U.S. patent application number 09/835251 was filed with the patent office on 2002-04-25 for narrow width slide-out room support system.
Invention is credited to Graf, Douglas R., Nye, Timothy L., Spore, Robert D..
Application Number | 20020047286 09/835251 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26892432 |
Filed Date | 2002-04-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020047286 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nye, Timothy L. ; et
al. |
April 25, 2002 |
NARROW WIDTH SLIDE-OUT ROOM SUPPORT SYSTEM
Abstract
The present invention provides a slide-out support rail, which
is particularly adapted for use as a single set of rails, which may
be power operated or manually operated. The slide-out support rail
system has an inner telescoping rail with a gear rack mounted on
top of the upper wall of the inner rail. The teeth of the gear rack
face upwardly and mesh with a pinion gear which is journaled
relative to the outer rail above the gear rack.
Inventors: |
Nye, Timothy L.; (Elkhart,
IN) ; Spore, Robert D.; (Rolla, MO) ; Graf,
Douglas R.; (Sussex, WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
QUARLES & BRADY LLP
411 E. WISCONSIN AVENUE
SUITE 2040
MILWAUKEE
WI
53202-4497
US
|
Family ID: |
26892432 |
Appl. No.: |
09/835251 |
Filed: |
April 13, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60196963 |
Apr 13, 2000 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
296/26.13 ;
296/175; 52/67 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60P 3/34 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
296/26.13 ;
296/175; 52/67 |
International
Class: |
B62C 001/06 |
Claims
1. A slide-out support rail system for supporting a slide-out
section of a recreational vehicle, comprising: an inner rail fixed
to said slide-out section to extend and retract said slide-out
section, said inner rail mounting a rack on an upwardly facing
surface of a longitudinally extending upper wall of said inner
rail; a pinion above said rack in meshing engagement with said
rack; and an outer rail slidably mounting the inner rail on support
rollers spaced apart longitudinally beneath said inner to support
the inner rail and maintain engagement of the rack and pinion.
2. The rail system of claim 1, further comprising a pair of drive
rollers positioned on opposite sides of the drive pinion contacting
the upper wall on each side of the rack.
3. The rail system of claim 2, wherein the inner rail includes a
stiffening member mounted to the underside of the upper wall
beneath the rack.
4. The rail system of claim 3, wherein the inner rail further
includes a U-channel opening upward and capped by the upper
wall.
5. The rail system of claim 4, wherein the stiffening member is
tubular.
6. The rail system of claim 5, wherein one support roller is
directly beneath the pinion and one support roller is proximate a
forward end of the outer rail.
7. The rail system of claim 6, wherein the outer rail is a
U-channel opening upwardly.
8. The rail system of claim 7, further comprising wear pads between
side walls of the inner rail and side walls of the outer rail.
9. The rail system of claim 8, further comprising a cover welded to
a forward portion of the outer rail and one or more straps welded
to a rear portion of the outer rail.
10. The rail of claim 1, further comprising an adjustable stop
mounted to the outer rail to extend longitudinally forward and
positioned to contact the inner rail.
11. The rail of claim 10, further comprising a second adjustable
stop mounted to the inner rail to extend longitudinally rearward to
contact the adjustable stop of the outer rail.
12. The rail of claim 1, further comprising a drive axle mounting
the pinion.
13. The rail of claim 11, wherein the drive axle is power
driven.
14. The rail of claim 1, wherein the inner rail is at least two
times as wide as it is tall.
15. The rail of claim 1, wherein the inner rail is supported by two
sets of support rollers, one set directly beneath the pinion and
one set at a forward end of the outer rail.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application Serial No. 60/196,963 filed Apr. 13, 2000.
STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] This invention relates to slide-out rooms for recreational
vehicles, and particularly to slide-out room support systems in
which a single set of rails is required to support the room.
[0005] 2. Discussion of the Prior Art
[0006] In order to increase available interior space of
recreational vehicles, e.g., motor homes and trailer homes,
slide-out rooms or sections are provided. During transit, these
rooms are retracted and stored in the interior of the vehicle or
trailer, with the exterior end wall of the slide-out room
approximately flush with the adjacent exterior wall of the vehicle
or trailer. To use the slide-out room, the vehicle is parked and
leveled. The slide-out room is then slid outward from the vehicle
using the slide-out room support system thereby increasing the
interior space of the vehicle.
[0007] The slide-out rooms usually include a floor, a roof, an end
wall and one or more side walls. In the retracted position the
roof, floor and side walls are typically inside the stationary part
of the vehicle, concealed from exterior view, and the room end wall
forms a portion of the vehicle's side wall. A gasket is usually
provided which is compressed between the inner ends of the
slide-out room walls (which may include the floor) and the vehicle
walls so as to keep wind, rain, dirt and bugs out when the vehicle
is extended. A similar set of gaskets may also be provided between
the two outer walls of the respective vehicle and room to seal the
room when it is retracted.
[0008] Sets of telescoping support rails are usually used to
support the slide-out room and these rails may be power driven in
and out or manually pulled out and pushed back in. Any number of
sets of rails may be used, depending upon the size of the room to
be moved.
[0009] When two or more sets of rails are used, they are spaced
apart and mechanically linked to one another so that they extend or
retract together. They may be mechanically linked, for example,
with a rack and gear system in which each inner rail is provided
with a rack and pinions engaging the racks are connected by a
shaft, or with a cable and pulley system, to ensure that the rails
extend and retract together.
[0010] For small rooms, such as a wardrobe or closet, a single rail
is sufficient to support the room and may be all that there is
space for. However, a problem with using a single rail is racking
of the inner rail relative to the outer rail from side to side.
Another problem is providing a single rail with sufficient strength
which is still of a low profile to fit in a tight space beneath the
room being moved. The present invention provides a solution to
these problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The present invention provides a slide-out support rail
system that is particularly adapted for use as a single set of
rails, which may be power operated or manually operated.
[0012] In particular, the invention provides a slide-out support
rail system for supporting a slide-out section of a recreational
vehicle. The system includes an inner rail mounting a rack on top
of a longitudinally extending upper wall so as to mesh with a drive
pinion. An outer rail slidably mounts the inner rail on a pair of
support rollers spaced apart longitudinally to support the inner
rail and maintain engagement of the rack and pinion.
[0013] The gear rack of the telescoping inner rail has teeth that
face upwardly and mesh with the pinion gear which is journaled
relative to the outer rail above the gear rack. Rollers are
preferably provided on both sides of the pinion which roll along
the top side of the inner rail so as to counteract upward forces
exerted upon them, which would otherwise be transferred to the
pinion gear. Another set of rollers is also provided at the outer
end of the outer rail beneath the inner rail to support the inner
rail.
[0014] To assure engagement of the rack with the pinion, the inner
rail is made in three pieces, not including the gear rack. As such,
the inner rail consists of an open U-channel, which opens upwardly,
a rectangular tube approximately centered in the open U-channel,
and a top wall plate which covers the tube and extends between the
side walls of the U-channel. The rectangular tube is positioned
beneath the gear rack, so that the tooth forces exerted on the gear
rack by the pinion, which tend to push the gear rack away from the
pinion, are counteracted not only by the U-channel and the top
plate, but also by the rectangular tube within the U-channel.
[0015] In addition, directly beneath the pinion gear which drives
the gear rack, another roller is provided, to maintain the gear
rack in meshing engagement with the pinion.
[0016] In another aspect, the inner rail is made at least two times
as wide as it is tall. This improves the resistance to racking of
the inner rail.
[0017] In addition, between the side walls of the outer rail and
the side walls of the inner rail, wear pads are preferably
provided, which also contribute to the resistance to racking of the
entire unit.
[0018] The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the
invention will appear in the detailed description which follows. In
the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings
which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a set of slide-out support
rails of the invention;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rails
of FIG. 1 mounted in a recreational vehicle so as to move a room in
and out;
[0021] FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2 but shown with the room
extended;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the rails of FIG. 1;
[0023] FIG. 5 is a fragmentary detail view showing the drive system
for the rails of FIG. 1;
[0024] FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view from the plane of
the line 6-6 of FIG. 3;
[0025] FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view from the plane of
the line 7-7 of FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, a set of slide-out rails 10 of the
invention includes an inner rail 12 and an outer rail 14. The outer
rail 14 is an upwardly open U-shaped channel with a forward cover
16 welded to it covering its forward portion and straps 18, 20 and
22 welded to it in its rear portion. Cover 16 is welded or
otherwise suitably affixed to frame member 24 of the vehicle and
straps 18 and 20 are welded or otherwise suitably affixed to frame
member 26 (FIG. 2) of the vehicle. Alternatively, right angle tabs
27 could be welded onto both sides of the rail 14 and the tabs
bolted to the stationary floor 68, on top of the floor 68, and the
movable floor 66 provided above the unit 10. In such a case, the
floor 66 is elevated above the floor 68, but this is commonly done,
for example, for a slide-out bedroom.
[0027] An adjustable stop 28 in the form of a threaded bolt is
affixed to the rearward most strap 22. Another bolt 30 is screwed
into the rearward end of the inner rail 12 which abuts the bolt 28
in the fully retracted position. Another adjustable stop 32 in the
form of a bolt is screwed into drive housing 34 which is welded or
otherwise suitably affixed to the outer rail 14. The bolt 30 abuts
the adjustable stop 32 in the fully extended position as shown in
FIG. 3.
[0028] The inner rail 12 is supported in the outer rail 14 by two
sets of rollers 40 and 42. Both sets of rollers 40, 42 span the
outer rail 14 and are supported thereby by appropriate bearings.
The roller 42 is provided at the outward end of the rail 14 and the
roller 40 is provided directly beneath the axle 44 on which the
drive gear 46 and rollers 48 (FIGS. 5 and 6) are mounted. The shaft
44 is journaled in the drive housing 34 with rollers 48 rotatable
relative to the shaft 44 and the gear 46 affixed to the shaft 44 to
rotate therewith. Shaft 44 may be turned by an electric motor 50 or
by a manual crank 52. Motor 50 is mounted to flange 63 and has its
shaft engaged with shaft 54 coupler 60 to turn shaft 54 and
therefore bevel gear 56, which meshes with bevel gear 58 which is
affixed to the shaft 44. Shaft 54 is also journaled to the housing
34. Coupler 61 on the end of shaft 44 is engagable by the handle
52. Referring particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3, a bracket 62 on the
end of the inner rail 12 is affixed to the slide-out room 64, the
room 64 having floor 66 which rides on top of stationary floor
68.
[0029] Gear 46 meshes with rack 70 which is welded or otherwise
suitably affixed to top wall 72 of inner beam 12. Inner beam 12
also includes U-shaped channel 74 which is welded to the top wall
72 and rectangular stiffening tube 76, which is also welded to the
channel 74 and/or the top wall 72 directly beneath the rack 70. The
tube 76 provides stiffness to keep the rack 70 from bowing away
from the gear 46. The roller 40 also supports the rack 70 to keep
it in engagement with the gear 46.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 7, wear pads 80 which may be made of a
lubricious plastic such as nylon or Teflon are provided at
positions spaced along the length of the outer rail 14 between the
inner rail 12 and the outer rail 14 so as to guide the rail 12
inside the rail 14. The pads 80 help counteract racking side to
side of the rail 12 inside the rail 14, which is important since
the rails 12 and 14 may be the only set of rails supporting the
room 64. The low profile of the rail 12 creates a short and wide
profile which has a high transverse bending strength. The rack 70
and tube 76 contribute, along with the members 72 and 74, to the
ability of the inner rail 12 to support the weight of the room
64.
[0031] Thus, in a slide-out system of the invention, the rack is
affixed to the top of the inner rail, and a pinion gear in meshing
engagement above the rack drives the inner rail in and out. A
roller is provided on each side of the rack, preferably on the
shaft of the pinion gear. In a preferred aspect, the inner rail is
made relatively short and wide, for example at least two, and
preferably closer to at least three, times as wide as it is tall.
The rack is centered on the top wall of the inner rail, and a
reinforcement is provided below the top wall directly beneath the
rack, to maintain engagement of the rack with the pinion. A support
roller is provided beneath the bottom wall of the inner rail,
directly below the pinion, to support the inner rail and rack in
engagement with the pinion.
[0032] The low profile of the inner rail contributes to its ability
to resist racking, fit a small vertical space, and by itself
support a small room. Wear pads affixed to the outer rail between
the sides of the inner and outer rails are spaced along the length
of the rails for guidance against racking of the inner rail inside
of the outer rail.
[0033] Many modifications and variations to the preferred
embodiment described will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Therefore the invention should not be limited to the embodiment
described. Rather, the following claims should be referenced to
determine the scope of the invention.
* * * * *