Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~330572
TRUCK BED LINER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1_ Field of t~e IP.ve~.t~n: ~.he pr~seP.* P.~eP.ti~P
relates generally to truck bed liners, and, more particularly, to
a protective truck bed liner which allows a structure positioned
in a truck cargo bed to be affixed in position in the truck cargo
bed to be supported thereby.
2. Description of the Prior Art: Pick-up trucks, long
utilized as working vehicles, have, in recent years, become
accepted for use as family cars. Pick-up trucks have also, of
recent years, gained popularity as sport vehicles. Because of
the multiple uses of a pick-up truck, attempts have been made to
adapt the same pick-up truck to allow usage as a working vehicle
in some instances, and a family car in other instances.
When the pick-up tr~ck is utilized as a working
vehicle, the aesthetic appearance of the pick-up truck is of
little concern to the user. However, when the same pick-up truck
is to be utilized as a family car, or as a sport vehicle, the
aesthetic appearance of the pick-up truck is of substantial
importance.
Many attempts to adapt the vehicle for dual usage
provide some sort of protective layer or liner positioned in the
cargo area of the pick-up truck to prevent the cargo area floor
and walls from scratches, chips, and dents resulting from haulage
of cargo in the truck cargo bed. Whqn so desired, the protective
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liner may be easily removed from the cargo bed. Numerous truck
liners are known in the art including U.S. Patent No. 4,181,349
to Nix et al., U.S. Patent No. 3,881,768 to Nix, U.S. Patent No.
4,336,963 to Nix et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,162,098 to Richardson
III, U.S. Patent No. 4,161,335 to Nix et al., U.S. Patent No.
4,740,027 to Ormiston, U.S. Patent No. 4,341,412 to Wayne, U.S.
Patent No. 4,111,481 to Nix et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,592,583 to
Dresen et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,245,863 to Carter, U.S. Patent
No. 3,814,473 to Lorenzen, Jr., U.S. Patent No. 4,540,214
to Wagner, and U.S. Patent No. 4,592,583 to Dresen, et al. Each
of the aforementioned patents disclose truck bed liners and/or
protective inserts for the truck bed of a pick-up truck.
One disadvantage of a pick-up truck is the lack of
storage space in the cab area of the pick-up truck. As a result,
portable storage containers are placed in the cargo area of the
pick-up truck for allowing the storage therewithin of material.
For instance, quite frequently, tool chests are mounted in the
cargo area of the pick-up truck to allow the storage therewithin
of tools. However, the storage container must be securely
attached to the pick-up truck. Otherwise, the storage container
may slide about the cargo bed. This oftentimes necessitates the
drilling of holes into the sidewalls and/or frontwalls of the
truck cargo bed. In the event that a protective liner is also
positioned in the truck cargo bed, bores must also be drilled
through the truck bed liner to allow the storage container to be
securely affixed to the pick-up truck. Such action makes removal
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of the truck bed liner from the truck cargo area more difficult
and burdensome. Portability is a significant feature of many of
the aforementioned prior art truck bed liners. Attachment of
storage containers to the pick-up truck therefore greatly
lessens the usefulness of many of the prior art truck bed liners.
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It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide a truck bed liner for a pick-up truck which allows a
structure to be supported thereto, but easily removable
therefrom.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a protective
liner for a truck cargo bed is disclosed. The protective liner
allows a structure positioned in the cargo bed to be supported
and affixed in position in the truck cargo bed. The protective
liner includes a liner floor portion positioned upon a floor
portion of the truck cargo bed floor, with the liner bottom
portion having elevated portions formed thereupon to conform to
wheelwells protruding from the truck cargo bed floor. Upwardly
extending liner sidewall portions extend upwardly from opposite
sides of the liner floor portion, with each of the liner sidewall ;
portions being positioned against sidewall portions of the truck
cargo bed. An upwardly extending liner frontwall portion extends
upwardly from a front end portion of the liner floor portion,
with the liner frontwall portion being positioned against a
frontwall portion of the truck cargo bed. Ridge means are formed ~`~
on
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the upwardly extending liner sidewall portions and are adapted to
engage with the structure positioned in the cargo bed to affix
the structure to the liner sidewall portions, supporting the
structure thereby.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention,
the means formed on the upwardly extending liner sidewall
portions include a plurality of spaced apart, vertically
extending ridge members protruding from the liner sidewall
portions whereby gaps separating adjacent ones of the ridge
members form load locks of a depth sufficient to anchor an end of -
the structure positioned in the truck cargo bed. Preferably, the
load locks formed on opposite liner sidewall portions are
situated to allow a first end of the structure to be anchored in
a load lock formed on a first liner sidewall portion, and a
second end of the structure to be anchored in a load lock formed
on a second liner sidewall portion.
While the structure supported in the cargo bed may
simply be a length of wood, in the preferred embodiment, the
structure supported and affixed in the truck cargo bed is a
storage container, such as a tool chest. Preferably, the tool
chest is of a length to span a width of the truck cargo bed such
that opposite ends of the tool chest abut against the upwardly
extending liner sidewall portions positioned against the opposite
sidewalls of the truck cargo bed. The opposite ends of the tool
chest may further include means adapted to engage with the liner
sidewall portions in an interlocking relationship, and may
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include a plurality of spaced apart, vertically extending ridge
members.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the
storage container further abuts against the upwardly extending
liner frontwall portion, and the upwardly extending liner
frontwall portion may further include a plurality of spaced
apart, vertically extending ridge members protruding from the
liner frontwall portions. The storage container may similarly
have formed on the front side portion thereof a means adapted to
engage with the liner frontwall portion in.an interlocking .
relationship, and may include a plurality of vertically extending
ridge members.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be better understood when
read in light of the accompanying drawings in which: .
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pick-up truck
having the truck bed liner of the present invention positioned in :
the cargo area thereof;
Figure 2 is a partial, cut-away view of the truck bed .
liner of the present invention;
Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C are front, side, and overhead
views, respectively, of a storage container which may be
removably affixed to the truck bed liner of the present
invention;
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Figure 4 is a detail view of the inter-fitting
relationship between the storage container and protective liner
of the present invention; and
Figure 5 is a perspective illustration of the fullest
embodiment of the present .invention in which the storage
container of Figure 3 is supported in the truck bed liner of
Figure 2.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring first to the perspective illustration of
Figure 1, there is shown a pick-up truck 10 having a cab area 12
and a cargo bed area 14. The truck bed liner 16 of the present
invention is positioned within the cargo bed 14. While in the -
preferred embodiment, truck bed liner 16 is comprised of a
polyethylene material which is molded to form a single, integral
unit, and the following detailed description of the liner 16 will
describe the present invention as such, it is to be understood
that, alternatively, other materials of construction may be
utilized to form liner 16 of the present invention.
Truck bed liner 16 of the present invention is shown in
greater detail in the cut-away view of Figure 2. Truck bed liner
16 is shown to include liner floor portion 18, liner sidewall ~ :~
portions 20 and 22 (only a portion of portion 22 is illustrated
in Figure 2), and liner frontwall portion 24. Liner sidewall
portions 20 and 22 are positioned to extend upwardly from
opposite sides of liner floor portion 18, and liner frontwall
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portion 24 is positioned to extend upwardly from a front end of
liner floor portion 18. Liner floor portion 18 further includes
elevated portions 26 conforming to wheel wells protruding from
the truck cargo bed floor. Formed as such, truck bed liner 16
substantially covers the entire cargo bed 14 of pick-up truck 10.
Bed liner 16 thereby protects cargo bed 14 from damage due to use
of the pick-up truck 10 as a work vehicle.
Formed on the surface of liner sidewall portions 20 and
22 are a plurality of spaced apart, vertically extending ridge
members 28. While Figure 2 illustrates the inner surface of
liner sidewall portion 20, the inner exposed surface of liner
sidewall portion 22 is identical. Sidewall portions 20 and 22
further contain rail overlay portions 27 containing notched parts
27A. While in the preferred embodiment, each ridge member 28 is
comprised of a lower portion 28A and an upper portion 28B, for
reasons to be discussed hereinbelow, in the simplest embodiment
of the present invention, ridge members 28 need not be comprised
of portions 28A and 28B. Similarly, liner frontwall portion 24
also contains a plurality of spaced apart, vertically extending
ridge members 28.
Gaps formed between, and separating, adjacent ones of
the ridge members 28 form load locks of a depth sufficient to
anchor a structure to prevent longitudinal movement of the member
in the cargo bed 14 of the pick-up 10. For example, a length of
wood, such as a 2 x 4, may be positioned so that a first end
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thereof is positioned within a gap 30 between adjacent ridge
members 28 formed on liner sidewall portion 20, and a second end
of the length of the wood may be positioned to extend into a gap
30 separating two adjacent ridge members 28 formed on a surface
of liner sidewall portion 22.
In the preferred embodiment of the truck bed liner 16
illustrated in Figure 2, liner sidewall portion 20 is formed of
two vertically extending parts 20A and 20B, and horizontally
extending part 20C. This arrangement increases the structural
strength of the sidewall 20, and also provides a horizontal
surface upon which a bottom end portion of a structure, such as
the end portion of the length of wood, may be supported.
Illustrated in the preferred embodiment of Figure 2, horizontal
part 20C is formed at an elevation above floor portion 18 to
merge into the elevated portion 26. The horizontal part 20C and
elevated portions 26 are convenient support sites for sheet like
cargo such as plywood. When so supported a sheet of plywood
divides the cargo bed into upper and lower compartments which are
above and below the plywood. Also illustrated in the preferred
embodiment of the liner 16 are notches 30 formed by the gap
between two ridge members 28. Notches 30 contain horizontal
surfaces and similarly function as load locks to anchor a support
member such as a length of wood to prevent longitudinal movement
along the truck cargo bed 14 and to provide additional support
for sheet forms of cargo.
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Turning now to the illustrations of Figures 3A-3C,
there are shown side, overhead, and end views, respectively, of
storage container 34 of the preferred embodiment which may be
affixed in position in the truck cargo bed by truck bed liner 16.
Storage container 34 preferably provides shoulder portion
38 of dimensions allowing the end portions of shoulder portion 38
to rest upon notched part 27A of rail overlay 27.
Similar to ridge members 28 formed on the inner
surfaces of liner sidewall portions 20 and 22, and liner ;
frontwall portion 24, storage container 34 also has formed on the :
outer surfaces thereof a plurality of spaced apart, vertically
extending ridge members 40. Ridge members 40, again, are
similarly preferably comprised of sections 40A and 40B, and the :
ends and frontwall of storage container 34 contain a horizontal
step to allow positioning upon horizontal section 20C of the ;
liner sidewall portion 20. This arrangement allows ridge members :
40 on a front side of storage container 34 to engage with ridge ~ :.
members 28 formed on the surface of liner frontwall portion 24,
and ridge members 40 positioned on the side surface of storage
container 34 to engage with ridge members 28 formed on liner
sidewall portions 20 and 22. When suitably positioned, ribs 40
formed on the storage container 34, and ridge member 28 formed on
portions 20-24 of the liner, engage with one anothPr in an
interfitting relationship thereby preventing movement of storage
container 34. This relationship is illustrated in the detail
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view of Figure 4. Furthermore, the downward load exerted by
storage container 34 due to the weight thereof is distributed
across shoulder portion 38, and step 42.
Referring to the perspective illustration of Figure 5,
there is shown pick-up truck 10 having truck bed liner 16 and
storage container 34 of the present invention positioned in the
cargo bed area 14 thereof. The interlocking relationship between
ridges 28 and 40 prevents movement of storage container 34. Also
illustrated in Figure 5 is a length of wood 44 having opposite
ends thereof anchored in notches 30 to be supported thereby.
While the present invention has been described in
connection with the preferred embodiments shown in the various
figures, it'is to be understood that other similar embodiments
may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the
described embodiments for performing the same functions of the
present invention without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the
present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment,
but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the
recitation of the appended claims.
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