Motorhome with increased interior ceiling height

• US 7,021,699 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2004
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alfa Leisure Inc
• Original Assignee: Alfa Leisure Inc
• Inventors: Crean, Johnnie Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): GUTMAN, HILARY L
• Application Number:
  US10/776,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20050023860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 296/156, 296/26.13, 296/176, 296/175, 296/165, 296/164, 296/37.1, 296/37.6, 296/204
• US Class Current: 296/164
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/02 comprising longitudinally or transversely arranged frame members
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/046 built up with flat self-supporting panels; Fixed connections between panels B62D29/045, B62D33/048 take precedence

Abstract

A vehicle frame with a low profile is designed to be suitable for attaching directly to an incomplete, preassembled motorized chassis to construct a motorhome. The vehicle frame includes planar bulkheads and a storage area floor that are attached to the frame and to the chassis so as to create a three-dimensional space frame that is highly resistant to bending and twisting forces as well as storage areas that extend the width of the motorhome. The motorhome with the frame mounts a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system as well as heavy holding tanks within or below the plane of the vehicle frame so as to lower the center of mass of the motorhome to thereby improve vehicle handling and safety. Placement of the HVAC system within and/or below the vehicle frame obviates the need to position HVAC components on the roof of the motorhome thereby further lowering the center of mass and eliminating a source of liquid water condensation above the living space of the motorhome. The vehicle frame attached directly to the chassis further facilitates an interior ceiling height in the motorhome of at least 7′6″ while maintaining a total vehicle height not exceeding 13′6″ as well as facilitating construction of slide-out rooms with interior heights of at least 6′1″ thereby allowing adults of above average height to stand up inside the slide-out rooms.

Claims

1. A motorhome, comprising:

a chassis having at least two parallel interconnected chassis members having top, bottom, and side surfaces;

a floor section that is mounted to the top surface of the chassis members;

a storage floor positioned below the bottom surface of the chassis members;

a plurality of vertically arranged structural members that interconnect the storage floor to the floor section, wherein each of the vertically arranged structural members defines a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the chassis members such that the floor section, the storage floor, and the plurality of vertically arranged structural members define one or more spaces that are at least partially enclosed, and wherein each of the vertically arranged structural members attaches to the side surface of at least one of the chassis members thereby providing a three-dimensional space frame structure about at least one of the chassis members;

wherein the plurality of vertically arranged structural members includes at least one bulkhead panel that extends laterally beyond the at least two chassis members, wherein the at least one bulkhead panel comprises a rectangular shaped panel having top and bottom edges, and wherein the rectangular shaped panel defines a cutout having side edges that attach to the outermost surfaces of the at least two chassis members, and wherein the top edge attaches to the floor section and the bottom edge attaches to the storage floor.

2. The motorhome of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vertically arranged structural members includes at least one bulkhead panel that extends laterally outward from one of the outermost chassis member.

3. The motorhome of claim 2, wherein the at least one bulkhead panel comprises a rectangular shaped panel having top, side, and bottom edges, such that the top edge attaches to the floor section, the side edge attaches to the outermost surface of one of the chassis members, and the bottom edge attaches to the storage floor.

4. The motorhome of claim 1, wherein the cutout is defined along the top edge of the rectangular shaped panel.

5. The motorhome of claim 1, wherein the cutout is defined along the bottom edge of the rectangular shaped panel.

6. The motorhome of claim 1, wherein the side edges of the cutout define folds that are generally perpendicular to the plane of the bulkhead panel, such that the folds facilitate attachment of the side edges to the outermost surfaces of the at least two chassis members.