Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TAILGATE NESTED TAILGATE BED EXTENDER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to vehicle tailgate bed extenders,
and more particularly, a tailgate bed extender that is nested on the tailgate.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Devices for extending the length of vehicle truck beds have
become popular in recent years due in part to the emergence of extended
cab vehicles. The extended cab has increased the passenger carrying
capacity of the vehicle, however, it has reduced the available truck bed
space. In order to recover at least a portion of the truck bed space lost,
many
truck bed extenders, such as the vehicle bed extender described in U.S.
Patent No. 5,775,759 issued to Cummins, have been developed.
Typically, tailgate bed extenders are retrofitted onto the tailgates
of existing vehicles. Tailgate bed extenders must be relatively lightweight so
that they do not interfere with the regular operation of the vehicle. In
addition,
tailgate bed extenders should be easy to deploy and store. Heavy tailgate
bed extenders are cumbersome to use and reduce the structural integrity of
the existing tailgate. Some tailgate bed extenders are partially mounted in
the
truck bed in order to help distribute the weight of the tailgate bed extender,
so
that the tailgate is not overloaded. This configuration is undesirable because
the tailgate bed extender blocks off a portion of useable truck bed space.
Existing tailgate bed extenders are typically mounted so that the
hinge covers at least part of the upper edge of the vehicle tailgate.
Therefore,
it is possible to view the tailgate bed extender from outside of the vehicle
when it is in the stored position. This configuration is aesthetically
undesirable, particularly on a new vehicle. The existing tailgate bed
extenders are intended for use with vehicles having open truck beds, such as
pick up trucks, however, they can not be used for sport utility vehicles or
pick
up trucks having caps.
In addition to being difficult to deploy and store, existing tailgate
bed extenders are often too complex for an average vehicle owner to install.
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Professional installation can be costly depending on the complexity of the
tailgate bed extender design. A tailgate bed extender that is simple to
install
by a vehicle owner or by a professional at a reasonable cost is desirable.
It is therefore an object of an aspect of the present invention to
provide a tailgate bed extender that obviates or mitigates some or all of the
above disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention there is
provided a tailgate bed extender for a vehicle truck bed, the tailgate bed
extender comprising:
a tray coupled to an inner wall of a tailgate of the vehicle truck
bed, the tray being inset from a free edge of the tailgate;
a rear frame pivotally coupled to the tray;
sidearms pivotally coupled to opposing side edges of the rear
frame, the sidearms being attachable to the vehicle truck bed;
a hinge assembly joining the rear frame to the tray, the hinge
assembly having a rotation axis, the rotation axis being movable relative to
the tray; and
wherein the rear frame is rotatable from a stored position in
which the rear frame abuts the tray to a loading position in which the rear
frame is at an angle of at least 180 degrees relative to the tray.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is
provided a hinge assembly for a tailgate bed extender, the hinge assembly
comprising:
a housing adapted to be coupled to a tray of the tailgate bed
extender or to the tailgate, the housing having a bore;
a hinge pin having a first portion and a second portion, the first
portion being at least partially inserted into the bore, the second portion
being
at an angle to the first portion and being pivotally coupled to a frame of the
tailgate bed extender;
a rotation axis aligned with the second portion of the hinge pin;
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a biasing mechanism for maintaining the hinge pin at least
partially inserted in the bore; and
wherein the hinge pin is at least partially removable from the
housing so that the rotation axis is movable relative to a tailgate.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is
provided a tailgate bed extender for a vehicle truck bed, the tailgate bed
extender comprising:
a rear frame pivotally coupled to an inner wall of the tailgate;
sidearms pivotally coupled to opposing side edges of the rear
frame, the sidearms being attachable to the vehicle truck bed;
a hinge assembly joining the rear frame to the inner wall of the
tailgate, the hinge assembly having a rotation axis, the rotation axis being
movable relative to the inner wall of the tailgate; and
wherein the rear frame is rotatable from a stored position in
which the rear frame abuts the inner wall to a loading position in which the
rear frame is at an angle of at least 180 degrees relative to the inner wall.
It is an advantage of an aspect of the present invention that the
tailgate bed extender is fully contained on the vehicle tailgate and does not
interfere with the upper and side edges of the tailgate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described
more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle with a tailgate bed
extender of the present invention in a deployed position;
Figure 2 is perspective view of the tailgate bed extender of
Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the tailgate bed extender of
Figure 2 in a loading position;
Figure 4 is a front view of a side panel of the tailgate bed
extender of Figure 2;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a sidearm of the tailgate bed
extender of Figure 2;
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Figure 6 is a perspective view of a hinge assembly and a portion
of a rear panel of the tailgate bed extender of the present invention;
Figure 7 is a plan view of the hinge assembly of Figure 4;
Figure 8 is a second perspective view of the tailgate bed
extender of Figure 1 in a deployed position;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the tailgate bed extender of
Figure 6 in a partially deployed position; and
Figure 10 is a perspective view of the tailgate bed extender of
Figure 6 in a stored position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to Figure 1, a rear portion of a vehicle 10 is generally
shown. The vehicle 10 includes a truck bed 12 having inner sidewalls 14 and
a tailgate 16. Striker posts 20, for securing the tailgate 16 in a closed
position, extend from the inner sidewalls 14 of the truck bed 12. The usual
flexible pair of tailgate cables 15 (one cable is shown in Figure 10) hold the
tailgate 16 in the horizontal position. The cable 15 is attached to the
tailgate
16 and the striker post 20 and extends therebetween. A tailgate bed
extender, generally indicated at 22, is installed on an inner wall 18 of the
vehicle tailgate 16. The tailgate bed extender 22 is shown in a deployed
position.
The tailgate bed extender 22 is shown in greater detail in Figure
2. The tailgate bed extender 22 generally comprises a rear frame 24 that is
pivotally connected to a tray 40, which is coupled to the tailgate 16. The
rear
frame 24 is generally rectangular shaped and includes an upper edge
member 26, a lower edge member 28 and side edge members 30 and 32.
The rear frame 24 additionally includes two cross members 34, which are
spaced along the rear frame 24 between the side edge members 30, 32. The
cross members 34 provide the rear frame 24 with additional support.
The rear frame 24 is constructed of a lightweight material. In a
preferred embodiment, upper and lower edge members 26 and 28 are formed
from aluminum extrusions, which have a bore extending therethrough. The
extrusions additionally include a channel portion, which does not open all the
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way to the bore, for receiving the ends of side edge members 30, 32 and
cross members 34. The side edge members 30, 32 and cross members 34
are formed from aluminum C channel extrusions. The upper, lower, side and
cross members 26, 28, 30, 32 and 34 are welded together to provide a rear
frame 24 which has optimum strength and weight characteristics. It is also
possible to use aluminum extrusions having different cross sections.
The rear frame 24 additionally includes apertures 36 that are
located at the opposite lower corners of the rear frame 24. In the preferred
embodiment, the apertures 36 are part of the bore of the lower edge member
28 extrusion. The apertures 36 are used to couple the rear frame 24 to the
tray 40.
In an alternative embodiment, the rear frame members 26, 28,
30, 32 and 34 may be integrated to form a single rear frame member.
In a further alternative embodiment, the rear frame 24 may
comprise side edge members 30, 32 and upper edge member 26 to form a
single U-shaped rear frame member. In this case, the apertures 36 may be
formed at the lower ends of the side members 30, 32.
In yet a further alternative embodiment, the rear frame 24 is
comprised of a plastic having suitable strength and rigidity characteristics.
A rear panel 38, as shown in Figure 2, is coupled to an outer
side of the rear frame 24. The rear panel 38 is attached so that it covers the
cross members 34 of the rear frame 24 and can be seen from the rear of the
vehicle 10. The rear panel 38 provides a surface on which a logo or a
reflective safety graphic can be mounted. The reflective safety graphic warns
drivers travelling behind the vehicle 10 that the tailgate 16 is down and
extends past the taillights of the vehicle 10.
In a preferred embodiment, the panel 38 of Figure 1 is
constructed of aluminum having a thin gauge and is welded to the rear frame
24. The rear panel 38 is perforated at 39 to decrease the overall weight of
the panel 38 and to facilitate airflow through the panel 38. The perforations
39 formed in the rear panel 38 reduce the drag caused by the tailgate bed
extender 22 thus increasing the fuel efficiency of vehicle 10.
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In an alternate embodiment, the rear panel 38 is constructed of
a plastic material and is coupled to the rear frame by suitable fasteners.
Referring to Figure 3, the tailgate bed extender 22 is shown in a
loading position. Due to the unique configuration of tailgate extender hinge
assemblies, the rear frame 24 and rear panel 38 of the tailgate bed extender
22 are capable of being rotated approximately 270 degrees from a stored
position of Figure 10. As shown in Figure 3, the tailgate bed extender 22
does not limit access to the truck bed 12. The rear frame 24 of the tailgate
bed extender 22 is rotated "out of the way" so that a user 25 can lean over
and easily load individual items such as small boxes 27, bags, packages or
any other items onto the truck bed 12.
In a retrofit application or even an OEM situation, tray 40 is
coupled to the inner wall 18 of the vehicle tailgate 16 by fasteners (not
shown). The tray 40 is sized so that it can be generally centered on the inner
wall 18 of the tailgate 16. The tray 40 is formed from a single molded piece
and has a generally uniform thickness. The tray 40 comprises a U-shaped
protrusion 42 and six rectangular protrusions 44 that extend outwardly from a
base 46. The U-shaped protrusion 42 comprises a side surface 48 that
extends outwardly from the base 46 and a generally flat top surface 50. The
side surface 48 is continuous and extends around perimeter of the top
surface 50. The tray 40 is arranged so that rear frame 24 can lie against the
tray 40 without contacting the U-shaped protrusion 42 or the rectangular
protrusions 44. In the stored position, the rear frame 24 lies generally flat
against the base 46 so that the tailgate bed extender 22 is nested in the tray
40. The tray 40 is typically constructed of vacuum formed plastic. The tray
40 alternatively may be constructed of any suitable rigid material that is
relatively lightweight.
The tailgate bed extender 22 is designed to be mountable onto
most sizes of the tailgates of full size, mid size and compact vehicles 10.
The
tailgate bed extender 22 may be sized for use on small pickup trucks, large
pickup trucks, Sport Utility Vehicles or large farm equipment vehicles, for
example.
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A lock assembly 52 is recessed into the top surface 50 of the U-
shaped protrusion 42 mid way along the tray 40. The lock assembly 52
extends upwardly through an aperture 54 that is formed in the top surface 50.
The lock assembly 52 is secured to the U-shaped protrusion 42 of the tray 40
through securing apertures 56 and 58, which are located on opposite sides of
aperture 54, by fasteners (not shown). An opening 62 is formed in the side
surface 48 of the U-shaped protrusion 42. A latch 60 of the lock assembly 52
is movable to extend through the opening 62. When the tailgate bed
extender 22 is in the stored position, the latch 60 engages a cooperating
latch
recess 64, shown in Figure 2, that is formed in the upper edge member 26 of
the rear frame 24. The lock assembly 52 is used to maintain the rear frame
24 in a nested position in the tray 40. The lock assembly 52 is responsive to
a key (not shown) that may be stored on a user's key chain or kept in a
convenient location in the vehicle 10.
Referring back to Figure 2, sidearms 66 and 68 extend from
opposing upper edges of the rear frame 24. The sidearms 66 and 68 are
attached to the side edge members 30 and 32 respectively by side arm
hinges 70. An aperture 72 is located at the free end of each side arm 66, 68.
The aperture 72, shown in Figure 5, includes a smaller portion 76 that is
located above a larger portion 78. Each aperture 72 is sized to receive a
striker post 20 of the vehicle 10 through the larger portion 78. Once the
striker post 20 has passed through the larger portion 78, the sidearm 66, 68
moves downwardly so that the smaller portion 76 of the aperture 72 engages
the striker post 20 thus locking the sidearm 66, 68 to the vehicle 10. It is
typically not necessary to use force to pull the sidearms 66, 68 down, they
generally move into the securing position without any urging due on their own
weight.
The sidearms 66, 68 are movable from the deployed position of
Figures 1 and 2 into abutment with the rear frame 24 prior to being moved to
the parcel loading position of Figure 3. The sidearms 66, 68 are secured
against the rear frame 24 by hook and loop fasteners (not shown).
Referring again to Figure 2, the tailgate bed extender 22 further
includes two side panels, 80 and 82, which are attached to sidearms 66 and
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68 respectively. Each side panel 80, 82, shown in Figure 4, is comprised of a
piece of netting 84 with two side surges 86 that are folded around and sewn
to the upwardly extending edges of the netting 84. The side panels 80, 82 are
coupled to the sidearms 66, 68 by loops 88, which are located at the upper
corners of each side panel 80, 82. The loops 88 engage notches 94 of Figure
5 that are formed in the upper edge of the sidearms 66, 68. A third loop 90
couples a first lower edge of each side panel 80, 82 to the adjacent side edge
member 30, 32 of the rear frame 24. A hook 92 couples a second lower edge
of each side panel 80, 82 to the tailgate 16. The hook 92 engages existing
structure of the tailgate 16 adjacent the truck bed 12. The user 25 can locate
the hooks 92 in a suitable location so that the loops 88, 90 and hooks 92
maintain the side panels 80, 82 taut so that items placed in the truck bed 12
are contained. In addition, the taut side panels 80, 82 apply a downward
force on the sidearms 66, 68, which helps to maintain the sidearms 66, 68
locked to the striker posts 20 of the vehicle. The netting 84 is typically
formed
from nylon cord but may be formed from any suitable material. It will be
appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the side panels 80, 82 could
alternatively be comprised of a rigid material.
As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the tailgate bed extender 22
comprises unique two hinge assemblies 100, which are located adjacent
opposite side ends of the rear frame 24 and permit "out of the way" storage of
the tailgate and pivoting of the tailgate 270°. Referring now to
Figures 6 and
7, the hinge assembly 100 is shown in greater detail. The hinge assembly 100
is secured on the tray 40 which is coupled to the inner wall 18 of the
tailgate
16 therethrough.
The hinge assembly 100 generally comprises a housing 102
and a hinge pin 116 which is slideable into a bore 110 of the housing 102.
The housing 102 includes a cylindrical portion 104, through which the bore
110 at least partially extends. Bore 110 has a step 112 formed therein
adjacent an inlet 114 of the bore 110. Flanges 106 extend along the length of
cylindrical portion 104 on either side thereof. Each flange 106 includes two
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slots 108 formed therein for attachment of fasteners (not shown) through the
tray 40 of the tailgate bed extender 22 to the inner wall 18 of the tailgate
16.
The hinge pin 116 preferably includes a longer portion 118 and
a bent shorter portion 120. The bent portion 120 extends at an angle,
typically approximately 90 degrees, to the long portion 118 and is inserted
into
the corresponding aperture 36 of the rear frame 24. A rotation axis is aligned
with the bent portion 120 of the hinge pin 116 and the rear frame 24 is
rotatable thereabout.
A first pair of outwardly extending tabs 122 is provided on the
long portion 118 of the hinge pin 116 and a second pair of outwardly
extending tabs 124 is provided on the bent portion 120 of the hinge pin 116.
The tabs 122, 124 serve to limit the movement of the hinge pin 116 into the
bore 110 and the apertures 36 of the rear frame 24 respectively.
A spring 126 is located inside the bore 110 of the housing 102
and surrounds the long portion 118 of the hinge pin 116. A forward stop 128
and a rear stop 130 are coupled to the ends of the spring 126. The rear stop
130 is also attached to the long portion 118 of the hinge pin 116 near the
free
end thereof, thus securing the spring 126 to the hinge pin 116. The spring
126 biases the hinge pin 116 to a retracted position in which the tabs 122
abut the inlet 114 of the bore 110.
The long portion 118 of the hinge pin 116 is slidable within the
bore 110 so that the rear frame 24, which is coupled to the bent portion 120,
is movable relative to the tray 40. As the hinge pin 116 is pulled out of the
housing 102, the forward stop 128 abuts the step 112 of the bore 110 and the
spring 126 is compressed. This allows the rear frame 24 to be pulled away
from the tray 40, thus moving the rotating axis of the hinge assembly 100
toward the free edge 17 of the tailgate 16. The rear frame 24 can then rotate
over the free edge 17 of the tailgate 16 into the loading position shown in
Figure 3. When the rear frame 24 is rotated upwards from the loading
position, the spring 126 biases the hinge pin 116 to slide back into the bore
110 into a position in which the tabs 122 abut the bore inlet 114. The hinge
assembly 100 with the springs provides the additional feature of acting as a
shock absorber for a shifting load in the truck bed 12.
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Furthermore, the moveable hinges provide for movement of the
lower edge member 28 of the rear frame 24 "out of the way" below or inside
the free edge 17 of the tailgate 16. This avoids the tailgate extender 22
obstructing the free edge 17 of the tailgate 16 and allows free passage of
goods over the tailgate 16 in the usual manner without catching. At the same
time, the hinge assembly 100 allows the tailgate 16 to pivot downwardly
270°
to permit truck bed loading. An additional feature of the spring-loaded hinge
assembly 100 is that the longer portion 118 may be of an extended length to
permit, when the tailgate bed extender 22 is erected, extending the rear frame
24 a few inches to accommodate oversized items.
Figures 8, 9 and 10 show the operation of the tailgate bed
extender 22. In Figure 8, the tailgate bed extender 22 is in the deployed
position. From the deployed position, the user lifts the sidearms 66 and 68
and frees the apertures 72 from the striker posts 20 of the vehicle 10. The
user then folds the sidearms 66, 68 inwardly so that they abut the rear frame
24. This is referred to as a partially deployed position and is shown in
Figure
9. From the partially deployed position, the tailgate bed extender 22 can be
moved into the loading position of Figure 3 or the stored position of Figure
10.
To move the tailgate bed extender 22 into the stored position, the rear frame
24 and sidearms 66, 68 are rotated towards the tray 40 and nested therein.
The lock assembly 52 is engaged and tailgate bed extender 22 is secured in
the stored position.
The tailgate bed extender 22 is fully contained on the tailgate 16
of the vehicle 10. The rear panel 38 presents a flat surface on the tailgate
16
so that the user 25 can rest boxes 27, cargo or other items on the tailgate
bed
extender 22. Since the extender 22 is very lightweight, there is no danger of
damaging the tailgate hinges 170, shown in Figure 10, by overloading the
tailgate 16.
It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the
tailgate bed extender 22 described can be used with any type of vehicle 10
that has a tailgate 16. In addition, in a further embodiment, it is possible
that
the tailgate bed extender 22 be integrated into a tailgate 16 by an Original
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Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). In this embodiment which is shown in
Figure 6, the inner wall 18 of the tailgate 16 may be recessed similar to the
manner in which the tray 40 is recessed, to receive the rear frame 24. The
hinge assembly 100 pivotally couples the rear frame 24 to the inner wall 18 of
the tailgate 16 and the rear frame 24 nests in the recessed portions when the
tailgate bed extender 22 is in the stored position. Alternatively, it is
appreciated that the tailgate bed extender 22 could have the hinge
assemblies 100 of the extender 22 mounted directly on the inner wall 18 of
existing tailgate designs and function equally well.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have
been described, those of skill in the art will appreciate that variations and
modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope
thereof as defined by the appended claims.
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