Patent ID: 7328927

Claim:
A recreational vehicle comprising: a main housing having a plurality of walls that are joined together so as to define an interior living space, wherein the plurality of walls includes a first wall having an opening formed therein so as to define upper and lower portions of the first wall; a slide-out housing positioned in the opening in the first wall so as to be movable between a retracted position and an extended position, the slide-out housing having an outer plate that is positioned adjacent the upper portion of the first wall when the slide-out is in the retracted position and an inner plate that is positioned adjacent the upper portion of the first wall when the slide-out is in the extended position; a securing mechanism having one or more first securing components positioned adjacent the upper portion of the first wall and a plurality of second securing components positioned adjacent the outer and inner plates of the slide-out housing, wherein the plurality of second securing components engage with the one or more first securing components when the slide-out housing is in the retracted position and the extended position thereby allowing forces on the first side wall to be transferred to the slide-out housing to reduce deformation of the first side wall when the slide-out housing is in the retracted position and the extended position; and wherein the slide-out further includes a lower outer plate that is positioned adjacent the lower portion of the first wall when the slide-out is in the retracted position, and wherein the securing mechanism further comprises one or more third securing components positioned adjacent the lower portion of the first wall and one or more fourth securing components positioned adjacent the lower outer plate of the slide-out housing, such that engagement of the one or more third securing components with the one or more fourth securing components provides additional support against deformation of the first side wall when the slide-out is in the retracted position.