Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: TAILGATE RAMP SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to tailgate ramp systems for pickup
trucks, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a tailgate
ramp system having an anchor bar which is attachable to the latch bolts or
to the latch mech~ni.sm.~ of the tailgate of the pickup truck.
5 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Portable ramps for pickup trucks are commonly used for loading
garden tractors, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and equipment of the like
into the box of a pickup truck. It will be appreciated that conscientious
10 users of portable ramps for pickup trucks know that it is preferable to
secure the upper ends of the ramp members to the tailgate of the pickup
tluck in order to prevent accidents that can be caused by the slipping of a
ramp member when equipment is being moved thereon.
Various systems have been developed in the past for retaining the
15 upper end of a ramp member to the tailgate of a pickup truck. Some of the
devices of the prior art require the use of fasteners through the tailgate.
Other models are clamped on to the tailgate or frictionally engaged with the
painted surfaces of the tailgate. In general, the use of ramp anchoring
devices of the prior art is known to permanently alter to some degrees the
20 visual quality of the tailgate.
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Typical devices of the prior art include for example, a ramp system
such as the one described in U.S. Patent 3,510,015 issued on May 5, 1970
to Harold L. Roshaven. This ramp system comprises a pair of ramp
members having hooks on their upper ends, and a pair of support members
5 having U-shaped straps for lelai~ g the hooks of the ramp members. The
support members are clamped onto the tailgate by transversely encircling
a major portion of the tailgate.
In other examples, U.S. Patent 3,756,440 issued on September 4,
1973 to joint inventors Gerald G. Raap and Donald F. Kutz describes a pair
10 of ramp members which are pivotally connected to a round bar. The round
bar is permanently affixed to the upper edge of the tailgate. U.S. Patent
4,884,838 issued on December 5, 1989 to Frank W. Slater describes
another ramp member attached to an elongated cap covering the upper edge
of a tailgate. The cap is permanently fastened to the upper edge of the
tailgate with screws. U.S. Patent 4,923,360 issued on May 8, 1990 to
Phillippe J. Beauchemin illustrates a collapsible tailgate ramp which has an
upper end pivotally connected to the upper edge of a tailgate. A last
example of a portable tailgate ramp of the prior art is illustrated in
C~n~ n Patent 1,071,811 issued on February 19, 1980 to Lucien Leduc.
20 The ramp described in this document has a pair of pins extending from an
upper end thereof. These pins are engageable in corresponding holes
through the tailgate.
It will be appreciated that some modern pickup trucks are as
luxurious and comfortable as sedan cars. Therefore, a proud owner of a
25 modern pickup truck generally does not want to permanently affix an
anchor bar to the tailgate of his/her truck, or to install steel strap members
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across the painted surface of the tailgate. It is believed that this reality
partly explains why the tailgate ramp systems of the prior art in general,
have not been broadly used on modern pickup trucks.
5 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, however, there is provided a tailgate ramp
system having an anchor bar which is removably attachable to the latch
bolts or to the latch mech~ni.~m.~ on the tailgate of a pickup truck. The
anchor bar is easily latched onto the tailgate by pushing it against the latch
10 bolts or the latch mech~ni~mc when the tailgate is in an open position. The
anchor bar is removable from the tailgate by pulling the latch-release
handle on the tailgate, and lifting the anchor bar off the upper edge of the
tailgate. The installation of the tailgate ramp system of the present
invention does not require any alteration to the tailgate itself.
In accordance to one aspect of the tailgate ramp system of the
present invention, there is provided an anchor bar of a f1rst variant for
mounting on a tailgate having a pair of retractable latch bolts extending
from the transversal edges of the tailgate. The anchor bar of the first
variant comprises a C-shaped structure having a stem member and two arm
20 members pointing at right angle from the stem member, one at each
extremity of the stem member. There is also provided an anchor rod
affixed to the stem member for l~ining the upper end of one or more ramp
members extending downward from the tailgate.
The stem member has nominal dimensions corresponding to the
25 nominal length and thickness of the longitudinal upper edge of the tailgate.
Each arm member has a nominal surface for partly covering one of the
transversal edges of the tailgate. The C-shaped structure is mountable over
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the longitudinal upper edge of the tailgate for at least partly enclosing the
longitudinal upper edge and the transversal edges of the tailgate. Each arm
member has an opening therein which corresponds in shape and location
relative to the length of the stem, to a configuration and spacing of one of
5 the latch bolts on the tailgate relative to the width of the tailgate.
The principal advantage of the anchor bar of the first variant is that
when the anchor bar is mounted on the t~ilg~te7 the anchor bar is retainable
to the tailgate by an engagement of the openings in the arm members with
the latch bolts of the tailgate. Moreover, the anchor bar of the first variant
10 is easily mountable on the tailgate by simply pushing the arm members
against the latch bolts of the tailgate for causing the latch bolts to retract
and snappily engage into the openings in the arm members. The anchor bar
is easily removed from the t~ilg~te by pulling the latch-release handle on
the tailgate and c~llcing the latch bolts to retract and to disengage from the
15 openings in the arm members.
In accordance to a second aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a second variant of an anchor bar for installation over a tailgate
having a pin-latching mech~nism on each side thereof. The anchor bar of
the second variant has a pair of pins mounted on the arm members thereof.
20 These pins correspond in shape and location relative to the length of the
stem member to a configuration and spacing of the pin-latching
mech~nisms relative to the width of the tailgate. The t~ilg~te ramp system
of the present invention including an anchor bar of a first or a second
variant is thereby mountable on conventional tailgates having latch bolts,
25 or on newer tailgates having pin-latching mech~nisms.
In accordance to yet another aspect of the present invention, The C-
shaped structure of the anchor bar is made of angle iron, and is at least
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partly covered with soft padding material for preventing scratching the
painted surfaces of the tailgate. Therefore, repeated uses of the anchor bar
of the present invention do not deteriorate the surface finish of the tailgate.
In accordance to a further aspect of the t~ilg~te ramp system of the
present invention, each ramp member thereof is made of preformed metal
decking strips having a tread surface and two flanges enclosing the tread
surface and extending perpendicularly relative to the tread surface. There
is also provided a pair of slots in the flanges near the upper end of the ramp
member for retaining the ramp member to an anchor bar on the tailgate.
Each of the slots further has a latch tab mounted across a bottom end
thereof for selectively closing the bottom end of the slot and for preventing
the ramp member from accidentally lifting or twisting out of its engagement
with the anchor bar when the ramp member is being used.
The tailgate ramp system of the present invention, and particularly
the anchor bar thereof is compact in size and easily installed, removed and
stowed in the truck box or elsewhere. The tailgate ramp system of the
present invention is of a simple construction manufacturable at a
reasonable cost.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be further
understood from the following description, with reference to the drawings
in which:
- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the tailgate ramp system of the first
preferred embodiment in use on the tailgate of a pickup truck;
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- Fig. 2 is a cross-section view of the anchor bar of the tailgate ramp
system of the first preferred embodiment as seen along line 2-2 in
Fig. l;
- Fig. 3 is a perspective rear, top and right side view of the anchor bar
of the tailgate ramp system of the first preferred embodiment;
- Fig. 4 is cross-section view of the anchor bar along line 4-4 in Fig.
3;
- Fig. 5 is a right elevation view of the t~ilg~te ramp system of the
first preferred embodiment, with the ramp member and the anchor
rod shown in cross-section views;
- Fig. 6 is a right elevation view of a tailgate ramp system of a second
preferred embodiment;
- Fig. 7 is an enlarged right side view of a ramp member of the
second preferred embodiment;
- Fig. 8 is a cross-section view of the anchor bar of the tailgate ramp
system of the second preferred embodiment along line 8 in Fig. 6;
- Fig. 9 is a plan view of a tailgate ramp system of the third preferred
embodiment;
- Fig. 10 is a right elevation view of the tailgate ramp system of the
third preferred embodiment;
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- Fig. 11 is an enlarged right side view of the ramp member shown in
Fig. 10;
- Fig. 12 is a cross-section view of the latch tab on the ramp member
of the third preferred embodiment along line 12 in Fig. 11.
5 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The tailgate ramp system described herein comprises three variants
which do not differ substantially from each other. Each variant comprises
a pair of ramp members and an anchor bar for retaining the ramp members
to the tailgate of a pickup truck. The variations referred to in the following
10 disclosure are related to different configurations for securing the ramp
members to the anchor bar and for securing the anchor bar to the tailgate
of the pickup truck. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the ramp
members of one variant can be use with the anchor bar of another variant
and vice-versa. Therefore, the following disclosure shall not be read as
15 being a limitation in the possible arrangements of the described elements.
The tailgate ramp system of the first preferred embodiment is
illustrated in Figures 1-5. The ramp members are labeled with numeral 20
and the anchor bar is labeled with numeral 22. Referring particularly to
Figure 3, the anchor bar 22 comprises a C-shaped member 22' made of
20 angle iron and having dimensions to fit over the top edge of a tailgate 24
of a pickup truck. Each side piece 26 of the C-shaped member 22' has an
opening 28 corresponding in shape and location to the shape and location
of one of the latch bolts 30 on the tailgate 24. The tailgate 24 referred to
herein is the type having a closure mechanism comprising a pair of
25 rectangular latch bolts 30 and wherein the truck box has brackets 32 with
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rectangular openings for receiving the latch bolts 30, as illustrated in
Figure 1. It will be appreciated that the tailgate ramp system of the present
invention is preferably m~mlf~ctured in several models wherein each model
is sized to fit a particular make and size of pickup truck.
The installation of the anchor bar 22 of the preferred embodiment
on an opened tailgate is effected by positioning the anchor bar 22 along the
far edge of the tailgate 24 and by pushing the side pieces 26 downward
against the latch bolts 30, causing the side pieces 26 to latch onto the latch
bolts 30. The removal of the anchor bar 22 from the tailgate 24 is effected
by pulling the handle of the closure mech~ni.sm (not shown), causing the
latch bolts 30 to retract inside the tailgate and to release the anchor bar 22.
The preferred ~limensions for the angle iron of the C-shaped member
22' are two inches by two inches by one-eight of an inch thick. The inside
surfaces of the angle iron are preferably lined with a soft padding material
34 such as foam, felt or the like, to prevent scratching the paint on the
tailgate 24 when using the tailgate ramp system of the present invention.
The anchor bar 22 further has an anchor rod 36 affixed to the
outside rear surface thereof, at a distance from the outside rear surface.
The anchor rod 36 is preferably affixed to the C-shaped member 22 by
means of two or more clevises 38 rigidly connected to the outside surface
of the longihlllin~l piece of the C-shaped member 22' . The diameter of the
anchor rod 36 is preferably about half-inch, and the gap between the anchor
rod 36 and the outside surface of the angle iron 22' is also preferably about
a half-inch or slightly more.
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The ramp members 20 of the first preferred embodiment are
preferably made of preformed metal decking strip having a width of eight
inches or more and a depth of one inch or more. Those skilled in the art
will appreciate that the ramp members 20 may also be made of wood
5 planks or composite materials provided that these structural members have
sufficient strength for supporting the load of an all-terrain-vehicle or other
equipment usually transported in the box of a pickup truck.
Each ramp member 20 has a pair of hooks 40 affixed to one end
thereof. Each hook 40is sized to engage with the anchor rod 36 of the
10 anchor bar 22. When the anchor bar 22 is installed on the tailgate, and
when the ramp members 20 are pulled out from the truck box, the hooks 40
and readily connected to the anchor rod 36 such that the complete
installation of the tailgate ramp system of the first preferred embodiment
is easy and efficient.
An anchor bar 46 and ramp members 48 of the second preferred
embodiment are illustrated in Figures 6,7 and 8. The anchor bar 46 of the
second preferred embodiment is similar in shape, dimensions and purpose
as the anchor bar 22 of the first preferred embodiment. The anchor bar 46
of the second preferred embodiment has a round pin 50 extending inside
20 each of the side portions of the C-shaped member 46'. The anchor bar 46
of the second pler~ d embodiment is mountable on modern pickup trucks
wherein the tailgate has a latching mech~nism eng~ging with a mating pin
mounted on the frame of the truck box. The pins 50 on each model of
anchor bar 46 are therefor sized and positioned to fit into the latch
25 mechanism of one particular type of pickup truck.
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The ramp member 48 of the second preferred embodiment is also
preferably made of preformed metal decking strip. The side flanges of the
metal section are preferably slotted as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 for
eng~ging with the anchor rod 36 of the anchor bar 22 or 46. The shape of
5 each slot 54 is preferably a slanted Z-shaped slot having a first leg 56
starting from the lower edge of the side flange and extending upwardly,
transversely relative to the longitll~lin~l axis of the ramp member. The first
leg 56 merges into a second leg 58 extending longitu(lin~lly towards the
high end of the ramp member 48. The second leg 58 merges into a third
10 leg 60 extending transversely relative to the ramp member and stopping
short of the upper edge of the side flange. The width of the slot 54 is
preferably about five-eight of an inch such that the slot is easily slid over
an anchor rod 36 having a diameter of about half-inch.
The high end of the ramp member is preferably cut at an angle 62
15 of about between 10~ and 30~ with a transversal plane of the ramp member.
It will be appreciated that the angle 62 preferably corresponds to a typical
inclination of the ramp member, such that when the ramp member is being
used, the high end of the ramp member 48 is parallel to the outside surface
of the angle iron 22'.
When a ramp member 48 of the second preferred embodiment is
pulled from inside the box of a pickup truck having the t~ilg~te opened and
the anchor bar 50 installed thereon, the slot 54 ultimately drops over the
anchor rod 36. The anchor rod 36 slides into the first leg 56. A further
pulling on the ramp member 48 causes the anchor rod 36 to slide along the
second leg 58 and into the third leg 60. Gravity forces acting on the ramp
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member 48 causes the third leg 60 to be held captive on the anchor rod 36,
thereby preventing any twisting or dislodging of the ramp member 48
during the handling of a load thereon.
Referring now to Figures 9-12, there is illustrated therein a ramp
5 member 70 of a third preferred embodiment. The ramp member 70 is also
preferably made of preformed metal decking strip and has an upper end
trimmed to an angle 62' similar to the angle 62 as previously explained and
for the same reasons as spoken of before.
The ramp member 70 has transversal slots 72 across the upper end
of both side surfaces. These slots extend from a lower edge of the side
surfaces to near the upper edge of the side surfaces. The width of these
slots is also about five-eight of an inch for easily eng~ging with the anchor
rod 36.
The ramp member 70 of the third preferred embodiment further has
a pair of latch tabs 74 each mounted across the lower end of a respective
slot 72 for selectively enclosing the lower end of that slot 72. Each latch
tab 74 is mounted on a pivot 76 on one side of the slot 72 and normally
lays across the lower end of the slot 72 on a rest pin 78 extending through
20 the side member on the other side of the slot 72.
Each latch tab 74 is freely rotatable upwardly when the ramp
member is being connected to the anchor rod 36 for example. The latch
tabs 74 are also rotatable m~nll~lly for removing the ramp member 70 from
the anchor rod 36. When the ramp member is in use, however, the latch
25 tabs 74 prevent the ramp member 70 from accidentally lifting or twisting
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out of its engagement with the anchor rod 36. It will be appreciated that
the turning radius 80 of the latch tab 74 is shorter that the length of the slot72 such that the latch tab 74 is operable when the ramp member 70 is
connected the anchor rod 36.
While the above description provides a full and complete disclosure
of the preferred embodiments of this invention, various modifications,
alternate constructions and equivalents may be employed without departing
from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes might involve
alternate components, structural arrangements, sizes, operational features
or the characteristics of the like. Therefore, the above description and
accompanying illustrations should not be construed as limiting the scope
of the invention which is defined by the appended claims.
