Many motorized vehicles today have running boards which extend along the length of the vehicle in order to assist passengers of the vehicle getting in or out of the vehicle. Typically, the passenger uses the running board as a step to get into or out of the vehicle. Thus, the running board has to be adequately secured to the vehicle in order to support the weight and force of the passenger stepping on the running board. This force includes a weight supporting component and also a rotational or torquing component, which results for instance, if the passenger steps on the running board off center.
Typically, a number of brackets are attached along the length of the running board in order to connect the running board to the vehicle. Due to the conditions in which the running board is subjected to, the brackets are required to be very substantial in size in order to handle both the weight bearing and rotational force components. The strength characteristics and/or the number of brackets needed to adequately attach the running board can vary. In some circumstances, the brackets are substantial in size in order for the bracket to adequately support the running board and handle the necessary loads. This increases the cost of the bracket when compared to a bracket that is smaller and made of less material. In other cases, many smaller brackets are used to attach the running boards and loads. In many cases, it is a time consuming process to adequately secure the running board using many smaller brackets in order to support the forces applied to the running board.
Further, due to the design of the running board and vehicle, the running board is connected to a side of the vehicle. This single side connection creates a pivot point or area where the running board rotates with respect to the vehicle when weight or a force is applied to the running board. Since the running board can only be connected to the vehicle along one side or the other, the brackets are typically very substantial in order to adequately secure the running board to the vehicle and support the necessary loads. However, unless the brackets are robust, the brackets cannot always prevent the rotational movement of the running board due to the running board and vehicle being connected on a single side.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop a bracket assembly in which compact brackets are used to adequately secure the running board to the vehicle so that the running board withstands the forces applied to it and to reduce or prevent rotational movement of the running board with respect to the vehicle.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds