Abstract:
A Vehicle Running Board having Integral Water Tank and Pumping System. The device functions as a vehicle running board, and is aesthetically appealing by integrating with the overall body design. In addition, the device has a hollow interior compartment within which liquid, such as water, can be stored. Furthermore, the device includes an integrated, internal pump for providing a pressurized liquid source for utility purposes. One or more ends of the running board compartment may have a see-through window in order to visually verify the liquid level within the interior compartment. Non-skid material may be adhered or embossed on one or more top surfaces of the device in order to aid in safe ingress to and egress from the vehicle.

Description:
[0001]    This application is filed within one year of, and claims priority to Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/510,350, filed Jul. 21, 2011. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This invention relates generally to vehicle accessories and, more specifically, to a Vehicle Running Board having Integral Water Tank and Pumping System. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Auxiliary water tanks for motor vehicles have been experimented with by numerous inventors over the years. These mobile water supplies were generally created for one of two purposes—either to provide the vehicle with a portable washing system to wash the host vehicle or other vehicles, or else as a portable water source for human and/or vehicle consumption. 
         [0006]    Five patents have been uncovered that are directed towards systems of the first type. Oberdorfer, U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,869 discloses a “Car Washing Apparatus Adapted for Mounting on the Vehicle to be Washed.” The Oberdorfer device is located within the engine compartment of the vehicle, and requires the vehicle&#39;s engine to create the force necessary to pump the wash water. Palmer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,248 also provides a vehicle-mounted washing system. Like Oberdorfer, the Palmer “Mobile Cleaning Unit” is located in the engine compartment (except perhaps for the fluid reservoir, which can be located elsewhere in the vehicle), and has its water pressure created by the vehicle&#39;s engine. The “Car-equipped with Self-washing Device” described by Shin in U.S. Patent Application No. US2004/0079402 is also located within the engine compartment, and utilizes the vehicle engine for generating water pressure. A. J. Torrey, U.S. Pat. No. 3,372,875 describes a “Combination Cleaning Fluid Nozzle and Hydraulically Operated Hopper for Refuse Collecting Apparatus,” which uses the engine drive train (a takeoff shaft) to drive a motorized to pump to provide pressurized water for washing a garbage truck hopper. Finally, A. Casale (U.S. Pat. No. 3,317,142) describes a vehicle-mounted, portable canvash system that, like the previously-mentioned-systems, is contained (at least in part) within the vehicle engine compartment, and obtains water pressure from the engine power takeoff shaft. 
         [0007]    While these prior art vehicle cleaning systems seem to be functional for their intended purpose of providing pressurized wash water in great quantities, they all suffer from the following drawbacks: (1) they are large, complex, integrated systems that are not suitable for after-market installation into an existing vehicle; (2) they do not provide any aesthetic or ergonomic benefit to the vehicle&#39;s driver or passengers; and (3) they are prohibitively expensive for wide-spread usefulness. 
         [0008]    Examples of the second variety of systems for vehicle-mounted portable water supplies include: Armstrong, U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,819 for “Vehicle-mountable Auxiliary Water Tank” is, essentially, a cylindrical tank mounted to the vehicle&#39;s frame. It is incapable of producing pressurized water, and does not provide additional ergonomic benefit to the driver/passengers. J. E. Robison, U.S. Pat. No. 1,411,378 for “Water or Other Liquid Holding Tank for Automobiles,” is very similar to the Armstrong device, but it is positioned beneath the vehicle&#39;s running boards. While Robison fails to provide pressurized water, it does provide an aesthetic and ergonomic advantage over the Armstrong device. Finally, S. H. Love, U.S. Pat. No. 1,351,336 discloses a “Emergency Tank for Automobiles” that is functionally identical to Robison. 
         [0009]    None of these prior art devices and systems provides an ergonomic and aesthetically pleasing pressurized water source for vehicles that is cost-effective to be added to as an accessory to an existing vehicle. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices and systems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a Vehicle Running Board having Integral Water Tank and Pumping System. The device should function as a vehicle running board, and be aesthetically appealing by integrating with the overall body design. In addition, the device should have a hollow interior compartment within which liquid, such as water, can be stored. Furthermore, the device should include an integrated, internal pump for providing a pressurized liquid source for utility purposes. One or more ends of the running board compartment may have a see-through window in order to visually verify the liquid level to within the interior compartment. Non-skid material may be adhered or embossed on one or more top surfaces of the device in order to aid in safe ingress to and egress from the vehicle. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of which: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional motor vehicle; 
           [0013]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  are perspective and partial top views of a preferred embodiment of the running board having integral water tank and pumping system of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  are perspective and end views, respectively, of the system of  FIGS. 2A and 2B ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a cutaway side view of the system of  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B and  3 ; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the vehicle of  FIG. 1  having an embodiment of the device of  FIGS. 2A-4  installed thereon. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0017]    The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Varbus modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a Vehicle Running Board having Integral Water Tank and Pumping System. 
         [0018]    As discussed above, the device and system of the present invention is designed to fill the gap within the benefits provided by the prior devices and systems. It can be installed by an original equipment manufacturer, or as an after-market accessory added to a vehicle. It provides a low-cost source of water (or other fluid) that is always available to the vehicle driver that can be used for drinking, cooking, washing, among others. A particularly unique and valuable feature of the device is that there is an internal pumping system so that the liquid can be more easily dispensed for use. 
         [0019]    The present invention can best be understood by initial consideration of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional motor vehicle  10 . The exemplary vehicle in this depiction is a two-door, off-road capable car. This vehicle type was chosen because of its readiness for off-road, remote use, as well as for the propensity for its owners to “accessorize” their vehicles with after-market components that provide additional functionality and perceived style as compared to the original equipment vehicle. Owners of four-door off-road vehicles and pickup trucks are also expected to be interested in the device and system of the present invention, and as such a version of the instant invention is available in both a two-door version and a four-door version. The distinctions between the two will be discussed below in the context of the overall discussion of the device. 
         [0020]    For the purpose of future reference herein, the elements of the vehicle  10  identified herein are the body  12 , the door  14  (of which there are two in this particular vehicle), and the sill  16  (which is the portion of the body  12  and vehicle frame located directly below the door  14 , and at times extending nearly to the front and rear wheels  17  and  19 ). Turning to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , we can begin to examine the details of the device and system of the instant invention. 
         [0021]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  are perspective and partial top views of a preferred embodiment of the running board having integral water tank and pumping system  20  of the present invention. The device  20  is in large part a custom-shaped hollow housing  22  that is shaped as a running board, but that also functions as a water reservoir and pumping system. The housing  22  is preferably formed from aluminum or fiberglass, although other manufacturing techniques and/or materials may be employed, depending upon the particular characteristics that are desired. 
         [0022]    The housing  22  is defined by an outside wall  26 , a top wall  24 , an inside wall (not shown), and a pair of end walls  30 . In this version, one or both of the end walls  30  are fitted with a section of clear plastic or glass that allows the fluid level  32  to be seen from outside of the device  20 . There may or may not be a plurality of “tick marks” on the window formed in the end wall  30  to aid in the estimation of the remaining liquid volume remaining within the housing  22 . 
         [0023]    The top wall  24  of the housing  22  has one or more step portions  34  formed in it. These step portions  34  are intended to provide a location for the driver or passengers of the vehicle to step on when entering or exiting the vehicle—i.e. to provide the functionality of a conventional running board. 
         [0024]    In the center portion of the top wall  24  of the housing  22  (in between the two step portions  34  in this version), a lid  38  can be lifted to reveal the operations panel  36 . The lid  38  is attached to the housing  22  by a hinge  40 . In other versions, the lid  38  may be omitted, or alternatively the lid  38  could be simply snapped off of the housing  22  to reveal the operations panel  36 . 
         [0025]    The depicted version is designed for a four-door vehicle (two doors per side of the vehicle), and therefore it has a pair of step portions  34  formed into its top wall  24 . It is expected that the step portions  34  will each line up with a vehicle door when the device  20  is attached below the sill of the vehicle. The hardware necessary to attach the device  20  to the vehicle will also change from vehicle to vehicle. Consequently, it would be desirable that each particular vehicle or vehicle type have a running board tank system  20  that is specifically designed to fit and be compatible with the vehicle. This will ensure that the device  20  will fit the particular vehicle, and further that it will provide the optimum aesthetic and ergonomic benefits to the owner. 
         [0026]    The operations panel  36  contains the operational components that distinguishes the device  20  of the present invention from the prior art. There is a fill port  44 , which is where the user directs the flow of the water or other liquid used to fill the housing  22 . Here, a removable cap  45  is in place to seal the fill port  44  against leakage or contamination. A dispense port  46  is also provided on the operations panel  36 . This port  46  may or may not also have a removable cap, although it is much less likely to be necessary because access to the internal chamber of the housing  22  through the dispense port  46  if blocked by an internal pumping system. 
         [0027]    The dispense port  46  is preferably designed to threadedly interface with a conventional garden hose so that it is very easy to attach a common garden hose without the need for additional attachments or accessories. Other adapters and/or interface devices may to be utilized if other dispense options are desired. 
         [0028]    The pump control switch  42  is a conventional electric switch that turns the internal pumping system on and off. In order to prevent the pump from being left on, it is preferable that the switch  42  be of the “momentary” or “non-latching” type so that the user must manually keep the switch  42  depressed in order to keep the pump running. In other versions, there may be a manual pump option, where the user is able to manually operate a lever, pedal or the like in order to pump the fluid out through the dispense port  46 . In other versions, the operations panel  36  may be located elsewhere along the housing  22 , such as at one end, or somewhere in between. For a four-door vehicle, it has been determined that a centralized location, between the two step portions  34 , is best for both panel  36  location, as well as suction tube (see  FIG. 4 ) location. 
         [0029]      FIG. 3B  is an additional perspective view of the system  20  of  FIGS. 2A and 2B . In this view, the lid  38  has been placed in the closed position so that the running board pumping system  20  exhibits a very pleasing aesthetic appearance, and also to protect the operations panel from road grime, damage and tampering. The two step portions  34 , in this version, have a non-skid material  48  applied to their upper surface in order to provide better traction for anyone using the step portions  34  (i.e. to step on).  FIG. 3B  is an end view of the system of  FIGS. 2A and 2B . Here, we can see that in addition to the top, outside and bottom walls ( 24 ,  26 ,  28 ), there is also an inside wall  29 . The inside wall  29  is intended to face the underside of the vehicle, and also is where one or more attachment brackets  31  extend. The attachment brackets  31  are designed to firmly attach the system  20  to the frame of the vehicle, essentially in the same manner as the original equipment running boards attach to the vehicle. If we now turn to  FIG. 4 , we can examine the internal components of the device  20 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 4  is a cutaway side view of the system  20  of  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B and  3 . The housing  22  is a sealed vessel that creates a clean, leak-free liquid chamber  54  for water or other liquid  52 . As shown, each step portion  34  is molded into the top wall of the housing  22 . 
         [0031]    A suction tube  48  is located so that its suction end (on the bottom here) is near the center area of the liquid chamber  54  so that it will be in communication with the liquid  52  even if the vehicle is not parked on a completely level surface. A suction pump  50  sucks liquid up through the suction tube  48  and dispenses it through the dispense port  46 . The pump  50  could be an electrically-powered pump receiving its power either from the vehicle&#39;s electrical system, from an internal (to the device) battery, or even from a photovoltaic power source. Power is applied to, and removed from the pump  50  by the pump control switch located on the operations panel  36 . Alternatively, the pump  50  could be operated by manual pumping force created by the user (as discussed previously). The manual pump actuator may or may not be located adjacent to the fill and dispense ports  44  and  46 . A view of an installed system  20  can be seen in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the vehicle  10  of  FIG. 1  having an embodiment of the device  20  of  FIGS. 2A-4  installed thereon. As discussed previously, this is a two-door vehicle  10 , and therefore there is only a single step portion formed in the top wall of the housing. Also, the operations panel is not necessarily located in the exact center of the housing. 
         [0033]    The device  20  is mounted to the vehicle  10  frame and/or body so that it is directly below the sill  16 . In this location, it is very convenient to the user for filling and pumping liquid, but also doubles as a step to assist the driver and passengers in embarking and debarking from the vehicle  10 . 
         [0034]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.