Abstract:
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a slide-out system comprising an inner rail that slides into and out of an inner rail. The inner rail is supported within the outer rail by a single support roller and a retaining slide, while a rail gear drives a gear rack on the inner rail to cause extension or retraction. This arrangement allows the rails of the slide-out system to be narrower than those used in many popular flush-floor slide-out systems in use today.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/763,330 filed Jan. 30, 2006 entitled Single Roller Slide-Out Mechanism and is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    In order to increase the available interior space of a motorized or towable vehicle such as a motor home, trailer, or boat, these vehicles have been designed to include slide-out rooms. When the vehicle is in transit, the slide-out room is retracted and stored in the vehicle&#39;s interior with the exterior wall of the slide-out room approximately flush with the vehicle&#39;s exterior. As a result, there is typically adequate space within the vehicle&#39;s interior to accommodate users in transit and remain within the standard width limitations imposed upon a vehicle. When the vehicle is parked and leveled, the slide-out room is then slid outward through an opening formed in a sidewall of the vehicle thereby increasing the internal accommodations. 
         [0003]    Typically, slide-out rooms include a floor section, a roof section, a first sidewall section, a second sidewall section, and a third sidewall section. In the retracted position, the roof section and the first and second sidewall section are concealed from exterior view, and the third sidewall section forms a portion of the vehicle&#39;s sidewall. At the same time, the floor section of the slide-out room typically rests above a floor section of a fixed room and may form a portion of the usable interior floor during vehicle transit. Similarly, the roof section of the slide-out room may define the interior ceiling of that part of the vehicle during transit. The proximal ends of the roof section, first sidewall section, and second sidewall section, include stop walls. As used herein, “proximal” refers to the portion towards the vehicle body and “distal” refers to the portion away from the vehicle body. The stop walls form an L-shaped configuration with the respective roof section, first sidewall section and second sidewall section. The stop walls engage the inner surface of a respective sidewall section of the fixed room when the slide-out room is fully extended, and thereby limit the travel of the slide-out room. 
         [0004]    In the early phases of slide-out room design, the floor of the slide-out room would slide back and forth over the top of the interior vehicle floor. With these early designs, however, a step differential between the vehicle floor and the slide-out room floor existed, even when the slide-out room was fully extended. To some users, this type of design was inconvenient or unsightly. 
         [0005]    As a result, some later slide-out rooms were designed so that the slide-out room floor became flush with the interior vehicle floor once the slide-out room was fully extended out from the vehicle. These designs became known as flush floor designs and examples can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,637,794, 6,598,354, and 5,577,351, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0006]    Regardless of which type of slide-out rooms are used today, the underlying structure that is used in such slide-outs is typically heavy and bulky. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,918, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, includes wide, heavy sliding members. The substantial width of these sliding members is primarily due to their inclusion of dual rollers on either side of a gear and gear rack. While providing adequate support for a slide-out room, these sliding members require more material to manufacture, increasing both their production cost and weight. 
         [0007]    As a result, there is a continuing desire in the industry to find yet a better and more efficient way of achieving a slide-out configuration. 
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    It is an object of the present invention to overcome the limitations of the prior art. 
         [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a slide-out system that is less expensive to manufacture than prior art designs. 
         [0010]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a slide-out system that is lighter than prior art designs. 
         [0011]    In one embodiment, the present invention attempts to achieve these objects with a slide-out system comprising an inner rail that slides into and out of an inner rail. The inner rail is supported within the outer rail by a single support roller and a retaining slide, while a rail gear drives a gear rack on the inner rail to cause extension or retraction. This arrangement allows the rails of the slide-out system to be narrower than those used in many popular flush-floor slide-out systems in use today. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a vehicle with a slide-out system according to the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  illustrates a top view of the slide-out system according to the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of the slide-out system according to the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side perspective view of the slide-out system according to the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  illustrates an end view of the slide-out system according to the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  illustrates a bottom perspective view of the slide-out system according to the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  illustrates an enlarged view of area  7  in  FIG. 6  according to the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  illustrates an enlarged view of area  8  in  FIG. 6  according to the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view of the slide-out system according to the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  illustrates a perspective view of another slide-out system according to the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  illustrates a perspective view of the slide-out system of  FIG. 10  according to the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  illustrates a perspective view of the slide-out system of  FIG. 10  according to the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 13  illustrates a profile view of the slide-out system of  FIG. 10  according to the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 14  illustrates a back profile view of an outer rail of the slide-out system of  FIG. 10  according to the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 15  illustrates a perspective view of a chassis plate of the slide-out system of  FIG. 10  according to the present invention; 
           [0027]      FIG. 16  illustrates a perspective view of a stop bracket of the slide-out system of  FIG. 10  according to the present invention; 
           [0028]      FIGS. 17-19  illustrate various views of the slide-out system of  FIG. 10  according to the present invention; 
           [0029]      FIG. 20  illustrates a perspective view of a slide-out system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0030]      FIG. 21  illustrates an enlarged view of area  21  of  FIG. 20  according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0031]      FIGS. 1-9  illustrate a preferred embodiment of a slide-out system  100  according to the present invention which includes an outer rail  102  fixed to a vehicle  101  and an inner rail  104  coupled to a slide-out room  103 . The outer rail  102  and the inner rail  104  are arranged in such a way, as described in detail below, as to reduce the complexity of the slide-out system  100 , allowing for cost effective robotic welding. Further, the simplified design utilizes less raw material (typically steel) allowing for reductions in manufacturing costs and reductions in the final weight of the slide-out system  100 . 
         [0032]    Turning first to  FIG. 1 , a cross sectional view of the vehicle  102  is shown, including the slide-out room  103  which moves into and out of the slide-out room. Generally, the outer rail  102  is fixed below a main floor  106  of the vehicle  101  while the inner rail  104  is coupled to the bottom side of the floor  107  of the slide-out room  103  by a mounting bracket  108 . The inner rail  104  slides into and out of the outer rail  102 , urging the slide-out room  103  to similarly slide into and out of the vehicle  101 . 
         [0033]    Since the slide-out system  100  is positioned beneath the main floor  106  of the vehicle  101 , the floor  107  of the slide-out room  103  can be positioned very close to the main floor  106 . In this respect, there is a minimal floor height transition between the main room of the vehicle and the slide-out room  103 . 
         [0034]    Preferably, the outer rail  102  has a generally “U” shape, including a top region and two side regions that extend down from the edges of the top region. To maintain a desired strength, the outer rail  102  is preferably composed of steel or a metal with similar properties. The inner rail  104  is preferably a hollow, elongated structure sized to fit within the outer rail  102  as seen in the Figures, and is composed of a similar metal such as steel. Both the outer rail  102  and the inner rail  104 , however, may have different shapes according to the present invention. For example, the inner rail  104  may have a shape similar to an I-beam or the outer rail  102  may extend around the inner rail  104 , leaving only a narrow strip exposed down its middle. 
         [0035]    As seen in  FIGS. 2-8 , a gear bracket  112  is mounted to each side of the outer rail  102 , extending beyond the thickness of the inner rail  104 . Each side of the gear bracket  112  is additionally locked together by a support bolt  112 a, which provides further lateral stability to the gear rack  112 , especially while the slide-out system  100  is in operation. 
         [0036]    An axle  113  is rotatably coupled to each side of the gear bracket  112  to support a rail gear  118  and an adjacent support roller  116 . The support roller  116  contacts a lower surface of the inner rail  104  to provide support for the inner rail  104  and ultimately to the slide-out room  103 . The rail gear  118  is positioned adjacent to the support roller  116  and engages a rack  110  (e.g., a gear rack, chain, punched tube/metal, etc.) that is positioned along a portion of the inner rail  104 . 
         [0037]    As best seen in  FIG. 6 , the inner rail  104  includes a stop  109  that contacts the support roller  116  when the inner rail  104  is in an extended position. This prevents the inner rail  104 , and thus the slide-out room  103  from being over-extended and causing damage. Preferably, the position of the stop  109  is adjustable, allowing the maximum extension of the inner rail  104  to be adjusted to accommodate different sizes of slide-out rooms. 
         [0038]    As seen in  FIG. 9 , the axle  113  and thus the support roller  116  and rail gear  118 , are connected to a drive shaft  128 . The drive shaft  128  provides the rotational power generated from an electric motor  132  through gearbox  130 . In this respect, the motor  132  causes the rail gear  118  to rotate in one direction or another and therefore urge the inner rail  104  in a proximal or distal direction in relation to the vehicle  101 . Alternatively, the motor  132  may be located on or immediately adjacent to said outer rail so as to drive rail gear  118 . Optionally, the motor  132  may also include a removable brake as known in the art. 
         [0039]    Prior slide out designs, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,918, the contents of which are incorporated by reference, have typically included at least two support rollers on either side of a gear rack, requiring a relatively wide rail structure and consequently requiring significantly more material to manufacture. However, the present invention provides more narrow rails  102  and  104  since only one support roller  116  is used adjacent to the gear rack  110  and rail gear  118 . By providing more narrow rails  102  and  104 , the present invention reduces the amount of material needed for the manufacturing process (typically steel) and therefore can provide a reduction in the manufacturing cost. Further, such material reductions of the present invention can lead to a lighter slide-out system  100 , providing such benefits as cheaper shipping to customers and easier installation on vehicles. 
         [0040]    Since the slide-out system  100  of the present invention preferably only includes a single support roller  116  underneath the inner rail  104  for each pair of rails  102  and  104 , extension and retraction of the slide-out room  103  may produce various vertical forces (against the outer rail  102  or away from it). In order to maintain a desired position of the distal or inner end (i.e. the end shown in  FIG. 8 ) of the inner rail  104 , the present invention includes a retaining slide  114  and an inner roller  124 . 
         [0041]    The retaining slide  114 , seen best in  FIGS. 6 and 8  includes two sides extending around the inner rail  104  and further positioned to engage a retaining lip  120  on each side of the outer rail  102 . Preferably, the retaining lip  120  extends perpendicular from the side of the outer rail  102  which allows the sides of the retaining slide  114  to evenly contact its main surface. To reduce wear and decrease friction, the retaining slide  114  also includes low friction pads  122 , preferably composed of a material such as Teflon or. UHMW. In this respect, the retaining slide  114  prevents the distal end of the inner rail  104  from moving vertically away from the outer rail  102  during extension or retraction. 
         [0042]    The inner roller  124 , best seen in  FIG. 8 , is located at the end of the inner rail  104  and positioned to contact an upper, inner surface of the outer rail  102 . Preferably, the inner roller  124  is positioned so as to maintain a position of the inner rail  104  to cause engagement of the retaining slide  114  with the retaining lip  120 . Thus, the inner roller  124  prevents the distal end of the inner rail  104  from moving against and dragging on the outer rail  102 , maintaining a desired distance between the two rails  102  and  104  while preventing significant friction during operation. 
         [0043]    In a preferred embodiment, the side walls of the outer rail  102  have a constant height along the length of the outer rail  102 . Similarly, along its length, the retaining lip  120  is located at substantially the same distance from the horizontal top surface of the outer rail  102 . Thus, the inner rail  104  therefore the slide-out room  103  keeps a relatively even level when sliding in or out. However, it should be noted that the present invention also contemplates a preferred embodiment where the inner rail  104  changes its angle during extension or retraction. For example, the height of the side walls of the outer rail  102  may vary in length, causing the inner rail  104  and thus the slide-out room  103  to achieve either an incline or decline as extension or retraction occurs. An example of such an angled slide-out room can be seen in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/914567 entitled Slide Mechanism With Elevation Adjustment, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
         [0044]    As seen in  FIG. 9 , the slide-out system  100  of the present invention can include multiple pairs of inner and outer rails  102  and  104 , depending on the size and weight of the slide-out room  103 . 
         [0045]    In an alternative embodiment, the motor  132  could be directly connected to a rail gear  118  of only one pair and an axle could be coupled to each gear rack to distribute the force of the motor  132 . 
         [0046]    In operation, the user activates the motor  132 , which rotates the gears within gear box  130 , rotating drive shaft  128  and thus turning the rail gear  118 . As the rail gear  118  rotates, it moves against the gear rack  110 , causing the inner rail  104  to move out from the outer rail  102 . As the inner rail extends, the retaining slide  114  and the inner roller  124  maintain a desired position of the distal end of the inner rail  104 . Through the mounting bracket  108 , the inner rail  104  urges the slide-out room  103  to extend from the vehicle  101 . 
         [0047]    When the user wishes to retract the slide-out room  103  back into the vehicle  101 , the motor  132  is again activated in a reverse direction, causing the gear box  130 , drive shaft  128 , and rail gear  116  to rotate in a reverse direction. The rail gear  116  similarly moves against the gear rack  110 , causing the inner rail  104  to move into the outer rail  102 . As the inner rail  104  retracts, the slide-out room  103  similarly retracts until the slide-out room  103  is in a completely retracted position. 
         [0048]      FIGS. 10-19  illustrate an alternate preferred embodiment of a slide-out system  200  according to the present invention which includes a generally similar design to the previously described slide-out system  100 . Specifically, the slide-out system  200  includes an outer rail  202  fixed to a vehicle and an inner rail  204  coupled to the slide-out room. As with the previously described embodiments, a gear bracket  212  mounts to the outer rail  202  to support an axle  213 . A support roller  216  on the axle  213  contacts and supports a lower surface of the inner rail  204  while a drive rail gear  218  on the axle  213  meshes with a gear rack  210 , driving the inner rail  204  into and out of the outer rail  202 . 
         [0049]    As seen in  FIGS. 10 ,  11 ,  13 ,  14 , and  17 - 19 , the outer rail  202  includes a lower lip  202 B having a generally perpendicular shape relative to the sidewall and angled towards the center of the outer rail  202 . Additionally, a mid-level lip  202 A is also included, having a generally perpendicular shape relative to the sidewall and angled away from the center of the outer rail  202 . This “G” shape can best be seen in the rear profile perspective of  FIG. 14 , which also shows a backstop  202 C which prevents the inner rail  204  from retracting into the vehicle far enough to cause damage. 
         [0050]    Unlike the slide-out system  100 , the slide-out system  200  does not require a retaining slide  114 , since the inner rail  204  is retained by sitting on and therefore sliding on the lower lip  202 B. Preferably, the upper surface of the lower lip  202 B includes a low friction material to facilitate sliding of the inner rail  204 . The mid-level lip  202 A is shaped and positioned similarly to the lip  120  of the previous preferred embodiment, however, this lip  202 A does not provide any primary support to the inner rail  104 , instead adding strength to the outer rail  202 . In this respect, the present slide-out system  200  requires less material and parts than the previously described slide-out system  100 . 
         [0051]    As seen best in  FIGS. 12 and 13 , the gear bracket  212  includes tracking screws  215  on each side of the bracket  212  which adjust into and out of the gear bracket  212  to press against the inner rail  204 . In this respect, the tracking screws  215  maintain a horizontal alignment of the inner rail  204 , allowing a user or manufacture to manually adjust the tracking at the outer end of the outer rail  202 . 
         [0052]    As seen in  FIGS. 15-19 , the slide-out system  200  also includes a stop bracket  224  and an adjustable stop bolt  222  which allow a user to adjust a maximum stopping point for the inner rail  204  to extend out from the outer rail  202 . The stop bracket  224  is positioned on one side of the inner rail  204  so that one surface on the bracket  224  is perpendicular to the side of the inner rail  204 . The adjustable stop bolt  222  is positioned through a chassis plate  220  that fits around a portion of the outer rail  202  and is further mounted to a vehicle structural beam  150  around a slide-out opening  152 , as best seen in  FIGS. 17 and 18 . To adjust the position at which the inner rail  204  is prevented from further extension, the user adjusts nuts on either side of the bolt  222 , causing the bolt to move either towards or away from the gear bracket  212 , as best seen in  FIG. 19 . In this respect, the horizontal position of the bolt  222  can be laterally secured in a range of different positions to allow the inner rail  204  to be stopped in a desired position. 
         [0053]      FIGS. 20 and 21  illustrate another preferred embodiment of a slide-out system  300  which is generally similar to the previously described slide-out system  200 . However, as best seen in  FIG. 21 , the slide-out system  300  includes a roller  302  rotatably mounted to the rear end of the inner rail  204  to contact the lower lip  202 B. In this respect the roller  302  reduces friction between the inner rail  204  and the outer rail  202 . As best seen in  FIG. 21 , the lower lip  202 B includes a tab  202 D which is angled or bent upwards (i.e., towards the opposite side of the outer rail  202 ). The tab  202 D acts as a backstop or area of increasing resistance as the inner rail  204  fully retracts into the outer rail  202 . 
         [0054]    It should be understood that different elements of the previously described embodiments may be combined with other embodiments according to the present invention. For example, the tracking screws  215  may be combined with the slide-out system  100 . In another example, the stop bolt  222  and the stop bracket  224  may be used with slide-out system  100 . 
         [0055]    Although the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments and applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, in light of this teaching, can generate additional embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit of or exceeding the scope of the claimed invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawings and descriptions herein are proffered by way of example to facilitate comprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof.