Stowable step for vehicles

Claim 1

A stowable step to be used in conjunction with a vehicle of the type having a body with a door opening therein and a frame means beneath and inward from said opening, comprising a pair of parallel support brackets mounted beneath said opening and extending substantially horizontally outwardly from said frame means and substantially perpendicular thereto, each support bracket having an outwardly and downwardly extending arcuate slot therein, a substantially rectangular plate having an inner longitudinal edge and an outer longitudinal edge, said rectangular plate being hingedly connected to said frame means for pivotal movement about a substantially horizontal axis perpendicular to said support brackets, a pair of spaced parallel flanges attached to said rectangular plate and extending upwardly therefrom beneath said support brackets and parallel thereto, each of said flanges having an upwardly and outwardly projecting slot therein, a horizontally extending rod received in the slots of said flanges for sliding movement therein substantially parallel to the hinge axis of said rectangular plate, a pair of parallel links pivotally connected at their lower ends to the outer portions of said flanges, respectively, the upper end of each link being provided with a finger extending horizontally at right angles thereto, said fingers being received within said arcuate slots of said support brackets and extending therethrough, respectively, a horizontally disposed rectangular tread having an inner longitudinal edge and an outer longitudinal edge, a pair of spaced upwardly extending ears mounted at opposite sides of said tread adjacent said inner longitudinal edge of said tread, each ear being provided with a horizontal pin thereon, a second pair of parallel links each having a longitudinal slot therein, said second pair of links being connected to said rod, the pins on said ears being slidably received within the longitudinal slots of said second links, a pawl pivotally mounted at one end thereof adjacent one of said arcuate slots, said pawl having an end opposite from said one end engagable with the finger projecting through said one arcuate slot when said finger is positioned at the rearwardmost end of said one arcuate slot, thereby retaining the finger therein, means resilient urging said opposite end of said pawl into engagement with said finger, and release means attached to said pawl for permitting pivotal movement of the pawl against the action of said resilient means to move the opposite end of said pawl out of engagement with said finger.