Patent ID: 8272165

Claim:
An assist device for a movable body assisting at least a forward movement of the movable body supported by a stationary body up to a position where movement ends from a predetermined movement position, comprising: a striker member provided in one of the stationary body or the movable body, a catcher member provided in the other of the stationary body or the movably body, and provided so as to be movable between a standby position and a retracted position, urging means attached to the catcher member, holding means associated with the catcher member, the holding means holding the catcher member positioned in the standby position while being urged by the urging means, and operation means'associated with the catcher member and moving the catcher member in the retracted position, wherein when the movable body is moved forward to a predetermined movement position, the striker member is caught and engaged with the catcher member positioned in the standby position, and subsequently, holding of the holding means is released to allow the catcher member to move up to the retracted position by being urged by the urging means while an urging force of the urging means is being applied to the movable body up to the position where the movement ends, and wherein the operation means is arranged to move the catcher member, having been moved or relatively moved to the retracted position in a condition without catching the striker member, toward the standby position.