Vehicle service bay

• US 6,539,678 B1
• Filed: 07/16/2001
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Campbell T. Scott, Robert E. Campbell
• Original Assignee: Campbell T. Scott, Robert E. Campbell
• Inventors: Campbell, Robert E., Campbell, T. Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Friedman, Carl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Horton, Yvonne M
• Application Number:
  US09/906,020
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 521/691, 521/696, 52/30, 52/31, 522/363, 521/697, 521/74, 49/33, 494/63--66, 494/891, 491/25, 491/27, 49/27, 198/323-325, 160/133, 160/201, 160/193, 160/218, 160/236, 160/287, 220/18, 220/345, 220/346, 182/130-132
• US Class Current: 52/169.7
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 5/06 Pits or building structures for inspection or services

Abstract

A pre-fabricated service bay used for providing service access to the underside of vehicles. The service bay is fabricated as a single monolithic unit and then positioned in an excavated hole within a service building. The service bay has multiple safety cover grids that are hydraulically activated to enclose the bay'"'"'s opening when not in use. An access stairway is retractable within the bay during use with a deployable safety handrail that collapses upon stairway retraction.

Claims

1. An underground service bay comprising,

a pre-fabricated construction having oppositely disposed sides and end walls, and an integral bottom interconnected therewith,

return flanges extending inwardly from said respective walls defining a finished grade and access opening there between,

a plurality of hinged panels in said service bay registerable within said access opening pivotally secured within and to said service bay, a movable access stairway within said service bay, said stairway having a retraction and deployment mechanism, a collapsible handrail pivotally secured to said stairway with multiple stair treads on wheeled assemblies, and means for positioning the pre-fabricated construction of the invention in the ground.

2. The underground service bay set forth in claim 1 further comprises, an egress ladder within said service bay said egress ladder comprises multiple vertically spaced horizontal ladder rungs extending in spaced relation from said end wall opposite said stairway, telescopically extensible ladder rails adjacent said ladder rungs.

3. The underground service bay set forth in claim 1 wherein said stairway deployment and retraction mechanism comprises,

a piston and cylinder assembly,

a hand rail hub engagement assembly having a rail deployment cable and a resilient hand rail retraction element.

4. The underground service bay set forth in claim 1 wherein said return flanges define oppositely disposed light channels facing said access opening below said finished grade.

5. The underground service bay set forth in claim 1 wherein said stair treads are divided into tread portions of correspondingly alternating unequal tread depths.

6. An underground service bay comprising,

a pre-fabricated construction having oppositely disposed sides and end walls, and an integral bottom interconnected therewith,

return flanges extending inwardly from said respective walls defining a finished grade and access opening there between,

a plurality of hinged panels in said service bay registerable within said access opening, each of said hinged panels having a support frame, service grading on said frame and support arms extending from said frame pivotally secured within said service bay, a movable access stairway within said service bay, a piston and cylinder assembly, a handrail hub engagement assembly on said rail deployment cables and resilient hand rail retaining element and means for positioning the prefabricated construction of the invention in the ground.

7. The underground service bay set forth in claim 6 further comprises,

multiple support elements extending between one of said return flanges and said floor.

8. The underground service bay set forth in claim 6 wherein said movable access stairway comprises,

multiple stair treads on wheeled assemblies,

a collapsible handrail pivotally secured to said stairway,

said stair treads are divided into treads portions of correspondingly alternating unequal tread depths.

9. The underground service bay set forth in claim 6 wherein said cover panels support arms have longitudinally offset portions secured to said panels.

10. The underground service bay set forth in claim 6 wherein piston and cylinder assemblies are secured to some of said pivoted panel support arms in spaced longitudinal relation to one another.