Abstract: A tailgate ladder apparatus wherein an articulated step ladder is attached to a vehicle tailgate in such a way that it may be stored on a ladder housing within the interior of the tailgate. When the tailgate is open, the ladder may be slid out and opened so that a user may walk up the ladder and step onto the open tailgate.

Abstract: A vehicle seat assembly is attached to a floor attachment bracket by pivoted front and rear leg assemblies is disclosed. A seat base frame, the floor attachment bracket and the front and rear leg assemblies form a four bar link that support the seat assembly on a floor pan of a vehicle. The floor pan defines a stowage well in which the seat assembly may be selectively stored. The four bar link may be rotated to a limited extent when the seat back frame is in its normal seating position to provide a tip and kneel position. In the tip and kneel position the seat is disposed intermediate the seating position and fully stowed position with the seat back upright to provide improved ingress and egress to areas of the vehicle behind the seat assembly.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a compartment conveniently situated in the rear compartment of a hearse for storing the flags that are frequently magnetically attached to the roofs of vehicles in a funeral procession. Vehicles displaying these flags are typically accorded certain traffic privileges, and occasionally, bystander respect, as the procession wends its way from the funeral service to the gravesite. The disclosed compartment necessarily has a door compatible and continuous with the paneling of the rear transport area, a pivoting tray pivotally attached to the floor of the compartment and a magnetized transport tray sized to fit on the pivoting tray and easily removed to facilitate the distribution of the magnetized flags.

Abstract: A liftgate component module mountable on a pivotal liftgate window provides a unitary mounting platform for a plurality of components including a window wiper drive motor and a window latch. A unitary bracket carries the wiper drive apparatus and the window latch apparatus. A handle, which may include an electrical switch, is also mounted on the window. The electrical connections between the handle switch and a controller carried on the window as part of the motor enables instantaneous response of the latch to activation of the handle switch. The same controller can also control a liftgate latch and a liftgate electrical switch handle.

Abstract: A cab capable of easily securing rollover protection strength at low manufacturing cost is offered. Four pillars are mounted in the front and rear, and left and right of the cab. Two of them are mounted respectively in a first position at the outer side portion where it bulges outward and in a second position on the inner side portion and opposite the first position in the left-and-right direction. At least one of the pillars is formed with a pipe. A U-shaped frame is firmly mounted between the upper ends of the left and right rear pillars among the four pillars, and directed rearward to form a U-shaped rear roof frame.

Abstract: A vehicle storage assembly includes a storage compartment having an opening to permit access to the compartment. A door adjacent the opening is moveable between a closed position that covers the opening and an open position that permits access to the compartment through the opening. The storage assembly further includes a controllable damper coupled to the door and actuable between high and low damping states, such that the door is maintained in one of the closed position, the open position, or any position therebetween when the controllable damper is in the high damping state. To move the door to a new position, the controllable damper is actuated from the high damping state to the low damping state whereby the door can then be freely moved to the desired position. The controllable damper may then be actuated from the low damping state to the high damping state to retain the door in the selected position.

Abstract: The present invention provides a slide-out mechanism that adjusts the elevation of a slide-out room relative to the main body of a vehicle. In one preferred embodiment, the slide-out mechanisms includes an acme screw elevator on a telescoping support arm below the slide-out room. As the slide-out room extends or retracts, the acme screw elevator increases or decreases the height of the slide-out room so as to allow full retraction within the vehicle body and complete level extension.

Abstract: Each of the sets of pivots (5) comprise a base (9) fixed to the bodyshell (10) of the vehicle, a body (11) linked to the hood (4) of the rear boot by a hinge (12) and means for locking the body (11) in relation to the base. For a lock in the closed position of the hood, a hook (16) of the front and rear sets of pivots (5 and 7) engages, in a co-ordinated manner, the first and second stubs (17 and 21), whereas, for an opening of the hood swiveled towards the rear, during unfolding or folding away of the roof into the boot, the hooks (16) of the front and rear sets of pivots operates so as to respectively and solely engage the second stubs (17) of the rear set of pivots (7) and release, in a co-ordinated manner, the second and third stubs of the front set of pivots (5), and inversely for an opening swiveled towards the front of the hood, to access a luggage loading zone in the boot.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to vehicles and door sills for vehicles. In one aspect, the disclosure relates to door sills having an interior channel configured to receive a retractable panel installed within a vehicle door. In another aspect, the disclosure relates to impact-absorbing door sills for motor vehicles, for example, an automobile. The disclosure also provides methods for forming a shaped composite article from a metal foam and attaching the shaped composite article to a side frame of a vehicle chassis.

Abstract: A tailgate that is hingeably connected to a vehicle and configured to pivot from a closed position to a generally vertical open position includes an inner panel having an inner tailgate surface and an outer panel having an outer tailgate surface. The outer panel is attached to the inner panel to define a pocket therebetween. An opening extends from the inner tailgate surface to the outer tailgate surface and is configured to receive a foot. A step assembly is housed in the pocket and is moveable from a retracted position enclosing the opening, to an extended position revealing the opening. The step assembly includes a stationary frame fixed with respect to the pocket and a moveable frame moveable with respect to the stationary frame. The moveable frame extends from a lower peripheral edge of the tailgate in the extended position.

Abstract: In a sensor mounting structure, a sensor is mounted in an outer portion of the floor panel in a width of the vehicle, and a step garnish, extending in a length of the vehicle, is attached above the outer portion so as to cover the sensor. The step garnish may have a rib extending in the length of the vehicle; and the sensor may be positioned inside the rib in the width of the vehicle. Preferably, the step garnish has a plurality of ribs extending in the length of the vehicle; each rib has clip portions for attaching the step garnish to the floor panel; and the sensor is positioned between two of the ribs. Typically, the rib protrudes downward from a lower face of the step garnish. The floor panel may have a concave portion; and the sensor may be attached to a bottom of the concave portion.

Abstract: There is a tonneau or covering device for covering an open storage portion of a vehicle. The tonneau includes a cover, a cord, and/or a plurality of couplers, such as but not limited to hooks. The cord is disposed circumferentially about the cover and coupled thereto through sheathes. There are double-hook couplers including a first hook removably coupleable to a cord and a second hook coupled to the first hook and removably coupleable to the vehicle. The second hook may include a U-shaped member. The first hook may include a tapering hook opening. The first hook may include a flexible hook opening.

Abstract: A removable device for protecting parked automobile doors from dents, scuffs and scratches to its surface that may be caused by the doors of adjacent automobiles or other objects. The device consists of protective elements joined by a rope and mounted to the automobile by magnets. The device has a security tether which engages a locked door of an automobile to resist theft of the device.

Abstract: An automotive vehicle body includes a generally tubular, hydroformed cowl with integral mounting flanges which are welded to an engine compartment structural member and a cowlside member. The cowl may be hydroformed from several different preforms having both symmetrical and asymmetrical geometric characteristics.

Abstract: Front upper members and front side members located laterally inward of the front upper members are joined with connecting members of pipe form. A first end portion of each connecting member extends through the front side member and is welded to both sides of the side member. The joint has high rigidity. When impact energy acts on either front upper member, the energy is transmitted to the front side member via the connecting member, and the front side member and the front upper member plastically deform.

Abstract: An automotive vehicle comprises a frame having a pair of side rails interconnected by a plurality of cross members. A rocker panel substantially parallel to and spaced from each side rail creates a gap. An energy transfer member seats within the gap for transferring energy between the rocker panel and the side rail in a side impact event. The energy transfer member is sufficiently stronger than the side rail such that impact energy deforms the rocker panel and travels through the energy transfer member to deform the side rail prior to any deformation of the energy transfer member, thereby maintaining the gap to reduce side structure intrusion into an occupant compartment. An accelerometer mounted within the vehicle inboard of the side rails senses vehicle frame acceleration, and activates a vehicle airbag system as necessary.

Abstract: A cab for a vehicle, such as an all terrain vehicle, a tractor, or small construction vehicle, is constructed of twin-sheet plastic panels that can be easily assembled, preferably with snap-together interlocking features. One of the panels can be a door panel having a door hinged to a door frame to control passage through a doorway. Both the door and the door frame have spaced apart hinge knuckles that interleave along a hinge axis to allow the door to pivot about a hinge pin. The door and door frame can be molded in a single twin-sheet panel. The two walls of the panel are fused together along the outer periphery of the panel door portion and the inner periphery of the panel door frame portion. The door is separated from the door frame by cutting the each of the walls along a door perimeter between the door and door frame portions of the molded panel.

Abstract: The current invention relates to a handle overlay configured to an existing vehicle door handle and a decorative design member affixed to the handle overlay. In addition, the decorative design member can be integrated into a handle overlay for the current invention. The invention also relates to a method for applying a cover to a vehicle door handle comprising the steps of taking a decorative design member and affixing the decorative design member to a handle overlay, wherein the handle overlay is configured to affix to a vehicle door handle and then affixing the handle overlay to a vehicle door handle.

Abstract: A vented transport cover is disclosed for use in protecting vehicles, cargo and other objects during transport. The vented transport cover includes at least one venting member secured within the cover. Each venting member includes a downwardly extending, recessed body portion having an exhaust aperture oriented at the front of the venting member. The venting member includes an upwardly extending air diffuser that disrupts the oncoming stream of air during transport of the object. The air diffuser stabilizes the vent by preventing the vent from flapping during travel. Due to the recessed nature of the exhaust aperture, the air pressure at the exhaust aperture is less than that of the high speed airstream passing over the covered object. Negative pressure at the exhaust aperture induces exhaustion of air from within the cover and causes the cover to conform closely to the surface of the covered object.

Abstract: An equipment console for use in a vehicle having a driver compartment including a dashboard, floor and driver seat. The equipment console has a console body for supporting equipment in a location accessible to a person seated in the driver seat. The front of the console body includes a front portion configured to receive and support the equipment. The console body also has a back generally opposite the front of the console body. The back of the console body may be integrated with the dashboard by providing the back with a profile that conforms at least partially to a contour of the dashboard. In addition, the console body may be adapted to cover an area of the dashboard in which climate controls were originally installed, with an upper portion of the console body being adapted to receive and secure the climate controls in a relocated position so that they may be operated from the front of the console body.