Recreational vehicle with slide-out room

• US 5,785,373 A
• Filed: 05/30/1996
• Issued: 07/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Winnebago Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Winnebago Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Futrell, Steven D., Decker, Jack M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pedder, Dennis H.
• Application Number:
  US08/656,891
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 296/26, 296/165, 296/171, 296/172, 296/175, 296/176, 296/35.3, 296/167, 52/67, 410/111, 410/112, 410/77
• US Class Current: 296/26.01
• 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 motor home has a slide-out room movable between extended and retracted positions with a slide-out assembly that supports the outside of the room. A longitudinal skid pad assembly supports the inside of the room on the floor of the motor home. Latches on the side walls of the motor home engage anchors secured to the floor of the motor homes to retain the room in the retracted position. Connectors having vertical and horizontal adjusting structures mount the room on the slide-out assembly to permit adjustment of the position of the room relative to the side wall and floor of the motor home.

Claims

1. A slide-out room for a vehicle having an interior space, a wall with an opening in communication with the interior space, and a floor adjacent the opening comprising:

room means having an outside wall, end walls, a floor, a roof, and an inside portion having an opening for providing an interior space, said floor of the room means having a longitudinal inside portion located above the floor of the vehicle, first means connected to the vehicle for supporting the room means on the vehicle with the end walls, floor, and roof of the room means located in the opening, and the open portion open to the interior space of the vehicle;

second means connected to the first means for selectively moving the first means and room means between an extended position to increase the useable space inside the vehicle, and a retracted position to store the room means within the interior space of the vehicle, and a skid pad 54 assembly secured to the longitudinal inside portion of the floor of the room means adjacent the open position of the room means for closing the space between the floor of the vehicle and floor of the room means and supporting the inside portion of the room means on the floor of the vehicle, said skid pad assembly having an elongated longitudinal means extended alone the longitudinal inside portion of the floor of the room means with a bearing area to reduce the force per unit of area on the floor of the vehicle and reduce wear of the floor of the vehicle.

2. The slide-out room of claim 1 wherein:

the elongated means of the skid pad assembly has a longitudinal skid member longitudinally engaged with the floor of the vehicle for supporting the inside portion of the room means on the floor of the vehicle.

3. The slide-out room of claim 1 wherein:

the skid pad assembly has a longitudinal carrier located below the longitudinal inside portion of the floor of the room means, means attaching the carrier to the longitudinal inside portion of the floor of the room means, said elongated means comprising an elongated longitudinal pad connected to the carrier and engageable with the floor of the vehicle to support the inside portion of the slide-out room.

6. The slide-out room of claim 1 including latch means for securing the slide-out room means to the floor of the vehicle when the slide-out room means is in the retracted position, said latch means holding the elongated longitudinal means in engagement with the floor of the vehicle.

7. The slide-out room of claim 6 wherein:

the latch means includes anchor means and latching devices releasably connectable to the anchor means to secure the slide-out room to the floor of the vehicle, means connecting the anchor means to the floor of the vehicle, and means connecting the latching devices to the slide-out room.

8. The slide-out room of claim 7 wherein:

each anchor means includes a ring, a support secured to the floor of the vehicle, and pivot means connecting the ring to the support, and each latching device includes a hook engageable with the ring and means to hold the hook in firm engagement with the ring whereby the latching device secures the slide-out room to the floor of the vehicle.

9. The slide-out room of claim 1 wherein:

the first means includes a slide-out assembly, a frame, and connectors attaching the frame to the slide-out assembly, means mounting the slide-out room means on the frame, and means connecting the slide-out assembly to the vehicle and movably supporting the slide-out assembly for movement relative to the vehicle, said second means being connected to the frame for selectively moving the frame thereby moving the slide-out room means between the retracted and extended positions.

10. The slide-out room of claim 9 wherein:

the connectors include first adjustable means for longitudinally adjusting the position of the frame, and second adjustable means for vertically adjusting the elevation of the frame whereby the horizontal and vertical positions of the room means can be adjusted relative to the wall of the vehicle.

12. The slide-out room of claim 9 wherein:

the connectors includes adjustable means for longitudinally adjusting the position of the frame thereby adjusting the longitudinal location of the room means relative to the wall of the vehicle.

13. The slide-out room of claim 9 wherein:

the connectors includes adjustable means for vertically adjusting the position of the frame thereby adjusting the elevation of the frame whereby the vertical and horizontal tilt positions of the room means can be adjusted relative to the wall of the vehicle.

14. The slide-out room of claim 1 wherein:

the outside wall of the room means is inclined upwardly and inwardly, and said roof slopes downwardly and outwardly.

15. The slide-out room of claim 14 wherein:

said roof has a crown located at the mid-section of the longitudinal inside portion of the roof.

16. The slide-out room of claim 1 wherein:

the end walls each have a trapezoid shape with a bottom horizontal width being larger than a top horizontal width whereby a top portion of the side wall engages the wall of the vehicle before a bottom portion of the side wall engages the wall of the vehicle.

17. The slide-out room of claim 1 including:

a seal adapted to be mounted on the wall of the vehicle around the opening in said wall, said room means having an outer peripheral flange engageable with said seal when the room means is in the retracted position and an inner peripheral flange engageable with said seal when the room is in the extended position.

18. The slide-out room of claim 17 wherein:

the seal includes an inwardly-directed extension engageable with the roof to remove water and debris from the roof when the room means is moved to the retracted position.

4. A slide-out room for a vehicle having an interior space, a wall with an opening in communication with the interior space, and a floor adjacent the opening comprising:

room means having an outside wall, end walls, a floor, a roof, and an inside portion having an opening for providing an interior space, first means connected to the vehicle for supporting the room means on the vehicle with the end walls, floor, and roof of the room means located in the opening, and the open portion open to the interior space of the vehicle, second means connected to the first means for selectively moving the first means and room means between an extended position to increase the useable space inside the vehicle and a retracted position to store the room means within the interior space of the vehicle, and a skid pad assembly secured to the floor of the room means adjacent the open portion of the room means for closing the space between the floor of the vehicle and the floor of the room means and supporting the inside portion of the room means on the floor of the vehicle, said skid pad assembly having an elongated means with a bearing area to reduce the force per unit of area on the floor of the vehicle and reduce wear of the floor of the vehicle and a longitudinal carrier located below the floor of the room means, means attaching the carrier to the floor of the room means, said elongated means comprising an elongated longitudinal pad connected to the carrier and engageable with the floor of the vehicle to support the inside portion of the slide-out room on the floor of the vehicle, the carrier has a base and longitudinal opposite ears, said ears extended downwardly and inwardly providing longitudinal grooves, said pad comprising a sheet of low friction material having opposite edge portions located in said grooves to retain the pad on the carrier.

5. The slide-out room of claim 4 wherein:

the carrier has a generally flat base, and upwardly and outwardly-directed flanges joined to opposite sides of the base, said opposite edge portions of the pad extended upwardly adjacent the flanges and into said grooves.

11. A slide-out room for a vehicle having an interior space, a wall with an opening in communication with the interior space, and a floor adjacent the opening comprising:

room means having an outside wall, end walls, a floor, a roof, and an inside portion having an opening for providing an interior space, first means connected to the vehicle for supporting the room means on the vehicle with the end walls, floor, and roof located in the opening, and the open portion to the interior space of the vehicle, the first means includes a slide-out assembly, a frame, and connectors attaching the frame to the slide-out assembly, the connectors include first adjustable means for longitudinally adjusting the position of the frame, and second adjustable means for vertically adjusting the elevation of the frame whereby the horizontal and vertical positions of the room means can be adjusted relative to the wall of the vehicle, each connector includes a U-shaped member having an end located about the frame, a plate secured to the end of the U-shaped member, said first adjustable means comprising a first member mounted on the plate and engageable with the frame to longitudinally adjust the location of the frame on the U-shape member, said second adjustable means comprising a second member mounted on the U-shaped member and engageable with the frame to adjust the elevation of the frame relative to the U-shaped member, means mounting the slide-out room means on the frame, and means connecting the slide-out assembly to the vehicle and movably supporting the slide-out assembly for movement relative to the vehicle, second means connected to the first means for selectively moving the first means and room means between an extended position to increase the useable space inside the vehicle, and a retracted position to store the room means within the interior space of the vehicle, said second means being connected to the frame for selectively moving the frame thereby moving the slide-out room means between the retracted and extended positions, and a skid pad assembly secured to the floor of the room means adjacent the open portion of the room means for supporting the inside portion of the room means on the floor of the vehicle, said skid pad assembly having an elongated means with a bearing area to reduce the force per unit of area on the floor of the vehicle and reduce wear of the floor of the vehicle.

19. A slide-out room for a vehicle having an interior space, a wall with an opening in communication with the interior space, and a floor adjacent the opening comprising:

room means having an outside wall, end walls, a floor, a roof, and an inside portion having an opening for providing an interior space, first means connected to the vehicle for supporting the room means on the vehicle with the end walls, floor, and roof located in the opening, and the open portion open to the interior space of the vehicle;

the first means and room means between an extended position to increase the useable space inside the vehicle, and a retraced position to store the room means within the interior space of the vehicle, skid means secured to the floor of the room means for supporting the inside portion of the room means on the floor of the vehicle, said skid means having longitudinal means located in engagement with the floor of the vehicle to close the space between the floor of the room means and the floor of the vehicle, and latch means for securing the slide-out room to the floor of the vehicle when the slide-out room is in the retraced position, said latch means holding the elongated longitudinal means in engagement with the floor of the vehicle.

20. The slide-out room of claim 19 wherein:

the latch means includes anchor means and latching devices releasably connectable to the anchor means to secure the slide-out room to the floor of the vehicle, means connecting the anchor means to the floor of the vehicle, and means connecting the latching devices to the slide-out room.

21. The slide-out room of claim 20 wherein:

each anchor means includes a ring, a support secured to the floor of the vehicle, and pivot means connecting the ring to the support, and each latching device includes a hook engageable with the ring and means to hold the hook in firm engagement with the ring whereby the latching device secures the slide-out room to the floor of the vehicle.

22. A slide-out room for a vehicle having an interior space, a wall with an opening in communications with the interior space, and a floor adjacent the opening comprising:

room means having an outside wall, end walls, a floor, a roof, and an inside portion having an opening for providing an interior space, first means connected to the vehicle for supporting the room means on the vehicle with the end walls, floor, and roof located in the opening, second means connected to the first means for selectively moving the first means and room means between an extended position to increase the useable space inside the vehicle and a retracted position to store the room means within the interior space of the vehicle, the second means includes a slide-out assembly, a frame, and connectors attaching the frame to the slide-out assembly, said connectors including means for adjusting the position of the room means relative to the wall of the vehicle, and means mounting the room means on the frame, the means for adjusting the position of the room means includes first adjustable means for longitudinally adjusting the position of the frame thereby adjusting the longitudinal location of the room means relative to the wall of the vehicle, and second adjustable means for adjusting the vertical and horizontal tilt positions of the room means relative to the wall of the vehicle, each connector includes a U-shaped member having an end located about the frame, a plate secured to the end of the U-shaped member, said first adjustable means comprising a first member mounted on the plate and engageable with the frame to longitudinally adjust the location of the frame on the U-shaped member, said second adjustable means comprising a second member mounted on the U-shaped member and engageable with the frame to adjust the elevation of the frame relative to the U-shaped member.