Patent ID: 7487986

Claim:
A method of deploying a vehicle step assist comprising first and second support arms which are connected to a vehicle and rotatable with respect to said vehicle about respective first and second axes which are oriented generally parallel to the ground and which pass through fixed locations in said first and second support arms, respectively, wherein said support arms are connected to a step member and rotatable with respect to said step member about respective third and fourth axes which are generally parallel to said first and second axes, said support arms allowing said step member to move between a retracted position and a deployed position downward and outboard from said retracted position, at least one of said support arms extending upward toward said vehicle from said step member when said step member is in said deployed position, said method comprising: moving at least a portion of said step member upward; and after moving at least said portion of said step member upward, moving said step member downward toward said deployed position; wherein moving said step member toward said deployed position comprises moving the entirety of said step member lower than said first and second axes.