Recreational vehicle with walk through slide out

• US 6,637,804 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2001
• Issued: 10/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alfa Leisure Inc
• Original Assignee: Alfa Leisure Inc
• Inventors: Crean, Johnnie R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, D. Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): ENGLE, PATRICIA LYNN
• Application Number:
  US10/020,509
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 296/165, 296/168, 296/171, 296/172, 296/175, 296/176, 296/26.01, 296/26.12, 296/26.13, 296/24.1
• US Class Current: 296/176
• 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 recreational vehicle having an expandable room, wherein the expandable room may be positioned in either a retracted or deployed configuration. In the deployed configuration, the room expands outwardly from the main housing of the vehicle so as to enlarge the overall living space area of the main housing. In the retracted configuration, the room slides inwardly into the main housing of the vehicle so as to reduce the width of the vehicle. The expandable room is equipped with at least one additional door on an outer wall in a manner so as to allow access to other rooms when expandable room is in the retracted configuration. The room may be extended in conjunction with an exterior slide-out assembly, wherein the deployed slide-out assembly produces a larger inner living space so as to accommodate the expanded room.

Claims

1. A recreational vehicle comprising:

a carriage assembly having a plurality of wheels;

a plurality of outer walls mounted on the carriage assembly, wherein the plurality of outer walls define a main living space having a front and rear section with a common floor; and

a plurality of inner walls defining at least one slide-out assembly having an inner living space interposed between the front and rear sections of the main living space, wherein the at least one slide-out assembly may be deployed in a manner so as to increase the main living space by an amount at least as much as the area of the inner living space and retracted in a manner so as to reduce the main living space and block passage between the front and rear sections of the main living space, and wherein the plurality of inner walls comprise a front and rear inner wall each having an opening formed therein so as to allow passage between the front and rear sections of the main living space via the inner living space when the at least one slide-out assembly is retracted.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein a plurality of openings are formed in at least one of the plurality of inner walls.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein at least one of the openings in the front and rear inner walls is at least one doorway.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein at least one door is mounted in the at least one doorway.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein at least one of the openings is formed in at least one inner wall such that, when the at least one slide-out assembly is deployed, the at least one opening provides access between an exterior of the recreational vehicle and the inner living space.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the recreational vehicle further comprises a stair assembly, which is positioned adjacent to at least one of the openings.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the plurality of outer walls further define at least one area selected from the group consisting of a living area, a bedroom area, a bathroom area, a hallway area, a kitchen area and a dining area.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the plurality of outer walls further define a central passageway that extends in a first direction interconnecting the front and rear sections.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the first direction comprises a horizontal axis that is parallel to the floor and extends from the front section of the recreational vehicle to the rear section of the recreational vehicle.

10. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein at least one of the openings allows passage between the inner living space and the main living space via the central passageway when the at least one slide-out assembly is retracted.

11. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein at least one of the front and rear inner walls is dimensioned such that when the slide-out assembly is retracted, at least one of the front and rear inner walls is positioned substantially across the central passageway while still allowing passage between the front and rear sections.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the front and rear inner walls are dimensioned such that when the slide-out assembly is retracted, the front and rear inner walls are positioned across the central passageway.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the openings is formed in the front inner wall and rear inner wall are positioned such that the openings allow passage through the inner living space of the slide-out assembly from the main living space via the central passageway when the at least one slide-out assembly is retracted.

14. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the recreational vehicle comprises a motorhome.

15. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the recreational vehicle comprises a travel trailer.

16. A recreational vehicle comprising:

a carriage assembly having a plurality of wheels;

a plurality of exterior walls mounted on the carriage assembly, wherein the plurality of exterior walls define an interior living space having a floor, and wherein the interior living space is divided into a plurality of interior living spaces including front and rear interior living spaces;

a plurality of movable walls mounted within the carriage assembly so as to enclose a slide-out section between the front and rear interior living spaces, wherein the interior living space may be enlarged by sliding the plurality of movable walls from a retracted configuration into a deployed configuration; and

at least two openings formed in the plurality of movable walls, wherein the openings allow access to the slide-out section from the front and rear interior living spaces when the slide-out section is positioned in the retracted configuration, and wherein the openings allow access to an exterior of the recreational vehicle when the slide-out section is positioned in the deployed configuration.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the openings comprise at least one doorway.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein at least one door is mounted to the at least one doorway.

19. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the recreational vehicle further comprises at least one stair assembly, which is positioned adjacent to at least one of the openings.

20. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the plurality of exterior walls define at least one area selected from the group consisting of a living area, a bedroom area, a bathroom area, a hallway area, a kitchen area, and a dining area.

21. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the plurality of exterior walls further define a central passageway that extends in a first direction interconnecting the front and rear interior living spaces.

22. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the first direction comprises

a horizontal axis that is parallel to the floor and extends a length from the front interior living space of the recreational vehicle to the rear interior living space of the recreational vehicle.

23. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the openings allows passage between the front interior living space and the rear interior living space via the central passageway when the plurality of movable walls are in the retracted configuration.

24. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the plurality of movable walls include a first side wall that is dimensioned such that when the plurality of movable walls are in the retracted configuration, the first side wall is positioned substantially across the central passageway while still allowing passage between the front and rear living spaces.

25. The vehicle of claim 24, wherein the plurality of movable walls include a first side wall and a second sidewall that are dimensioned such that when the plurality of movable walls are in the retracted configuration, the first and second side walls are positioned across the central passageway while still allowing passage between the front and rear living spaces.

26. The vehicle of claim 25, wherein a first opening is formed in the first side wall and a second opening is formed in the second side wall such that the first and second openings allow passage through the slide-out section between the front and rear interior living spaces via the central passageway when the plurality of movable walls are in the retracted configuration.

27. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the recreational vehicle comprises a motorhome.

28. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the recreational vehicle comprises a travel trailer.

29. A recreational vehicle comprising:

a carriage assembly having a plurality of wheels;

a main housing which includes a plurality of main housing walls defining a main living space having a floor and a plurality of living space locations which define a front portion and a rear portion with a central passageway that extends from the front portion of the main housing to the rear portion of the main housing so as to interconnect the plurality of living spaces and wherein an opening is formed in one of the plurality of main housing walls; and

an extendable housing that is mounted within the opening in one of the plurality of main housing walls so as to be interposed between the front and rear portions of the main housing, wherein the extendable housing is movable between an extended and a retracted position Herein a plurality of doorways are formed in the extendable housing such that, when the extendable housing is in the retracted position, the plurality of doorways are positioned adjacent the central passageway so as to permit user access between the front and rear portions of the recreational vehicle via the plurality of living spaces and the central passageway and, when the extendable housing is in the extended configuration, at least one of the doorways permit access to the exterior of the recreational vehicle.

30. The vehicle of claim 29, wherein the extendable housing includes a first side wall that is dimensioned such that when the extendable housing is in the retracted configuration, the first side wall is positioned across the central passageway while still allowing passage between the front and rear portions.

31. The vehicle of claim 29, wherein a door is mounted in at least ones of the doorways.

32. The vehicle of claim 29, wherein the recreational vehicle further comprises a stair assembly, which is positioned adjacent at least one of the doorways.

33. The vehicle of claim 32, wherein the recreational vehicle comprises a plurality of stair assemblies positioned adjacent the plurality of doorways.

34. The vehicle of claim 29, wherein the central passageway extends in a first direction comprising a horizontal axis that is parallel to the floor and extends a length from the front portion of the recreational vehicle to the rear portion of the recreational vehicle.

35. The vehicle of claim 29, wherein the plurality of main housing walls define at least one area selected from the group consisting of a living area, a bedroom area, a bathroom area, a hallway area, a kitchen area and a dining area.

36. The vehicle of claim 29, wherein the vehicle comprises a motorhome.

37. The vehicle of claim 29, wherein the vehicle comprises a travel trailer.

38. In a recreational vehicle including a carriage assembly having a pity of wheels, a plurality of outer walls mounted on the carriage assembly wherein the plurality of outer walls define a main living space having a front and rear section with a common floor and wherein the plurality of outer walls further define a central passageway that extends in a first direction interconnecting the front and rear sections, and a plurality of inner walls, including front and rear inner walls, defining at least one improved slide-out assembly having a depth defined by a longest length of the front and rear inner walls and having an inner living space interposed between the front and rear sections of the main living space wherein the at least one slide-out assembly may be deployed in a manner so as to increase the main living space by an amount at least as much as the area of the inner living space and retracted in a manner so as to reduce the main living space and block passage between the front and rear sections of the main living space, the improvement comprising that the front and rear inner wall each have an opening formed therein so as to allow passage between the front and rear sections of the main living space via the inner living space when the at least one slide-out assembly is retracted and wherein at least one of the front and rear inner walls is dimensioned such that when the slide-out assembly is retracted, at least one of the front and rear inner walls is positioned substantially across the central passageway such that the depth of the slide-out assembly is increased by an amount at least as much as the width of the central passageway while still allowing passage between the front and rear sections.

39. In the recreational vehicle of claim 38, further improvement comprising that the front and rear inner walls are dimensioned such that when the slide-out assembly is retracted, the front and rear inner walls are positioned across the central passageway wherein the openings formed in the front inner wall and rear inner wall are positioned such that the openings allow passage through the inner living space of the slide-out assembly from the main living space via the central passageway when the at least one slide-out assembly is retracted.