US 12,291,157 B2
Retractable step and side bar assembly for raised vehicle
Anthony Nicholas Smith, Huntington Beach, CA (US); Eric Charles Bajza, Orange, CA (US); and William Franklin Bibb, VI, Littleton, CO (US)
Assigned to Lund Motion Products, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Filed by Lund Motion Products, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Filed on May 28, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/675,975.
Application 18/675,975 is a continuation of application No. 18/334,248, filed on Jun. 13, 2023, granted, now 11,999,309.
Application 18/334,248 is a continuation of application No. 17/455,301, filed on Nov. 17, 2021, granted, now 11,713,012, issued on Aug. 1, 2023.
Application 17/455,301 is a continuation of application No. 17/016,690, filed on Sep. 10, 2020, granted, now 11,180,100, issued on Nov. 23, 2021.
Application 17/016,690 is a continuation of application No. 16/123,462, filed on Sep. 6, 2018, granted, now 10,773,670, issued on Sep. 15, 2020.
Application 16/123,462 is a continuation of application No. 15/406,982, filed on Jan. 16, 2017, granted, now 10,077,016, issued on Sep. 18, 2018.
Application 15/406,982 is a continuation of application No. 14/846,433, filed on Sep. 4, 2015, granted, now 9,550,458, issued on Jan. 24, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/171,780, filed on Jun. 5, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2024/0425008 A1, Dec. 26, 2024
Int. Cl. B60R 19/48 (2006.01); B60R 3/00 (2006.01); B60R 3/02 (2006.01); B60R 19/42 (2006.01)
CPC B60R 19/48 (2013.01) [B60R 3/002 (2013.01); B60R 3/02 (2013.01); B60R 19/42 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle for assisting user ingress, the vehicle comprising:
a door;
a side bar mounted underneath the door and extending in a longitudinal direction, the side bar comprising an at least partially hollow main body formed by a plurality of walls that extend in the longitudinal direction,
wherein the plurality of walls comprises a front wall facing an outboard direction and a back wall facing an inboard direction,
wherein the plurality of walls further comprises a vertical wall and a horizontal wall that meet between the front wall and the back wall, the vertical wall being inclined with respect to a plane defined by an underbody of the vehicle such that a lower end of the vertical wall is outboard of an upper end of the vertical wall; and
an extendable step comprising a stepping platform pivotally coupled to a plurality of arms that are configured to rotate the stepping platform between a stowed position and a deployed position, the stepping platform comprising a stepping surface,
wherein, in the stowed position, a distal edge of the stepping surface is positioned above the lower end of the vertical wall and outboard of the back wall, and, in the deployed position, the distal edge of the stepping surface is positioned below the lower end of the vertical wall and outboard of the front wall.