Folding trailer with extendable room

• US 6,007,142 A
• Filed: 07/02/1998
• Issued: 12/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fleetwood Folding Trailers, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fleetwood Folding Trailers, Inc.
• Inventors: Turner, David R., Gehman, Dana K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, D. Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHENEVERT, PAUL A
• Application Number:
  US09/109,432
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 296/26.12, 296/26.13, 296/165, 296/170, 296/171, 296/173, 296/175
• US Class Current: 296/171
• 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 folding trailer which includes a slide-out room movable from a retracted position within the trailer to an extended position which adds additional living space to the inside of the trailer. The slide-out room includes a front wall, a rear wall and an exterior wall, with the floor attached therebetween and spaced above the trailer floor. A pair of lateral roller supports attached to the trailer floor along the front wall engages a roller track attached to the inside surface of the front wall. Similarly, a pair of lateral roller supports attached to the trailer floor on the other side of the slide-out room, and adjacent the rear wall, engages a roller track on an inner surface of the rear wall. A plurality of vertical roller supports attached to the trailer floor supports and contacts the lower surface of the slide-out floor. A catch clip attached to the lower surface of the slide-out floor near each corner thereof and adjacent the interior end of the slide-out room opposite the exterior wall functions to engage the innermost lateral roller supports and stop the slide-out room from moving further out from the main body of the trailer.

Claims

1. A folding trailer with an extendable room, the folding trailer comprising:

a) a trailer body supported by a framework and having a floor therein,

b) a roof aligned above the trailer body and movable between a closed position adjacent the trailer body and an opened position raised above the trailer body,

c) an extendable room positioned above and spaced from the trailer floor and movable between a closed position retracted within the trailer body and an opened position extended outwardly beyond the trailer body, with the extendable room including a floor spaced above the trailer floor,

d) a flexible enclosure extending between the raised roof, the trailer body and the extendable room and forming an enclosed trailer space with the roof, the trailer body and the extendable room, and

e) a slide mechanism which slidably attaches the extendable room to the trailer body, with the slide mechanism including a track mechanism attached to one of the trailer floor and the extendable room and extending along a direction of movement of the extendable room and a roller mechanism attached to the other of the trailer floor and the extendable room and engaging the track mechanism, with the slide mechanism located on or beneath the floor of the extendable room and on or above the trailer floor when the extendable room is in both the closed and opened positions, and with no portion of the slide mechanism extending beyond the extendable room and into an interior area of the trailer body when the extendable room is in both the closed and opened positions.

2. The folding trailer of claim 1 wherein the extendable room includes a front wall, a rear wall and an exterior wall forming a box-like structure, with the floor of the extendable room attached thereto, and with the slide mechanism located on or between the front wall, the rear wall and floor of the extendable room.

3. The folding trailer of claim 2 wherein the track mechanism includes a first roller track on an inside surface of the front wall and a second roller track on an inside surface of the rear wall, with the first and second roller tracks located below the extendable room floor, and wherein the roller mechanism includes at least one lateral roller support attached to the trailer floor adjacent the first roller track and having a lateral roller which engages the first roller track and at least one lateral roller support attached to the trailer floor adjacent the second roller track and having a lateral roller which engages the second roller track.

4. The folding trailer of claim 2 wherein the track mechanism includes a first roller track on an inside surface of the front wall and a second roller track on an inside surface of the rear wall, with the first and second roller tracks located below the extendable room floor, and wherein the roller mechanism includes at least two lateral roller supports attached to the trailer floor adjacent the first roller track and each having a lateral roller which engages the first roller track and at least two lateral roller supports attached to the trailer floor adjacent the second roller track and each having a lateral roller which engages the second roller track.

5. The folding trailer of claim 4 wherein the lateral roller supports each have an upstanding body attached to the trailer floor, a horizontally disposed shaft rotatably attached to the body and a roller wheel attached to an end of the shaft and engaging an adjacent roller track.

6. The folding trailer of claim 5 wherein the lateral support body includes a base, a pair of spaced side walls attached thereto and extending upwardly therefrom, and a strut spaced above the base and extending between the side walls, with the shaft of the roller wheel extending through the side walls and above the strut.

7. The folding trailer of claim 4 further including a plurality of vertical roller supports attached to the trailer floor and positioned beneath the floor of the extendable room and within the front and rear walls of the extendable room, and positioned with that portion of the trailer floor which is beneath the floor of the extendable room when it is in the opened position, with the vertical roller supports each including a vertical roller which contacts and supports a lower surface of the floor of the extendable room.

8. The folding trailer of claim 7 further including a wear member attached to the lower surface of the floor of the extendable room, at least in the areas contacted by the vertical rollers of the vertical roller supports.

9. The folding trailer of claim 7 wherein each vertical roller support includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the vertical position of the vertical roller.

10. The folding trailer of claim 9 wherein each vertical roller support includes a base attached to the trailer floor, a pair of spaced side walls attached thereto and extending upwardly therefrom, and a strut spaced above the base and extending between the side walls, with the vertical roller rotatably attached to a support bracket which is attached to the strut.

11. The folding trailer of claim 10 wherein the adjustment mechanism includes a threaded shaft attached to a lower surface of the support bracket and extending through the strut and nut means for locking the threaded shaft to the strut at a desired location such that the vertical roller contacts the lower surface of the floor of the extendable room.

12. The folding trailer of claim 1 further including at least one releasable latch mechanism which locks the extendable room to the trailer body in the closed position and which can be released to permit the extendable room to be withdrawn from the folding trailer and to the opened position.

13. The folding trailer of claim 4 further including at least one catch clip attached to a lower surface of the floor of the extendable room and adjacent an interior edge opposite the exterior wall and configured to engage an adjacent one of the lateral roller supports and stop the outward movement of the extendable room when it is moved from the closed position to the opened position.

14. The folding trailer of claim 5 further including a pair of catch clips attached to a lower surface of the floor of the extendable room and adjacent an interior edge opposite the exterior wall, with a first of the catch clips positioned adjacent the first roller track and aligned with the innermost of the lateral roller supports adjacent the first roller track, and with a second of the catch clips positioned adjacent the second roller track and aligned with the innermost of the lateral roller supports adjacent the second roller track, and with each catch clip configured to engage an adjacent lateral roller support and stop the outward movement of the extendable room when it is moved from the closed position to the opened position.

15. The folding trailer of claim 14 wherein each catch clip is a J-shaped member having a support plate attached to the floor of the extendable room and a hook portion extending downwardly therefrom, with the hook portion including a front portion spaced from the support plate and angled upwardly to a trough portion, attached to the support plate, with the trough portion sloping downwardly from the front portion, such that the front portion of the catch clip engages the shaft of the adjacent lateral roller support as the extendable room is nearly fully extended and such that the shaft drops into the trough portion when the extendable room is fully extended.

16. The folding trailer of claim 1 further including at least one flange on the extendable room which contacts the trailer body and limits inward movement of the extendable room.

17. A folding trailer towable by a vehicle in a longitudinal direction, the folding trailer comprising:

a) a trailer body supported by a framework and having a floor therein,

b) a roof aligned above the trailer body and movable between a closed position adjacent the trailer body and an opened position raised above the trailer body,

c) at least one extendable bed slidably connected to the trailer body and longitudinally extendable from a closed position retracted within the trailer body to an opened position extended longitudinally beyond the trailer body,

d) a lateral slide-out room positioned above and spaced from the trailer floor and movable between a closed position retracted within the trailer body and an opened position extended laterally outwardly beyond the trailer body, with the slide-out room including a front wall, a rear wall and an exterior wall forming a box-like structure and a floor attached thereto and spaced above the trailer floor,

e) a flexible enclosure extending between the raised roof, the trailer body and the extendable bed and the slide-out room and forming an enclosed trailer space with the roof, the trailer body and the extendable bed and the slide-out room, and

f) a slide mechanism which slidably attaches the slide-out room to the trailer body, with the slide mechanism including a track mechanism attached to one of the trailer floor and the slide-out room and extending in a lateral direction and a roller mechanism attached to the other of the trailer floor and the slide-out room and engaging the track mechanism, with the slide mechanism located on or between the front wall, the rear wall and the floor of the slide-out room and on or above the trailer floor when the slide-out room is in both the closed and opened positions, and with no portion of the slide mechanism extending beyond the slide-out room and into an interior area of the trailer body when the slide-out room is in both the closed and opened positions.

18. The folding trailer of claim 17 wherein the track mechanism includes a first roller track on an inside surface of the front wall and a second roller track on an inside surface of the rear wall, with the first and second roller tracks located below the slide-out room floor, and wherein the roller mechanism includes at least two lateral roller supports attached to the trailer floor adjacent the first roller track and each having a lateral roller which engages the first roller track and at least two lateral roller supports attached to the trailer floor adjacent the second roller track and each having a lateral roller which engages the second roller track.

19. The folding trailer of claim 18 further including a plurality of vertical roller supports attached to the trailer floor and positioned beneath the floor of the slide-out room and within the front and rear walls of the slide-out room, and positioned with that portion of the trailer floor which is beneath the floor of the slide-out room when it is in the opened position, with the vertical roller supports each including a vertical roller which contacts and supports a lower surface of the floor of the slide-out room.

20. The folding trailer of claim 17 further including at least one catch clip attached to a lower surface of the floor of the slide-out room and adjacent an interior edge opposite the exterior wall and configured to engage an adjacent one of the lateral roller supports and stop the outward movement of the slide-out room when it is moved from the closed position to the opened position.

21. A folding trailer towable by a vehicle in a longitudinal direction, the folding trailer comprising:

a) a trailer body supported by a framework and having a floor therein,

b) a roof aligned above the trailer body and movable between a closed position adjacent the trailer body and an opened position raised above the trailer body,

c) at least one extendable bed slidably connected to the trailer body and longitudinally extendable from a closed position retracted within the trailer body to an opened position extended longitudinally beyond the trailer body,

d) a lateral slide-out room positioned above and spaced from the trailer floor and movable between a closed position retracted within the trailer body and an opened position extended laterally outwardly beyond the trailer body, with the slide-out room including a front wall, a rear wall and an exterior wall forming a box-like structure and a floor attached thereto and spaced above a lower end of the front wall and the rear wall,

e) a flexible enclosure extending between the raised roof, the trailer body and the extendable bed and the slide-out room and forming an enclosed trailer space with the roof, the trailer body and the extendable bed and the slide-out room, and

f) a slide mechanism which slidably attaches the slide-out room to the trailer body, with the slide mechanism including a first roller track on an inside surface of the front wall and a second roller track on an inside surface of the rear wall, with the first and second roller tracks located below the slide-out room floor, and with the slide mechanism including at least two lateral roller supports attached to the trailer floor adjacent the first roller track and each having a lateral roller which engages the first roller track and at least two lateral roller supports attached to the trailer floor adjacent the second roller track and each having a lateral roller which engages the second roller track, with the slide mechanism located on or between the front wall, the rear wall and the floor of the slide-out room and on or above the trailer floor when the slide-out room is in both the closed and opened positions, and with no portion of the slide mechanism extending beyond the slide-out room and into an interior area of the trailer body when the slide-out room is in both the closed and opened positions,

g) a plurality of vertical roller supports attached to the trailer floor and positioned beneath the floor of the slide-out room and within the front and rear walls of the slide-out room, and positioned with that portion of the trailer floor which is beneath the floor of the slide-out room when it is in the opened position, with the vertical roller supports each including a vertical roller which contacts and supports a lower surface of the floor of the slide-out room, and

h) a pair of catch clips attached to a lower surface of the floor of the slide-out room and adjacent an interior edge opposite the exterior wall and configured to engage an adjacent one of the lateral roller supports and stop the outward movement of the slide-out room when it is moved from the closed position to the opened position.