Expandable trailer structure

• US 3,915,492 A
• Filed: 06/12/1973
• Issued: 10/28/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rossini Agnese
• Original Assignee: Rossini Agnese
• Inventors: Agnese, Rossini
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marmor, Charles A.
• Application Number:
  US05/369,314
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 296/23C,26,27 280/34R,34A 74/89.14,89.15,89.16
• US Class Current: 296/172
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/34 the living accommodation being expansible, collapsible or capable of rearrangement B60P3/38 takes precedence; tents supported at least partially by vehicles E04H15/06

Abstract

A variable dimension structure for use as an expandable trailer. The structure has a floor with at least two sections and sidewalls each having two sections. The sections are mounted for movement relative to one another by a mechanical system of perpendicular rotationally driven shafts coupled together to translate the rotatory motion to movement along at least one axis. The sections may be moved by the manual turning of a crank or by the use of an electric motor powered by an automobile battery.

Claims

1. A variable dimension structure for use as an expandable trailer, comprising;

a floor having a principal axis and having a first floor section and a second floor section, the floor sections being vertically spaced apart by a floor space;

first and second side walls disposed transversely of said principal axis;

mounting means for mounting said side walls for reciprocable movement thereof relative to the floor along said principal axis of the floor; and

means for effecting the reciprocable movement of the side walls for expanding the trailer, the latter means comprising;

a horizontal drive shaft mounted in said floor space transversely of said principal axis for rotational movement of the shaft; and

translating means coupled to said drive shaft and to the side walls for translating said rotational movement of the drive shaft to the reciprocable movement of the side walls along said axis, comprising;

at least one worm gear fixedly mounted on said drive shaft and rotatable therewith;

a rotatable member having external helical teeth meshing with said worm gear and rotationally driven by said worm gear;

an intermediate rotatable shaft disposed parallel to said principal axis, fixed to said rotatable member, rotatable therewith, having two end portions each extending to an end portion of one of said floor sections and supported from said one floor section adjacent said end portion thereof;

two gears each fixedly mounted on one of the end portions of said intermediate shaft and rotatable therewith;

two threaded shafts parallel to said principal axis each having one end connected to a respective one of said side walls; and

two rotatable members each having exterior teeth meshing with one of said two gears, and having a threaded interior portion receiving one of said two threaded shafts and meshing therewith, each member being rotationally driven in response to rotational movement of one of said two gears thereby moving said two threaded shafts along said principal axis;

thereby facilitating the expanding of the trailer while keeping the space between the side walls free and unobstructed.