CA2084160A1 - Running board storage compartment for recreational vehicle - Google Patents
Running board storage compartment for recreational vehicleInfo
- Publication number
- CA2084160A1 CA2084160A1 CA 2084160 CA2084160A CA2084160A1 CA 2084160 A1 CA2084160 A1 CA 2084160A1 CA 2084160 CA2084160 CA 2084160 CA 2084160 A CA2084160 A CA 2084160A CA 2084160 A1 CA2084160 A1 CA 2084160A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- compartment
- running board
- floor
- recreational vehicle
- side wall
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60P—VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS
- B60P3/00—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects
- B60P3/32—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects comprising living accommodation for people, e.g. caravans, camping, or like vehicles
- B60P3/36—Auxiliary arrangements; Arrangements of living accommodation; Details
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Body Structure For Vehicles (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A recreational vehicle is provided with a storage compartment which makes use of the space in the region of the curved running board of the vehicle and combines it with the pace under the floor of the vehicle and running along one side of it thus making a relatively large storage space which is sealed from the elements and to which access is provided through one or more doors provided directly in the running board or in the lower portion of the vehicle body side wall directly thereabove, or in both, depending on the circumstances.
A recreational vehicle is provided with a storage compartment which makes use of the space in the region of the curved running board of the vehicle and combines it with the pace under the floor of the vehicle and running along one side of it thus making a relatively large storage space which is sealed from the elements and to which access is provided through one or more doors provided directly in the running board or in the lower portion of the vehicle body side wall directly thereabove, or in both, depending on the circumstances.
Description
- 2 ~
RIJNNIN~ BOARD 8TORAGE: COMPARTNlSNq! FOR Rl~CRE:ATIONAL
VE~ICI E
This invention relates to improvements in recreational vehicles and in particular to improved storage compartments for use in recreational vehicles. -There are many types of recreational vehicles and the present invention is particularly ~pplicable to camper van conversions which involve the conversion of a commercial cargo van. These camper van conversions are officially known in the industry as Class B recreational vehicles. Various cargo van body lengths, e.g. short, standard and extended body lengths are provided by several of the automotive manufacturers such as General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. In the process of converting the cargo van, portions of the floor are lowered or "dropped" and all or a substantial portion of the roof may be raised thereby to provide additional head room. ~he van i typically provided with an interior layout designed to make the best use of the limited space available as shown for example in my earlier Canadian Patent No. 1,200,262 issued February 4, 1986.
Regardless of the degree of effort made to conserve space in these types of recreational vehicles, the provision of adequate storage space always poses a problem. ~here seldom seems to be sufficient storage space particularly for larger outdoor items such as lawn chairs and if these have to be placed inside the van in places where they are not intended, the result is a cluttered and untidy van interior.
For years, recreational vehicles of the type under consideration have been provided with running boards which extend along both sides of the body between the wheels at the lower extremity of the body. In the past, these running boards were flat from one end to another ....... ~ ~ . . , ~ ~ . A
RIJNNIN~ BOARD 8TORAGE: COMPARTNlSNq! FOR Rl~CRE:ATIONAL
VE~ICI E
This invention relates to improvements in recreational vehicles and in particular to improved storage compartments for use in recreational vehicles. -There are many types of recreational vehicles and the present invention is particularly ~pplicable to camper van conversions which involve the conversion of a commercial cargo van. These camper van conversions are officially known in the industry as Class B recreational vehicles. Various cargo van body lengths, e.g. short, standard and extended body lengths are provided by several of the automotive manufacturers such as General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. In the process of converting the cargo van, portions of the floor are lowered or "dropped" and all or a substantial portion of the roof may be raised thereby to provide additional head room. ~he van i typically provided with an interior layout designed to make the best use of the limited space available as shown for example in my earlier Canadian Patent No. 1,200,262 issued February 4, 1986.
Regardless of the degree of effort made to conserve space in these types of recreational vehicles, the provision of adequate storage space always poses a problem. ~here seldom seems to be sufficient storage space particularly for larger outdoor items such as lawn chairs and if these have to be placed inside the van in places where they are not intended, the result is a cluttered and untidy van interior.
For years, recreational vehicles of the type under consideration have been provided with running boards which extend along both sides of the body between the wheels at the lower extremity of the body. In the past, these running boards were flat from one end to another ....... ~ ~ . . , ~ ~ . A
- 3 - 2~
with nothing beneath them. Other than providing for ease of entering the van, they tended to have an attractive appearance and helped to cover from view anything unattractive underneath the van. However, certain cargo van manufacturers have in the recent past re-designed the running boards such that the tops of the running boards are curved or slanted, except at the doors, to provide a so-called "ground effect" and to blend in better with the curved exterior of the van. Some of these running boards have hinged sections in them to provide easier service access such as for the filling of liquid propane gas or the discharging of sewer tanks etc. while at the same time they still have nothing under them which would serve to provide a closed storage compartment.
For years, we have been using the space under the floor of the van, that runs next to the running board and over to the chassis rail, for a semi-closed in type of storage with a door opening cut in the body below floor level and through the so-called rocker panel which is a few inches in from the exterior skin and converges toward it at the bottom. This storage area i8 partially exposed to the dusty and sometimes wet elements and hence items that had to be kept clean and dry could not be ~tored there.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention helps to overcome the problems associated with the prior art arrangements noted above and provides a storage compartment which makes use of the space in the region of the curved running board and combines it with the space under the floor of the van running along one side of it thus making a relatively large storage space which is sealed from the elements and to which access is provided through one or more doors provided directly in the running board or in the lower portion of the van body side wall directly thereabove, or in both, depending on the circumstances.
Thus according to the invention in one aspect - 4 - 2~
there is provided a recreational vehicle including a van body having a side wall, a floor, and a running board extending downwardly from a lower portion of said side wall; a storage compartment extending inwardly from said running board and having a bottom wall secured to said running board and extending inwardly of the vehicle body and joined to an upwardly extending back wall, said back wall extending upwardly toward the floor of the vehicle body and means providing a connection between the back wall and the floor, frontal and rear walls defining the fore and aft extremities of said compartment, and at least one doorway opening leading into said compartment from the exterior of the van body and a door for selectively opening or closing each said doorway opening.
In one form of the invention said bottom wall extends inwardly at a level corresponding generally to the lower extremity of said running board.
In a typical embodiment of the invention said running board extends downwardly and outwardly relative to the van body.
In one embodiment the compartment bottom, back front and rear walls are of a composite material formed as a one-piece structure.
In accordance with a still further embodiment of the invention said floor comprises a floor dropped downwardly below the normal level, said dropped floor extending outwardly toward the side wall of the vehicle and defining the upper extremity of said compartment, one said doorway opening being in said running board and extending lengthwise thereof.
In a further embodiment of the invention said floor comprises a normal level floor which extends outwardly toward the side wall of the van body such that said compartment extends from said bottom wall upwardly to said normal level floor.
In a still further embodiment of the invention said compartment is a unitary compartment extending from said bottom wa~l to the normal level floor.
In a further form of the invention a single said doorway leads into said unitary compartment, said single doorway being located in a lower part of said side wall.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention a pair of said doorways lead into said unitary compartment~
one said doorway being located in a lower part of said side wall and the other doorway being located in said running board, and a pivotally mounted pair of said doors, one for each of said door openings. -~
In a still further aspect of the invention said compartment is sub-divided by a partition extending from a lower extremity of the side wall over to said back wall generally parallel to the bottom wall, there being one said doorway opening leading into each sub-compartment thus defined, one ~aid doorway being in said running board and the other being in a lower part of said side wall.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description of ;
preferred embodiments of same which follow hereafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS OF DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a partial transverse sectional view through the body of a recreational vehicle illustrating a storage compartment at the lower extremity thereof in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an elevation view of the storage compartment and its immediate environment as seen from the exterior of the recreational vehicle;
Fig. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the storage compartment taken along section line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and illustrating one particular form of storage compartment arrangement;
Fig. 3A is a transverse cross-section as in Fig.
3 but illustrating a modified access door arrangement;
Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view as in Fig.
3 but illustrating a modified form of storage compartment arrangement with a horizontal partition; ;
Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view as in Fig.
3 but illustrating a modified form of a storage compartment arrangement;
Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view as before further illustrating the modification of the torage compartment arrangement of Fig. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a portion of a recreational vehicle 10 including a modified van hody having a ~ide wall 12, a floor 14 shown as supporting a refrigerator 15 with the ~ide wall having a grill-vented refrigerator service door 17. A running board 16 extends downwardly and outwardly in a smooth convex curve from a lower portion of the sidewall. A
storage compartment 18 extends inwardly from the running board 16 and it includes a bottom wall 20 joined to a lower edge portion of the running board and extending inwardly of the vehicle body. This flat bottom wall 20 is joined to an upwardly extending back wall 22, which back wall extends upwardly toward a rectangular chassis rail 24 which, in turn, i5 secured to the floor 14. The various components noted may be of suitable composite materials such as fibre reinforced plastics while in other cases the components may be of steel joined together by welding or other suitable means.
The compartment 18 described generally with reference to Fig. 1 is shown in greater detail in Figs. 2 and 3. It will be noted that the flat bottom wall 20 is integrally formed with back wall 22 from glass fibre matting in pregnated with thermosetting plastic resin.
The upper extremity of the back wall 22 is overlapped with and securely bonded or otherwise suitably secured to the outer side of chassis rail 24. The compartment 18 is also provided with a frontal wall 30 and a rear wall 32 (~ee Fig. 2) also of the same composite material, the outline shapes of these frontal and rear walls corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the compartment 18 as seen in .,,~
; :', ~; . ~' ' ' : - ` ' :
~ ~3C/~/40 ~, Fig. 3 with these walls together with the rest of the one-piece compartment structure substantially preventing ingre~s of moisture and dust into the compartment 18 when travelling. The pcsition of the rocker panel, which has been cut away to allow access to the compartment 18 via doorway 34 is shown by the dashed lines R'.
Figs. 7 and 8 are further views illustrating a modification employing a one-piece door.
As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the compartment 18 is provided with a pair of lengthwiæe extending doorway openings 34 and 36. The lower doorway opening 36 is provided in the running board 16 and extends almost the full length thereof, such doorway opening 36 having a door 36' associated therewith for ~electively opening or closing the doorway opening. The upper doorway opening 34 is provided in the lowermost portion of the body cide wall 12 and this elongated doorway opening i8 provided with a correspondingly shaped door 34' for selectively opening and closing the ~ame.
The lower door 36' in the running board 16 is of course contoured aæ illustrated to match the contour of the running board 80 that when this door is closed the two match perfectly with each other and provide a pleasing exterior appearance. The upper edge of door 36' is provided with an elongated piano-~tyle hinge 40 which is secured to the lower extremity of body side wall 12 thus allowing door 36' to be swung between the open dashed line position and the closed full line position as illustrated in Fig. 3. It will also be noted that the door 36' is provided with an inturned lip 42 which is provided with a suitable gasket material 44 which prevents ingress of water and dust when the door is closed. In like fashion, the outer terminal edge portion o~ door 36' co-operates with a gasketing material 48 retained in a shallow groove in the lowermost portion of the running board 16'. The ends of door 36' are also provided with sealing lips or gaskets to keep out dust and moisture. Furthermore, in order to retain door 36~ in the closed position, a plurality of turn locks 52 are provided along the lower ,. :
edge of same, each being operable by way of a suitable key thereby to cause rotation of the lock finger 54 which engages with an upper edge portion of the fixed lower running board portion 16'. This lower running board portion 16' is of course attached to and forms a continuation of the previously described lower or bottom wall 20 of the compartment 18.
The upper door 34' is likewise secured along its upper edge by an elongated piano style hinge 60 to the body side wall 12. The marginal edges of this door are al80 provided with a suitable gasket material 61 thereby preventing ingress of dust and moisture into the compartment 18 when door 34' is closed. Again, as with the lower door 36', turn locks 62 are provided for ~electively retaining door 34' in the closed position.
It might be noted that the floor 14 of the van may be provided with an optional door 64 illustrated in dashed lines in Fig. 3. If a door such as this i~
provided, access to the interior of compartment 18 may be had from the interior of the van. However, an interior access door 64 such as is shown may not be practical in many vans owing to the presence of the van interior facilities including passenger seats, toilet and kitchen facilities etc. Hence this option is only usable in a li~ited number of cases.
Referring now to Fig. 3A there is shown a modification of the storage compartment previously described with reference to Fig. 3. The basic structure i8 essentially the same as described previously, the main difference being that the running board 16 is not provided with a door, such as door 36' described previously, but, rather, the running board appears as a unitary element, having the same curvature as described previously, and with its upper end having an inwardly turned flange portion 42' which is securely fixed in sealed relation to the lower edge of the body side wall 12. The running board 16 is of one piece composite material integrally r ;. ' i ': . ~, ... . . . .
2~
g formed with the compartment bottom wall 20 and back wall 22 plus the end walls (not shown). The remaining components are, with minor struc~ural variations, essentially the same as described previously especially S the door 34~ and its locks 62 and associated structures.
The principal advantage of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3 over and above that shown in Fig. 3A
is that larger items such as lawn chairs can be easily placed in the bottom half of the compartment 18 via the door 36' whereas it is or impossible to place such items into the compartment 18 through the upper door 34' only.
The embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4 is very similar in structure to the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the only exception being that a horizontal partition 68 is interposed between the upper and lower halves of the compartment 18 effectively forming a shelf for better use of space. This partition 68 extends the full length of compartment 18 and is secured at its ou~er edge to a downwardly extended portion of the lower side wall 12 where the rocker panel converges with it while the rear edge of same is ciecured by way of a flange 68' secure~ly bonded or otherwise fixed to the back wall 22 o~ the compartment. This horizontal partition 68 gives good access and is useful in many cases since smaller objects can be placed $n the upper half of the compartment, which objects do not fall into and become mixed up and lost within larger objects stored in the lower half of the compartment as may be the case with the embodiments of Figs. 3 and 3A.
Fig. 5 is for the purpose of illustrating the change which takes place in the structure when a dropped floor arrangement is used. The previous standard floor arrangement 14 and chassis rail 24 are shown in dashed lines in Fig. 5. The so-called rocker-panel which is present when no compartment at all is provided is illustrated in daæhed lines by the reference character R.
When the floor is dropped downwardly to the lower level as 2 ~
is ~hown by reference character 14', the chassis rail 24 i8 eliminated, and in order to provide the necessary degree of structural strength, its place i8 taken by the sturdy steel back wall 22, the upper end of which is firmly welded to the floor 14 via flange 28 while the lower end is firmly attached to the bottom wall 20 via flange 26. Suitable compartment end walls are provided as before. The upper part of the rocker panel R is cut away or removed as illustrated by the dashed lines thereby providing additional space in the interior of the van with only that portion of the rocker panel remaining which extends between the outer edge of the dropped floor 14 and the lowermost edge of the side wall 12. A small portion of the rocker panel is designated by the reference R'.
With this alteration, the upper door 34' becomes totally unnecessary and a short grill-vented refrigerator service door is put in its place. Hence, the end result of the modification is the version shown in Fig. 6 wherein the compartment 18 has but a single entranGe doorway which is closed by the previously described door 36' with the compartment 18 being bounded on the top by the dropped floor 14' and by the remaining structures including bottom wall 20, back wall 22 and suitable front and rear walls welded thereto to provide a sealed compartment.
Although several modifications and variations have been described by way of example, those skilled in this art will understand that the invention i~ not to be limited to the embodiments which have been described above but that the invention i8 to extend to the full range of equivalencies as encompassed by the appended claims.
., . . . . -.~. .: ~ :
with nothing beneath them. Other than providing for ease of entering the van, they tended to have an attractive appearance and helped to cover from view anything unattractive underneath the van. However, certain cargo van manufacturers have in the recent past re-designed the running boards such that the tops of the running boards are curved or slanted, except at the doors, to provide a so-called "ground effect" and to blend in better with the curved exterior of the van. Some of these running boards have hinged sections in them to provide easier service access such as for the filling of liquid propane gas or the discharging of sewer tanks etc. while at the same time they still have nothing under them which would serve to provide a closed storage compartment.
For years, we have been using the space under the floor of the van, that runs next to the running board and over to the chassis rail, for a semi-closed in type of storage with a door opening cut in the body below floor level and through the so-called rocker panel which is a few inches in from the exterior skin and converges toward it at the bottom. This storage area i8 partially exposed to the dusty and sometimes wet elements and hence items that had to be kept clean and dry could not be ~tored there.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention helps to overcome the problems associated with the prior art arrangements noted above and provides a storage compartment which makes use of the space in the region of the curved running board and combines it with the space under the floor of the van running along one side of it thus making a relatively large storage space which is sealed from the elements and to which access is provided through one or more doors provided directly in the running board or in the lower portion of the van body side wall directly thereabove, or in both, depending on the circumstances.
Thus according to the invention in one aspect - 4 - 2~
there is provided a recreational vehicle including a van body having a side wall, a floor, and a running board extending downwardly from a lower portion of said side wall; a storage compartment extending inwardly from said running board and having a bottom wall secured to said running board and extending inwardly of the vehicle body and joined to an upwardly extending back wall, said back wall extending upwardly toward the floor of the vehicle body and means providing a connection between the back wall and the floor, frontal and rear walls defining the fore and aft extremities of said compartment, and at least one doorway opening leading into said compartment from the exterior of the van body and a door for selectively opening or closing each said doorway opening.
In one form of the invention said bottom wall extends inwardly at a level corresponding generally to the lower extremity of said running board.
In a typical embodiment of the invention said running board extends downwardly and outwardly relative to the van body.
In one embodiment the compartment bottom, back front and rear walls are of a composite material formed as a one-piece structure.
In accordance with a still further embodiment of the invention said floor comprises a floor dropped downwardly below the normal level, said dropped floor extending outwardly toward the side wall of the vehicle and defining the upper extremity of said compartment, one said doorway opening being in said running board and extending lengthwise thereof.
In a further embodiment of the invention said floor comprises a normal level floor which extends outwardly toward the side wall of the van body such that said compartment extends from said bottom wall upwardly to said normal level floor.
In a still further embodiment of the invention said compartment is a unitary compartment extending from said bottom wa~l to the normal level floor.
In a further form of the invention a single said doorway leads into said unitary compartment, said single doorway being located in a lower part of said side wall.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention a pair of said doorways lead into said unitary compartment~
one said doorway being located in a lower part of said side wall and the other doorway being located in said running board, and a pivotally mounted pair of said doors, one for each of said door openings. -~
In a still further aspect of the invention said compartment is sub-divided by a partition extending from a lower extremity of the side wall over to said back wall generally parallel to the bottom wall, there being one said doorway opening leading into each sub-compartment thus defined, one ~aid doorway being in said running board and the other being in a lower part of said side wall.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description of ;
preferred embodiments of same which follow hereafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS OF DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a partial transverse sectional view through the body of a recreational vehicle illustrating a storage compartment at the lower extremity thereof in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an elevation view of the storage compartment and its immediate environment as seen from the exterior of the recreational vehicle;
Fig. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the storage compartment taken along section line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and illustrating one particular form of storage compartment arrangement;
Fig. 3A is a transverse cross-section as in Fig.
3 but illustrating a modified access door arrangement;
Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view as in Fig.
3 but illustrating a modified form of storage compartment arrangement with a horizontal partition; ;
Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view as in Fig.
3 but illustrating a modified form of a storage compartment arrangement;
Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view as before further illustrating the modification of the torage compartment arrangement of Fig. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a portion of a recreational vehicle 10 including a modified van hody having a ~ide wall 12, a floor 14 shown as supporting a refrigerator 15 with the ~ide wall having a grill-vented refrigerator service door 17. A running board 16 extends downwardly and outwardly in a smooth convex curve from a lower portion of the sidewall. A
storage compartment 18 extends inwardly from the running board 16 and it includes a bottom wall 20 joined to a lower edge portion of the running board and extending inwardly of the vehicle body. This flat bottom wall 20 is joined to an upwardly extending back wall 22, which back wall extends upwardly toward a rectangular chassis rail 24 which, in turn, i5 secured to the floor 14. The various components noted may be of suitable composite materials such as fibre reinforced plastics while in other cases the components may be of steel joined together by welding or other suitable means.
The compartment 18 described generally with reference to Fig. 1 is shown in greater detail in Figs. 2 and 3. It will be noted that the flat bottom wall 20 is integrally formed with back wall 22 from glass fibre matting in pregnated with thermosetting plastic resin.
The upper extremity of the back wall 22 is overlapped with and securely bonded or otherwise suitably secured to the outer side of chassis rail 24. The compartment 18 is also provided with a frontal wall 30 and a rear wall 32 (~ee Fig. 2) also of the same composite material, the outline shapes of these frontal and rear walls corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the compartment 18 as seen in .,,~
; :', ~; . ~' ' ' : - ` ' :
~ ~3C/~/40 ~, Fig. 3 with these walls together with the rest of the one-piece compartment structure substantially preventing ingre~s of moisture and dust into the compartment 18 when travelling. The pcsition of the rocker panel, which has been cut away to allow access to the compartment 18 via doorway 34 is shown by the dashed lines R'.
Figs. 7 and 8 are further views illustrating a modification employing a one-piece door.
As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the compartment 18 is provided with a pair of lengthwiæe extending doorway openings 34 and 36. The lower doorway opening 36 is provided in the running board 16 and extends almost the full length thereof, such doorway opening 36 having a door 36' associated therewith for ~electively opening or closing the doorway opening. The upper doorway opening 34 is provided in the lowermost portion of the body cide wall 12 and this elongated doorway opening i8 provided with a correspondingly shaped door 34' for selectively opening and closing the ~ame.
The lower door 36' in the running board 16 is of course contoured aæ illustrated to match the contour of the running board 80 that when this door is closed the two match perfectly with each other and provide a pleasing exterior appearance. The upper edge of door 36' is provided with an elongated piano-~tyle hinge 40 which is secured to the lower extremity of body side wall 12 thus allowing door 36' to be swung between the open dashed line position and the closed full line position as illustrated in Fig. 3. It will also be noted that the door 36' is provided with an inturned lip 42 which is provided with a suitable gasket material 44 which prevents ingress of water and dust when the door is closed. In like fashion, the outer terminal edge portion o~ door 36' co-operates with a gasketing material 48 retained in a shallow groove in the lowermost portion of the running board 16'. The ends of door 36' are also provided with sealing lips or gaskets to keep out dust and moisture. Furthermore, in order to retain door 36~ in the closed position, a plurality of turn locks 52 are provided along the lower ,. :
edge of same, each being operable by way of a suitable key thereby to cause rotation of the lock finger 54 which engages with an upper edge portion of the fixed lower running board portion 16'. This lower running board portion 16' is of course attached to and forms a continuation of the previously described lower or bottom wall 20 of the compartment 18.
The upper door 34' is likewise secured along its upper edge by an elongated piano style hinge 60 to the body side wall 12. The marginal edges of this door are al80 provided with a suitable gasket material 61 thereby preventing ingress of dust and moisture into the compartment 18 when door 34' is closed. Again, as with the lower door 36', turn locks 62 are provided for ~electively retaining door 34' in the closed position.
It might be noted that the floor 14 of the van may be provided with an optional door 64 illustrated in dashed lines in Fig. 3. If a door such as this i~
provided, access to the interior of compartment 18 may be had from the interior of the van. However, an interior access door 64 such as is shown may not be practical in many vans owing to the presence of the van interior facilities including passenger seats, toilet and kitchen facilities etc. Hence this option is only usable in a li~ited number of cases.
Referring now to Fig. 3A there is shown a modification of the storage compartment previously described with reference to Fig. 3. The basic structure i8 essentially the same as described previously, the main difference being that the running board 16 is not provided with a door, such as door 36' described previously, but, rather, the running board appears as a unitary element, having the same curvature as described previously, and with its upper end having an inwardly turned flange portion 42' which is securely fixed in sealed relation to the lower edge of the body side wall 12. The running board 16 is of one piece composite material integrally r ;. ' i ': . ~, ... . . . .
2~
g formed with the compartment bottom wall 20 and back wall 22 plus the end walls (not shown). The remaining components are, with minor struc~ural variations, essentially the same as described previously especially S the door 34~ and its locks 62 and associated structures.
The principal advantage of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3 over and above that shown in Fig. 3A
is that larger items such as lawn chairs can be easily placed in the bottom half of the compartment 18 via the door 36' whereas it is or impossible to place such items into the compartment 18 through the upper door 34' only.
The embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4 is very similar in structure to the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the only exception being that a horizontal partition 68 is interposed between the upper and lower halves of the compartment 18 effectively forming a shelf for better use of space. This partition 68 extends the full length of compartment 18 and is secured at its ou~er edge to a downwardly extended portion of the lower side wall 12 where the rocker panel converges with it while the rear edge of same is ciecured by way of a flange 68' secure~ly bonded or otherwise fixed to the back wall 22 o~ the compartment. This horizontal partition 68 gives good access and is useful in many cases since smaller objects can be placed $n the upper half of the compartment, which objects do not fall into and become mixed up and lost within larger objects stored in the lower half of the compartment as may be the case with the embodiments of Figs. 3 and 3A.
Fig. 5 is for the purpose of illustrating the change which takes place in the structure when a dropped floor arrangement is used. The previous standard floor arrangement 14 and chassis rail 24 are shown in dashed lines in Fig. 5. The so-called rocker-panel which is present when no compartment at all is provided is illustrated in daæhed lines by the reference character R.
When the floor is dropped downwardly to the lower level as 2 ~
is ~hown by reference character 14', the chassis rail 24 i8 eliminated, and in order to provide the necessary degree of structural strength, its place i8 taken by the sturdy steel back wall 22, the upper end of which is firmly welded to the floor 14 via flange 28 while the lower end is firmly attached to the bottom wall 20 via flange 26. Suitable compartment end walls are provided as before. The upper part of the rocker panel R is cut away or removed as illustrated by the dashed lines thereby providing additional space in the interior of the van with only that portion of the rocker panel remaining which extends between the outer edge of the dropped floor 14 and the lowermost edge of the side wall 12. A small portion of the rocker panel is designated by the reference R'.
With this alteration, the upper door 34' becomes totally unnecessary and a short grill-vented refrigerator service door is put in its place. Hence, the end result of the modification is the version shown in Fig. 6 wherein the compartment 18 has but a single entranGe doorway which is closed by the previously described door 36' with the compartment 18 being bounded on the top by the dropped floor 14' and by the remaining structures including bottom wall 20, back wall 22 and suitable front and rear walls welded thereto to provide a sealed compartment.
Although several modifications and variations have been described by way of example, those skilled in this art will understand that the invention i~ not to be limited to the embodiments which have been described above but that the invention i8 to extend to the full range of equivalencies as encompassed by the appended claims.
., . . . . -.~. .: ~ :
Claims (11)
1. A recreational vehicle including a van body having a side wall, a floor, and a running board extending downwardly from a lower portion of said side wall; a storage compartment extending inwardly from said running board and having a bottom wall secured to said running board and extending inwardly of the vehicle body and joined to an upwardly extending back wall, said back wall extending upwardly toward the floor of the vehicle body and means providing a connection between the back wall and the floor, frontal and rear walls defining the fore and aft extremities of said compartment, and at least one doorway opening leading into said compartment from the exterior of the van body, and a door for selectively opening or closing each said doorway opening.
2. The recreational vehicle of claim 1 wherein said bottom wall extends inwardly at a level corresponding generally to the lower extremity of said running board.
3. The recreational vehicle of claim 2 wherein said running board extends downwardly and outwardly relative to the van body.
4. The recreational vehicle of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein said floor comprises a floor dropped downwardly below the normal level, said dropped floor extending outwardly toward the side wall of the vehicle and defining the upper extremity of said compartment, said at least one doorway opening being an opening in said running board and extending lengthwise thereof.
5. The recreational vehicle of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein said floor comprises a normal level floor which extends outwardly toward the side wall of the van body such that said compartment extends from said bottom wall upwardly to said normal level floor.
6. The recreational vehicle of claim 5 wherein said compartment is a unitary compartment extending from said bottom wall to the normal level floor.
7. The recreational vehicle of claim 5 wherein said compartment is sub-divided by a partition extending from a lower extremity of the side wall over to said back wall generally parallel to the bottom wall, there being one said doorway opening leading into each sub-compartment thus defined, one said doorway being in said running board and the other being in a lower part of said side wall.
8. The recreational vehicle of claim 6 wherein a single said doorway opening leads into said unitary compartment, said single doorway opening being located in a lower part of said side wall.
9. The recreational vehicle of claim 6 where a pair of said doorway openings lead into said unitary compartment, one said doorway opening being located in a lower part of said side wall and the other said doorway opening being located in said running board, and a pivotally mounted pair of said doors, one for each of said doorway openings.
10. The recreational vehicle of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said bottom wall is integrally formed with said back wall and said frontal and rear walls of a composite material.
11. The recreational vehicle of claim 10 wherein said bottom wall is integrally formed with said running board.
Priority Applications (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2084160 CA2084160A1 (en) | 1992-11-30 | 1992-11-30 | Running board storage compartment for recreational vehicle |
| US08/097,659 US5458353A (en) | 1992-11-30 | 1993-07-26 | Running board storage compartment for recreational vehicle |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2084160 CA2084160A1 (en) | 1992-11-30 | 1992-11-30 | Running board storage compartment for recreational vehicle |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2084160A1 true CA2084160A1 (en) | 1994-05-31 |
Family
ID=4150766
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2084160 Abandoned CA2084160A1 (en) | 1992-11-30 | 1992-11-30 | Running board storage compartment for recreational vehicle |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2084160A1 (en) |
-
1992
- 1992-11-30 CA CA 2084160 patent/CA2084160A1/en not_active Abandoned
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Dead |