Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Variable capacity of body
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-10
2001-07-10
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Variable capacity of body
C296S057100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257637
ABSTRACT:
FILED OF INVENTION
This invention relates to nets for the tailgate section of pickup trucks and more particularly to an improved easily assembled and disassembled and installed and removed tailgate extender net for universal use on various models of pickup trucks and for use when the tailgate is in a lowered or opened position to protect the articles in the truck bed from being expelled or falling off the truck bed and to permit placement of articles longer than the bed in the back of the truck.
BACKGROUD OF THE INVENTION
Pickup trucks are frequently used to transport various types of cargo. If the cargo is too long to fit on the truck bed, the tailgate at the rear of the bed can be left opened or removed during cargo transportation. With the tailgate lowered or in the open position or removed, however, there is the danger that articles carried in the truck bed may fall off and become lost.
It is quite common for motorsports enthusiasts to drive and ride with the tailgate down. For example, they may be transporting items such as motorcycles, ATV's personal watercraft and/or other items such as protective gear, apparel, gas cans, water, supplies, tools, spare parts, luggage, camping equipment and the like. In some cases what is being carried in the back of the pickup truck may be of different sizes, e.g., a motorcycle and protective gear. With an open back end of the truck bed, these smaller items may be lost since the larger items are usually tied down in place. In some cases, small bed pickup trucks, including many extended cab models, are not long enough to handle the length of off road vehicles with the tailgate closed, so the tailgate is left open or down.
The need to use the tailgate still attached to the vehicle, but in an open or down position, has created the need for some form of tailgate net. In some cases, the tailgate has been removed and a net installed across the back of the bed and hooked to the side. The trouble with this arrangement is that the items to be transported cannot be longer than the length of the truck bed.
In addition to a tailgate net, it is also desirable and important that the net be easily installed, removed and stored; that the net be flexible so as to deform locally to accommodate items of different size and shape. It is also important that the net permit access to the truck bed without the necessity of removing the entire net structure from the truck. Reduced cost is also a factor as well as easy storage in a relatively small space.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
A variety of truck bed extenders are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,506 of Oct. 20,1998 uses the existing hardware on the truck side wall and tailgate to attach a solid fence device to the truck with the tailgate in the down position. This particular device has the disadvantage of solid side walls and a solid rear wall which extend upwardly from the truck bed. It requires a long storage area, at least as wide as the truck bed, Thus, items must either be lifted above and over the fence or the fence may be removed and then reinstalled. This may occur, for example, when loading a motorcycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,047 of Dec. 23, 1997 describes a truck bed extender which is made of rigid material and which can be removed as a unit and stored or rotated to a position such that the extender remains attached but is positioned in the truck bed. In either case, it is required that items be lifted over the extender if the latter is attached to the truck.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an improved tailgate net assembly which is easy to install and to remove and which can be stored in a relatively small space.
Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved frame member for use with a truck extender net in which the frame is foldable to a storage condition and when installed provides support for the net.
Still a further object of the invention is the provision of a net assembly for a pick-up truck which may be easily installed and removed and which may be easily stored.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The above and other objects of this invention are achieved by an improved net assembly adapted to be mounted on the rear end of a pick-up truck in which the tailgate is in the down or open position.
The net assembly includes two spaced frames, which can be unfolded and installed on each side of the truck and affixed at one end to the truck side wall and at the other end to the truck tailgate. The frames when installed are generally U-shaped and each includes a forward and rear vertical support and a horizontal support hingedly affixed to each of the vertical supports and resting on the truck tailgate. This effectively makes the lowered tailgate a part of the truck bed. The hinges are unique and allow the frames to be folded into a tight package which is essentially three times the thickness of each of the component of the net assembly, excluding the net itself.
The vertical frame member to be affixes to the rear of the truck side wall carries a slidable catch mounting device which may take the form of one of two types, as will be described. The rear end of the horizontal support has affixed thereto a support plate resting on the tailgate and which carries an eye bolt for affixing the net support structure to the open truck bed, along the side of the same and to the tailgate latch post.
The lower end of the front vertical support includes a unique hinge mechanism which supports that support in a vertical position and which is foldable by rotating it 270° in order to fold the side frame elements when not in use.
Attached to one of the side frames is a side net and a rear net, the other side frame carrying only a side net. The side nets are affixed at one end to the forward vertical support and at the other end to the rear vertical support. The side nets are deliberately supported at an angle with the support frames being outboard of the side nets to prevent contact between items being carried and the vertical frame members. The rear net extends between the rear vertical supports.
Assembly is relatively simple and generally includes opening the tailgate, unfolding the side frames, affixing each side frame to the side wall of the vehicle and the side of the tailgate, with the frame carrying the longer section of net being positioned on the passenger side. The other frame is mounted on the driver side and is mounted on the side wall of the truck and on the tailgate. The rear net may then be releasably hooked to side nets and installation is basically complete. Removal involves just the reverse and the frames may be folded into a small compact profile which is basically three times the thickness of the tubes and essentially the length of the horizontal frame, although the vertical frames are slightly shorter. The flexible net does not take up much space and remain attached to the frames when the assembly is removed and stored.
This invention has many other advantages, and other objectives, which may be more clearly apparent from consideration of the various forms in which it may be embodied. Certain versions of such forms are shown in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the present specification. These forms will now be described in detail for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is understood that such detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5997066 (2000-12-01), Scott
patent: 6155622 (2000-12-01), Reed
Beehler & Pavitt
Pape Joseph D.
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