Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Tops – Load cover
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-28
2001-01-23
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Tops
Load cover
C296S100010, C296S100070, C296S100090
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176540
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates primarily to a removable modular pickup truck enclosed storage compartment, and more particularly to a plurality of removable modular pickup truck enclosed storage compartments, used for the organizational arrangement of the contents, having a centrally hinged, upward opening access.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Pickup truck caps are well known in the prior art. Disclosed are several truck caps having a multiplicity of diverse applications for caps that mount over the load bed of a pickup truck. Examples of such prior art are shown in the examples that follow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,681, granted Jan. 6, 1998, to J. W. Lambden, discloses a side access truck cap described as an enclosure for the box of a pickup truck. The box of the pickup truck is defined by having a front wall, sidewalls and a rear gate. The truck cap enclosure has a front wall, sidewalls and a rear gate, forming a rectangle, and mountable atop the pickup truck box. The enclosure is pivotally connected along a selected sidewall, having a pair of lifting arms on the opposed sidewall, to assist in the lifting, and closing of the enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,635, granted Jun. 4, 1996, to D. Downey, discloses an apparatus for removeably attaching a tonneau cover to the bed of a pickup truck comprising, elongated plastic extrusions that are slidably inserted into the channels of elongated frame members.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,987, granted Mar. 21, 1995, to J. C. Sturgis, discloses a tool box assembly for use in a bed of a pickup truck comprising, a storage container having a door pivotable from the vertical closed position to a horizontal open position, the storage container being affixed to the pickup truck bed, where the tool box is pivotably attached to the storage compartment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,739, granted Jul. 20, 1993, to D. Love, discloses a truck cap clamp having an L-shaped member and a U-shaped member laterally shiftably connected by a threaded bolt.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,108, granted Jul. 24, 1990, to S. Turnbull, teaches of a pickup truck cap for a pickup truck bed, the truck cap comprising a roof, split centrally longitudinally, and a pair of sidewalls, creating substantially equal split halves, hinged to the truck load bed sidewalls.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,981, granted Apr. 11, 1989, to G. L, Moe, et al., discloses a side opening removable truck cap being disposed over the load bed of a pickup truck. The cap may be swung open from either side of the load bed. An articulated spring biased link structure connects between the front and rear portions of the cap and pickup truck sidewalls whereby the opened side of the cap may be supported and maintained in the open position.
The prior art recited above does not teach of the novel advantages that are found in the present invention. Several teach of truck caps hinged to the sidewalls of the load bed, some having split halves, opening centrally, whereas others open in a cantilever manner to gain access to the interior of the truck load bed. Still others disclose pivotable toolbox enclosures securably attached to the truck bed. Another discloses a snap fitted tonneau cover using plastic extrusions.
Accordingly, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel portably removable pickup truck cap that is modular in construction, where each module is joined independently to each other, while maintaining an organizational means of storing the contents being carried.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel portably removable modular pickup truck cap, that when removed, are stackable for storage and having a minimal footprint in the storage area.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel portably removable modular pickup truck cap, each module having centrally hinged upper doors that open upwardly and having doors that are maintained in the open position through the use of frictional snap-spring hold-opens.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel portably removable modular pickup truck cap, each module having lower drop-down hinged doors that mate with the hinged upper doors to securely close each module.
Yet still, another object of the present invention is to provide a novel portably removable modular pickup truck cap, each module having a locking mechanism for each set of upper and lower doors for securing the contents being transported that lie within and beneath each module.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a novel portably removable modular pickup truck cap, each module having cascaded centrally located drip cap to direct the flow rainwater off the top of the cap and to keep it from collecting by diverting it downwardly.
Still, an additional object of the present invention is to provide a novel portably removable modular pickup truck cap, each module having bins and trays to organize the contents being transported for ease of separating and inventorying each item.
Still yet, an additional object of the present invention is to provide a novel portably removable modular pickup truck cap, each module being secured and fastened by two hold-down clamps and each module being joined together using a plurality of attaching bolts.
A final object of the present invention is to provide a novel portably removable modular pickup truck cap, each module having a pass-through opening, giving access to items being stored and transported on the existing bed of the pickup truck.
These as well as other objects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood and appreciated upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates primarily to a novel portably removable pickup truck cap that is modular in construction, where each modular compartment is joined independently to each other, while maintaining an organizational means of storing the contents being carried. Each truck cap modular carrier is secured and fastened to the sidewalls of a pickup truck by two hold-down clamps, where each module is first joined together using a plurality of attaching bolts.
Each of the modular compartments is stackable for conserving storage space, one on top of the other, thereby occupying a minimal footprint in the storage area, once removed from the load bed of a pickup truck.
Each modular carrier is comprised of centrally hinged upper access doors that open upwardly. Each centrally hinged upper access door is maintained in the open position using a frictional snap-spring hold-open. A lower side panel, drop-down, hinged access door is provided to close and mate with the hinged upper access door to securely close each module. A locking mechanism for each set of upper and lower doors provides for securing the contents being transported that lie within and under each modular compartment.
With both upper and lower doors in their respective open position, each module has a pass-through opening that gives direct access to items being stored and transported on the existing bed of the pickup truck. As such, the truck cap provides access to the entire truck bed while standing alongside the pickup. Thus, the tradesman or technician need not crawl or otherwise enter or squeeze under the cap to retrieve items. The tailgate, front wall, sidewall and lateral extension of each lower storage tray together define a reach-in or pass-through area to remove the largest tools or containers that are ordinarily stored there.
Tool bins and storage trays are provided to organize the contents being transported for ease of separating and inventorying each item. The bins and trays include several repositioning dividers aligned substantially normal with the direction of travel of the pickup truck for preventing longitudinal transition of the articles therein.
A centrally located drip cap, one that is cascaded from one modular compartment to another, directs the flow rainwater off the top of th
Dayoan D. Glenn
Murray Mickki
Taddeo Joseph H.
LandOfFree
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