DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure relates to a footstep of a vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For vehicles with a higher chassis, such as SUVs, trucks, or large passenger cars, it is usually necessary to provide a vehicle footstep at the lower part of the outside of the door, and to provide passengers with a footstep provided on the lower side of the door. Stepping on such footstep facilitates passengers to get on and off the vehicle.
Currently footsteps are provided with a reinforced bar for increasing the strength of the footstep. The reinforced bar is generally made of steel. The addition of such reinforced bar considerably increases weight of the footstep and more number of components are required for the footstep arrangement to the vehicle. At present, the weight of such available footsteps is more than 9 kg. In addition, the fasteners used for mounting the footstep on the vehicle are visible from outside.
Accordingly, there is a need for a footstep for a vehicle that eliminates above mentioned drawbacks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objective of the present invention is to provide a footstep for a vehicle that has better strength, higher load bearing capacity, improved aesthetics and overall reduction in the weight of the footstep.
In an embodiment, the present invention provides a footstep for a vehicle, the footstep comprises a footstep board formed out as an extruded rail through a single extrusion process, the footstep board mounted below a door of the vehicle with a plurality of brackets, the brackets connecting to the footstep board with a plurality of fasteners. The footstep board has a pair of endcaps mounted at both ends thereof. The footstep board having a hollow profile with a plurality of integrated box sections formed therein, the integrated box sections enclose the fasteners to improve aesthetics of the footstep.
According to an embodiment of the present invention the integrated box sections facilitate increased load bearing capacity and strength to the footstep.
According to an embodiment of the present invention the hollow profile of the footstep board facilitates reduction in overall weight of the footstep.
According to an embodiment of the present invention the fasteners include one of rivets, bolts and nuts, snap fitting attachments, keyways, screws, or combinations thereof.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the footstep board is made up of low-density material such as aluminum, plastic, fibers and the like.
In this respect, it is to be understood that the present footstep board is not limited in its applications to the details of construction and arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustration. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept of this disclosure may be readily utilized as a basis for the design of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the footstep board.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. They are meant to be exemplary illustrations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.
Figure 1 illustrates a schematic view showing the overall structure of a side footstep for a vehicle in accordance with the present invention; and
Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the footstep for a vehicle in accordance with the present invention.
Throughout the drawing, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the invention as defined by the description. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.
The terms and words used in the following description are not limited to the bibliographical meanings but are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of the present invention is provided for illustration purposes only.
It is to be understood that the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The present invention provides a footstep for a vehicle that has a lightweight construction and an increased strength. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a footstep (100) in accordance with the present invention is shown. The footstep (100) comprises a footstep board (1) to facilitate passengers to get on and off the vehicle. The footstep board (1) is mounted on the lower side of the vehicle with the help of a plurality of brackets (2). The brackets (2) are connected to the vehicle and the footstep board (1) with the help of a plurality of fasteners (5, 6). The fasteners (5, 6) can be rivets, bolts and nuts, snap fitting attachments, keyways, screws, studs, etc. Both the ends of the footstep board (1) are covered by endcaps (3,4). The endcaps (3,4) are configured to provide a smooth end to the footstep to prevent any mishaps and to avoid water entering the footstep board (1).
The footstep board (1) is manufactured in a single extrusion process. The board (1) is made up of low-density material like aluminum, plastic, fibers, etc. The footstep board (1) has a hollow profile with integrated box sections, such configuaration provides better strength, higher load bearing capacity and overall reduction in the weight of the footstep (100). In other words the footstep board (1) is an extruded rail with integrated box sections. The fasteners are used (5) to assemble the brackets (2) and the footstep board (1). The fasteners (5) are hidden inside the box sections of the footstep board (1), thus impoving the aesthetics of the footstep (100).
The present footstep (100) has the hollow profile with integrated box sections that advantageously eliminates the need of additional reinforcement, thereby reducing the weight of the footstep (100). For example, the weight of the footstep (100) in accordance to the present invention is 6.2 kg whereas the weight of similar sized available footstep is around 9 kg. The footstep (100) can be mounted below the entry and exit doors for the passengers on any side of the vehicle. The hollow profile with integrated box sections of the footstep (100) advantageously reduces the number of elements required to assemble the footstep (100). The extruded rail is formed by a single extrusion process that advantagesously increases the strength of the footstep (100).
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
Any discussion of devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
,CLAIMS:
[1] A footstep (100) for a vehicle, the footstep (100) comprising:
a footstep board (1) formed out as an extruded rail through a single extrusion process, the footstep board (1) mounted below a door of the vehicle with a plurality of brackets (2), the brackets (2) connecting to the footstep board (1) with a plurality of fasteners (5,6), the footstep board (1) having a pair of endcaps (3,4) mounted at both ends thereof, wherein the footstep board (1) having a hollow profile with a plurality of integrated box sections formed therein, the integrated box sections enclose the fasteners (5) to improve aesthetics of the foot step (100).

[2] The footstep (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fasteners include one of rivets, bolts and nuts, snap fitting attachments, keyways, screws, or combinations thereof.

[3] The footstep (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the integrated box sections facilitate increased load bearing capacity and strength to the footstep (100).

[4] The footstep (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hollow profile of the footstep board (1) facilitates reduction in overall weight of the footstep (100).

[5] The footstep (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the footstep board (1) is made up of low-density material such as aluminum, plastic, fibers and the like.