Wheelchair lift

A self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift operable in a stored configuration and a deployed configuration operatively mounted to the rear portion of a vehicle to selectively lift and remove a self propelled personal mobility vehicle into and from the rear portion of the vehicle, the self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift includes a stanchion or tower assembly pivotally mounted to a lift mounting assembly secured to the vehicle, a boom assembly to support a hoist assembly and a lift support assembly to support the self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift when deployed telescopingly coupled to the upper and lower portions of the stanchion or tower assembly respectively, the hoist assembly includes a hoist mechanism having a flexible hoist element to couple the self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift to the self propelled personal mobility vehicle when the self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift is in the deployed configuration to selectively lift or lower the self propelled personal mobility vehicle into or from the rear portion of the vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
A self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift operatively mounted to the 
rear portion of a vehicle to selectively store a self propelled personal 
mobility vehicle in the rear of the vehicle. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Numerous lifts and hoists have been designed to maneuver wheelchairs into 
and out of the rear of vehicles. Unfortunately, such devices generally 
require extensive electrical wiring, complex mechanical modification and 
usually occupy a significant portion of limited available trunk space. 
Thus there exists a need for an externally mounted wheelchair lift 
requiring a minimum of electrical and mechanical conversion. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,580 teaches a portable crane for hoisting electric 
scooters, wheel-chairs and the like which includes a column assembly, a 
boom assembly, a base assembly and a winch assembly. The column assembly 
is removably and pivotally mounted between an opened vehicle trunk lid and 
a trunk floor. The column assembly includes top and bottom pivot pins 
which rotatably engage pivot pin receiving holes and about which the boom 
assembly rotates. The column assembly and boom assembly are collapsible so 
as to allow the trunk lid to close. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,200 discloses an apparatus for hoisting a wheelchair 
into and out of an enclosure including a swivel base having a stationary 
section that may be secured within the enclosure and a section rotatable 
on the stationary section about a vertical axis. A motor mount is 
positioned above and is connected to the rotatable section of the swivel 
base. An angled arm is pivotally connected to the motor mount and is 
capable of standing rigidly upright when in use and capable of folding 
down when not in use. A cable, attached to a reel at one end, has a series 
of pulleys located on the angled arm to guide the cable over the angled 
arm. The reel is formed to the motor mount and is connected to a motor on 
the motor mount through use of gearing. A hook is formed at the other end 
of the cable for use in hoisting. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,263 shows a telescoping hoist assembly normally stored 
in the rear bumper area of a pickup truck including a boom telescoping 
into and out of a mast pivotally anchored at one end of the pickup bumper 
structure. A power winch operated by the pickup electrical system is 
axially mounted on the outward end of the boom. With the boom extended out 
of the mast the cable is connected with the anchored area of the mast for 
a hoist self erecting action interrupted, when the mast is vertical, by 
stop members at the base end of the mast. A mast stored jack structure 
supports hoist loads independently of the pickup suspension system. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,574 teaches a device for lifting and loading objects 
into and out of a storage space of an automobile for transportation 
thereby. The device is fully contained within the storage space and is 
adapted to be mounted directly to the chassis of the automobile. The 
device is particularly suited to assist disabled individuals who may be 
unable to lift, load and transport such objects otherwise. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,120 relates to a system designed to enable equipment 
mounted on the outside of a motor vehicle to swing away from the mounting 
point when access to the vehicle is necessary while, at the same time, 
protecting people in the area from undesired and/or inadvertent operation 
of the equipment when not properly secured to the mounting point. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,379 discloses a lifting device adapted to be mounted 
within an automobile trunk having a rigid boom mounted for free pivotal 
movement about both vertical and horizontal axes. The lifting device 
includes a motordriven lift mounted at the distal end of the boom. A 
counterbalance member is employed to counterbalance the gravitational 
force biasing the boom in downward movement about its horizontal axis so 
that the boom may be easily pivoted upwardly or downwardly by a 
handicapped person. A prop assembly may be manually moved into position to 
positively maintain the boom in an elevated lifting position. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,864 shows a swingable boom-type hoist which is 
characterized by a forwardly-projecting tongue of rectangular cross 
section that telescopes into the box-beam style drawbar of a conventional 
trailer hitch carried by the load-carrying vehicle thus cooperating 
therewith to maintain the stanchion from which the tongue projects in an 
upright position. The boom on the upper end of the stanchion can swing 
through a complete circle and is preferably vertically adjustable. An 
important feature is the retractable foot on the lower end of the 
stanchion which can be raised off the ground while the load in the 
load-carrying vehicle is transported from one place to another without 
having to dismount the hoist. A conventional winch is used to raise and 
lower the load. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,854,594 teaches a collapsible hoisting apparatus comprising 
an upright member having a shoe at one end and a swivel pin mounted in the 
shoe and adapted to pivotally seat in a socket. A boom head affixes one 
end of a boom to the other end of the upright member for rotation from a 
position in which the boom is parallel to the upright member in the plane 
of the boom and the upright member to a position in which the boom is at 
right angles to the upright member in the plane. A trolley device is 
movably mounted on the boom for movement along the length thereof. A cable 
winding device is rotatably mounted on the trolley device. A cable having 
a hook at one end thereof and affixed to the cable winding device at the 
other end thereof is wound on the cable winding device. A turning device 
coupled to the cable winding device extends beyond the boom head for 
selective manual winding and unwinding of the cable. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,038 shows a foldable hoist assembly with an elongated 
column with a boom pivotally mounted at its outer end to be movable from a 
stored position alongside the column to its operating position. A spindle 
with radial and thrust bearings in the support column base provides rotary 
support so that loads suspended from the boom can be swung over and away 
from the load bed. The base of the support column is also pivotally 
mounted on a horizontal support structure affixed to the vehicle chassis, 
preferably in the position of a bumper below the rear edge of the load 
bed. With boom stored alongside, the support column is rotated from its 
upright operating position to be supported horizontally within the support 
structure leaving the load bed unobstructed. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a self propelled personal mobility vehicle 
lift operatively mounted to the rear portion of a vehicle to selectively 
store and remove a self propelled personal mobility vehicle in and from 
the trunk of the vehicle. 
The self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift comprises a stanchion or 
tower assembly having a boom assembly and a lift support assembly 
telescopingly coupled to the upper and lower portions thereof respectively 
pivotally mounted to a lift mounting assembly and a hoist assembly 
removably coupled to the boom assembly as described more fully 
hereinafter. 
The stanchion or tower assembly comprises a hollow tower member having a 
stanchion pivot bracket attached to the lower portion thereof to pivotally 
mount the stanchion or tower assembly to the lift mounting assembly. A 
stanchion support aperture is formed through the lower portion of the 
hollow tower member; while a plurality of stanchion boom apertures is 
formed through the mid to upper portion of the hollow tower member. 
The boom assembly comprises an upper hollow boom member pivotally coupled 
to a lower hollow boom member by a boom bracket. A boom hoist aperture is 
formed through the outer portion of the upper hollow boom member; while a 
boom bracket aperture is formed through the inner portion of the upper 
hollow boom member. A boom stanchion aperture is formed through the lower 
portion of the lower hollow boom member. The boom bracket and the upper 
hollow boom member are rotatably coupled to the lower hollow boom member. 
The stanchion boom apertures and the boom stanchion aperture together with 
fastening means cooperatively form a boom stanchion adjustment means to 
secure the lower hollow boom member longitudinally relative to the hollow 
tower member by aligning the boom stanchion aperture with one of the 
stanchion boom apertures and securing the fastening means therethrough to 
selectively adjust the height of the boom assembly. 
The lift support assembly comprises a hollow support member having a 
support plate attached to the lower portion thereof and a plurality of 
support stanchion apertures formed through the mid to upper portion 
thereof. The stanchion support aperture and the support stanchion 
apertures together with a fastening means cooperatively form a support 
stanchion adjustment means to secure the hollow support member 
longitudinally relatively to the hollow tower member by aligning the 
stanchion support aperture with one of the support stanchion apertures and 
positioning the fastening means therethrough to selectively adjust the 
height of the lift support assembly such that the support plate rests on 
the ground to support the self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift 
thereon. 
The lift mounting assembly comprises a hitch mounting member and a 
stanchion mounting member disposed substantially perpendicular thereto 
formed on the outer end portion thereof. The stanchion or tower assembly 
is pivotally coupled to the stanchion mounting member by the stanchion 
pivot bracket. 
A lift mount securing means is provided to secure and stabilize the self 
propelled personal mobility vehicle lift to the vehicle mounting means. 
Specifically, the lift mount securing means comprises a first and second 
securing assembly extending between the stanchion mounting member and the 
vehicle or the vehicle mounting means. A first stanchion lock element 
attached to the stanchion or tower assembly and a second stanchion lock 
element attached to lift mounting assembly cooperatively from a stanchion 
lock means to lock the stanchion or tower assembly in position when the 
self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift is in the deployed 
configuration. 
The hoist assembly comprises a hollow hoist member having a hoist mechanism 
attached to the outer end portion thereof and a plurality of hoist boom 
apertures formed through the mid portion thereof. The boom hoist aperture 
and the hoist boom apertures together with a fastening means cooperatively 
form a hoist boom adjustment means to secure the hollow hoist member 
longitudinally relative to the upper hollow boom member by aligning the 
boom hoist aperture with one of the hoist boom apertures and positioning 
the fastening means therethrough to selectively adjust the distance of the 
hoist mechanism from the boom bracket. The hoist mechanism comprises a 
reel or spool disposed within a hoist housing that supports a reversible 
electric motor in operative relationship relative to the reel or spool to 
selectively pay-out or retrieve a flexible hoist element such as a strap 
or line having a hoist attachment means such as a hook attached to the 
free end thereof. 
A control means operatively couples the hoist assembly to the power source 
of the self propelled personal mobility vehicle. In particular, the 
control means comprising the control box having logic means disposed 
therein to control the operation of the hoist mechanism of the hoist 
assembly having a control switch mounted thereon to actuate the logic 
means is coupled between power source and the reversible electric motor. 
To install the self propelled Personal mobility vehicle lift, the hitch 
mounting member is attached to the rear of the vehicle with the stanchion 
mounting member disposed toward the passenger side and secured in place. 
The lift mount securing mean is then tighten until the lift mounting 
assembly is secured tightly against the vehicle. 
A self propelled personal mobility vehicle attachment means or docking 
device may be mounted to the self propelled personal mobility vehicle to 
detachable couple the flexible hoist element to the self propelled 
personal mobility vehicle. 
The stanchion or tower assembly and the boom assembly are pivoted upward 
relative to the lift mounting assembly until the stanchion or tower 
assembly is locked in the deployed position. The upper hollow boom member 
is then pivoted on the boom bracket. 
The boom assembly can be rotated on the stanchion or tower assembly to 
position the upper hollow boom member near the rear portion of the 
vehicle. The hollow hoist member is inserted into the upper hollow boom 
member and secured. 
To load the self propelled personal mobility vehicle into the trunk or rear 
portion of the vehicle, the self propelled personal mobility vehicle is 
located near the rear portion of the vehicle. The control box is 
electrically coupled between the reversible electric motor and the charger 
port of the self propelled personal mobility vehicle. 
The hoist attachment means is lowered by operating the reversible electric 
motor to rotate the reel or spool to pay-out the flexible hoist element 
until the attachment means can be coupled to the docking device to 
interconnect the self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift to the self 
propelled personal mobility vehicle. The self propelled personal mobility 
vehicle is then lifted by controlling the control switch causing the 
reversible electric motor to rotate the reel or spool to retrieve the 
flexible hoist element. Once the self propelled personal mobility vehicle 
clears the top of the trunk, the hoist assembly is rotated to maneuver the 
self propelled personal mobility vehicle into the trunk of the vehicle. 
The self propelled personal mobility vehicle is then lowered into the 
trunk of the vehicle. 
The attachment means is released from the self propelled personal mobility 
vehicle and the power disconnected. The hoist assembly is removed from the 
boom assembly and stored in the trunk of the vehicle. 
Finally, the boom assembly is collapsed, the stanchion lock means released, 
and the stanchion or tower assembly, the lift support assembly and the 
boom assembly returned to the stored position and secured. 
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, 
combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be 
exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of 
the invention will be indicated in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
AS shown in FIG. 1, the present invention relates to a self propelled 
personal mobility vehicle lift such as a wheelchair lift generally 
indicated as 10 configured to be operatively mounted to the rear portion 
12 of a vehicle generally indicated as 14 by vehicle mounting means 
generally indicated as 16, such as a Class 2 square hitch, to selectively 
store and remove a self propelled personal mobility vehicle such as a 
wheelchair generally indicated as 18 in and from the trunk 20 or rear 
portion 12 of the vehicle 14. 
As best shown in FIG. 2, the self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift 
10 comprises a stanchion or tower assembly generally indicated as 22 
having a boom assembly generally indicated as 24 and a lift support 
assembly generally indicated as 26 telescopingly coupled to the upper and 
lower portions thereof respectively pivotally mounted to a lift mounting 
assembly generally indicated as 28 and a hoist assembly generally 
indicated as 30 removably coupled to the boom assembly 24 as described 
more fully hereinafter. 
AS best shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the stanchion or tower assembly 22 
comprises a hollow tower member 32 having a stanchion pivot bracket 
generally indicated as 34 attached to the lower portion 36 thereof. The 
stanchion pivot bracket 34 comprises a pair of stanchion bracket side 
plates each indicated as 38 attached to the opposite sides of the hollow 
tower member 32; while a stanchion bracket back plate 40 is affixed to the 
back of the hollow tower member 32. A stanchion bracket aperture 42 is 
formed on the outer portion of each stanchion bracket side plate 38 in 
spaced relationship to the hollow tower member 32 to pivotally mount the 
stanchion or tower assembly 22 to the lift mounting assembly 28 as 
described more fully hereinafter; while a stanchion lock mounting member 
or substantially cylindrical pin housing 44 is affixed to the stanchion 
bracket back plate 40 to pivotally couple a first stanchion lock element 
generally indicated as 46 described more fully hereinafter. A stanchion 
support aperture 48 is formed through the lower portion 36 of the hollow 
tower member 32; while a plurality of stanchion boom apertures generally 
indicated as 50 is formed through the mid to upper portion 52 of the 
hollow tower member 32. 
AS best shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the boom assembly 24 comprises an upper 
hollow boom member 54 pivotally coupled to a lower hollow boom member 56 
by a boom bracket generally indicated as 58. A boom hoist aperture 60 is 
formed through the outer portion 62 of the upper hollow boom member 54; 
while a boom bracket aperture 64 is formed through the inner portion 66 Of 
the upper hollow boom member 54. In addition, a boom handle 68 is attached 
to the outer portion 62 of the upper hollow boom member 54. A boom 
stanchion aperture 70 is formed through the lower portion 72 of the lower 
hollow boom member 56; while a boom bracket attachment member 74 including 
a threaded portion 76 extends outwardly from the upper portion 78 of the 
lower hollow boom member 56 to cooperatively engage a boom bracket 
attachment element such as a nut 80 to rotatably couple the boom bracket 
58 and the upper hollow boom member 54 to the lower hollow boom member 56. 
The stanchion boom apertures 50 and the boom stanchion aperture 70 
together with fastening means such as a hitchpin 82 cooperatively form a 
boom stanchion adjustment means to secure the lower hollow boom member 56 
longitudinally relative to the hollow tower member 32 by aligning the boom 
stanchion aperture 70 with one of the stanchion boom apertures 50 and 
passing the hitchpin 82 therethrough to selectively adjust the height of 
the boom assembly 24. The boom bracket 58 comprises a pair of boom bracket 
side plates each indicated as 84 held in substantially parallel spaced 
relation by a boom bracket back plate 86. A boom bracket aperture 88 is 
formed through the rear portion of each boom bracket side plate 84. The 
upper hollow boom member 54 is coupled to the boom bracket 58 by passing a 
securing means such as a bolt or pin 90 through the boom bracket apertures 
88 and the boom bracket aperture 64 securing the upper hollow boom member 
54 between the boom bracket side plates 84 by placing a nut 92 or similar 
securing member to the bolt or pin 90. The boom bracket 58 further 
includes an upper boom member adjustment means generally indicated as 94 
disposed to engage the upper hollow boom member 54 to selectively control 
the angle or inclination of the upper hollow boom member 54 relative to 
the lower hollow boom member 56. In particular, the upper boom member 
adjustment means 94 comprises a stop or limit member 96 such as a bolt or 
pin extending through one of a plurality of boom adjustment apertures 
generally indicated as 98 formed through the forward portion of each boom 
bracket side plate 84 to engage the upper hollow boom member 54 when in 
the deployed configuration. The stop or limit member 96 may be secured to 
the boom bracket 58 by a nut 100 or similar securing means. 
AS best shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the lift support assembly 26 comprises a 
hollow support member 102 having a support plate 104 attached to the lower 
portion 106 thereof and a plurality of support stanchion apertures 
generally indicated as 108 formed through the mid to upper portion 110 
thereof. The stanchion support aperture 48 and the support stanchion 
apertures 108 together with a fastening means such as a hitchpin 112 
cooperatively form a support stanchion adjustment means to secure the 
hollow support member 102 longitudinally relatively to the hollow tower 
member 32 by aligning the stanchion support aperture 48 with one of the 
support stanchion apertures 108 and passing the hitchpin 112 therethrough 
to selectively adjust the height of the lift support assembly 24 such that 
the support plate 104 rests on the ground to support the self propelled 
personal mobility vehicle lift 10 thereon. 
As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the lift mounting assembly 28 comprises a 
hitch mounting member 114 having a hitch mounting aperture 116 formed on 
the inner end portion thereof and a stanchion mounting member 118 disposed 
substantially perpendicular thereto formed on the outer end portion 
thereof. A stanchion support means generally indicated as 120 and a 
stanchion mounting aperture 122 are formed on the inner end portion and 
outer end portion of the stanchion mounting member 118 respectively. A pin 
or fastening member 123 is passed through the stanchion bracket aperture 
42 and the stanchion mounting aperture 122 and secured in place by a nut 
or fastening means 125 to pivotally couple the stanchion or tower assembly 
22 to the lift mounting assembly 28. The stanchion support means 120 
comprises a pair of substantially parallel side support plates each 
indicated as 124 extending upwardly from the stanchion mounting member 118 
to receive the hollow tower member 32 when the self propelled personal 
mobility vehicle lift 10 is in the stored configuration as best shown in 
FIG. 1. A stanchion support member 126 is disposed between the 
substantially parallel side support plates 124 to engage the upper portion 
of the hollow tower member 32 when in the stored configuration to hold the 
hollow tower member 32 and stanchion mounting member 118 in spaced 
relationship relative to each other such that the upper hollow boom member 
54 is disposed therebetween. A stanchion lock aperture 128 is formed in 
the upper portion of each side support plate 124 which flares outwardly 
with a stanchion cam 130 inclined outwardly to guide the upper hollow boom 
member 54 between the substantially parallel side support plates 124. A 
pin 131 may be placed through the stanchion lock aperture 128 to secure or 
lock the self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift 10 in the stored 
configuration. 
A lift mount securing means generally indicated as 132 secures and 
stabilizes the self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift 10 to the 
vehicle mounting means 16 and the vehicle 14. Specifically, the lift mount 
securing means 132 comprises a first and second securing assembly. The 
first securing assembly comprises a first adjustable interconnecting 
member 134 such as a turnbuckle coupled between a first securing plate 136 
having a securing aperture 138 formed therethrough extending upwardly from 
the stanchion mounting member 118 and the vehicle 14 or the vehicle 
mounting means 16 by a connector 140 such as a ring attached to each end 
portion thereof. The second securing assembly, similarly constructed, 
comprises a second adjustable interconnecting member 142 such as a 
turnbuckle coupled between a second securing plate 144 having a securing 
aperture 146 formed therethrough extending downwardly from the stanchion 
mounting member 118 and the vehicle 14 or the vehicle mounting means 16 by 
a connector 140 such as a ring attached to each end portion thereof. 
A second stanchion lock element generally indicated as 148 is formed on the 
outer end portion of the stanchion mounting member 118 adjacent the 
stanchion mounting aperture 122. The first stanchion lock element 46 and 
the second stanchion lock element 148 cooperatively form a stanchion lock 
means to lock the stanchion or tower assembly 22 in position when the self 
propelled personal mobility vehicle lift 10 is in the deployed 
configuration. 
As best shown in FIG. 2, the first stanchion lock element 46 comprises a 
pair of stanchion lock side plates each indicated as 150 held in 
substantially parallel spaced relation by a stanchion lock back plate 152. 
A stanchion lock aperture 154 is formed through one end portion of each of 
the stanchion lock side plates 150; while a lock notch 156 is formed on 
the opposite end portion thereof to engage the second stanchion lock 
element 148 as described more fully hereinafter. The first stanchion lock 
element 46 is pivotally coupled to the stanchion pivot bracket 34 of the 
stanchion or tower assembly 22 by passing a securing means 158 such as a 
pin or bolt through the stanchion lock aperture 154 and the stanchion lock 
mounting member or substantially cylindrical pin housing 44 securing the 
first stanchion lock elements 46 to the stanchion pivot bracket 34 of the 
stanchion or tower assembly 22 by placing a nut 160 or similar securing 
member to the bolt or pin 158 with the stanchion lock side plates 150 
being disposed on opposite sides of the tower member 32 of the stanchion 
or tower assembly 22. A positioning means such as a spring or other bias 
means 162 is operatively coupled to the first stanchion lock element 46 by 
the securing means 158 to engage the hollow tower member 32 of the 
stanchion or tower assembly 22 and the stanchion lock back plate 152 of 
the first stanchion lock element 46 in a first or locked position. A lock 
movement member or tab 164 is formed on the first stanchion lock element 
46 to permit manual movement thereof from the first or locked position to 
the second or unlocked position to disengage the first stanchion lock 
element 46 from the second stanchion lock element 148 to place the self 
propelled personal mobility vehicle lift 10 in the stored position when 
not in use. 
The second stanchion lock element 148 comprises a substantially horizontal 
lock bar 166 fixed in spaced relationship below the stanchion mounting 
member 118 of the lift mounting assembly 28 by a substantially vertical 
interconnection member 168 to engage the notches 156 of the first 
stanchion lock element 46 to lock the stanchion or tower assembly 22 
relative to the lift mounting assembly 28 when in the deployed 
configuration. 
As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the hoist assembly 30 comprises a hollow 
hoist member 170 having a hoist mechanism generally indicated as 172 
attached to the outer end portion thereof and a plurality of hoist boom 
apertures generally indicated 174 formed through the mid portion 176 
thereof. The boom hoist aperture 60 and the hoist boom apertures 174 
together with a fastening means such as a hitchpin 178 cooperatively form 
a hoist boom adjustment means to secure the hollow hoist member 170 
longitudinally relative to the upper hollow boom member 54 by aligning the 
boom hoist aperture 60 with one of the hoist boom apertures 174 and 
passing the fastening means of hitchpin 178 therethrough to selectively 
adjust the distance of the hoist mechanism 172 from the boom bracket 58. 
The hoist mechanism 172 comprises a reel or spool 180 disposed within a 
hoist housing 182 that supports a reversible electric motor 184 in 
operative relationship relative to the reel or spool 180 to selectively 
pay-out or retrieve a flexible hoist element 186 such as a strap or line 
having a hoist attachment means 187 such as a hook attached to the free 
end therof when the reel or spool 180 is rotated by the reversible 
electric motor 184 as described more fully hereinafter. 
A control means generally indicated as 188 operatively couples the hoist 
assembly 30 to the power source of the self propelled personal mobility 
vehicle 18. In particular, the control means 188 comprises a control box 
190 having logic means disposed therein to control the operation of the 
hoist mechanism 172 of the hoist assembly 30. A control switch 192 mounted 
on the control box 190 to actuate the logic means is coupled to the power 
source by a conductor 194 and to the reversible electric motor 184 of the 
hoist mechanism 172 by conductors 196 and 198. Alternately, the battery 
form the vehicle 14 or other external power source may be used in place of 
the self propelled personal mobility vehicle 18 power source. 
To install the self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift 10, the hitch 
mounting member 114 is inserted into the hitch 16 with the stanchion 
mounting member 118 disposed toward the passenger side of the vehicle 14 
and secured in place with a hitchpin or the like placed into the hitch 
mounting aperture 116. Of course, the stanchion mounting member 118 may be 
disposed toward the down side of the vehicle 14. The first and second 
adjustable interconnecting members 134 and 142 are connected between the 
safety chain loops on the hitch 16 and the apertures 138 and 146 
respectively by corresponding connectors 140. The first and second 
adjustable interconnecting members 134 and 142 are then evenly tightened 
until the lift mounting assembly 28 is secured tightly against the hitch 
16. 
A self propelled personal mobility vehicle attachment means or docking 
device DD may be mounted to the self propelled personal mobility vehicle 
18 to detachably couple the flexible hoist element 186 by the hook 187 to 
the self propelled personal mobility vehicle 18. 
Because the self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift 10 has been 
designed for use with various many makes and models of vehicles 14, the 
self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift 10 must be adjusted to the 
particular vehicle 14. 
To adjust the self propelled personal mobility vehicle lift 10 on a 
specific vehicle 14, the hitchpin 112 is removed from the stanchion 
support aperture 48 and the lift support assembly 26 is lowered until the 
support plate 104 touches the ground. Then the hitchpin 112 is placed in 
position by aligning the stanchion support aperture 48 with the nearest of 
the support stanchion apertures 108. The upper hollow boom member 54 is 
preset to a 30 degree position which is suitable for most vehicles 14. 
However, the inclination of the upper hollow boom member 54 may be 
adjusted by aligning the stop or limit member 96 with another 
corresponding pair of boom adjustment apertures 98. 
To deploy from the stored configuration as shown in FIG. 1, the stanchion 
or tower assembly 22 and the boom assembly 24 are pivoted upward relative 
to the lift mounting assembly 28 until the lock notches 156 of the first 
stanchion lock element 46 securely engages the substantially horizontal 
lock bar 166 of the second stanchion lock element 148 to lock the 
stanchion or tower assembly 22 in the deployed position as shown in FIG. 
3. AS shown in FIG. 4, the upper hollow boom member 54 is pivoted on the 
boom bracket 58 until the upper hollow boom member 54 engages the upper 
boom member adjustment means 94 or the stop or limit member 96. 
The boom assembly 24 can be rotated on the stanchion or tower assembly 22 
to position the upper hollow boom member 54 near the rear portion 12 of 
the vehicle 14 as shown in FIG. 6. AS shown in FIG. 5, the hollow hoist 
member 170 is inserted into the upper hollow boom member 54. The fastening 
means 178 is placed through the boom hoist aperture 60 and one of the 
hoist boom apertures 174 to secure the hollow hoist member 170 
longitudinally relative to the upper hollow boom member 54. 
To load the self propelled personal mobility vehicle 18 into the trunk 20 
or the rear portion 12 of the vehicle 14, the self propelled personal 
mobility vehicle 18 is located parallel to the rear portion 12 of the 
vehicle 14 and centered on the hitch 16 as close as possible to the rear 
portion 12 of the vehicle 14. With the electric power of the self 
propelled personal mobility vehicle 18 off, the seat is removed from the 
seatpost. The control box 190 of the control means 188 is electrically 
coupled to the reversible electric motor 184 of the hoist assembly 30 by 
connecting conductors 196 and 198. In turn, the control box 190 of the 
control means 188 is electrically coupled to the self propelled personal 
mobility vehicle charger port by conductor 194. 
The hoist attachment means 187 is lowered by operating the reversible 
electric motor 184 by control switch 192 rotating the reel or spool 180 to 
pay-out the flexible hoist element 186 until the hoist attachment means 
187 engages the docking device DD to interconnect or couple the self 
propelled personal mobility vehicle lift 10 to the self propelled personal 
mobility vehicle 18. 
The self propelled personal mobility vehicle 18 is then lifted by 
controlling the control switch 192 causing the reversible electric motor 
184 to rotate the reel or spool 180 to retrieve the flexible hoist element 
186. 
Once the self propelled personal mobility vehicle 18 clears the top of the 
trunk 20, the hoist assembly 30 is rotated to maneuver the self propelled 
personal mobility vehicle 18 into the trunk 20 or the rear portion 12 of 
the vehicle 14. The self propelled personal mobility vehicle 18 is then 
lowered into the trunk 20 or the rear portion 12 of vehicle 14. The hoist 
attachment means 187 is released from the self propelled personal mobility 
vehicle 18 and the power disconnected. 
The hoist assembly 30 is removed from the boom assembly 24 20 and stored in 
the trunk 20 or the rear portion 12 of the vehicle 14. Finally, the boom 
assembly 24 is pivoted against the stanchion or tower assembly 22, the 
stanchion lock means released and the stanchion or tower assembly 22, lift 
support assembly 26 and the boom assembly 24 returned to the store d 
position and secured. 
FIG. 8 shows an alternate embodiment of the self propelled personal 
mobility vehicle lift 10 wherein the hoist mechanism 172 is operatively 
mounted on the self propelled personal mobility vehicle 18 rather than 
attached to the hollow hoist member 170 which has the self propelled 
personal mobility vehicle attachment means or docking device DD attached 
thereto. Otherwise the structure and operation is essentially the same as 
the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 6. 
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made 
apparent from the preceding description are efficiently attained and since 
certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing 
from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained 
in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be 
interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense, 
It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover 
all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein 
described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a 
matter of language, might be said to fall herebetween. 
Now that the invention has been described,