Abstract:
A combined vehicle tow and step assembly in which a trailer hitch and step platform are interconnected with each other and function as a unit so as to provide both towing and step functions without the need of removal from the vehicle high mount to achieve such functions.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a device or assembly that provides both a towing hitch and a step enabling users to more easily access vehicles such as the bed of a pickup truck end which may directly attach to a receiver hitch opening in the vehicle body. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Many vehicles and primarily pickup trucks include beds and other areas that are difficult to access due to their relatively high height above the ground. Users often cannot step directly onto such surfaces from the ground and often stand on objects such as boxes or crates or initially sit on the lowered tailgate edge and then crawl up upon the tailgate. While there are a number of devices adapted to attach to the rear of a pickup truck vehicle and pivotally move to a use position from a storage position, these devices are either used in place of a tow assembly or interfere with the normal electrical connections often provided adjacent the receiver hitch opening of such vehicles. 
   Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a combined trailer hitch and step platform assembly that can be attached to the vehicle and provide simultaneous towing capability and step assist to users. 
   Another object of the invention is the provision of a combined trailer hitch and step platform that is both easy to use and install and which also provides secure support when the step platform is positioned in the use position. 
   A still further object of the invention is the provision of a combined trailer hitch and step platform which can be easily modified by simply turning over the hitch-supporting member to an alternate position to position the trailer hitch connector ball at an alternate height with respect to the vehicle. 
   These and other objects of the invention are accomplished by a combination assembly comprising a trailer hitch and a step platform adapted for positioning at the rear of a vehicle, said assembly including a housing for interconnecting said trailer hitch and said step platform together, said trailer hitch including a tubular support member having a distal end and a proximal end wherein said distal end is adapted for connection to a receiver hitch on a vehicle body, said step platform including a step arm having a distal end and a proximal end wherein said step arm distal end is pivotally connected to said housing for pivotal movement between a storage position generally underneath to the vehicle and a use position in which the step arm extends outward from under the vehicle, and said step arm proximal end includes a foot rest where a user&#39;s foot may be placed when stepping into the vehicle. 
   Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention: 
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of one form of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a front perspective view similar to  FIG. 1  but showing the combined assembly attached to a vehicle receiver hitch; 
       FIG. 3  is a top plan view of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view along the line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view along the line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view along the line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view along the line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 ; 
       FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view along the line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 7 ; 
       FIG. 9  is a front perspective view similar to  FIG. 2  with the holding pin of the step bar removed in preparation to rotate the step arm to a non-use or storage position; 
       FIG. 10  is a top perspective view of the assembly shown in  FIG. 9  but with the step arm rotated to the step arm&#39;s non-use or storage position; 
       FIG. 11  is a sectional view along the line  11 - 11  of  FIG. 10 ; 
       FIG. 12  is a front perspective view of a modified form of the invention shown in  FIGS. 1-11 ; 
       FIG. 13  is a sectional view along the line  13 - 13  of  FIG. 12 ; 
       FIG. 14  is a view similar to  FIG. 12  showing the removal of the trailer hitch tubular support member or arm; and 
       FIG. 15  is a view similar to  FIG. 14  but showing the trailer hitch rotated 180 degrees and reconnected to the housing in order to position the hitch ball in a lower position with respect to the vehicle. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is most useful when installed on a pickup truck or similar vehicle such as a sport utility vehicle having a tailgate that pivots from a vertical closed position to an open horizontal position that leads to the bed or other vehicle interior space. Such vehicles are usually equipped with a receiver hitch bracket centrally attached to the vehicle&#39;s rear frame. The bracket normally presents a connecting opening of square configuration for receipt of a tubular member having a trailer connector such as a ball and means for attaching the tubular member to the bracket. 
   Turning now to the drawings and particularly  FIGS. 1-11  thereof, one form of the present invention is shown. The combined assembly  10  of the present invention is depicted attached to a standard receiver hitch  12  mounted at the rear of a vehicle  14  such as a pickup truck. The hitch  12  has a square-shaped opening  16  into which a similarly shaped tubular support member is inserted and is fixed in position by a pin (not shown) or other standard means. 
   The combined assembly  10  includes both a trailer hitch portion  20  and a step platform portion  40  effectively connected to each other by means of a housing portion  60 . The housing  60  includes upper and lower generally parallel plates  62 ,  64  respectively. Such housing  60  may include a base  66  to which the plates are connected to form a generally U-shaped housing  60 . The plates are each provided with a pivot pin opening  68 . Such openings are vertically aligned with each other and are adapted to receive a pivot pin  70  therethrough for pivotal connection with the step platform portion  40  as will hereinafter be apparent. In addition, the plates each include a pair of spacially separated positioning front and rear openings  72 ,  74 . Each of such opening pairs are also vertically aligned and are adapted to receive a locking or positioning pin  76  therethrough so as to fix the step platform  40  in either an extended use position or in a storage position with respect to the housing and thus with respect to the vehicle as will hereinafter become apparent. Generally in the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-11 , the plates are welded or otherwise permanently attached to the trailer hitch portion  20 . 
   The trailer hitch portion comprises a tubular support member  22  having a distal end  24  of square configuration for receipt by the opening  16  of the hitch  12 . A pair of locking openings  26  may be provided at the distal end  24  such that a pin (not shown) may be utilized to lock the support member  22  to the hitch  12 . The support member  22  could alternatively be permanently attached to the hitch  12  as by welding, but such, while operable for most purposes, would enable the assembly to be rotated 180 degrees and reinserted into the hitch to position the assembly in an alternate use position as will also hereinafter become apparent. 
   The tubular support member proximal end  27  includes a hitch connector member  28  connected thereto as by welding and which member  28  downwardly slants and terminates in a forwardly projecting plate  30  having an opening  32  for receipt of a standard receiving ball  34  such that a trailer can be attached thereto as is known in the prior art. The ball  34  has a threaded lower post (not shown) that projects through the opening  32  and is thus connected to the plate via a nut (not shown). 
   The step platform  40  includes a step bar arm  42  preferably of similar square tubular configuration as the support member  22  and spaced upper and lower walls  44 ,  46  as well as a distal end  48  and a proximal end  50 . The distal end is provided with a pair of vertically aligned pivot holes  52  extending through the walls  44 ,  46  for receipt of the pivot pin  70  to, in effect, attach the step platform  40  to the housing  60 . The upper and lower walls  44 ,  46  are also provided with a pair of forward and rearward openings  54 ,  56  that are vertically aligned with each other. The forward pair  54  is positioned in front of the pivot holes  52  and the rearward pair  56  positioned to the rear thereof. The proximal end  50  includes a foot rest  58  fixedly attached to the upper surface of the upper wall  44  and provides a step such that the user may support his/her foot as when stepping up to the bed or other interior surface of the vehicle to which the assembly  10  is attached and when the step bar  42  of such assembly is in the extended use position shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . 
   In such extended use position, the proximal end of the step bar and thus the footrest extends beyond, that is, forward of the tailgate in the tailgate&#39;s horizontal position and the step bar arm  42  and the hitch support member  22  are generally positioned parallel to each other. In this position, the positioning or locking pin  76  extends though the forward pair of openings  72  and the forward pair of openings  54  of the step bar arm  42 . When the pin  76  is removed, the step bar arm may be pivoted to its storage position where the arm  42  is generally perpendicular to the hitch support member as shown in  FIGS. 9-11 . The step bar arm may be locked in this storage position by placing the pin  76  through the rear pair of openings  74  of the housing plates  62 ,  64  as well as the rearward openings  56  in the upper and lower walls  44 ,  46  of the step bar. 
   In an alternate positioning of the assembly  10 , the tubular support member  22  of the trailer hitch portion is removed from the receiver hitch  12  and the entire assembly rotated 180 degrees and then the support member  22  reinserted into the hitch  12  in such inverted position where the housing plates  62 ,  64  will extend to the left of the receiver hitch  12  as opposed to the right as shown in the drawings. In this alternate position, the forwardly projecting plate  30  due to the slant of the hitch connector member  28  will place the receiving ball  34  at a higher alternate level with respect to the vehicle so as to give some flexibility as to the tow height for different weight and sized trailers. The receiving ball  34  must be removed from the opening in the plate  30  and then reinserted right side up, that is, with the ball positioned above the plate. It should also be noted, however, that many vehicle hitch connections provide electrical receptacles on the vehicle for connecting wiring, i.e., braking, turning and running lights, and that such outlets or trailer plugs are conventionally placed to the left of the receiver hitch opening. In such cases, it, therefore, may be useful to provide an alternate embodiment to avoid such potential access problem. 
   Such alternate embodiment  10   a  is shown in  FIGS. 12-15  of the drawings and includes the same structural features of the  FIGS. 1-11  embodiment and with the same reference numerals attached thereto except that the housing  60   a  includes a separate U-shaped member having upper and lower plates  62   a ,  64   a  connected to each other by a base  66   a . In order to attach the housing  60   a  to the tubular support member  22 , a pair of threaded bolts  86  which are adapted to pass through a set of vertically aligned holes  87  provided in both plates  62   a  and Ma of the housing  60   a . Nuts are provided for the bolts  86  and, when tightened, serve to draw the plates together so as to clamp the support bar  22  tightly therebetween. This tightening action thus serves to fix the position of the housing and thus the step assembly which is attached to the housing in place. Once connected, the assembly  10   a  functions the same as the assembly  10  previously described above. When, however, it is desired to change the height of the connecting ball to accommodate different height trailers, the trailer hitch  20  is removed from the housing  60   a  by removing the bolts  86 . The trailer hitch bar  22  is then inverted in position (turned 180 degrees), reassembled in position with the housing  60  and the bolts  86  reinserted in position and tightened so as to fix the bar and housing in the position shown in  FIG. 15  when the ball hitch is in its lower position. In addition, the connecting ball, as in the previous embodiment, must be removed and then reinserted right side up into the opening  32  in the plate  30 . The above outlined procedures reflect the changed position of the hitch member from a higher ball position shown in  FIG. 12  to a lower ball position shown in  FIG. 15 . The construction of the alternate embodiment thus provides height adjustment of the connection ball without placing any portion of the assembly  10   a  to the left of the receiver opening of the hitch  12  and thus would not prevent access to the electrical connections placed in that position. 
   In addition, it should be pointed out that, if desired, the welding attachment of the housing  60  to the hitch bar  22  shown in the  FIGS. 1-11  embodiment can be changed to the bolt attachment arrangement shown in the  FIGS. 12-15  alternate embodiment. 
   While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying this invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.