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Composite cargo door/rampRelated Patent Categories: Land Vehicles: Bodies And Tops, Bodies, Door Or Window With Specified Vehicle Feature, Door Extending Across Front Or Rear Of BodyComposite cargo door/ramp description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070182202, Composite cargo door/ramp. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] The present application is a continuation of prior application Ser. No. 10/911,841 filed Aug. 5, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to a cargo door that is utilized additionally as a ramp. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Effective use of a door as a ramp that folds from the back of a transport device and utilizes struts and/or cables for support is known in the art. Even doors having multiple folds therein are utilized to provide a ramp surface into a storage or transporting container. Door/ramp combinations that are strong enough to hold the weight of vehicles are typically themselves rather heavy requiring supports underneath and/or cables to assist in the closing of the door/ramp. In the lightweight trailers, such as those that carry mowers, the weight of the ramp is reduced by utilizing a permeable ramp allowing not only a reduction in material to thereby reduce weight, but also allowing air to travel therethrough to lower the aerodynamic drag on such a trailer. [0006] The cargo system, which is defined as that which a commercial carrier would utilize to transport loads over some distance, requires a method of unloading. Many cargo transports, such as semi-tractor trailers utilize loading docks at the cargo pickup and delivery points. In those instances, a ramp or other unloading device is not necessary because of the elevated nature of the loading dock. When delivering or picking up from smaller business and for individuals, a loading dock is often not available. As such, lift gates are often attached to the back of a vehicle to allow the unloading of heavy cargo. A lift gate is normally a hydraulically operated mechanism that is powered from the electrical system of the vehicle to elevate and/or lower cargo onto the ground. Other solutions include ramps that are stored beneath the truck body which are slid out and then connected to the tail end of the truck, thereby allowing a ramped surface for the loading and unloading of cargo. [0007] What is needed in the art is a door/ramp that can be lowered without the necessity of cables, struts, or hydraulics to counterbalance the weight of the door. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] The present invention provides a lightweight composite door with torsional springs offsetting the weight thereof. [0009] The invention comprises, in one form thereof, a cargo enclosure including a floor having a plurality of edges, including a first edge, a second edge and a third edge. At least two side walls, including a first side wall and a second side wall that are each connected to an edge of the floor. At least one hinge is connected along an edge of the floor and is rotatable about an axis to which a composite door is connected, the door having a closed position. A plurality of torsion springs are rotatable about the axis and the torsion springs bias the composite door toward a closed position. [0010] An advance of the present invention is that the composite structure of the door is lightweight yet strong enough to allow the weight of cargo and vehicles to traverse the ramp surface to enter into the cargo enclosure. [0011] Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the door is light enough to not require cables to lift the door into a closed position. [0012] Yet another advantage of the present invention is that a door assembly can be easily installed upon an existing vehicle in a relatively short amount of time. [0013] A further advantage of the present invention is that the size of the door can be customized with simple tools to fit non-standard door sizes. [0014] A further advantage of the present invention is that the composite door is relatively thin, being less than 2 inches in thickness. [0015] A yet further advantage of the present invention is that one person can lift the composite door/ramp, the lifting force being less than 25 pounds. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0016] The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: [0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a composite door/ramp of the present invention; [0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the door/ramp of FIG. 1, in a closed position; [0019] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a hinge assembly utilized by the door/ramp of FIGS. 1 and 2; [0020] FIG. 4 is a partially sectioned view of a composite door of FIGS. 1 and 2; Continue reading about Composite cargo door/ramp... Full patent description for Composite cargo door/ramp Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Composite cargo door/ramp patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Composite cargo door/ramp or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Standoff boss to control crush Next Patent Application: Shaped moulding strip Industry Class: Land vehicles: bodies and tops ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Composite cargo door/ramp patent info. 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