Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Variable capacity of body
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-28
2001-11-06
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Variable capacity of body
C296S026090, C296S039200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06312034
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND—FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to truck beds and drop-in truck bed liners therefore, rear cargo areas of motor vehicles such as sport utility vehicles (SUVs), station wagons and vans and cargo liners therefore and, more particularly, to a composite/plastic truck bed liner or cargo liner with a sliding extension plate of lightweight molded composite/plastic or metal plating surrounded or not by molded composite mounted on one or more composite and/or metal rails integrally molded or attached to the structure of the bed/cargo liner.
BACKGROUND—DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART
The present invention relates to motor vehicles (i.e., pickup trucks, SUVs, vans, etc.), specifically relating to an improvement in the utility of the cargo area of such vehicles. With the proliferation of compact, mid-size and full-size pickup trucks with short beds, generally ranging from 4 to 6.5 feet in length, limitation is placed on the ability of truck owners to effectively haul longer items typically accommodated by longer beds (e.g., a 4 foot×8 foot sheet of plywood).
Several approaches have been employed by previous inventors to expand the cargo carrying capacity of pickup truck beds. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,850 to Tillery (1977), U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,773 to Smith (1985) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,480 to Bryan (1998) disclose tailgate extension devices to provide for a longer bed floor area. While these inventions do provide for an expanded cargo floor area, steps necessary for their assembly and regular use are relatively complex and when not in use as a bed extension, the devices serve no alternative beneficial purpose.
Another approach is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,047 to Leitner, et al. (1997) which discloses a U-shaped “truck bed extender” that can be mounted to the walls of the rear portion of a pickup bed and rotated inside the bed to serve as a storage/retaining compartment for loaded items or outside the bed onto the lowered tailgate to effectively expand the enclosed cargo area. While retention is provided for cargo items that extend onto the lowered tailgate, this invention does not truly expand the truck bed cargo area floor.
Another approach to the expansion of the cargo carrying capacity of a pickup truck bed employed by previous inventors involves the development of an expandable/retractable bed in which the walls and floor of the bed itself have the ability to extend to accommodate larger load items and retract to a shortened bed length. Examples of this approach are given in U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,123 to Brockhaus (1990) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,637 to Adams, et al. (1998). While these inventions provide for an expanded cargo area via extension of bed walls and floor, their construction and installation is necessarily complex, where the expansion mechanism is a duplicative element in the manufacture of an entire truck bed.
Still another approach, with observed examples focusing more on increased ease of access to stored cargo items than for bed extension, involves the development of plates that slidably engage the floor of the pickup bed cargo area floor via roller means. Several examples of this approach are presented in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,511 to Webber (1995), U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,941 to Kulas et al. (1996), U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,731 to Tognetti (1997), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,262 to Mills (1999). While these inventions provide ease of access to loaded cargo items and potentially an expanded cargo area floor, their construction is unnecessarily complex and incorporates invasive mounting mechanisms, which in most if not all cases require drilling holes into the floor or walls of the truck bed. Also, the roller means by which the load floor/plate engages the floor of the cargo area is susceptible to mechanical failure during the course of typical usage of a truck bed cargo area (i.e., rollers inhibited by dirt and debris or broken/damaged as a result of loading and hauling of heavy items). Also, examples of such inventions currently available from aftermarket manufactures are relatively expensive (ranging from approximately $700 to $2,000) due in part to their complexity and manufacturing cost.
Concerning the proliferation of multiple purpose vehicles such as SUVs, vans and station wagons, the rear cargo area of such vehicles is subjected to a diverse range of uses by consumers such as hauling groceries, luggage, landscaping materials, outdoor gear/sports equipment, etc. A problem faced by owners of such vehicles is how to protect the upholstery of the cargo area from damage associated with the loading and retrieval of cargo, as well as from dampness and dirt associated with certain load items. Another problem faced by owners of such vehicles is how to restrain and/or separate loaded cargo during travel. An additional problem is the discomfort and potential for back injury associated with the necessity of leaning into the cargo area for loading and unloading heavy cargo items.
The issue of protection of the upholstery of a multiple purpose vehicle cargo area has been addressed by a number of inventors through the development of cargo area liners of various types. Some examples of this type of invention are given in U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,772 to Carey, et al. (1990), U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,171 to Anthony (1992), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,335 to Niemi (1994). These inventions serve well for protection of the interior of the cargo area but do not address the other previously identified problems.
The further evolution of multiple purpose vehicle cargo area liners has involved the adaptation of various types of divider mechanisms to mount to the liner to address the need to separate and/or restrain cargo items during travel. Examples of this improvement are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,447 to Gower, et al. (1993), U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,321 to VanHoose (1996), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,672 to Hodgetts (1999). While these inventions address the need for both interior protection and cargo retention, they do not offer a solution to the problem of potential injury from leaning into the cargo area for loading/unloading heavy cargo items.
An approach to addressing all three problems stated previously can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,408 to Jarkowski (1997) in which an invention is disclosed involving a vehicle cargo tray which lines the floor of the cargo area and can extend outward via roller means so as to slide beyond the open cargo area for loading. Interior protection and cargo retention devices are also included in this invention. However, the construction of such invention, involving moving parts such as roller means, presents the opportunity for mechanical malfunction associated with the typical use of a multiple purpose vehicle cargo area (i.e., roller means inhibited by dirt/debris or damaged from loading/carrying heavy items) as well as significantly increased cost to potential consumers.
SUMMARY
In accordance with the present invention, a liner for a motor vehicle (i.e., pickup truck, SUV, van, etc.) cargo area provides a protective mounting platform for a multifunctional slidable floor plate movable from a secure stored position to a locked extended position.
Objects and Advantages
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide a truck bed liner with an integrated sliding floor extension to increase the utility of shorter beds for hauling longer items;
(b) to have the sliding floor extension be available for increasing ease of loading and unloading of items stored in the bed or cargo area, rather than leaning into the bed compartment from the side or rear or into the vehicle cargo area to load or retrieve a cargo item;
(c) to provide a drop-in bed liner and cargo area liner with an integrated sliding floor extension/load floor that would require no special alterations to the structure of the existing truck bed or cargo area for mounting (i.e., no drilling of holes in the bed/cargo area for mounting would be required);
(d) to provide a drop-in bed liner and cargo area liner with an integrated s
Coleman, II James C.
Mink Franklin L.
Guttag Eric W.
Mink & Associates LLC
Pape Joseph D.
Patel Kiran B.
Smith, Guttag & Bolin Ltd
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