Patent Publication Number: US-2023132962-A1

Title: Recreational Vehicle With Camouflaged Utility Hook-Up Compartment

Description:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 
     Any and all U. S. patents, U. S. patent applications, and other documents, hard copy or electronic, cited or referred to in this non-provisional patent application are incorporated herein by reference and made a part of this application. 
     Definitions 
     The words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “holding,” and “including,” and other grammatical forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, nor meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. 
     The word “rectangular” includes square. 
    
    
     
       BACKGROUND 
         FIG.  1 A  illustrates a typical recreation vehicle having a number of utility outlet hook-ups in separate recesses in a side of the vehicle hidden behind spaced apart square shaped covers that are opened and closed manually. A linear strip extends between the front and rear wheels, and an electrical outlet intersects and divides the strip and two pieces, with some covers above and below the pieces scattered over the side of the vehicle. This is an unattractive and inconvenient manner of organizing access to the utility outlet hook-ups. 
     
    
    
     This background discussion is not intended to be an admission of prior art. 
     SUMMARY 
     My recreation vehicle has one or more of the features depicted in the embodiment discussed in the section entitled “DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ONE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT.” These features are not listed in any rank order nor is this list intended to be exhaustive. The claims that follow define my recreation vehicle with concealed and camouflaged utility outlet hook-ups, distinguishing it from the prior art; however, without limiting the scope of my recreation vehicle as expressed by these claims, in general terms, some, but not necessarily all, of its features are: 
     One, the recreation vehicle has along an exterior side of the vehicle a broad elongated strip at least 5 inches wide that conceals utility outlet hook-ups underneath the strip. The strip is divided into first and second strip portions, and they may have exterior light reflective surfaces. These surfaces may be the same, for example, both mirrored surfaces reflecting images of nearby people or objects. One strip portion functions as a hinged door that when closed covers and hides a utility hook-up compartment. Door closure brings the first and second portions into alignment along a common longitudinal reference line to form an integrated unit. The strips&#39; exterior light reflective surfaces are aligned with each other and lie in the same plane upon door closure. This provides a visual camouflage effect, providing a unified strip to hide within itself the now undistinguished one strip portion functioning as a hook-up compartment door. 
     Two, the first and second strip portions move from alignment to non-alignment upon opening the compartment door, and returned to alignment upon door closure. The first and second portions are separated, but only slightly so the door portion avoids jamming when closed. In different embodiments they may include: One embodiment with each portion having the same along their entire combined length; or both portions having the same cross-sectional configuration; or both portions having the same cross-sectional configuration; or both portions having the identical exterior surfaces; or both portions having the same cross-sectional configuration; or both portions lying in the same plane; or surfaces of both portions curved or flat, but both in assembly must be the same to achieve a uniform appearance. 
     Three, the recreational vehicle has a forward cab section and a rear passenger section joined by the exterior side. The exterior side of the vehicle is a side that includes a cab section door for entry into the cab section of the vehicle. There is a front wheel outward of the cab section door and a rear wheel near the rear of the rear passenger section of the vehicle. The external elongated strip extends from near the front of the vehicle towards the rear of the vehicle. The assembled strip is continuous to form a unit when assembled, and has a generally rectangular configuration. The one portion of functioning as door covers a utility outlet hook-up compartment, which may include a recessed cubicle. The utility hook-up connectors are hidden in the utility outlet hook-up compartment away from view upon closure of the one door portion. The utility outlet hook-up compartment may include at least a connector for fresh water and a connector for electricity. 
     Four, the bottom of a lower horizontal section of the exterior side has a running board section in which is stored a concealed storage compartment. A shallow step along the bottom of this lower horizontal section has an outer vertical wall generally at a right angle to an inward projecting horizontal wall to form. The concealed storage compartment is hidden behind the outer vertical wall and includes a cavity in which is stored a retracted waste discharge hose. The concealed storage compartment includes a hinged door configured to be manually opened and closed to uncover and cover the retracted waste discharge hose, accessing the hose upon manually opening the door and preventing access and concealing the hose upon manually closing the storage compartment door. The retracted waste discharge hose is assembled within the storage compartment in a configuration enabling actuation by electricity. 
     Five, a cutaway segment in the outer vertical wall of the running board section has edges defining an open mouth with a predetermined configuration and dimensions. The hinged door has a perimeter with a predetermined configuration and dimensions the same as this open mouth so that, upon closure, the wall edges forming the perimeter of the open mouth are adjacent the perimeter of the compartment door, but not so close to jam. Consequently, the door fits snug within the open mouth. The storage compartment is beneath the hook-up compartment. 
     Six, the storage compartment includes a hinged storage compartment door mounted to be manually opened and closed to uncover and cover the retracted waste discharge hose, accessing the hose upon manually opening the door and preventing access and concealing the hose upon manually closing the storage compartment door. The door has external surfaces exposed to view that are flush with, and adjacent to, surfaces of the vehicle&#39;s surrounding exterior side upon door closure. The door has the same cross-sectional shape as the running board section and the same surface appearance as the external surfaces of the side of the vehicle. Thus with door closure, the storage compartment door is undistinguished from the external surfaces and the retracted waste discharge hose is concealed. 
     Seven, upon closure of the utility hook-up compartment door, the first and second strip portions are assembled into a unified streamlined oblong decorative generally strip wide enough to completely cover the open mouth of the utility outlet hook-up compartment, camouflaging the assembled strip portions within the unified strip itself that are identical except for length. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     One embodiment of my recreational vehicle with camouflaged utility outlet hook-up compartment is discussed in detail in back with the accompanying drawing, which is for illustrative purposes only. This drawing includes the following figures (Figs.), with like numerals and letters indicating like parts: 
       FIG.  1 A  is a side view of a typical recreational vehicle with utility hook-up connections on a side of the vehicle. 
       FIG.  1    is a perspective view showing a broken away section of one embodiment of my recreational vehicle with a camouflaged utility hook-up compartment looking along a driver&#39;s side of the vehicle towards the front of the vehicle. 
       FIG.  2    is a perspective view showing a broken away section of the embodiment of my recreational vehicle shown in  FIG.  1    looking along a driver&#39;s side of the vehicle towards the rear of the vehicle. 
       FIG.  3    is a side view of a portion is a side strip shown in  FIG.  1    forming a utility outlet compartment door slightly ajar that, when closed, conceals and camouflages the utility hook-up compartment of my recreational vehicle. 
       FIG.  4    is a perspective view of the door portion shown in  FIG.  3    completely manually opened and held in an open position to expose utility hook-up connectors within the utility hook-up compartment. 
       FIG.  5    is a perspective view the door portion shown in  FIG.  4    completely opened and held in the open position by a hanger member. 
       FIG.  6    is a front view with the door portion shown in  FIG.  5    open looking into the interior of the utility hook-up compartment showing a control panel positioned a cubicle between hook-up connectors. 
       FIG.  7    is an enlarged view of the control panel shown in  FIG.  6   . 
       FIG.  8    is a perspective view of a side segment of the vehicle shown in  FIG.  1    including a lower portion having a concealed storage compartment with a storage compartment door slightly ajar that, when completely opened, provides access to a stored retracted waste discharge hose. 
       FIG.  9    is a perspective view of the side segment shown in  FIG.  8    with the storage compartment door open. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ONE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT 
       FIGS.  1  through  6    depict one embodiment of my recreational vehicle designated by the numeral  10 . This vehicle  10  has a forward cab section FCS and a rear passenger section RPS, an exterior side  10   a  with an elongated strip  12  extending continuously from near the front  10   b  of the vehicle towards the rear  10   c  of the vehicle. The strip  12  has a generally rectangular configuration and a width wide enough to cover a hidden compartment holding connectors  17   a  through  17   h , for example, a width from 5 to 8 inches, a thickness from ½ to 1.5 inches, and a length from 9 to 16 feet. The strip  12  is divided into first and second strip portions  12   a  and  12   b , each portion having a uniform width and the same exterior surface in appearance. The strip portions  12   a  and  12   b  extend along a common longitudinal linear reference line RL that is parallel to ground upon assembly of the first and second portions to provide an external camouflage effect. 
     The exterior vehicle side  10   a  includes a cab section door CSD for entry into the forward cab section FCS of the vehicle. A front wheel W 1  is outward of the cab section door CSD and a rear wheel W 2  is near the rear passenger section RPS of the vehicle. A hidden utility hook-up compartment  14  has walls with edges ED 1  ( FIG.  4   ) forming an open mouth OM 1  ( FIG.  5   ) with a predetermined configuration and dimensions, for example, having a rectangular perimeter. Within a recessed stainless steel cubicle  14   b  ( FIG.  4   ) having a boxlike shape, the utility hook-up compartment  14  holds a series of utility hook-up connectors  17   a  through  17   h . The utility hook-up connectors include the connector inlet  17   a  for fresh water, the connector inlet  17   b  for city water, the outside shower connector  17   c , the control panel  17   d  having a switch button  17   e  ( FIG.  7   ) for controlling the operation of a retractable waste discharge hose H (discussed in greater detail below), a valve switch  17   f  for black water pump, a valve switch  17   g  for gray water pump, a connector  17   h  for electricity, and cable connector  19 . The plurality of the utility hook-up connectors  17   a  through  17   h  are in a row within the cubicle and are hidden from view upon door closure. 
     The strip portions  12   a  and  12   b  have, except for length, identical configurations and identical surface appearances, and the second portion  12   b  functions as a door, accessing the utility hook-up compartment  14  upon manually opening the compartment door  12   b  and preventing access and concealing the utility hook-up compartment upon manually closing the door. The second portion  12   b  (compartment door) is attached by a linear hinge  15  ( FIG.  6   ) along an edge ED 2 . The second portion  12   b  is manually opened by pushing an edges  1 ( FIG.  6   ) of the door portion  12   b  upward to uncover the hidden utility hook-up connectors  17   a  through  17   h . The second portion  12   b  is manually closed and cover the utility hook-up compartment  14 . As best shown in  FIGS.  1  through  4   , the strip portions  12   a  and  12   b  each have the same cross-sectional shape and dimensions so that, with the closure of the utility hook-up compartment door  12   b , these portions extend along the common reference line RL. They comprises stainless steel and their exterior surfaces S 1  and S 2  are polished to provide a camouflage effect to hide the compartment door upon closure thereof. 
     In this embodiment of the vehicle  10  illustrated in  FIG.  4   , adjacent ends E 1  and E 2 , respectively, of the first portion  12   a  and of the second portion  12   b , each have predetermined dimensions and shapes that, upon closure of the utility hook-up compartment door  12   b , are aligned and abut to form a rectangular shaped integrated strip unit. In this embodiment, the vehicle  10  has the portions  12   a  and  12   b  extending along the common reference line RL that is located between the vehicle&#39;s front wheel W 1  and rear wheel W 2  and is parallel to ground level. Other embodiments may position a reference line in different locations. As best shown in  FIGS.  1  and  3   , reflects mirror images off the polished exterior surfaces S 1  and S 2 , which may have the same identical surface appearances. Moreover, in the embodiment depicted, the first portion  12   a  and the second portion  12   b  are essentially identical expect for length. Linear alignment with closure thus provides a visual camouflage effect hiding the hook-up compartment door  12   b  upon closure thereof by bringing the first and second portions  12   a  and  12   b  into alignment along the common reference line RL. Upon closure of the utility hook-up compartment door  12   b , portions  12   a  and  12   b  are assembled into a unified streamlined decorative generally oblong strip wide enough to completely cover the open mouth of the utility outlet hook-up compartment, camouflaging the assembled strip portions within the unified strip itself that are identical except for length. 
     As best shown in  FIGS.  8  and  9   , the recreational vehicle  10  may include a horizontal running board section RBS ( FIG.  1   ) that forms a bottom portion BP of the exterior side  10   a . The running board section RBS includes a concealed storage compartment  20  that has a storage compartment door  20   a  configured to be manually opened and closed to uncover and cover a retracted waste discharge hose H, accessing the hose upon manually opening the storage compartment door and preventing access and concealing the hose upon manually closing this door. The storage compartment door  20   a  is in an outer vertical wall OVW of the running board section RBS. The concealed storage compartment  20  comprises a cavity C in which is stored the retracted waste discharge hose H. The cavity C is concealed upon door closure hiding the hose H. 
     A cutaway segment CS ( FIG.  9   ) in the outer vertical wall OVW of the running board section has edges defining an open mouth with a predetermined configuration and dimensions. The hinged door has a perimeter with a predetermined configuration and dimensions the same as this open mouth so that, upon closure, the walls forming the perimeter of the open mouth are adjacent the perimeter of the compartment door, but not so close to jam. The storage compartment door  20   a  has a perimeter with a predetermined configuration and dimensions the same as the open mouth OM. Consequently, upon closure of the storage compartment door  20   a , the wall edges ED 3  and ED 4  are next to the perimeter of this door so the door fits snug within the open mouth OM. The storage compartment  20  is directly beneath the hook-up compartment  14  and spaced therefrom a distance from 8 to 20 inches. The retracted waste discharge hose H is assembled within the storage compartment in a configuration enabling actuation by electricity. 
     Scope of the Invention 
     The above presents a description of the best mode I contemplate of carrying out my recreational vehicle, and of the manner and process of making and using it in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use. My recreational vehicle is, however, susceptible to modifications and alternate constructions from the illustrative embodiment discussed above which are fully equivalent. Consequently, it is not the intention to limit my recreational vehicle to the particular embodiment(disclosed. On the contrary, my recreational vehicle intention is to cover all modifications and alternate constructions coming within the spirit and scope of my recreational vehicle as generally expressed by the following claims, which particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter of my invention: