Patent ID: 8419034

Claim:
A retractable vehicle step configured to be mounted to a vehicle having a side panel, comprising: a first support arm, a second support arm and a step member; said step member comprising an upper stepping surface defining a support plane; said first support arm configured to pivot about a first axis near an upper end of said first support arm and said second support arm configured to pivot about a second axis near an upper end of said second support arm, wherein said first and second support arms are connected to the step member so that said first support arm and said second support arm are pivotable with respect to said step member about a third axis and a fourth axis, respectively; and a spring mount configured to engage a spring, said spring acting on the upper end of said second support arm above said second axis, wherein said first support arm and said second support arm are configured to allow said step member to move between a retracted position and a deployed position outward from said retracted position and said spring biases said step member in both said retracted and said deployed positions.