Patent ID: 7159915

Claim:
A motor vehicle ergonomically suited for mail transport and delivery by a human operator, said vehicle comprising: an operator control area located on the right side of the fore and aft centerline of said vehicle; a mail handling area located laterally from said operator control area, on the left side of the fore and aft centerline of said vehicle; an operator seat in said operator control area comprised of a seat cushion and a seat back, said seat back being pivotable about a horizontal axis such that the angle between said seat back and said seat cushion can be selectively adjustable, said operator seat being adjustable fore and aft, said operator seat being rotatable about a vertical axis from a first orientation facing the front of said vehicle to a position facing laterally toward said mail handling area, said operator seat being configured to be suitable for use by human operators in the range of from the 5 th percentile female through the 95 th percentile male, said operator seat having a selective vertical adjustment, a selective fore and aft adjustment disposed to allow selective placement of said operator seat in a generally horizontal direction parallel to said centerline of said vehicle; vehicle controls including a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal, said accelerator and a brake pedals having a common mount, said mount being capable of selective adjustment fore and aft, said steering wheel being mounted on a steering column capable of telescoping to adjust the horizontal distance between the operator and the steering wheel, said steering column being capable of being selectively tilted the vertical direction; and a cargo area aft of both said operator control area and said mail handling area, said cargo area being defined by a forward bulkhead separating said cargo area from both said operator control area and said mail handling area, said forward bulkhead being comprised of a fixed portion aft of said operator control area and said mail handling area, said fixed portion having an aperture therethough aft of said mail handling area, and a sliding door for selectively opening and closing said aperture, said cargo area also being defined by a left-side bulkhead, a right-side bulkhead, and a rear bulkhead, said rear bulkhead having a rear access door therethough, the upper forward portion of said left-side bulkhead having a window therethrough, said sliding door having a window therethrough, said window in said sliding door being in line of sight with said left-side bulkhead window and said operator seat such that said operator has an enhanced view through the left side of said vehicle when said sliding door is in the open or closed position.