dalton

Claim 1

LANDING GEAR STRUCTURE FOR SEMI-TRAILERS OR THE LIKE COMPRISING, MEANS FORMING A CHANNEL-SHAPED FRAME MEMBER HAVING SPACED APART SIDE WALLS, MEANS FORMING A LEG WITH A PIVOTAL CONNECTION TO SAID SIDE WALLS SO THAT SAID LEG MEMBER CAN SWING BETWEEN A DOWNWARD POSITION AND AN UPWARD RETRACTED POSITION, A BRACE HAVING TWO LATERALLY SPACED ELEMENTS, THE LOWER END PORTIONS OF WHICH ARE PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID LEG, THE UPPER END PORTIONS OF SAID BRACE ELEMENTS BEING CONNECTED TO A CROSS MEMBER, MEANS FORMING GUIDES SUPPORTED WITHIN THE FRAME CHANNEL, SAID CROSS MEMBER HAVING A SLIDING AND SWINGING CONNECTION WITH SAID GUIDES, LOCK MEANS SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID FRAME CHANNEL, SAID LOCK MEANS BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN A LOCKING POSITION AND A RELEASING POSITION, SAID LOCK MEANS IN ITS LOCKING POSITION AND IN SAID DOWNWARD POSITION OF SAID LEG MEMBER ENGAGING SAID CROSS MEMBER TO OBSTRUCT MOVEMENT OF SAID CROSS MEMBER IN SAID GUIDES FOR SUPPORTING SAID LEG IN SAID DOWNWARD POSITION, SAID LOCK MEANS IN SAID RELEASED POSITION BEING DISENGAGED FROM SAID CROSS MEMBER TO FREE SAID LEG FOR SWINGING TOWARD SAID RETRACTED POSITION, SAID LOCK MEANS BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH PORTIONS OF SAID LEG IN SAID RETRACTED POSITION TO SECURE SAID LEG IN SAID RETRACTED POSITION, SAID LOCK MEANS BEING DISENGAGEABLE FROM SAID LEG PORTIONS RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENT TO SAID RELEASED POSITION TO FREE SAID LEG FOR DOWNWARD SWINGING MOVEMENT, SAID LEG HAVING PORTIONS NESTED BETWEEN SAID BRACE ELEMENTS IN SAID RETRACTED POSITION, AND SAID LEG AND BRACE ELEMENTS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY CONTAINED WITHIN SAID CHANNEL IN SAID RETRACTED POSITION TO MINIMIZE THE VERTICAL SPACE OCCUPIED THEREBY, MEANS PROVIDING A GROUND-ENGAGING FOOT PIVOTED ONTO THE LOWER END PORTION OF SAID LEG AND HAVING A VERTICAL HEIGHT WHICH IS SMALL AS COMPARED TO THE HORIZONTAL EXTENT OF ITS GROUND-ENGAGING SURFACE, AND MEANS WITHIN SAID CHANNEL ENGAGING PORTIONS OF SAID FOOT IN RETRACTED POSITION OF SAID LEG, THE LATTER SAID MEANS BEING OPERABLE TO RETAIN SAID FOOT IN A POSITION WITH ITS GROUND-ENGAGING SURFACE EXTENDING GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY, SAID FOOT IN SAID RETRACTED POSITION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY CONTAINED WITHIN SAID CHANNEL WHEREBY TO MINIMIZE THE VERTICAL HEIGHT OF SAID STRUCTURE WHEN SAID LEG IS IN RETRACTED POSITION.