle egress aid is further comprised of at least one spacer member located in proximity to the striker latch engaging member and on an opposite side from the lever member, and is adapted to press against a vehicle pillar and provide a more secure connection between the vehicle egress aid and the vehicle.
1. A vehicle egress aid comprising an elongated body having a pair of grasping members at a distal end thereof, a striker latch engaging member at an opposite end thereof adapted to releasable engage a vehicle door striker latch member, and a lever member locking pin release mechanism located in proximity to said striker latch engaging member and adapted to actuate said striker latch engaging member to engage with and be removed from said vehicle door striker latch member; said striker latch engaging member includes a contour member adapted to releasably wrap around said vehicle door striker latch member, a spring biases a locking pin adapted to releasably lock said contour member into place around said vehicle door striker latch member.
2. The vehicle egress aid of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of a plurality of spacer member located in proximity to said striker latch engaging member and on an opposite side from said lever member, and is adapted to press against a vehicle pillar and provide a more secure connection between said vehicle egress aid and said vehicle.
3. The vehicle egress aid of claim 2 , further comprising a pad member attached to said at least one spacer member and adapted to contact and protect said vehicle pillar from abrasions that may be caused by said at least one spacer member.
4. The vehicle egress aid of claim 3 , wherein said pad member is formed from a material that is softer than the material forming said at least one spacer member.
5. The vehicle egress aid of claim 1 , wherein said striker latch engaging member further includes said lever member which is adapted to allow said locking pin to disengage from said contour member, which in turn disengages from said vehicle door striker latch member allowing said vehicle egress aid to be removed from said vehicle door striker latch member and thereby said vehicle.
6. The vehicle egress aid of claim 1 , wherein said lever member is pivotally attached to said elongated body, and includes a grip portion that is adapted to allow a user to easily grip and pivot said lever member to thereby engage said striker latch engaging member with said vehicle door striker latch member.
7. The vehicle egress aid of claim 1 , wherein said pair of grasping members are spaced from one another, each have an oval shape, and each include finger ridges adapted to allow a user to more securely grab said grasping members.
8. The vehicle egress aid of claim 1 , wherein the shape of said elongated body includes at least two curved portions adapted to allow said grasping members to be positioned such that said vehicle egress aid can be easily grabbed and manipulated when being installed, used, and removed.
9. The vehicle egress aid of claim 2 , wherein a plurality of spacer members adapted to be removably attached one on top of the other such that the resulting thickness of said spacer members together can be adjusted to fit differently sized and shaped vehicles.
10. The vehicle egress aid of claim 1 , wherein said elongated body is formed from a material chosen from a list of materials comprising plastic, metal, aluminum, ceramic, and composites thereof.