Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TRUCK STORAGE BOX
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a storage box for mounting on a truck,
and more particularly relates to a storage box including steps thereon for
access to a
rear deck of a highway truck tractor.
BACKGRQUND
On large vehicles, for example highway truck tractors, steps are
commonly provided to give the user access to the cabin or to the rear deck of
the
vehicle. Furthermore it is common to provide the steps in the form of a step
box
including a storage compartment therein for the user to store tools and the
like as
desired.
US patents 5,340,191 to Brady, 5,593,167 to Barnhardt et al., 4,074,788
to Joubert and 6,971,057 to King et al. disclose various examples of storage
compartments in association with access steps on large vehicles. None of the
prior art
however is arranged to provide ergonomically positioned steps relative to one
another
which are aligned and supported on a box for mounting as an accessory onto a
highway truck tractor to provide access to the rear deck while taking
advantage of
maximum storage. In addition to a lack or ergonomically posi#ioned steps in
the prior
art, the access opening in the prior art is typically limited in size and
requires an
awkward lid which is unhinged or which pivots in an obstructive manner
relative to the
access opening.
A commonly manufactured design of step or storage boxes involves a
multi-step box in which access to the hollow interior is provided by a door
panel
mounted between an adjacent pair of the steps. In this manner the steps must
be
awkwardly positioned to maximize the size of the access opening, or
alternatively the
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size is limited when the steps are more closely placed to one another in a
more
consistent ergonomic pattern. Various manufactures of such prior art step
boxes in
which the door panels are mounted between adjacent steps include Highway
Products Inc. of White City, Oregon; Ace Manufacturing Inc of Saskatoon,
Canada;
Magnum Trailer and Equipment 1nc, of Abbotsford, Canada; Ali Arc Industries of
Winnipeg, Canada; Wood's Logging Supply Inc. of Longview, Washington; Merritt
Equipment Company of Henderson, Colorado; Taylor Wings Inc. of Rancho Cordova,
California; Alum-Line Inc. of Cresco, Iowa; Pro-Tech Industries of Vancouver,
Washington; and Aero Industries Inc. of Indianapolis, Indiana. Each of the
designs of
storage and step boxes of the above noted manufactures however includes the
limitations noted above of awkward step placement and limited access opening.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a storage box
for mounting on a truck, the storage box comprising:
a main body including a bottom wall, a rear wall, and side walls
surrounding a hollow interior of the body and a front opening opposi#e the
rear wall for
providing access to the hollow interior of the body;
a front door panel pivotally supported on the main body for movement
between a closed position spanning the front opening and an open position in
which
the front opening is substantially unrestricted;
a lower step supported below the front opening;
a middle step supported on the front door panel for movement with the
door panel between the open position and the closed position, the middle step
being
positioned above the knver step in alignment therewith in the closed position
of the
front door panel; and
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an upper step supported above the middle step in alignment with the
lower and middle steps in the closed position of the front door panel.
By mounting a middle step on a door pivotally supported on a storage
box with one step thereabove and one step therebelow, an ergonomic spacing of
the
steps can be realised while further permitting the access opening into the
interior
storage to be maximized unlike any of the prior art noted above. In particular
supporting the lower step below the front opening on the main box increases
the
flexibility of use as an awkwardly sized door spanning the full front of the
box as
described in US 6,340,191 to Brady noted above is not required.
Typically, the storage box is mounted on a highway truck tractor having
a chassis supporting a rear deck thereon in which the main body is supported
on the
chassis at one side of the truck adjacent the rear deck.
Preferably both the upper step and the lower step are fixedly mounted
on the main body.
The front door panel is preferably pivotally supported on the main body
for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis at a bottom end of the front door
panel.
The middle step may thus engage the lower step and support the door panel
thereon
in the open position. The horizontal axis is preferably substantially centered
in a
vertical direction between the lower step and the middle step in the closed
position of
the front door panel. The lid may accordingly be pivotal through approximately
180
degrees from the closed position to the open position.
The middle step is preferably centered in both a horizontal direction and
a vertical direction between the lower step and the upper step in the closed
position of
the front door panel for optimum ergonomic placing of the steps relative to
one
another.
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The front door panel may include an upper front wall portion which fully
spans upwardly and rearwardly from the middle step to the upper step in the
closed
position of the front door panel.
The front door panel may also include a lower front wall portion
extending downwardly and forwardly from the middle step towards the lower step
in
the closed position of the front door panel.
More particularly, the front door panel may comprise:
a bottom end pivotally supported on the main body about a horizontal
axis above the lower step;
a lower front wall portion extending from the boitom end of the door
panel to the middle step which is positioned upwardly and rearwardly from the
bottom
end of the front door panel in the closed position of the front door panel;
and
an upper front wall portion extending from the middle step to a top end
of the front door panel which is positioned upwardly and rearwardly from the
middle
step in the closed position of the front door panel.
Some embodiments of the invention will now be described in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the storage box;
Figure 2 is a sectional side elevational view of the storage box according
to Figure 1 with the front door panel shown in the closed position;
Figure 3 is a schemafic sectional view of the storage box of Figure 1
with the front door panel shown in an open position;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the storage box according to Figure 1
in the open position;
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Figure 5, Figure 6 and Figure 7 are respective side elevational, top plan
and front elevation views of the storage box according to Figure 1 in the open
position;
Figure 8 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the storage
5 box;
Figure 9, Figure 10 and Figure 11 are respective side elevational, top
plan and front elevational views of the storage box according to Figure 8; and
Figure 12 is a sectional view along the line 12-12 of Figure 11.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTI4N
Referring to the accompanying figures there is illustrated a storage box
generally indicated by reference numeral 10. The box 10 is particularly suited
for a
highway truck tractor of the type having a chassis supported on wheels for
rolling
movement in a forward working direction. The storage box 10 is mounted at its
rear
end 12 to the side of the chassis of the truck for access to a rear deck of
the truck.
The front end 14 of the storage box thus faces laterally outwardly from the
truck.
Though various embodiments are shown in the accompanying figures, the common
features of the storage box 10 will first be described herein.
The box 10 includes a main body which is generally rectangular in
shape. The body includes a rear wall 16 at the rear end which is rectangular
and
verticaliy oriented to span a full height and a full width at the rear of the
storage box. A
bottom wall 18 is provided which is also rectangular but is horizontally
oriented to
extend fully from the rear end 12 to the front end 14 so as to join with the
rear wall 16
at the rear end.
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a
The main body also includes a pair of side walls 20 which are parallel to
one another and spaced apart by the full width of the box. The side walls are
vertically
oriented and perpendicular to the bottom and rear walls to which they are
joined to.
The main body further includes a fixed front wall 22 which is also vertical
and
rectangular but extends upwardly from the bottom wall 18 at the front end 14
of the
box only approximately one quarter a height of the rear wall 16. The side
walls 20
extend from the rear wall forwardly beyond the front wall to respective step
mounting
portions 20A which support a lower step 24 spanning therebetween. The lower
step
24 extends horizontally a full width of the storage box at the front end 14
thereof so as
to be fixed in relation to the walls of the main body at the bottom end of the
box.
The main body also includes a top wall 26 which is rectangular in shape
and which spans horizontally from the rear wall 16 at the top end thereof
forwardly to
a free edge which is approximately only a third along the length of the bottom
wall 18
in the horizontal direction. The top wall 26 spans the full width of the
storage box 10
and supports an upper step 28 fixedly mounted thereon. The upper step 28 fully
spans the length and width of the top wall 26 of the storage box and is
similarly
horizontally oriented.
The main body includes a hollow interior 30 for storage of various items
therein as desired by the user. The hollow interior is defined by the
surrounding walls
of the main body and is accessed through an access opening 32 formed at the
front
end 14 of the storage box. The access opening 32 spans from the top end of the
fixed
front wall 22 to the front edge of the top wall 26 at the top end of the box.
A front door pane134 is provided for spanning the access opening 32 in
a closed position thereof to selectively fully enclose the hollow interior 30
of the
storage box. The front door panel 34 is pivotally supported on the main body
for
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pivotal movement from the closed to an open position in which the access
opening is
substantially unobstructed by the front door panel 34.
A set of leaf hinges 36 are mounted at horizontally spaced positions
along the top edge of the fixed front wall 22 forming the bottom peripheral
edge of the
access opening 32. The leaf hinges 36 pivotally support the front door panel
34 on the
main body of the storage box for pivotal movement about a common horizontal
pivot
axis of the hinges which spans laterally between the opposing side walls 20 of
the
storage box.
The front door panel 34 is accordingly pivotally mounted at its bottom
end 38 at the top of the fixed front wall 22 below the access opening 32. The
panel
includes a lower front wall portion 40 which extends upwardly and rearwardly
at an
incline from the bottom end 38 to a middle step portion 42 of the panel. The
middle
step portion 42 is substantially horizontally oriented and extends rearwardly
from the
lower front wall portion 40 to an upper front wall portion 44 positioned
rearwardly
therefrom. The middle step portion 42 mounts a middle step 45 thereon having a
similarly dimensioned tread surface as the upper and lower steps fixedly
supported on
the main body of the storage box. Accordingly the middle step 45 also spans a
full
width of the storage box.
The upper front wall portion 44 extends upwardly at a slight rearvvard
incline from the rear of the middle step portion 42 of the panel, and the
middle step 45
supported thereon, to the top end 46 of the panel. The top end 46 of the front
door
panel terminates at the front edge of the upper step 28 at the top end of the
storage
box so that the top end 46 is positioned upwardly and rearwardly in relation
to the
middle step.
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In this configuration the middle step 45 is coupled to the front door panel
34 for movement therewith between the open and closed positions. In the closed
position, the door panel 34 resultingly includes front wall portions which
extend both
upwardly and rearwardly from the middle step 45 and downwardly and forwardly
from
the middle step 45 so as to maximize the size of the front door panel 34 and
accordingly maximize the possible size of the access opening 32 in the front
end of
the storage box.
The side walls 20 forming the main body of the storage box include
respective upper edges 48 which have a contour following the front door panel
34 in
the closed posi#ion thereof.
Each of the steps 24, 28 and 45 include a tread surface 49 comprising a
horizontal plate member having gripping apertures formed therein. The tread
surface
49 is spaced slightly above the portion of the front door panel or main body
upon
which the step is mounted by respective vertical depending flanges along both
front
and rear sides of each tread surface 49. The depending flanges provide
strength to
the tread surface 49.
The middle step 42 is positioned on the front door panel so that an
upper tread surface of the middle step is positioned both vertically and
horizontally
centered between the upper tread surfaces of the upper and lower steps. This
ergonomic positioning of the steps is achieved due to the placement of a
middle step
on the front door panel with the upper and lower steps positioned above and
below
the front access opening 32 respectively.
The upper front wall portion 44 substantially fully spans between the
middle step and the upper step to maximize the access opening towards the top
end
of the storage box. The lower front wall portion 40 extends forwardly and
downwardly
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approximately only halfway in the vertical direction to the lower step from
the middle
step so that the hinge axis at the bottom end 38 of the front door panel is
approximately vertically centered between the upper tread surface of the lower
step
and the middle step. By centrally locating the hinges' axis between the lower
and
middle steps, when the front door panel is pivoted forwardly and downwardly
from the
closed position towards the fully opened position, the middle step engages the
lower
step and rests the front door panel upon the lower step once the front door
panel has
been pivoted through approximately 180 degrees between the closed and open
positions.
The access opening 32 indudes a peripheral lip 50 which surrounds the
opening and projects outwardly and forwardly from a plane of the opening. The
front
door panel has a corresponding depending peripheral flange 52 which is
suitably
arranged for overlapping the peripheral lip of the opening about a full
exterior of the
opening in the closed position of the front door panel to provide some
protection to the
hollow interior from the elements.
The front door panel further includes an integral latch member 54 which
restricts-access to the interior of the storage box by unauthorized persons.
The latch
54 is formed,in the upper front wall portion 44 for selectively engaging a
latch beneath
the lip on the opening at the upper edge adjacent the upper step. The integral
latch 54
includes a conventional keyed locking mechanism.
With reference now more particularly to Figures 1 through 7, a first
embodiment of the storage box is illustrated in which the width of the box
between the
opposing side walls is approximately twelve inches so that the resulting
storage box is
longer from front to rear than in a lateral direction between the opposed side
walls. In
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this instance two leaf hinges 36 are provided spaced apart from one another,
adjacent
opposing sides of the storage box.
AI#ematively, as shown in Figures 8 through 12, the storage box may be
much wider, in the order of three feet wide between the opposing side walls so
that
5 the resulting storage box is wider in the lateral direction between the
opposing side
walls than it is between the front and rear ends of the box. In this instance,
three leaf
hinges 36 are provided at evenly spaced posiitions along the horizontal pivot
axis of
the front door panel.
As described herein the storage box 10 is particularly advantageous as
10 compared to known designs of storage boxes and step boxes for trucks in
that the
positioning of a middle step on a front door panel between upper and lower
steps
permits the steps to be placed ergonomically at a uniform stride when either
ascending or descending the steps to the rear deck of the truck. This greatly
improves
operator safety, as well as comfort and convenience, since the operator may
stride
more confidently with the expectation of a natural tread position. The
configuration of
the front door panel also permits a wide throat access opening into the
storage
compartment within the hollow interior of the box. This is accomplished by
positioning
the hinges below the middle step, thereby placing the middle step on the front
door
panel rather than on the main body. When the front door panel is opened, the
middle
step is resultingly positioned so as to be inverted above the lower step to
support the
door in an out-of-the-way position below the access opening. The large access
opening is thus unobstructed and a convenient access path is provided since
the door
drops out-of-the-way of the user. The storage box as described herein is also
particularly advantageous in that the steps forming the tread surfaces are
welded onto
the main body by hidden plug welds to improve the appearance of the product
and
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improve the durability. Stainless steel leaf hinges are provided to support
the front
door panel on the main body rather than typical piano hinges to offer
customers
superior long term reliability.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein
above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made
within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit
and
scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying
specification shall
be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
