Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Tops – Load cover
Reexamination Certificate
2003-08-08
2004-10-12
Engle, Patricia L. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Tops
Load cover
C296S136030, C296S016000, C224S403000, C224S502000, C224S524000, C224S534000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06802553
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an accessory for a truck bed for use in connection with transporting floral arrangements and potted plants, especially those associated with a funeral. The floral carrier for truck bed has particular utility in connection with providing an efficient and practical means for funeral directors to transport floral arrangements from the funeral home to the cemetery while providing a professional and attractive display for the funeral procession.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a funeral procession, the floral arrangements and the casket are typically carried in separate vehicles, with one vehicle designated a floral car whereupon the floral arrangements are artistically displayed for the funeral procession. This requires the use of multiple vehicles and can add expense to the funeral arrangements and complexity to the funeral scheduling process. Additionally, the floral cars are expensive specialty vehicles that are typically only be used for that purpose. The use of other vehicles not intended as floral cars can lead to the loss of floral arrangements if they fall off the vehicle and to damage of potted plants and to the interior of the vehicle if the plants tip over in the vehicle. When the floral arrangements and potted plants are transported with the casket in the rear of a hearse, they can stain or further damage the interior of the hearse and the casket, as well as become bruised or damaged themselves. In addition, any onlookers are prevented from viewing the floral arrangements.
The use of specialty truck bed accessories is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,964,349 to Howard M. Picking, Jr. discloses a modified undertaker's vehicle that provides an opening into which a casket can be inserted wherein the opening is covered by a grid structure to which floral arrangements can be secured. However, the Picking, Jr. '349 patent fails to provide a protected area for the transport of potted plants. If the casket area is used for potted plants, a second vehicle would be needed to transport the casket. Furthermore, the Picking, Jr. '349 patent requires the purchase of a hearse-type vehicle which could be quite costly since it is a specialty vehicle. Finally, in the event that all such vehicles were either nonfunctional or unavailable, the Picking, Jr. '349 device could not be used with a conventional pick-up truck for allowing an appealing means of transporting floral arrangements in a funeral procession.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,058 to Robert B. Karrer discloses a modular cargo anchoring and protection system for pickup trucks that includes a pair of extruded anchor rails, a bed liner, a universal anchor beam, a cab guard, a cargo bed enclosure cover, and a rear bumper. The components could be used individually or in varying combinations for the maximum effectiveness in achieving the desired cargo storage option. However, the Karrer '058 patent fails to provide a means for decoratively arranging and securing floral arrangements to the cargo bed cover for use in displaying the arrangements for a funeral procession In addition, the multiple components of the Karrer '058 system would not only increase the cost to the consumer, but would also increase the complexity and tediousness of the installation.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 327,462 to Gerald Dingman discloses the ornamental design for a removable vehicle top that provides a horizontal ladder structure along each side of its top and could be placed over a truck bed to protect items stored underneath it. The cover would be affixed to a vehicle by a strap extending from each comer. However, the Dingman '462 cover does not provide easy access to items stored beneath it, instead requiring that the cover be removed to access these items. This would be a cumbersome process if plants were stored beneath the cover for a funeral procession. In addition, the ladder structures along the sides of the Dingman '462 cover are not sufficient for adequately displaying floral arrangements on the cover for a funeral procession. Finally, the Dingman '462 cover would be cumbersome and tedious to secure or remove from the vehicle since the straps would need to be inserted through an opening in the vehicle and then tied or secured in some other manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,087 to J. Richard Hollrock discloses a convertible truck bed for pickups that consists of an adjustable framework for providing a substantially larger bed frame to be placed on the existing bed frame for transporting oversized items. However, the Hollrock '087 patent makes no provision for providing a covered space sufficiently sized to transport potted plants in the bed of the truck. Furthermore, the Hollrock '087 device fails to provide a means by which floral arrangements could be secured to the truck bed to form an attractive display for a vehicle in a funeral procession.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,587 to Brian L. Ingram discloses a combination camper shell and lumber rack for pickup trucks. The invention consists of a flexible covering mounted on a framework with cross members on the top that is secured to the truck bed wherein the framework is used as a lumber rack when the covering is not installed. However, the Ingram '587 patent does not provide a protected space within the bed of the truck while the cross members are available for use. Therefore, floral arrangements could not be secured to the cross members while potted plants were stowed underneath the cover. Additionally, the vertical height of the framework of the Ingram '587 device allows for the top of the structure to extend over the cab of the pickup. Unfortunately, this would prevent mourners and onlookers from having a view of any floral arrangements attached to the cross members.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a floral carrier for truck bed that allows funeral directors to transport floral arrangements from the funeral home to the cemetery in a professional and attractive way for the funeral procession. The Picking, Jr. '349 and Hollrock '087 patents fail to provide a protected area for the transport of potted plants, while the Ingrain '587 patent does not provide a protected space within the bed of the truck while the cross members are available for use. Additionally, the Dingman '462 device does not provide easy access to items stored beneath it, instead requiring that the cover be removed to access these items. This would be a cumbersome process if plants were stored beneath the cover for a funeral procession. Moreover, the Picking, Jr. '349 patent requires the purchase of a hearse-type vehicle which could be quite costly due to its specialty nature. If all such vehicles were either nonfunctional car unavailable, the Picking, Jr. '349 device is not portable to another vehicle. In addition, the Karrer '058 and Hollrock '087 patents fail to provide a means for decoratively arranging and securing floral arrangements for use in displaying the arrangements in a funeral procession. Furthermore, floral arrangements could not be secured to the cross members of the Ingram '587 while potted plants were stowed underneath the cover, and the ladder structures along the sides of the Dingman '462 cover are not sufficient for adequately displaying floral arrangements on the cover for a funeral procession. The cover of the Dingman '462 device would also be cumbersome and tedious to secure or remove from the vehicle since the straps would need to lie inserted through an opening in the vehicle and then tied or secured in some other manner. Finally, the vertical height of the framework of the lngram '587 device allows for the top of the structure to extend over the cab of the pickup. Unfortunately, this would prevent mourners and onlookers from having a view of any floral arrangements attached t
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