Patent ID: 6186733
Filing Date: 2001-02-13
Classification: A61G,B60P,F16H,Y10S

Abstract:
A ramp assembly for mounting on a vehicle, comprising:a frame for mounting below a floor of a vehicle;a ramp platform mounted in the frame and defining trailing and forward ends;a reciprocating mechanism for extending and retracting the ramp platform along a length of the frame between stowed and deployed positions, the ramp platform being stowed substantially along a plane, and being arranged when deployed such that the forward end extends down toward the ground; andmeans connected to the reciprocating mechanism for raising the trailing end of the ramp platform in one translational movement with the extension of the ramp platform, such that the trailing end of the ramp platform, when deployed, is raised above the plane, wherein the means for raising comprises a lever having a distal end attached to the trailing end of the ramp platform and a second end rotatably attached to the reciprocating mechanism, the lever configured to rotate about the second end as the reciprocating mechanism is extended, thereby lifting the trailing end of the ramp platform upward, wherein the frame comprises an abutment surface that is engaged by the lever when the ramp platform is extended, the engagement of the abutment surface by the lever causing the lever to rotate.