Patent ID: 8091943

Claim:
An apparatus for accessing the bed of a pickup truck having a frame, a rear bumper and a tailgate having a distal edge and being hingedly mounted to the frame to move between an up, closed position and a lowered, open position, the apparatus comprising: a lower linkage assembly having first and second ends and left and right step arms and being pivotally mounted at the first end to the rear truck bumper at a first axis; an upper linkage assembly having third and fourth ends and left and right tailgate arms and being pivotally mounted at the third end to and proximal the distal edge of the truck tailgate at a second axis, and being pivotally mounted at the fourth end to the second end of the lower linkage assembly at a third axis; a step connected to the lower linkage assembly and having a distal edge; and wherein in the lowered, open position, the left and right tailgate arms pivotally connect with the left and right step arms proximal the distal end of said step.