Patent ID: 8235644
Filing Date: 2012-08-07
Classification: A61G,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A personal mobility vehicle lift mounted to the rear portion of a vehicle to transport a personal mobility vehicle from location to location comprising a platform assembly to support the personal mobility vehicle thereon including a frame comprising a base frame member having a side frame member extending outwardly from each end portion thereof and substantially parallel to the center line of the vehicle, each said side frame member terminating in an alignment member inclined outwardly relative to the center line of the vehicle to engage and guide the front wheels of the personal mobility vehicle onto said platform assembly and a pair of wheel wells formed on the rear portion of said platform assembly to receive a corresponding front wheel of the personal mobility vehicle therein, said platform assembly coupled to a lift assembly to selectively raise and lower said platform assembly between an upper and lower position with a personal mobility vehicle thereon and a mount assembly coupled to said lift assembly to mount said personal mobility vehicle lift to the rear portion of a vehicle such that said platform assembly is deployed in a substantially horizontal position by positioning said platform assembly relative to said lift assembly whereby a personal mobility vehicle is moved on to or off of said platform assembly when in said lower position and transported from location to location when in said upper position and stored in a substantially vertical position by positioning said platform assembly in said upper position relative to said lift assembly whereby said personal mobility vehicle lift is moved from location to location without a personal mobility vehicle thereon wherein each said wheel well is cooperatively formed by said base frame member, a corresponding side frame member, a corresponding intermediate frame member extending outwardly from said base frame member in substantially parallel relationship to said side frame members and an intermediate cross-frame member extending between said side frame members and the intermediate frame members, said side frame members spaced relative to each other to engage the wheels to cooperatively form a wheel guide to guide the wheels of the personal mobility vehicle into said wheel wells to engage said base frame member and to distribute the weight of the personal mobility vehicle substantially equally on opposite side of the longitudinal center line of said platform assembly; wherein said lift assembly comprises a hollow upper column member coupled to said mount assembly and a lower column member telescopingly disposed within said hollow upper column member and a power drive mechanism mounted to said hollow upper column member operatively coupled to said lower column member to extend or retract said lower column member within said hollow upper column to lower or raise said platform assembly; a tilt mechanism to tilt said platform assembly and said lift assembly comprises a cam and a cam follower, said cam comprising a cam plate attached to said mount assembly including an inclined first cam surface and said cam follower comprises a circular cam mounted to the lower portion of said lower column member, said cam follower disposed to engage said inclined first cam surface as said lower column member and said platform assembly are raised to tilt said platform assembly and said lift assembly toward the rear of the vehicle.