Freight accommodation on freight carrier – Particular article accommodation – Grouped
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-23
2003-10-14
Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)
Freight accommodation on freight carrier
Particular article accommodation
Grouped
C410S034000, C410S143000, C410S145000, C410S150000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06632055
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates generally to a device for securing objects in place in the payload bed of a transporting vehicle and particularly relates to a portable device which can be quickly and conveniently mounted to common trucks and trailers for firmly securing objects resting on the payload beds thereof, from movement during transport.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A variety of trucks, trailers and other vehicles are in common use throughout the world for the convenient transport of a wide variety of objects. Such vehicles are provided with a generally horizontal bed, commonly referred to as the payload bed, on which the objects are placed. Such bed generally comprises two or more generally rigid upstanding sidewalls along its longitudinal margins. For example, a typical dump and/or pick-up truck will comprise a generally horizontal payload bed and have generally vertical upstanding walls along a front margin and the two side margins of the bed, with a removable or pivotable upstanding wall(s), generally termed a tailgate, along the rear margin. In a typical van type delivery truck, the drivers compartment may be contiguous with, thus not walled from the generally horizontal payload bed, but again there are generally rigid vertical walls along about the side margins of the bed and generally one or more pivot doors at the rear margin. Flat bed trucks and trailers are also common transport vehicles, many having generally rigid walls along their side margins, which may be permanently fixed to the bed or removably mounted thereto.
Typically such side walls comprise generally horizontally extending rails along their length, typically being used as anchoring means for ropes, etc., to tie loads from shifting, with open top payload beds such as open flat bed trailers, pick-up, dump and the like trucks additionally having a top rail extending along the upper terminus of their upstanding sidewalls, generally provided as finished frames of the side walls, and one or more rails arranged horizontally at different height along the sidewall, generally to enable tie down of objects.
A problem with trucks designed to carry objects within their load beds is the shifting, bouncing and general movement of the objects occasioned by the turns, bumps and bounces of the vehicle during transport. A variety of tie down methods are commonly used to prevent such movement, the vast majority of which include the use of cords, straps, chains and the like which are generally arranged to be connected at the margins of the load bed then tightly pulled horizontally over the top of the object, the horizontal tightening force exerting a downward moment of force which presses the object to the bed to prevent movement of the object.
Other devices and methods have been proposed to secure items from movement on the load bed, but such have been found to be bulky and inconvenient to use and expensive to manufacture. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,849 discloses a device which is mounted to the top frame rail of the sidewalls of the load bed of a pick-up truck and comprises a horizontal screw member having opposing actuators which interact with engaging legs in a changing triangular arrangement to engage a rocking plate with an object to be secured. Such device is significantly limitative in convenience of placement along the length of the load bed of the truck and particularly limiting as to where the load to be engaged must be placed in respect to the centerline of the load bed for effective engagement.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,770,471 discloses a tubular bar arrangement which is bolted to the sidewalls of a load bed of a pick-up truck and contains a vertical center tube through which a bar can be inserted and manually pushed downward against the top of an item arranged along the centerline of the bed. The disclosed arrangement is fixed in position along the centerline of the load bed, requires drilling of holes through the sidewalls of the bed and is generally inoperative for securing items spaced from the centerline of the load bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,136 discloses a strap arrangement wherein opposite margins of the load bed comprise means which anchor the strap to the bed at the margins, with a barrel winch assembly arranged spaced upwardly on a sidewall to enable convenient tightening of the strap horizontally along the top of the object. As with any strap arrangement the horizontal tightening force of the strap creates a downward moment which presses the object to the bed to prevent movement of the object. Such arrangement is merely a unique version of commonly used strap arrangements and is limited to restraining items which are arranged along the bed in a fixed position defined by the location of the winch assembly and anchor means interacting with the strap.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a convenient means for securing objects to the load bed of a truck which is easily moveable through the length of the load bed and removable and transferable from vehicle to vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a securing means which can conveniently secure items positioned at different places within a load bed of a truck.
These and other objects of the invention will become readily apparent from the following description and claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a simple and inexpensive device for securing objects to a load bed of a vehicle, the device being conveniently removably and movably mounted to upstanding sidewalls of a load bed of a truck, trailer or the like, in an arrangement which enables point of location securing of items positioned within the margins of the load bed. In its most general form, the device comprises an elongate base support frame, clamping means arranged for mounting opposite ends of the base support frame to suitable opposing rails on the sidewalls of the load bed, and a twist threaded load securing means, arranged to engage the object to be secured and retain the object between the base support frame and the floor of the load bed.
The base support frame is an elongate, preferably tubular polygonal box, “H” or U” shaped channel configured member, having a plurality of spaced openings along its length, the frame being of fixed or adjustable length sufficient to span the distance between opposing rails of opposing sidewalls of a payload bed of a vehicle.
When the base support frame comprises a polygonal box channel configuration, spaced openings are contained longitudinally along facing generally parallel top and bottom opposing walls thereof, with spaced openings being in general mating alignment to enable the passage of an elongate load securing means, such as a rod or the like generally about perpendicularly through the frame. It should be understood that by polygonal tubular arrangement is meant any polygonal arrangement in which top and bottom sides are about parallel, the common four wall tubular box channel being preferred.
When the base support frame comprises an elongate generally “H” or “U” shaped channel configuration having generally about parallel opposing legs connected by a central base, the spaced openings are contained longitudinally along the central base. The opposite ends of the base frame member are generally configured to enable engagement and/or securing the frame to an under and/or top surface of a longitudinal rail contained along the sidewall of a load bed of a truck, by means of integral or removably mounted clamp members. Generally, an adjustable length base frame can be accomplished by telescoping a smaller dimensioned polygonal “box” or “U” channel tubular length into a larger dimensioned box and/or “U” channel tubular length, or combinations of box, “H” and “U” shaped configurations.
In one embodiment of the invention, clamp members are integrally arranged at opposite ends of the base frame and generally comprise an “L” or “C” shaped element, such as a plate, bar and the like, with one leg thereof welded or otherwise mounted along about the end of the frame member and the other leg comprising a thr
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