Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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~RUCK BED ENCLOSURE
The present invention pertains generally to a temporary enclosure
for assembly in place about the load carrying area of a truck.
The safe transport of bulky loads is best accomplished using a
temporary or supplemental enclosure. On pickup trucks such enclosures,
to the extent known, do not lend themselves to convenient disassembly
and removal. Considerable effort is involved in at least partial dis-
assembly of the enclosure involving the removal of fastener assemblies
joining the post and rail members of the enclosure. Further, known
load enclosures for increasing the load confining area of a truck are
typically of costly construction custom built by truck equipment manu-
facturers.
U. S. Patent 3,365,230 is of some interest for it discloses pins
and sockets for coupling a tailgate directly to rail members of a truck
bed enclosure.
U. S. Patent 2,080,764 discloses a truck enclosure wherein rails
are joined by cooperating fittings on the rail ends with the leg member
of a canopy supporting bow which extends through one fitting of each
pair. U. S. Patent 2,947,566 discloses the use of right angular pins
to interconnect horizontal rack members in a pick-up truck box. U. S.
Patent 3,252,730 shows the use of pins and socket members to join the
side and rear members of a removable truck bed enclosure. U. S.
Patent 3,986,317 shows the use of interengageable connectors to
brace the uppermost rails of a truck bed enclosure.
The present invention is embodied within an enclosure for installa-
tion about the load receiving area of a truck with post and rail members
being in rested engagement with one another in a manner preventing
accidental separation.
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The corner post structures and enclosure rail members include
pin and socket components. Each corner post is adapted to receive
the ends of both longitudinal as well as transversely disposed en-
closure rail members. A lower end segment of each corner post is of
a section permitting insertion into a receptacle defined by truck
structure. If so desired, the enclosure rail members may be of wood
with the ends of same having fittings embodying part of the cooperating
pin and socket means. Each corner post is capable of supporting the
ends of several side and crosswise disposed enclosure members to provide
an enclosure of suitable height. Preferably the enclosure members are
of lightweight material, such as wood, to permit both installation and
removal by one person.
A modified form of the present enclosure utilizes corner brackets
for attachment to the corner posts in place in receptacles provided
by truck box structure. The corner brackets cooperate with rail mounted
fittings to enable the side and end rails of an enclosure to be both
readily installed and removed.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a truck equipped with the
present enclosure;
~;~ Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a corner post and
associated rail member ends;
Figure 3 is an end elevational view taken along line 3-3 of Figure
1, and
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing a modified
form of the enclosure.
With continuing attention to the drawings wherein applied reference
numerals indicate parts similarly hereinafter identified, the reference
numeral 1 indicates generally a truck which may be of the pickup type
havin~ a load receiving area bed at 2.
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A pair of truck box sidewalls are at 3 and typically define corner
located receptacles at 3A extending downwardly from the box edge at 4.
The present enclosure includes corner posts at 5 at the truck box
corners with each post having a lower end segment 5A for inserted en-
gagement with a receptacle as at 3A. Supplemental posts as at 6 may
be utilized at points along the truck box sides with post lower end
segments as at 6A for insertion into additional receptacles formed in
the truck box side walls. Removable fasteners 7 join the posts 6 to
the later described side rail members.
Each corner post 5 is of a cross sectional shape and size to fit
sungly into a side wall receptacle 3A. Side rail members 8 extend
between the corner posts and may be of different lengths, as for
example, additional or end rail members at 9 for disposition crosswise
at the front and rear ends of the enclosure
Removably attaching the rail members 8 and 9 to the corner posts
are pin and socket means which enable rail member detachment by lifting
of same during enclosure disassembly. A fitting on the end segment of
each rail member includes a plate 10 on which a pin 11 is carried in
an offset manner by an arm 12 of the fitting. Plate attaching fasteners
at 13 may be carriage bolts provided with a washer and nut at their
unseen end. A head at 14 on the pin limits downward entry of pin 11
into socket means at 16 having an inner wall surface 16A defining the
pin receiving socket. A web at 17 of the socket means is integral with
the post proper. While the pin and sockets are shown as being of circular
section, it will be understood that pin and socket sections may vary,
as for example, they may be of polygonal section.
The front and rear rail members 9 which extend transversely across
the truck box above the forward end 19 of the truck box and above a
truck box tailgate at 18 may be reinforced by braces at 20 and fastener
assemblies 21 extending through same and the rail members.
The socket means 16 are preferably arranged on each corner post 5
in multiple vertical rows offset from one another and offset from the -
corner post by the web 17 of the socket means.
To permit adapting of the present enclosure to a specific truck,
the plates lO may be provided with horizontally elongate openings for
receiving fasteners 13 in an adjustable manner. The use of relatively
low cost, wooden rail members permits the enclosure to be modified for
use on other trucks subsequently acquired by the user. While the term
rail members is used in the foregoing description, it is to be under-
stood that the same encompasses an elongate panel extending intermediateand oppositely corner posts and serving to confine a load.
In Figure 4 a modified form of enclosure is shown wherein a corner
post 23 has a lower end segment 23A in p1ace within a truck box defined
receptacle 3A. In place on corner post 23 are corner brackets 24 each
having right angularly disposed flanges 25 for abutment with contiguous
sides of the post. Each flange terminates in a sleeve 26. A slot at 27
extends part way down the sleeve as later explained. The corner brackets
24 on each corner post are installed in place by carriage bolt assemblies
28 which extend through vertically offset openings as at 30 in bracket
flanges 25 in a vertically spaced or staggered manner providing bolt
spacing. A side rail at 31 is typical of the remaining side rails of
the enclosure as is an end rail 32 above the forward end of the truck
box 3. Both ends of the end rails and side rails are provided with end
mountéd fittings as at 33 including a plate 34, an arm 35 and a pin 36
for insertion into the sleeve 26 of a corner bracket. The arm 35 may be
inset within sleeve defined slot 27. Fasteners at 36 attach the end
mounted fittings to the rail ends. To facilitate installation of the
rail member~ in place between corner posts the end mounted fittings
may include elongate openings 38 for fastener reception to permit a
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horizontal adjustment of pins 36. Supplemental posts for the side
rails rnay be used with the modified enclosure such as the posts indica-
ted at 6 in the first described form of the invention.
While I have shown but a few embodiments of the invention, it
will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may
be embodied still otherwise without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention.
