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RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. ______, filed on Aug. 21, 2001, entitled “RECREATION VEHICLE WITH LATCH ASSEMBLIES FOR STORAGE SPACE.”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to recreational vehicles and, in particular, concerns a recreational vehicle with an improved latching mechanism for latching the access doors to storage compartments in a shut position.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0005]    Recreational vehicles are vehicles that are commonly used for camping and other traveling purposes. Typically, recreational vehicles will come in one of two basic configurations, either a self-propelled motorhome or a trailer vehicle that is towed by another powered vehicle.  
           [0006]    Recreational vehicles can be quite elaborate having most, if not all, of the amenities of the typical home. Generally, recreational vehicles will include such things as sleeping accommodations, kitchens, sitting areas, and bathrooms complete with shower facilities. All of these facilities are mounted onto a chassis which can limit storage space within the livable floor space of the recreational vehicle. More specifically, generally the livable floor space of the vehicle is limited by the chassis of the recreational vehicle and the basic living accommodations occupy a significant portion of this floor space. Moreover, there is currently a maximum size restriction on trailers of 400 square feet which further limits the space available in the recreational vehicle. Typically, to accommodate all of the sleeping, bathing, cooking, and other living accoutrements, there is a significant lack of space that can be used for storage of auxiliary equipment and gear.  
           [0007]    In particular, most people who are camping often wish to bring additional items, such as clothing, tools, outdoor camping gear and recreational gear, along with them while they are traveling. Due to the space limitations within the living section of the recreational vehicle, the typical recreational vehicle is not configured to accommodate significant storage in the living section. Consequently, most recreational vehicles include storage compartments that are mounted in the space between the floor of the living space of the trailer and the bottom of the chassis. This space allows for storage of additional equipment and is typically accessed through access doors that are mounted along the side of the recreational vehicle. Generally, these access doors are hinged mounted along the upper surface of the door so as to swing upward to allow access to the space therein. Typically, these doors are latched with a latching mechanism that extends to the sidewalls of the surrounding wall so as to inhibit inadvertent opening of the access door. Alternatively, the latching mechanism extends to a bottom surface of the surrounding frame immediately underneath the accessible latch. Typically, these latching mechanisms are lockable so as to inhibit unauthorized entry into the access areas.  
           [0008]    One particular problem with the storage compartment configuration is that the access doors are mounted on the outside of the vehicle and are thus exposed to environmental conditions. Consequently, the access doors are typically weather sealed to prevent unwanted intrusion of water, dirt or dust into the storage compartment. Often, the equipment stored in the storage compartment is equipment the user does not want getting dirty during travel.  
           [0009]    As the recreational vehicle is traveling down the road, the door is subject to vibrational motion that is transmitted via the wheels and the frame and is further subject to vibrational motion as a result of being buffeted by the wind while the vehicle is traveling. This vibrational motion can result in the access door vibrating with respect to the surrounding frame, and this particular vibration occurs more significantly at the corners of the doors that are located away from the latching mechanism. Over time, this vibrational motion may result in damage to the door or the surrounding frame, or result in damage to the weather tight seals between the frame and the door.  
           [0010]    Moreover, a further difficulty with many access doors is that the latching mechanism is often difficult to actuate by the user of the recreational vehicle. Many purchasers of recreational vehicles are older individuals. As recreational vehicles have increased in size, the storage space has also increased in size as have the access doors. Consequently, for many users of recreational vehicles, the access doors are heavy and the latching mechanisms are often difficult to actuate. The difficulty in actuating the latching mechanism is further compounded by the fact that dirt and dust may occlude the latching mechanism thereby inhibiting easy removal of the latching mechanism from its secured position.  
           [0011]    From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that there is a need for recreational vehicles that have storage compartments with access doors that are more readily actuated by the users. Moreover, there is a further need for latching mechanisms that are able to secure the access doors at the corners to inhibit damage to the weather tight seals or potential damage to the securing door or storage compartment.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0012]    The aforementioned needs are satisfied by the recreational vehicle of the present invention which, in one aspect, comprises a frame that is attached to a plurality of wheels so as to permit rolling movement of the frame over the ground and a housing that is attached to the frame so as to define an interior living space wherein a floor is mounted on the frame so as to be elevated above the wheels to thereby define the floor of the interior living space of the vehicle and a subfloor space into which a plurality of storage compartments are positioned wherein the storage compartments include a hinged access door and a latching mechanism that is adapted to latch the two corners of the access door opposite the hinge to thereby secure the bottom corners of the door in a closed configuration.  
           [0013]    In one particular implementation, the access doors are hinged on a first side and the latching mechanism is adapted to be positioned proximate the corners of the second side of the access door to the storage compartment. In one particular implementation, the first side is an upper side of the access door and the second side is a lower side.  
           [0014]    In one particular embodiment, the latching mechanism includes a user actuatable latch that extends through to the outer side of the housing such that user manipulation of the latch will result in rotation of an attached rotating cam member on an interior surface of the door resulting in lateral motion of interconnecting rods attached thereto. The interconnecting rods are preferably connected to rotating bell cranks, which are, in turn, connected to locking members. The locking members can either be positioned at the interface between the bottom of the access door and the subfloor wall or at the side of the access door and the subfloor wall.  
           [0015]    By securing the doors at a position adjacent the non-hinged corners of the access door, the negative effects of vibration on the access doors is reduced. In particular, a better weather seal is maintained and the likelihood of damage over time as a result of vibration at the corners is reduced. Moreover, the use of bell cranks results in a mechanical advantage in extracting the locking members from the locking apertures which thereby makes the door easier to open. These and other objects and advantages will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1A is a first recreational vehicle having the improved storage compartments of the preferred embodiments;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1B is a second recreational vehicle incorporating the improved storage compartments of the preferred embodiments;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is a layout drawing illustrating the layout of a typical inner living space of the recreational vehicle of FIG. 1A;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a first embodiment of the latching mechanism for the storage compartment access door;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIGS. 4A and 4B are detailed views of a locking member of the latching mechanism of FIGS. 3A and 3B;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIGS. 5A and 5B are detailed views of the latching mechanism actuation member;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an alternative embodiment of a latching mechanism similar to the latching mechanism of FIGS. 3A and 3B. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0023]    Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a typical recreational vehicle  100   a ,  100   b . As is illustrated in FIG. 1A, the recreational vehicle  100   a  comprises a motorhome that is a self-propelled vehicle. As is further illustrated in FIG. 1A, the motorhome  100   a  includes a plurality of wheels  102   a  that are attached to a frame structure  104   a  so as to permit rolling movement of the motorhome over the ground. The frame structure  104   a  can be similar to the frame structure as disclosed in Application&#39;s co-pending application, application Ser. No. 09/728,946, filed Dec. 1, 2000, entitled “MOTORHOME WITH INCREASED INTERIOR CEILING HEIGHT”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. As is also illustrated in FIG. 1A, the recreational vehicle has a living space floor  106   a  that is elevated above the lowest section  105  of the chassis. Hence, a subfloor area  111   a  is defined between the living space floor  106   a  and the lower subfloor members  105   a.    
         [0024]    The subfloor space  111   a  can then be divided into a plurality of storage compartments that are accessible via the access doors  110   a.  Each of the access doors  110   a  have, in this embodiment, hinges  114  located along an upper surface  116  of the access door  110   a  to permit the doors to be moved between an open and closed configuration. Also, an exposed latch  112   a  is accessible to the outside of the vehicle to permit the user to be able to open the access door to the storage compartment. As will be described in greater detail below, the latching mechanism associated with the latch  112   a  preferably engages between the non-hinged corners  120   a  of the storage compartment and the wall portions  122   a  of the side of the vehicle to ensure better security of the access door  110   a.    
         [0025]    As is illustrated in FIG. 1B, the improved access door can be used not only on motorhomes, but also on trailer, such as fifth-wheel trailers, that also have interior living spaces with an interior living space floor  106   b  and a subfloor  105   b  so as to define a subfloor area or space  111   b  into which storage compartments can be formed. Moreover, the access doors  110   b  have the same basic configuration as the access doors  110   a  as described above in connection with FIG. 1A and further as described below in connection with the remaining figures. Hence, it will be appreciated that the following description of the latching mechanism of the access door  110  should not be limited to any particular type of recreational vehicle but is actually adaptable to any of a number of different types of recreational vehicles.  
         [0026]    As is illustrated in FIG. 2, the recreational vehicle has an interior living space  130  that is positioned on the floor  106  and includes many of the accoutrements of a home including sitting locations  132 , a kitchen  134 , a bathroom  136  and a bedroom  140 . It will, of course, be appreciated that the exact configuration of the living space  130  within the vehicle  100  can vary significantly from vehicle to vehicle.  
         [0027]    Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, one embodiment of the latching mechanism  150  will be described. As is illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the latching mechanism  150  includes the latch  112  which is coupled to a rotating cam member  152  in a manner that will be described in greater detail below. Basically, outward operation of the latch  112  results in rotation of the cam member  152  between the locked position shown in FIG. 3A and the unlocked position shown in FIG. 3B. The cam member  152  includes an engagement arm  154  which engages with the latch  112  in a manner that will be described in greater detail below and two mounting arms  156   a,    156   b.    
         [0028]    Two interconnecting members  160   a ,  160   b  are attached to the mounting arms  156   a ,  156   b , respectively, such that rotation of the cam member  152  results in lateral movement of the interconnecting members  158   a ,  158   b  in the direction of the arrow  164 . The interconnecting members  158   a ,  158   b  are respectively attached to two bell crank members  170   a ,  170   b  that are pivotally attached to the inner surface  113  of the door  110  so as to rotate between a secured position shown in FIG. 3A and an open position shown in FIG. 3B. As is illustrated, the bell crank members  170   a ,  170   b  define a first and a second leg  172 ,  174  such that the bell crank member  170   a ,  170   b  has a generally “L” shape.  
         [0029]    The interconnecting members  158   a ,  158   b  are connected to the second leg  174   b  and a locking rod  179   a  is preferably connected to the first leg  172   a ,  172   b . The locking rod  179   a ,  179   b  is then connected to a shaped locking member  180   a ,  180   b . Since the bell cranks  170   a ,  170   b  pivot, the locking rods  179   a ,  179   b  and the shaped locking members  180   a ,  180   b  move vertically to either move the shaped locking members  180   a ,  180   b  into or out of the openings  192   a ,  192   b  in the manner described in greater detail hereinbelow in reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. It will be appreciated that while bell cranks  170   a ,  170   b  are used in this embodiment, member that transfers the horizontal force vertically can also be used without departing from the spirit of the present invention.  
         [0030]    As will be described in greater detail below, the relative sizes of the legs  174   a,    174   b  are preferably sized with respect to each other such that the bell cranks  170   a ,  170   b  acts as a force multiplier member such that rotation of the cam member  152  results in greater force being exerted on the locking member  180   a ,  180   b . As is illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the locking members  191  are positioned adjacent the non-hinged corners  200  of the door so as to secure the non-hinged corner in a locked configuration which thereby reduces the negative effects of vibration on the seal between the door and the wall.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate one exemplary locking of the access door  110 . It will be appreciated, however, that this is simply illustrative of one configuration of the door and any of a number of different configurations can be used with the locking mechanism  150  without departing from the spirit of the present invention.  
         [0032]    In this implementation, the shaped locking member  180  extends through the opening  192  in the lip  190  of the door  110 . The lip  190  abuts against a flange  244  formed in the wall  118  so that the storage compartment can be sealed. An opening  242  is formed in the wall such that when the cam member  152  is rotated, the shaped locking member  180  can be positioned through the opening  192  in the lip  190  of the door  110  into the opening  242  of the wall  118  thereby securely latching the door  112  to thereby inhibit opening of the door  112 . Preferably, the shaped locking member  180  is shaped with respect to the opening  242  such that the outer walls of the shaped locking member  180  engage with the inner walls of the opening such that the engagement urges the lip  190  into contact with the flange  244  of the wall to thereby seal the storage compartment.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the operation of the rotating cam member  152  in connection with the latch  112 . FIG. 5A is a front view of the latch  112  wherein the latch  112  includes a lever member  250  that pivots in the direction of arrow  252  such that an angled tab (not shown) on an interior surface of the lever member  250  engages with a slide member  212  that then engages with the engagement arm  154  of the rotating cam member  152 . Basically, the angled tab extends through the latch assembly housing  254  and engages with the slide member  212  such that the slide member  212  slides in the direction of the arrow  214  in FIG. 5B causing the rotating cam member to rotate in a clockwise direction when the latch is being manipulated into an open position. The workings of the rotating cam member is further described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,937 entitled “Flush Door Latch Assembly” issued to Miehe et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.  
         [0034]    Hence, the embodiment of the latch mechanism described in connection with FIGS. 3A, 3B,  4 ,  5 A, and  5 B provide for a latching mechanism that is better able to secure the corner of the door. Moreover, the use of the rotating bell crank members or their equivalents allow for the locking members to be positioned along the bottom surface of the door as opposed to along the side surface as is the custom in access doors for recreational vehicles. Moreover, the use of the rotating bell crank members can also create a mechanical advantage due to the lever arms such that greater force can be exerted against the locking member to either position the locking member in the locking receptacle or remove the locking member from the locking receptacle without requiring the user to exert greater force on the latch.  
         [0035]    As is illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B, an alternative embodiment of the invention utilizing the rotating bell crank members  170   a ,  170   b  can also be implemented wherein the locking members extend into the sides of the access door  110  in the manner shown. Again, the use of the rotating bell crank members creates the mechanical advantage which results in easier opening of the locks.  
         [0036]    Although the foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has shown, described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the detail of the apparatus as illustrated, as well as uses thereof, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. Consequently, the scope of the invention should not be limited to the foregoing discussion, but should be defined by the appended claims.

Summary:
A recreational vehicle having a storage compartment in the subfloor area. The storage compartment is accessible via an access door positioned in outer housing of the recreational vehicle. A latching mechanism is mounted on the access door that secures the non-hinged corners, such as the bottom corners, when the access door is hinged at the top, so as to more securely latch the door. Force multiplier members are included in the latching mechanism such that greater force is applied to the securing members in response to user actuation of an external latch.