Abstract:
A surface mount slide-out support system has rollers rotatably mounted to its side walls spaced apart and received in inwardly opening U-shaped channels of a frame. The channels have gear racks affixed to than with pinion gears meshing with die racks on a common shaft and an electric motor driving the shaft. Nylon bearings between the rails and the rollers help prevent racking.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/239,386 filed Oct. 11, 2000. 
    
    
     STATEMENT CONCERNING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to slide-out support systems for recreational vehicles. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Slide-out support systems for recreational vehicles are well known and typically include a set of rails which are slidable relative to a structure which is stationary relative to the vehicle frame. The slidable rails typically support a room of the recreational vehicle which is extended to expand the interior volume of the vehicle when it is parked, and retracted to pull in the sides of the vehicle for transport over the road. 
     Because space is at a premium in a recreational vehicle, slide-out systems are sometimes used to conserve and efficiently utilize the available space without actually expanding it. One such application is to the bed in a recreational vehicle. For all practical purposes, the bed is only used at night. To maximize usable space during the day, if the bed is stowed, or at least partially stowed, more space is available. The present invention is directed at a slide-out which can be mounted on the floor of a recreational vehicle to support a fixture such as a bed, so that it can be stowed for an efficient utilization of space during the day, and moved to an in-use position when it is used. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention therefore provides a slide-out system which can be mounted inside a recreational vehicle by fixing a base frame of the system to the floor of the vehicle. The base frame has spaced apart upstanding side plates to which are rotatably mounted rollers, preferably on the outsides of the side plates. Each side plate preferably mounts two rollers which are spaced apart in a longitudinal direction and all four rollers have their axes preferably co-planar. Each set of rollers is received in a corresponding U-shaped channel which the rollers roll on to extend or retract the channel. The channels are preferably attached to one another by opposite end members so as to make a rigid structure of the two channels and the end member. In addition, to reduce or eliminate racking of the movable structure, each channel has a rack secured to it and a gear supported by the side plates of the base frame meshes with each rack. The gears are connected by a rigid shaft so that they must turn together, so that the two rails must extend and retract together. The shaft connecting the two gears is preferably driven by an electric motor and gear box drive. 
     The invention therefor provides a slide-out system which is easy to apply inside a recreational vehicle to conserve space and to operate, and which has sufficient structural integrity to be useful to support items such as a bed. 
    
    
     These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description and drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slide-out support system of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the system of FIG. 1 shown mounted in a recreational vehicle with the floor and wall of the recreational vehicle in section and shown supporting a bed (in phantom) in an extended position in which the bed is partially stowed under a wall mounted cabinet (in phantom); 
     FIG. 3 is a view like FIG. 2 but with the slide-out system extended so that the bed is ready for use; 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view from the plane of the line  4 — 4  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a detail sectional view illustrating aspects of the drive on the left hand side of FIG. 4; and 
     FIG. 6 is a detail sectional view illustrating aspects of the drive on the right hand side of FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a surface mount slide-out support system  10  of the invention includes a laterally extending base frame  12  made of heavy gauge sheet metal which has upstanding laterally spaced sides  14  and  16  and base  13 , the bottom of the base  13  providing a surface interface plane which is coplanar with the top surface of the floor F of the RV. The frame  12  has openings cut out in it to reduce its weight. Rods  18  and  20  span the sides  14  and  16  in a common horizontal plane and are longitudinally spaced apart and welded to the inside surfaces of the plates  14  and  16 , so as to maintain the spacing of the plates  14  and  16 . The rods  18  and  20  extend through the sides  14  and  16  and mount at each of their opposite ends a roller  22 , for example a roller bearing, which is held on the rod  18  or  20  by any suitable means, such as a spring clip, set screw, etc. Therefore, each of the side plates  14  and  16  mounts on its outer side a rotatable roller  22 , and the two rollers  22  on each of the plates  14  and  16  are longitudinally spaced apart with all four rollers in the same horizontal plane, parallel with the base  13  and floor F of the RV. 
     The two rollers  22  on each side are received within a U-shaped channel  24  on the left side (as viewed in FIG. 1) and an identical U-shaped channel  26  on the right side. The open side of each of the channels  24  and  26  faces inwardly so that the rollers  22  roll on either the top wall  28  or the bottom wall  30  of each of the channels  24  and  26 . The extended end of the channels  24  and  26  are connected by end pieces  31 ,  32  which are welded to the ends of the channels  24 , 26 . The end pieces may be of any suitable rigid shape and material, their functions being to maintain the spacing and orientation of the side channels  24  and  26 . 
     Thus, the channels  24  and  26  and end pieces  31   32  make a rectangular bed frame type structure  35  to support a mattress M as illustrated in phantom in FIGS. 2 and 3. The base  13  of the frame  12  is bolted or otherwise affixed to the floor F of the recreational vehicle, using, for example, wood screws or other suitable fasteners. A cabinet C or other fixture is fixed to the wall W of the recreational vehicle above the floor F a sufficient distance so that the mattress M will fit beneath it in the retracted position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     The bottom wall  30  of each of the rails  24  and  26  has welded to its bottom side a gear rack  36  (FIGS. 5 and 6) and each gear rack  36  meshes with a pinion gear  38 , one of the gears  38  being at each end of shaft  40 . Shaft  40  is made in sections which can be pinned or otherwise coupled together so that its length may be easily varied. Shaft  40  extends through gear box  42  which engages the shaft, for example with a square drive connection, to drive it in one direction or the other under power from electric motor  44 . A bracket  46  is welded to wall  14  to support the gear box  42  and motor  44  assembly. 
     At each end, shaft  40  includes stub shafts  48  which are journaled to the respective side walls  14  and  16  and have gears  38  pinned to their extending ends. Other means of moving the frame  35  relative to the frame  12  could also be used, for example hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders or rotary motors, or cable, chain or belt driven systems. 
     Nylon bearings  50  are snapped or otherwise fitted over the ends of the shafts  18  and  20  to bear against the inner side walls of the rails  24  and  26  when the frame  35  tends to rack in a horizontal plane relative to the frame  12 . 
     FIG. 3 shows the extended position of the assembly  10 . In the retracted position of FIG. 2, the gears  38  are in engagement with the racks  36  near one end of the racks  36 , with the frame  35  extending to one side of the base frame  12  and the base frame  12  at one end of the rails  24  and  26 . The mattress extends under the cabinet C to conserve space. One or more supports S having an angled front lead-in edge may be provided on the wall W to help hold up the extended end of the frame  35  in the retracted position. In the extended position of FIG. 3, the gears  38  are in engagement with the racks  36  at the opposite end of the racks  36 . In this position, the frame  12  is roughly centered relative to the length of the rails  24  and  26 , with each of the rollers  22  an approximately equal distance from the closest end of the rails  24  and  26 . In this position, the mattress M is ready for use. 
     A preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in considerable detail. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to the embodiment described, but should be defined by the claims which follow.