Patent Publication Number: US-2022219592-A1

Title: Patio for recreational vehicles and methods of assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/135,995, filed Jan. 11, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure generally relates to recreational vehicles and, more particularly, to patios for recreational vehicles. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Toy hauler recreational vehicles (“RV”) use ramp style doors to load and unload additional vehicles into a rearward compartment. When the ramp door is not closed for travel or being used as a loading ramp it may be used as a patio. Often legs extending from the door or cables may support the door parallel to the ground on which the RV is parked. Using the structure of the ramp door is advantageous because the ramp door is necessarily sturdy enough to support the weight of other vehicles being driven over the door. Therefore, it is possible to have an extremely rigid and safe patio system that minimizes additional weight to the RV. 
     One type of patio railing assembly are designed to collapse and swing into an interior of the RV for storage when the ramp door is closed. This configuration takes up space in the interior of the RV when the patio railing assembly is in the storage configuration. Vehicles and other objects commonly stored and transported in RVs take up a lot of space and, as such, a patio railing assembly having a storage configuration as compact as possible is needed. 
     SUMMARY 
     In accordance with a first aspect, a patio railing assembly for a recreational vehicle having a ramp door is disclosed herein. The patio railing assembly includes a first side wall and a second side wall, each of the side walls having a proximal end configured to be pivotably mounted to the recreational vehicle and a distal end. The first and second side walls include a static portion and a slidable portion coupled to the static portion and movable between a retracted position and an extended position. The patio railing assembly further includes an end wall having a first portion pivotably mounted to the first side wall and a second portion pivotably mounted to the second side wall. In a storage configuration, the first portion of the end wall is configured to nest within the first side wall, the second portion of the end wall is configured to nest within the second side wall, and the first and second side walls are configured to extend along one another with the slidable portions thereof in the retracted position. 
     In some forms, the patio railing assembly can include one or more of the following aspects: the slidable portions of the first side wall and the second side wall can telescopingly receive the static portions therein; at least one of the first side wall or the second side wall can include a stop, such as a releasable snap button, preventing movement of the slidable portion relative to the static portion from the retracted position; the first portion of the end wall can be configured to nest within the slidable portion of the first side wall in the storage configuration and the second portion of the end is configured to nest within the slidable portion of the second side wall in the storage configuration; at least one of the first side wall or the second side wall can include a retainer configured to releasably hold the first portion of the end wall or the second portion of the end wall, respectively, in the storage configuration; the patio railing assembly can include a strap configured to hold the first side wall and the second side wall together in the storage configuration; the first side wall and the second side wall can include a fabric covering extending between the proximal end and the distal end, where the fabric covering has a gathered state with the slidable portion in the retracted position and a taut state with the slidable portion in the extended position, where the taut state restricts further movement of the slidable portion relative to the static portion; or the first portion and the second portion of the end wall can each include a downwardly depending shield that extends along the first side wall and the second wall, respectively, in the storage configuration and is disposed adjacent to the ramp door in a use configuration. 
     In some forms, the first portion of the end wall can be a wall portion and the second portion of the end wall can be a door, and the end wall can further include a coupling arrangement including a pin and a notch configured to receive the pin to couple the wall portion and the door together in a use configuration. In further forms, the patio railing assembly can be provided in combination with the recreational vehicle having the ramp door. The combination can further include a first lock releasably coupling the first side wall to the ramp door with the slidable portion in the extended position, a second lock releasably coupling the second side wall to the ramp door with the slidable portion in the extended position, and a third lock releasably coupling the door of the end wall to the ramp door. 
     In accordance with a second aspect, a method for use of a patio railing assembly for a ramp door of a recreational vehicle is disclosed that includes pivoting a first side wall from a storage position within an interior of the recreational vehicle to a use position, where the first side wall has a first portion of an end wall in a nested position therein; sliding a slidable portion of the first side wall relative to a static portion of the first side wall from a retracted position to an extended position to extend a length of the first side wall; pivoting the first portion of the end wall from the nested position within the first side wall to a use position extending transversely from the first side wall; pivoting a second side wall from a storage position within the interior of the recreational vehicle to a use position, where the second side wall having a second portion of the end wall in a nested position therein; sliding a slidable portion of the second side wall relative to a static portion of the second side wall from a retracted position to an extended position to extend a length of the second side wall; and pivoting the second portion of the end wall from the nested position within the second side wall to a use position extending transversely from the second side wall. 
     In some forms, the method can include one or more of the following aspects: telescopingly sliding the slidable portions of the first side wall and the second side wall relative to the static portions; preventing movement of the slidable portions from the retracted position with releasable stops of the first side wall and the second side wall; releasing a strap holding the first side wall and the second side wall together in the storage position; or holding the first portion of the end wall in the nested position with a first retainer coupled to the first side wall and holding the second portion of the end wall in the nested position with a second retainer coupled to the second side wall. 
     In some forms, the first portion of the end wall can be a wall portion and the second portion of the end wall can be a door, and the method can include coupling a pin and a notch arrangement of the end wall, where the notch is configured to receive the pin to couple the wall portion and the door together in a use configuration. In further forms, the method can include locking the first side wall into the use position with a first lock releasably coupling the first side wall to the ramp door, locking the second side wall into the use position with a second lock releasably coupling the second side wall to the ramp door, and locking the wall portion of the end wall into use position with a third lock releasably coupling the wall portion of the end wall. 
     In some forms, the method can include pivoting the second portion of the end wall from the use position to the nested position within the second side wall, sliding the slidable portion of the second side wall relative to the static portion of the second side wall from the extended position to the retracted position, pivoting the second side wall from the use position to the storage position within the interior of the recreational vehicle, pivoting the first portion of the end wall from the use position to the nested position within the first side wall, sliding the slidable portion of the first side wall relative to the static portion of the first side wall from the extended position to the retracted position, and pivoting the first side wall from the use position to the storage position within the interior of the recreational vehicle, such that the first side wall with the first portion of the end wall nested therein and the second side wall with the second portion of the end wall nested therein extend along one another. In further forms, the method can include securing a strap around the first side wall and the second side wall to hold the first side wall and the second side wall together in the storage position. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a patio for a recreational vehicle showing a patio railing assembly in a storage configuration and a ramp door in accordance with various embodiments; 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional top view of the patio railing assembly of  FIG. 1  in the storage configuration; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a first side wall and a first portion of an end wall of the patio railing assembly of  FIG. 1  in the storage configuration; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a second side wall and a second portion of an end wall of the patio railing assembly of  FIG. 1  in the storage configuration; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the patio for a recreational vehicle of  FIG. 1  showing the patio railing assembly in a use configuration on the ramp door; 
         FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of the first side wall of the patio railing assembly of  FIG. 5  in the use configuration; 
         FIG. 7  is a side elevational view of the second side wall of the patio railing assembly of  FIG. 5  in the use configuration; 
         FIG. 8  is a side elevational view of the end wall of the patio railing assembly of  FIG. 5  in the use configuration; 
         FIG. 9  is a sectional perspective view of a coupling arrangement for the first and second portions of the end wall of the patio railing assembly of  FIG. 5  in the use configuration; and 
         FIG. 10  is a sectional perspective view of a lock releasably coupling the patio railing assembly of  FIG. 5  to the ramp door. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A patio railing assembly is described herein that utilizes the interior surface of a ramp door of a recreational vehicle (“RV”) to create a patio enclosure. The patio railing assembly advantageously has a compact storage configuration, which minimizes the interior space of the RV occupied by the assembly and maximizes the interior space remaining for storage of other items. 
     An example patio  10  including a patio railing assembly  100  described below is shown in a storage configuration in  FIG. 1  and a deployed, use configuration in  FIG. 5 . The patio  10  utilizes a ramp door  12  of a recreational vehicle (not shown)(“RV) as a floor of the patio  10 . The ramp door  12  is pivotably mounted to a door frame  14  of the RV. The ramp door  12  can be pivoted between from a generally vertical, closed position extending within the door frame  14  to a ramp position where a top edge  16  of the ramp door  12  contacts the ground to enable objects to be easily loaded into and unloaded from the RV. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the ramp door  12  can also have a suspended position over the ground surface where the ramp door  12  is held in a generally horizontal position by jack stands (not shown) and/or cables (not shown) attached to the door frame  14 . It will be understood that other suitable methods can be utilized to support the ramp door  12  over the ground surface. The RV can be a towable trailer or a motorized unit. 
     Details of the patio railing assembly  100  are shown in  FIGS. 1-10 . The patio railing assembly  100  includes a first side wall  102 , a second side wall  104 , and an end wall  106 . The patio railing assembly  100  is configured to be movable from a storage configuration, as shown in  FIG. 1 , where the patio railing assembly  100  is folded to extend within the door frame  14  and a use configuration, as shown in  FIG. 5 , where the first and second side walls  102 ,  104  are pivoted to extend away from the RV and the end wall  106  extends between the first and second side walls  102 ,  104  to extend around a perimeter of the ramp door  12 . Advantageously, the nesting configuration of the end wall  106  results in the body or frame the end wall not contributing any width to the patio railing assembly  100  in the storage configuration. As a result, the storage configuration of the patio railing assembly  100  is compact, having an upper width corresponding to the combined width of the first side wall  102  and the second side wall  104 . It will be understood that the upper width of the patio railing assembly  100  corresponds to a width spaced from a floor of the RV. For example, components of locks or wheels for the assembly  100  can extend laterally outwardly further than the combined width of the first and second side walls  102 ,  104  because vehicles typically stored in RV are longest spaced from the floor of the RV due to the curvature of the vehicles&#39; wheels. 
     The first and second side walls  102 ,  104  pivotably attach to a structure of the RV, such as the door frame  14  as shown, by hinges  108 . Such that the first and second side walls  102 ,  104  can be pivoted from the storage configuration extending within the door frame  14  along one another to the use configuration extending along the ramp door  12  in the suspended position. For example, the first and second side walls  102 ,  104  can extend outwardly from the door frame  14  at a generally (e.g., within 1-10 degrees) perpendicular angle. It will be understood that the connection of the patio railing assembly  100  to the structure of the RV can also include any additional brackets and the like for suitable operability. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3, 4, 6, and 7 , each of the side walls  102 ,  104  includes a proximal end  110  pivotably coupled to the hinges  108  and an opposite distal end  112 . The side walls  102 ,  104  have a two part construction, with a static portion  114  at the proximal end  110  and a slidable portion  116  at the distal end  112 . With this configuration, the slidable portion  116  can be moved relative to the static portion  114  from a retracted position giving the side wall  102 ,  104  a reduced length to an extended position giving the side wall  102 ,  104  an extended length. In the illustrated form, the static portion  114  is telescopingly coupled to the slidable portion  116 . Other sliding configurations can alternatively be utilized if desired. 
     In one example, the static and slidable portions  114 ,  116  each include upper and lower frame members  118 ,  120 , and the slidable portions  116  further include cross frame members  122  extending between the upper and lower frame members  118 ,  120 . With this configuration, the upper and lower frame members  118 ,  120  of the static portion  114  are slidingly coupled to the upper and lower frame member  118 ,  120  of the sliding portion  116 , such as telescopingly received therein. The slidable portions  116  can include any desired number of cross-frame members  122 , such as three as shown, to provide sufficient bracing to maintain shape and provide strength to the side wall  102 ,  104 . Additionally, the first and second side walls  102 ,  104  can include bumpers  123  coupled to one or more of the members  118 ,  120 ,  122  to cushion the side walls  102 ,  104  when the side walls  102 ,  104  are in the nested configuration. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the end wall  106  is divided into first and second portions  124 ,  126  that are pivotably coupled to the first and second side walls  102 ,  104  respectively. The end wall portions  124 ,  126  can have a rectangular frame  128  with a height sized to fit between the upper and lower frame members  118 ,  120  of the side walls  102 ,  104  and a width sized to fit between the cross-frame members  122  of the side walls  102 ,  104 . With a depth equal to or less than a depth of the side walls, the end wall portions  124 ,  126  can fully nest within the side walls  118 ,  120 . Pursuant to this, the end wall portions  124 ,  126  can be pivotably coupled to an interior surface  130 , e.g., facing an interior of the patio in the use configuration, of the distal cross-frame members  122  by pivot connections  134 . Although three pivot connections  134  are shown for each end wall portion  124 ,  126 , it will be understood that any number of pivot connections  134  can be utilized. In an alternative example, the end wall portions  124 ,  126  can be pivotably coupled to interior surfaces, e.g., facing one another, of the upper and lower frame members  118 ,  120  of each of the side walls  102 ,  104  by pivot connections. The pivot connections  134  can take any suitable form, such as hinges as shown, and can extend directly from the end wall portions  124 ,  126  or can be secured thereto with brackets, pins, and so forth. 
     To releasably secure the end wall portions  124 ,  126  in the nested configuration, each of the side walls  102 ,  104  can include a retainer  135 . The retainer  135  can take any suitable form, such as a magnet to engage the frame  128  of the end wall portions  124 ,  126 , a strap, a hook-and-loop fastener, a snap fit connector, and so forth. 
     Components of the patio railing assembly  100  can be configured to releasably secure to the ramp door  12  to hold the assembly  100  in the use configuration. For example, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the assembly  100  can include a first lock  136  configured to secure the first side wall  102  to the ramp door  12 , a second lock  138  configured to secure the second side wall  104  to the ramp door  12 , and a third lock  140  configured to secure one of the end wall portions  124 ,  126  to the ramp door  12 . The locks  136 ,  138 ,  140  can take any desired form. 
     In the illustrated example, as best shown in  FIG. 10 , each of the locks  136 ,  138 ,  140  includes a lock bar  142  secured to the ramp door  12  and spaced therefrom and a locking foot  144  configured to releasably secure to the lock bar  142  coupled to each of the first side wall  102 , the second side wall  104 , and the one of the end wall portions  124 ,  126 . For example, the locking foot  144  can include spring-biased jaws that can be opened to insert the locking bar  142  therein and released to retain the locking bar  142 . The locking feet  144  extend downwardly to be positioned adjacent to the ramp door  12 . 
     As shown, the locking feet  144  of the side walls  102 ,  104  can be coupled to the slidable portions  116  thereof, such that the locking feet  144  can be moved along the ramp door  12  when the slidable portions  116  are moved to the extended position. The lock bars  142  for the side walls  102 ,  104  can be positioned on the ramp door  12  to correspond to the extended position of the side walls  102 ,  104  to thereby hold the side walls  102 ,  104  in the use configuration. So configured, the side walls  102 ,  104  can be pivoted to position and the slidable portions  116  thereof can be moved to the extended position, which thereby engages the locking feet  144  with the lock bars  142 . Similarly, the lock bar  142  for the end wall  106  can be positioned to secure one of the portions  124 ,  126  thereof in the use position extending transversely from the respective side wall  102 ,  104 . So configured, after the side wall  102 ,  104  is secured in position by the lock  136 ,  138 , the end wall portion  124 ,  126  can be pivoted with respect thereto, which thereby engages the locking foot  144  with the lock bar  142 . As shown, the lock bars  142  are disposed adjacent to the top edge  16  of the ramp door  12 . 
     In order to aid a user in moving the side walls  102 ,  104  and end wall  106  between the storage and use configurations, each can include a caster  146  or other wheel so that the side walls  102 ,  104  and one or both of the end wall portions  124 ,  126  can be wheeled across the ramp door  12 . For example, the casters  146  can be mounted adjacent to the distal end  112  of the side walls  102 ,  104 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , one of the first and second portions  124 ,  126  can be a door to provide an access point to the patio  10 . For example, the first portion  124  can be a wall portion with the locking foot  144  coupled thereto, while the second portion  126  can be door that can be selectively pivoted to enter and exit the patio  10 . As a result of the third lock  140 , the wall portion  124  is prevented from moving and the door  126  can be pivoted with respect thereto. To lock movement of the door  126 , the end wall  106  can include a lock  148  that releasably couples the wall portion and door  124 ,  126  together. For example, the lock  148  can be a slider movably coupled to the top of the frames  128  of the end wall portions  124 ,  126  that can be selectively slid to extend over both the frames  128  preventing movement of the door  126 . Other lock mechanisms, such as a latch, aligned openings with a lock, friction fit, etc. can alternatively be utilized. 
     By one approach, the end wall  106  can also include a coupling arrangement  150  that extends between the wall portion and door  124 ,  126 , which operates to hold the wall portion and door  124 ,  126  in a closed position. The coupling arrangement  150  can include a pin  152  and a notch  154  that frictionally receives the pin  152  therein with the end wall  106  in the use configuration. For example, the pin  152  can extend laterally outwardly from the door  126 , such that when the door  126  is pivoted to the use configuration, the pin  152  is inserted into the notch  154  of the wall portion  124 . The opposite configuration can alternatively be utilized. The coupling of the pin  152  and the notch  154  maintains the trueness of the end wall  106  and, through the pivot connections  134 , the trueness of the side walls  102 ,  104 . 
     In some instances, it may be desirable to control the extension of the side walls  102 ,  104  to prevent the slidable portion  116  from inadvertently moving from the retracted position to the extended position. In these embodiments, the side walls  102 ,  104  can include a releasable stop  155 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , that cooperates with the static and slidable portions  114 ,  116 . In one example, the stop  155  can take the form of a snap button coupled to the static portion  114  and an opening defined in the slidable portion  116 . With this configuration, the snap button extends through the opening with the slidable portion  116  in the retracted position. Then when use of the patio  10  is desired, the user can depress the snap button, which allows the slidable portion  116  to be moved to the extended position. Of course, other stops can be utilized, such as friction fit, a latch, snap-fit, and so forth. 
     To secure the patio railing assembly  100  in the storage configuration, the assembly  100  can further include one or more straps  156 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , that can be secured around at least the first and second side walls  102 ,  104  with the side walls  102 ,  104  extending along one another in the storage configuration. The straps  156  can secure together by any suitable method. For example, the straps  156  can be tied, can include a hook-and-loop fastener, can include a buckle, and so forth. In some forms, the straps  156  can also be configured to extend around one or both of the end wall portions  124 ,  126  to hold all of the walls  102 ,  104 ,  106  in the storage configuration. 
     For additional privacy, the patio railing assembly  100  can also include a covering  158  that extends along one or more of the walls  102 ,  104 ,  106 . For example, the covering  158  can extend between the proximal and distal ends  110 ,  112  of the side walls  102 ,  104  and across the frame  128  of the end wall portions  124 ,  126 . The covering  158  can be made of any desired material, such as fabric, plastic, and so forth. The covering  158  can be secured to directly to frame members of the walls  102 ,  104 ,  106  or the walls  102 ,  104 ,  106  can include mounting tabs  160  that extend into an interior of the frames  128 . For at least the side walls  102 ,  104 , the covering  158  can be flexible or can include a flexible portion  162  that can have a gathered state with the slidable portion  116  in the retracted position and a taut state with the slidable portion  116  in the extended position. Advantageously, the covering  158  can be sized such that the taut state corresponds to the slidable portions  116  being in the extended position and restricts further movement of the slidable portion  116  relative to the static portion  114 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 8 , the frames  128  of the end wall portions  124 ,  126  are spaced from the ramp door  12  in the use configuration a greater amount than the side walls  102 ,  104  due to the nesting storage configuration. To block at least some of this open space, the end wall portions  124 ,  126  can further include downwardly depending shields  164  that extend from an outer surface  166  of the frames  128 . This allows the shields  164  to extend along the lower member  120  of the sidewalls  102 ,  104  with the end wall portions  124 ,  126  in the storage configuration. As shown, the shields  164  can include cut outs  168  to allow structure, such as the casters  146 , the locking feet  144  or other components to pass therethrough when the patio railing assembly  100  is pivoted between the storage and use configurations. Additionally, the cut outs  168  can accommodate other structures, such as a staircase or components therefor mounted to the ramp door  12 . 
     It will be appreciated that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments. The same reference numbers may be used to describe like or similar parts. Further, while several examples have been disclosed herein, any features from any examples may be combined with or replaced by other features from other examples. Moreover, while several examples have been disclosed herein, changes may be made to the disclosed examples within departing from the scope of the claims. 
     Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept.