Self-storing step structure for vehicular mounting

Claim 1

In a truck of the type having a tailgate including a forward side and a rear side, and pivotally supported on the truck for pivotation about a horizontal axis between a vertically extending position and a horizontally extending position, said tailgate further including a lower edge positioned proximate the pivotal axis of the tailgate, and an upper edge spaced above the lower edge, said truck further including a horizontally extending bumper positioned below the tailgate and rearwardly of the plane occupied by the tailgate when the tailgate occupies said vertically extending position, the improvement which comprises: a plurality of mounting brackets connected to said tailgate adjacent the upper edge thereof, and on the rear side thereof; a self-storing step structure pivotally connected to said tailgate for pivotation through 180° about a horizontal axis, said step structure comprising: a first step section pivotally connected to said mounting brackets for pivotation about a horizontal axis through 180°, including pivotation to a position over the bumper and vertically aligned therewith at a time when the tailgate is in its vertically extending position, said first step section comprising: a pair of spaced rails of C-shaped cross-section; and at least one step member extending between and engaged with said spaced rails; and an extensible step section disposed in substantially coplanar alignment with said first step section and comprising: a second pair of spaced rails of C-shaped cross-section including ends slidably registering with, and nesting in, the spaced rails of said first step section; and a step member extending between, and engaged with, said second rails of said extensible step section, said step member in said extensible step section including: a step platform; and a web secured to said step platform along one edge thereof and resting slidably upon the spaced rails of said first step section; means for adjustably interlocking said first step section with said extensible step section at a selected position therealong whereby the overall length of said self-storing step structure can be selectively varied, and said step sections can be retained against relative sliding movement to undesirably change said selected length of the self-storing step structure; and a foot plate secured across the ends of said second rails of said extensible step section remote from the ends thereof slidably registering with the rails of said first step section for supporting said step structure on the earth when said tailgate is pivoted to its horizontally extending position, and said step structure is pivoted downwardly from the horizontally extending tailgate to the ground, and for frictionally engaging the lower end of the self-storing step structure with the upper side of the bumper for storage and transport when the tailgate is in its vertically extending position.