Appeal No. 2002-0492
Application 09/348,141
DISCUSSION
Dudley discloses a pickup truck loading ramp 20 comprising a
forward panel 22 having its forward end pivotally connected at 32
to the rear bumper 18 of the pickup and its sides slidably
mounted to the tailgate of the pickup by sleeves 34, a rearward
panel 24 having its forward end hingedly connected to the
rearward end of the forward panel, and a pair of posts 46
pivotally connected to the panels adjacent their hinged
connection. As described by Dudley,
[i]n operation, assuming the ramp is in its folded
stored position adjacent the rearward limit of the
closed pickup tailgate 16 (FIG. 2)[, the] tailgate
latch, not shown, is manually released and the tailgate
lowered to the position of FIG. 1 with the rearward
ramp panel 24 hingedly pivoted rearwardly so that the
rearward limit of its beams 40 and 42 contact[s] the
surface of the earth rearwardly of the pickup.
Simultaneously, with the lowering action of the
tailgate, the forward panel supporting sleeve 34 slides
along the beam box-channels 26' so that the plane of
the forward ramp panel 22 describes a plane
substantially parallel with the plane of the lowered
tailgate. The ramp posts 46 are manually positioned
vertically (FIG. 1). The ramp 20 is then in position
for loading a wheeled vehicle, not shown, into or out
of the pickup truck bed 10.
After utilizing the ramp for loading or unloading
it is moved to a stored position by simply pivoting the
forward panel vertically about its hinged connection
with the bumper while simultaneously the tailgate is
pivoting forwardly to its closed position wherein the
sleeve 34 again slides along the beam box members 26
and the rearward ramp panel 24 pivot[s] to a vertical
juxtaposed position with the forward ramp panel 22
[column 2, line 65, through column 3, line 12].
3
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007