• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    The invention provides a utility vehicle accessory and method for quickly and easily loading and unloading items, including heavy or awkward items, into and from a utility vehicle tray. Particularly, the invention enables this loading and unloading from the side of a vehicle, which is convenient in areas where only parallel parking of the vehicle is permitted, or the item is longer than the width of the vehicle tray. In addition, the panel of the invention in a first position acts as the side wall of the vehicle tray and maintains the aesthetics of the vehicle. 7!9 I i IT i K --- ---- --
    公开号:AU2013219156A1
    申请号:U2013219156
    申请日:2013-08-20
    公开日:2014-03-06
    发明作者:Michael Jeffery Turner
    申请人:Michael Jeffery Turner；
    IPC主号:B60P1-48
    专利说明:
    TITLE VEHICLE ACCESSORY FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to vehicle accessories. In particular, the invention relates to utility vehicle accessories including a vehicle tray side panel convertible to a side lift loading apparatus. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Utility vehicles are often used to transport large and/heavy items. Loading and unloading these items can be difficult, particularly if only parallel parking is permitted, as in a city centre location. Loading and unloading of items from the back of the tray of the utility vehicle is awkward, and can be dangerous, and is impractical for utility vehicles pulling a trailer. Various options have been used to address this difficulty. For example, a ramp can be placed from the road to the vehicle tray, and the item carried up or down the ramp. This of course presents its own difficulties and dangers as the item is being carried at an angle, and the ramp in generally unsecured to the vehicle tray. In addition, if loading or unloading is only available from the rear of the vehicle where the raised side of the tray can be lowered, and parking is as described above, there is little or no space to manoeuvre the ramp or the item between the utility vehicle and the vehicle parked behind the utility vehicle. Items can be loaded and unloaded over the side of the vehicle, but this can be very hazardous if the item is large and/or heavy as the person on the roadside must lift the item (or receive the item) well above the physical comfort zone for doing so, and there is risk of dropping the item or injuring either the person handing the item over, or the person receiving the item. Various attempts have been made to address this problem. For example, the Lyco Loader® provides a system which includes a platform which is raised and lowered by cables, the cables being attached to the corners of the platform at one end, and to a frame at the opposite end. The frame is attached to the tray of the vehicle. This system is operated by hand winch, and could be unstable when loaded with heavy or awkward loads. In addition, the frame extends above the tray sides when in the closed position - this could be undesirable for vehicle 1 owners concerned with the aesthetics of their vehicle. Similarly a tail lift which operates on the side of a vehicle would also be detrimental to the aesthetics of the vehicle. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a utility vehicle accessory and method for quickly and easily loading and unloading items, including heavy or awkward items, into and from a utility vehicle tray. Particularly, the invention enables this loading and unloading from the side of a vehicle, which is convenient in areas where only parallel parking of the vehicle is permitted, or the item is longer than the width of the vehicle tray. In addition, the panel of the invention in a first position acts as the side wall of the vehicle tray and maintains the aesthetics of the vehicle. According to one form, although it need not be the only or indeed the broadest form, the invention resides in a utility vehicle tray accessory in the form of a side lift, the side lift comprising a frame attachable to an underside of a tray of the utility vehicle, the frame comprising a pair of substantially parallel arms actuated to rotate in a substantially vertical plane, a platform rotatably connected to the arms so as to remain substantially horizontal during rotation of the arms, and an actuator that actuates the arms to rotate between a raised position and a lowered position. The platform may be connected to the one or more arms on shafts wherein the platform is adapted to rotate about the shafts in a horizontal plane and the shafts are adapted to enable rotation about the arms in a vertical plane. According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a utility vehicle tray with a tray accessory, the tray accessory being a vertical side panel of the tray in a first position, and a horizontal loading platform in a second position. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of converting a side panel of a utility vehicle tray to a vehicle accessory in the form of a side lift, the method including the steps of fitting a frame to an underside of a tray of the utility vehicle, the frame comprising a pair of substantially parallel arms actuated to rotate in a substantially vertical plane, rotatably connecting the side panel to the arms so that the side panel is rotatable from a substantially vertical position to a substantially horizontal position to form a platform, rotatably connecting the platform to the arms so that the platform 2 remains substantially horizontal during rotation of the arms, and fitting an actuator that actuates the arms to rotate from between a raised position and a lowered position. In a still further aspect the invention resides in a method of loading a tray of a utility vehicle with a load, the method including lowering a side panel to a horizontal position substantially level with the tray of the vehicle to form a platform, moving arms from a first position under the vehicle tray to a second position in a same vertical plane to lower the platform, wherein the platform rotates with respect to the arms as the platform is lowered to maintain the platform in a substantially horizontal position, loading the platform with a load and reversing the steps to raise the platform and return the platform to being the side panel of the vehicle. Referring to the aspects above, the platform of the invention can be manufactured with the utility vehicle, or can be retrofitted to a utility vehicle. The panel or platform, shafts and arms of the invention can be made of any practicable material. Preferably they are made of steel or aluminium. Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To assist in understanding the invention and to enable a person skilled in the art to put the invention into practical effect, preferred embodiments of the invention are described below by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic of a side lift of the invention; FIG. 2 illustrates the side lift of the invention, attached to a utility vehicle tray; FIG. 3 illustrates the side lift with the platform in a lowered position; FIG. 4 illustrates the side lift with the platform in a raised position; FIG. 5 illustrates the side lift with the platform in a stowed position where the platform forms the side panel of a utility vehicle tray; FIG. 6 demonstrates the stowing of the platform in a position where the platform forms the side panel of a utility vehicle tray; 3 FIG. 7 illustrates the side lift on a vehicle in a lowered position where the platform is substantially on the road; FIG. 8 illustrates the side lift on a vehicle in a raised position; FIG. 9 illustrates the side lift on a vehicle in a stowed position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention comprise a utility vehicle accessory, and a method using the device for converting a vehicle side panel to a loading platform. Elements of the invention are illustrated in concise outline form in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are necessary to the understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, but so as not to clutter the disclosure with excessive detail that will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the present description. In this patent specification, adjectives such as first and second, left and right, front and back, top and bottom, etc., are used solely to define one element or method step from another element or method step without necessarily requiring a specific relative position or sequence that is described by the adjectives. Words such as "comprises" or "includes" are not used to define an exclusive set of elements or method steps. Rather, such words merely define a minimum set of elements or method steps included in a particular embodiment of the present invention. The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge. Referring to the Figures, FIG 1 shows a sketch of a side lift of the invention. In this embodiment, the side lift includes a platform (100) which comprises two panel units. The first panel unit (101) is connected to the second panel unit (102) by hinges (103) and is folded out to form the platform (100) or folded onto the second panel unit (102) in a stowed position as described below. The panels are made of steel in the preferred embodiment but other materials, such as aluminium, will also be suitable. The platform (100) can be any suitable size, as required by the vehicle tray to which it will be fitted. The width of each panel unit (102, 103) is generally equal to the height of the existing side panels of the vehicle tray, and can be as long as required. 4 The second panel unit (102) is attached at each end to a shaft (104) and (105) such that the platform (100) remains horizontal when the shafts (104) and (105) move through a vertical plane. This movement will be more clearly described below. The second panel unit (102) can be attached to the shafts (104, 105) in any manner which allows this movement. In the present embodiment of the invention, the shafts (104, 105) are fed through holes (not visible) in a side wall (106) of the panel unit (102), and the shafts (104, 105) can rotate freely in the holes as the shafts move through a vertical plane, resulting in a 'swinging' motion of the panel unit (102) to ensure it stays substantially horizontal. In this embodiment, the shafts are made of steel. The shafts are generally of length substantially equal to the width of a panel unit (102), but can be shorter if desired. In an alternate embodiment the shafts (104, 105) do not extend into the panel unit (102) but instead attach to it in a manner allowing rotation. For example, the shafts may be short brackets that attach to the side wall (106) with a rotating bearing. The shafts (104, 105) are in turn rotatably attached to arms, respectively (107) and (108) by fitting an end of the shaft (109) inside an end (110) of the arm (107, 108) to allow the platform (100) to rotate from a horizontal position (in use) and a vertical position (stowed). The rotation of the platform is described in more detail below by reference to FIG 6. The arms (107, 108) can be any practical length, but should be a length which enables both arms to fit under the vehicle tray when in a stowed position. The arms (107, 108) are connected to an actuator (111) by rods (112, 113). The rods (112, 113) are actuated together through link (114) that joins the rods (112, 113). Referring to FIG 2, the side lift 200 is shown fitted to the underside of a tray (301) of a utility vehicle (300). The rods (112, 113) and arms (107, 108) are fitted so that when the side lift 200 is in a stowed position both arms lie horizontally against the underside of the tray (301). Apertures (302, 303) are provided for shafts (104, 105) when the side lift 200 is in the stowed position. An hydraulic ram (204) is attached to the underside of the tray and extends or retracts to rotate rod 113, and hence via link 114 rotates rod 112, thus raising or 5 lowing the arms (107, 108) and the platform 100. The actuator (204) may be any practicable type, for example manual, electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic. The actuator may be a rotary actuator that acts directly on the rods (112, 113) or the arms (107, 108). In the preferred embodiment it will be noted that the actuator is arranged to be extended when the platform is lowered and to be retracted when the platform is raised. This provides the lowest profile when in the stowed position, thus minimising risk of damage during travel. The method of the invention is illustrated in FIGs 3 to 9. FIGs 3 to 5 illustrate the side lift (200) in lowered, raised and stowed positions. FIGs 7 to 9 show the same positions but fitted to a vehicle (300) to make the manner of operation clear. FIG 3 and FIG 7 illustrate the side lift in a lowered position. The platform (100) is horizontal and close to the ground. The actuator (204) is extended. The arms (107, 108) are parallel and down. The actuator (204) is activated to retract thus causing rotation of the rods (112, 113) and hence raising of the arms (107, 108). The raising arms lift the platform 100. The shafts (104, 105) rotate in the second panel unit (102) and the platform 100 remains substantially horizontal. FIG 4 and FIG 8 show the platform 100 in a raised position. In this position a load on the platform can be transferred to or from the utility tray (301). The arms (107, 108) are substantially horizontal and the actuator (204) is retracted. The arms (107, 108) are safely located beneath the edge of the tray (301). Parts of the shafts (104, 105) are visible through the apertures (302, 303). FIG 5 and FIG 9 show the platform (100) in a stowed position where it forms part of the sidewall of the utility vehicle. FIG 6 demonstrates unstowing the platform from the stowed position shown in FIG 5. Stowing is the reversal of the unstowing procedure. To unstow the platform the shaft (105) is rotated through 90 degrees relative to the arm (108) until it reaches a stop. In this position the platform (100) is substantially horizontal. The second panel unit (102) is unfolded from the first panel (101) at hinge (103) as depicted by the dotted lines of FIG 6. Deployment of the side lift (200) is a reversal of the stowing process. The sidewall is folded down and unfolded in the manner depicted by FIG 6. Any load in the tray (301) is moved onto the platform (100). The actuator (204) is activated 6 an the arms (107, 108) are lowered as the rods (113, 114) rotate. The shafts (104, 105) rotate in the second panel unit (102) of the platform (100) so the platform (100) remains substantially horizontal as it is lowered towards the ground. When fully lowered any load is easily removed from the platform (100). The platform of the invention can be loaded with items, including heavy or awkward items, and the method of the invention used to move those items from the ground to a position level with the floor of the vehicle tray for easy manipulation onto the tray. The platform can lift or lower heavy or light loads, up to about, but not limited to 400kg. In a similar manner, items can be unloaded from the vehicle tray. The invention therefore provides a useful and aesthetically pleasing means for loading and unloading goods from the side of a utility vehicle. The platform of the invention can be finished to match the existing side panels of the vehicle to which it is fitted, thereby not detracting from the aesthetics of the vehicle. Operation of the invention is simple and effective, and convenient for all locations. The above description of various embodiments of the present invention is provided for purposes of description to one of ordinary skill in the related art. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to a single disclosed embodiment. As mentioned above, numerous alternatives and variations to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art of the above teaching. Accordingly, while some alternative embodiments have been discussed specifically, other embodiments will be apparent or relatively easily developed by those of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, this invention is intended to embrace all alternatives, modifications and variations of the present invention that have been discussed herein, and other embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the above described invention. 7
    权利要求:
    Claims (10)
    [1] 1. A side lift for a utility vehicle comprising: a frame attachable to an underside of a tray of the utility vehicle, the frame comprising a pair of substantially parallel arms actuated to rotate in a substantially vertical plane; a platform rotatably connected to the arms so as to remain substantially horizontal during rotation of the arms; and an actuator that actuates the arms to rotate between a raised position and a lowered position.
    [2] 2. The side lift of claim 1 wherein, in a raised position, the platform may rotate from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position to form a sidewall of the tray of the utility vehicle.
    [3] 3. The side lift of any preceding claim wherein the frame includes rods pivotally attached to the underside of the tray of the utility vehicle and connected between the arms and the actuator such that extension or retraction of the actuator causes rotation of the rods and arms.
    [4] 4. The side lift of any preceding claim wherein the actuator is a manual, hydraulic, pneumatic or electric actuator.
    [5] 5. The side lift of any preceding claim wherein the platform comprises a pair of panels connected by a hinge.
    [6] 6. The side lift of any preceding claim wherein the platform is rotatably connected to the arms by shafts extending substantially perpendicular to the arms.
    [7] 7. The side lift of any preceding claim wherein the platform is steel or aluminium.
    [8] 8. The side lift of any preceding claim wherein the arms and rods are steal.
    [9] 9. A method of converting a side panel of a utility vehicle tray to a vehicle accessory in the form of a side lift, the method including the steps of: fitting a frame to an underside of a tray of the utility vehicle, the frame comprising a pair of substantially parallel arms actuated to rotate in a substantially vertical plane; rotatably connecting the side panel to the arms so that the side panel is rotatable from a substantially vertical position to a substantially horizontal position to form a platform; 8 rotatably connecting the platform to the arms so that the platform remains substantially horizontal during rotation of the arms; and fitting an actuator that actuates the arms to rotate from between a raised position and a lowered position.
    [10] 10. A method of loading a tray of a utility vehicle with a load, the method including lowering a side panel to a horizontal position substantially level with the tray of the vehicle to form a platform, moving arms from a first position under the vehicle tray to a second position in a same vertical plane to lower the platform, wherein the platform rotates with respect to the arms as the platform is lowered to maintain the platform in a substantially horizontal position, loading the platform with a load and reversing the steps to raise the platform and return the platform to being the side panel of the vehicle. 9
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    NZ614484A|2014-07-25|
    AU2013219156B2|2017-12-07|
    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
    DE2243360A1|1972-09-02|1974-03-21|Dautel Emil Kipperbau|MOTOR VEHICLE FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF OVERLAY WITH A LIFTING DEVICE|
    DE3302960A1|1983-01-29|1984-08-02|Carl Wilhelm Baar Kölker|MOTOR VEHICLE WITH LIFT|
    US4579503A|1983-11-02|1986-04-01|Leyman Manufacturing Corp.|Sideloader elevator platform|
    DE19748313C2|1997-10-31|2001-01-25|Ludwig Bauch|Vehicle for lifting and transporting loads|
    US6435804B1|1999-05-19|2002-08-20|Mark Hutchins|Lifting apparatus|
    US20050129490A1|2003-12-16|2005-06-16|Hutchins Mark L.|Apparatus and method for lifting and carrying objects on a vehicle|
    法律状态:
    2018-04-05| FGA| Letters patent sealed or granted (standard patent)|
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    AU2012903583||2012-08-20||
    AU2012903583A|AU2012903583A0||2012-08-20|Vehicle accessory|
    AU2013219156A|AU2013219156B2|2012-08-20|2013-08-20|Vehicle accessory|AU2013219156A| AU2013219156B2|2012-08-20|2013-08-20|Vehicle accessory|
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