Supporting apparatus for an upper bed deck of a mobile home vehicle

Claim 2

In a vehicle body having side walls, a ceiling wall, a lower bed deck and an upper bed deck, a supporting apparatus for said upper bed deck comprising a pair of first rail means having channel-like cross-section opposed to each other in the longitudinal direction of said vehicle body, said first rail means being provided along the ceiling wall of the vehicle body in the width direction of said vehicle body and being spaced from each other by a distance corresponding to the length of said bed deck, a pair of first roller means attached proximate one side of the front and rear edges of said upper bed deck in the longitudinal direction thereof for rolling in said first rail means, fixing means for releasably fixing the upper bed deck longitudinally at a storage position along the ceiling wall, and supporting means provided on the vehicle body for horizontally supporting said upper bed deck at an operational position intermediate said ceiling wall and said lower bed deck, said position being suitable for supporting a sleeping individual, said first pair of rail means having corresponding first openings into which said first roller means may be inserted for sliding along said rail means to guide the upper bed deck from said operational position toward said storage position, whereby the upper bed deck may be supported horizontally at the operation position thereof and supported for storage along the ceiling wall to provide unencumbered living space in a vehicle room without interrupting the light from and the sight through a window in a wall.

Claim 3

The supportiNg apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising first stopper means for limiting the transverse movement of said first roller means.

Claim 4

The supporting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of second rail means having a channel-like cross-section opposed to each other in the longitudinal direction of said vehicle, said second rail means being provided along the upper part of one side wall and being spaced from each other by a distance corresponding to the length of said bed deck and being so related to said first rail means that said first roller means may be moved from said first to said second rail means, a pair of second roller means attached proximate the other side of said front and rear edges of said upper bed deck for rolling along said second rail means, and second stopper means for limiting the downward movement of said second roller means, said second stopper means being provided at the height corresponding to said operational position.

Claim 5

The supporting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said first and second rail means constitute a pair of essentially continuous rails each having an upper rail part provided along said ceiling wall and a lower rail part provided along the upper part of the side wall, and said openings are provided on the lower surfaces of said first rail means.

Claim 6

The supporting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said openings are provided on the lower surfaces of said upper rail means at a distance from said second stopper means which corresponds to the distance between each of said first roller means and each of said second roller means whereby said first roller means may be introduced into said openings while said second roller means rest against said second stopper means.

Claim 7

The supporting apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising first stopper means for limiting the transverse movement of said first roller means.

Claim 8

The supporting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said pair of continuous rails are extended from said second stopper means to said first stopper means.

Claim 9

The supporting apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a third pair of continuous rail means extending along the upper part of the other side wall, said third pair of rail means being essentially continuous with said first pair of rail means.

Claim 10

The supporting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said supporting means comprises a transverse supporting wall in said vehicle body, a transverse shelf board on said vehicle body, a projecting member on said supporting wall for supporting one end of said upper bed deck in operating position, and hooks on the other end of said bed deck for engaging said shelf board for supporting the other end of said bed deck in operational position.

Claim 11

The supporting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said supporting means comprises a member projecting from a supporting wall provided on the vehicle body and engaging members secured to said upper bed deck for engaging a shelf board provided on the vehicle body.

Claim 12

The supporting apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said fixing means are corresponding notches in said first rail means into which said second roller means can drop when said upper bed deck is in the storage position, thereby preventing accidental dislodgement of said upper bed deck from said first rail means on application of a sidewise thrust.

Claim 13

The supporting apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said vehicle body includes first and second upper bed decks and further comprising second and third pairs of rail means having channel-like cross-sections along both side walls of said vehicles, said second and third pairs of rail means being essentially continuous with said first rail means, third and fourth roller means at positions on said second bed deck analogous to those on said first bed deck, third stopper means for limiting the downward movement of said third roller means, said third stopper being provided at the height correspondiNg to the operational position of said second bed deck, second corresponding openings in said first rail means for insertion of said fourth roller means attached to said second bed deck, the distance between said third and fourth pairs of roller means corresponding to the distance between said second pair of openings and said third pairs of stoppers, a support shelf and a pair of transverse walls spaced apart from said support shelf by a distance corresponding to the length of said upper bed decks, hooks on one end of each of said upper bed decks for engaging said support shelf when said upper bed decks are in operational position, projections on said transverse walls for supporting the other end of each of said bed decks when said bed decks are in operational position, and one pair of notches in each of said pairs of first rail means into which said second and third roller means can drop as a means of fixing said first and second upper bed decks in said first pair of rail means.

Claim 14

The supporting apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said upper bed decks are of width such that room is provided for passage therebetween when said upper bed decks are in operational position.

Claim 15

The supporting apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said bed decks are unequal in width, one being approximately one-half and the other approximately one-third of the interior width of the vehicle.

Claim 16

The supporting apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising on each of said first rail means along the ceiling wall, a cover for removably closing said opening.

Claim 17

The supporting apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said cover is L-shape in section similar to the shape of said rail means, is provided at the lower outside part of said rail part, and a shaft is provided through said cover and said rail part, said shaft piece having at one end thereof a flange part with a diameter larger than the width of said slit and being in contact with the side part of said slit and having at the other end thereof a knob for sliding said cover along said slit, wherein said opening is provided on the lower surface of said rail part along the ceiling wall at such a distance from said second stopper means that corresponds to the distance between one of said first roller means and one of said second roller means being on one side of the upper bed deck in the width direction thereof.

Claim 18

The supporting apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said first stopper means are located on the ceiling of said vehicle.

Claim 19

The supporting apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said supporting means comprises a transverse supporting wall in said vehicle body, a transverse shelf board on said vehicle body, a projecting member on said supporting wall for supporting one end of said upper bed deck in operating position, and hooks on the other end of said bed deck for engaging said shelf board for supporting the other end of said bed deck in operational position.

Claim 20

The supporting apparatus as defined in claim 18 further comprising a second upper bed deck hinged to the other side wall of said vehicle, a catch on said other side wall for holding said second upper bed deck in storage position against said other side wall, a second transverse wall having a second projection thereon for supporting a first end of said second upper bed edeck in operational position and hooks at the second end of said second bed deck for engaging said support shelf when said second bed deck is lowered to operational position.