Patent ID: 7118120

Claim:
A powered running board assembly comprising: a deck having a longitudinal extent; at least two hinges extending from the deck for mounting the deck to an underside of a vehicle, each hinge comprising: a mounting bracket configured to mount to said underside, and a pair of links pivotally extending between said deck and mounting bracket, said hinges enabling said deck to be movable between a retracted position and an extended position, and a motor assembly operably engaging at least one of said hinges to drive said deck movement and mounted relative thereto to extend substantially longitudinally, said motor assembly having a gear train and clutch assembly including an inner tolerance ring presenting a gap formed therethrough and completely dividing an outer surface of said inner tolerance ring and an outer closed ring each mounting a gear for enabling said motor assembly to drive relative to said deck movement when said deck movement is prevented, and enabling manual deck movement when the motor assembly is not energized.