Patent ID: 11897380
Assignee: ANTHONY LIFTGATES, INC.
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 14:
15. A liftgate for use with a vehicle, the vehicle including a cargo floor accessible from the rear of the vehicle, the liftgate comprising:
a lift mechanism coupled to the rear of the vehicle; and a moveable load platform coupled to the lift mechanism for movement between a lowered position and a raised position, the load platform including:
a proximal deck section coupled to the lift mechanism, a distal deck section, a center deck section positioned between the proximal deck section and the distal deck section, and a foldable ramp pivotally coupled to the distal deck section,
wherein the proximal, center, and distal deck sections are pivotally coupled to one another such that the load platform is selectively moveable between an extended-operational position where the proximal, center, and distal deck sections are located substantially coplanar with one another for supporting a load and a retracted-stored position where the proximal, center, and distal deck sections are folded with respect to one another and are located substantially parallel and adjacent to one another,
wherein the distal deck section is cantilevered from the center deck section without any other external support when the proximal, center, and distal deck sections are in the extended-operational position and the load platform in the raised position,
wherein the foldable ramp is movable between a use position where the foldable ramp extends away from the distal deck section and a storage position where the foldable ramp extends along the distal deck section,
wherein the center deck section is pivotable in a first direction about a first axis relative to the proximal deck section with movement of the load platform from the retracted-stored position to the extended-operational position and the distal deck section is pivotable in a second direction about a second axis relative to the center deck section with movement of the load platform from the retracted-stored position to the extended-operational position, and
wherein the load platform defines an upper load-support surface in the extended-operational position and wherein when the proximal, center, and distal deck sections are folded with respect to one another and are located substantially parallel and adjacent to one another the upper edges of the proximal, center, and distal deck sections are arranged at or below the cargo floor of the vehicle with the load platform in the lowered position such that load platform does not block access to the cargo floor at the rear of the vehicle, and
wherein the liftgate includes a pawl movable between a blocking position and an unblocking position, wherein the pawl is configured to engage with the load platform in the blocking position to block movement of the load platform toward the raised position, and wherein the pawl is movable to the unblocking position to allow the load platform to move toward the raised position.