Patent ID: 6139056
Filing Date: 2000-10-31
Classification: B60S

Abstract:
A mechanical jack for use in combination with an automotive vehicle, wherein the vehicle has a chassis with lateral sides, the lateral sides of the chassis each having a which opens downwardly toward the ground for receiving the jack, the jack comprising:a plurality of nuts received in the grooves of the chassis, oriented for receiving a threaded shaft therein;the threaded shaft cooperatingly threaded to the thread of the nuts and extending through the nuts, wherein the nuts and the shaft are threaded such that the nuts move together or apart selectively as the shaft is rotated in a first direction or in an opposite second direction;a runner below the groove for being selectively moved to an operative position into contact with the ground to raise the chassis and into an inoperative position out of contact with the ground;a respective cross piece connected between each of the nuts in the groove and the runner, such that upon rotation of the shaft in the nuts, the nuts are moved along the shaft with respect to the runner to change the orientation of the cross pieces for moving the runner out of the groove as the shaft rotates in the first direction and for moving the runner toward the groove as the shaft rotates in the second direction; andmeans for rotating the shaft selectively in the first and the second directions;wherein the jack resides substantially entirely within the groove when in the inoperative position.