Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Top and side board securing devices
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-25
2001-03-13
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Top and side board securing devices
C296S032000, C296S010000, C296S006000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199929
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to truck bodies and tops generally, and more specifically to removable brackets in combination with removable boards or sidewall extensions. The brackets and boards extend the side wall vertical height of a cargo area, such as a truck body dump box or cargo box.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dump trucks, flat-bed trucks, pick-up trucks, trailers and various other cargo carrying vehicles have been designed, often with dimensions and features fairly specific to a particular cargo. These vehicles are quite expensive, but are limited to transporting one specific cargo. As a result, the cost of the vehicle is only recoverable through the transport of that one specific cargo. In many situations, these vehicles could have application for many more diverse types of cargo, but are limited by inadequate or completely missing sidewalls.
For example, a dump truck dumping bucket might typically be designed for an optimum load when hauling sand or gravel. The dump box for that load needs only be sufficiently deep to retain a full load of sand. Owing to the weight of sand, a relatively shallow box will typically suffice. Lower sides simplify the filling process, particularly when a skid steered machine or front-end loader is used to fill the dump truck. The back will often be gently sloped, to allow ready discharge of the sand. This type of box will be optimum for sand and gravel, but will not be able to carry bulkier and less dense materials, such as loose vegetative or plant matter, owing to the limited height of the side walls of the box.
However, the same dump truck could be used to transport less dense materials, such as various grains or plant matter, if the dump box were sufficiently enclosed to retain the plant matter. Several artisans have disclosed techniques for retrofitting an existing vehicle, to expand the cargo that may be transported. Ward et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,734, incorporated herein by reference, illustrate a set of side and back rails or walls, extending above a pick-up truck box, made from special slotted brackets. Wooden rails or plywood panels are inserted into the bracket slots, thereby forming a special purpose rack. While the Ward et al invention does expand the utility of an existing pick-up box, the rails are restrictive, limiting the sizes and types of lumber that may be used. Furthermore, the racks are relatively large and expensive to produce, and have little utility where a relatively dense load is to be carried, owing to their disproportionate height.
Sanders, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,271 incorporated herein by reference, illustrates a dump truck body including small tracks that support solid and see-through panel sections. Nevertheless, the Sanders invention, like the Ward et al invention, is limited by special tracks that necessitate a particular thickness insert. Furthermore, the Sanders invention is designed to be built into the truck body at the time of manufacture, and so cannot be retrofit onto existing special purpose vehicles already on the road. Similar extensions are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,237 to Socha, incorporated herein by reference. Krause in U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,752, also incorporated herein by reference, illustrates a flat bed trailer, with four corner brackets that can be positioned for a particular load, to provide bracing at the base of the load. However, this limited bracing provides little expansion in the type of cargo that may be carried, and instead merely simplifies the process of anchoring the load onto the trailer.
Other trailer and vehicle bodies are known in the art that provide no way to attach any sort of side board. Exemplary of this type of trailer is a hydraulic dumping trailer with sloping side walls. The top rails are smooth and void of attachment points or anchors.
What is needed then, and which is absent from the prior art, is a way to simply and cost-effectively retrofit an existing cargo vehicle to expand the type of cargo that may be transported by the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a first manifestation, the invention is a plurality of sideboard brackets for mounting supporting planks of varying or diverse thickness onto a transport vehicle having a dump box. The brackets rigidly support the planks in an orthogonal orientation while also supporting a load. They also allow dumping of material from the transport vehicle, between ones of the sideboard brackets. A front bracket has a corner point where three orthogonal planar surfaces converge, including a first vertical wall and a second vertical wall. The vertical walls include attachment points, to which supporting planks may be rigidly mounted. A third orthogonal surface comprises a horizontal base forming an “L” shape having first and second legs and further comprises attachment points for attachment to the transport vehicle. A tailgate bracket also has a corner point where three orthogonal planar surfaces converge, including a first vertical wall and a second vertical wall and further comprising attachment points to which supporting planks may be rigidly mounted. A third orthogonal planar surface comprises a horizontal base which extends farther parallel to the vehicle longitudinal axis than transverse, and comprises attachment points for attachment to the transport vehicle.
In a second manifestation, the invention is a means for removably attaching diverse load extending supports to a cargo box, to permit carrying diverse cargo while optimizing the loading, unloading and transport of each diverse cargo type. A first vertical surface has an attachment point for attachment to a plank. A second vertical surface perpendicular to the first vertical surface has an attachment point for attachment to a plank. A base has an attachment point for attachment to a cargo box.
In a third manifestation, the invention is a method for elevating the side walls and top rail of a dump truck body, comprising the steps of forming a first bracket from a sheet stock having three orthogonal surfaces including a base and two vertical side walls; rigidly and removably attaching the first bracket to the top rail; rigidly attaching a first plank at a first end to a first one of the two vertical side walls; anchoring the first plank against movement relative to the top rail; rigidly and removably attaching a second plank to a second one of the two vertical sidewalls; and removably anchoring the second plank against movement relative to the sidewalls.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
A first object of the invention is to provide a way to convert an existing cargo carrier of limited cargo types into a carrier that can carry many more diverse materials. A second object of the invention is to provide a bracket that can be used with diverse railings and wall materials, without regard to thickness. A third object of the invention is the provision of a means for extending the side walls of a dump truck, without interfering with the dumping operation. A further object of the invention is to provide a sturdy bracket that may be manufactured with minimal expense. An additional object of the invention is to provide the bracket with a geometry that allows for compact storage and shipping, thereby simplifying the inventorying and distribution of the invention. These and other objects of the invention are achieved in the preferred embodiment, which will be best understood from the following text in association with the drawing figures.
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Pape Joseph D.
Patel Kiran B.
Watkins Albert W
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