Step assembly for automotive step bumpers

Claim 1

A step assembly for use on vehicles having a rear step bumper having a rear face and a top face and a median recess, said assembly comprising in combination, (a) a pair of angle mounting brackets adapted to be secured to the rear face of said bumper each outwardly of said recess, (b) each of said mounting brackets having a rearwardly extending portion having a slot substantially in the form of an inverted J with said slots being in transverse registration, (c) each of said slots having an elongated vertical leg and a shorter leg extending downwardly and outwardly from said bumper at an acute angle from the top of said vertical leg, (d) a lower step comprising a pair of substantially L-shaped bracket members supporting at their lower ends a transverse tread, (e) each of said bracket members carrying a transversely extending pin with said pins being in axial registration and with each pin extending through a respective slot, (f) each of the pins having a laterally bent terminal portion adjacent to the outer side of a mounting bracket, with said terminal portions being in transverse registration and inclined in the direction of the tread, (g) an upper step hingedly connected to the top face of said bumper and in operative position disposed in overlying relation to said recess, (h) said lower step being mounted for sliding and swinging movement between an operative position in which the pins are disposed at the bottoms of the vertical slots and the tread is disposed in close proximity to the bottom of the bumper, and an inoperative position in which the pins are disposed at the lower ends of the shorter slots and the tread is inverted in overlying relation to said upper step.