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Vehicle body with powered lift type tailgate

  • US 5,531,498 A
  • Filed: 12/01/1994
  • Issued: 07/02/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1994
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. In combination, a vehicle body having a substantially vertical rear opening, a tailgate adapted to open and close said rear opening, hinge means mounting said tailgate on said vehicle body for swinging movement about a horizontal hinge axis located adjacent an upper edge of said tailgate so that said tailgate on upward lifting movement is moveable from a closed position closing said rear opening to a wide open position fully opening said rear opening, a pair of spring devices, each of said spring devices connected at opposite ends thereof to said tailgate and to said vehicle body at one side of said rear opening and so as to be parallel with the other spring device, said spring devices operable to together swing said tailgate upward from said closed position to said wide open position, a tailgate actuator mechanism mounted on said tailgate, said actuator mechanism comprising a reversible electric motor, a cable pulley, drive means operatively connecting said motor to said cable pulley, a pair of cable guides, each said cable guide mounted on said tailgate at a point adjacent where one of said spring devices is connected, a pair of cables, each of said cables connected to said vehicle body at a point adjacent where one of said spring devices is connected, each said cable guide receiving one of said cables and guiding same from a path along side one of said spring devices to a path along side said tailgate in line with said cable pulley, said cables connected to and wound in the same direction around said cable pulley, said motor operable to turn said cable pulley in one direction to unwind said cables to allow said spring devices to open said tailgate at a rate determined by the speed of said motor, and said motor operable to turn said cable pulley in the opposite direction to rewind said cables to collapse said spring devices and close said tailgate.

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