Extendable truck bed
OwnerAlice Parrishinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The extendable truck bed comprises and extension bed floor and extensible side panels that allow the cargo bed of a pickup truck to be expanded so as to provide an increased cargo capacity. The extendable truck bed moves from a ‘nominal bed length’ position to an ‘extended bed length’ position under control of one or more operator controls that may be located in the cab of the truck. In the ‘nominal bed length’ position the extension bed floor is located beneath the truck bed floor and the extensible panels are located in a left side panel pocket and a right side panel pocket in the side walls of the truck bed. A left side motor and right side motor drive a left side flexible linkage and a right side flexible linkage to move the extension bed floor and extensible side panels to the ‘extended bed length’ position.
Claims15
An extendable truck bed comprising:
- an extension bed floor, plurality of extension bed sliding rails, plurality of extension bed rail guides, a plurality of left side extension panels, a plurality of right side extension panels, a left side panel pocket, a right side panel pocket, a tailgate, and one or more operator controls;
- wherein the extendable truck bed provides increased storage space in a truck bed of a pickup truck by moving the tailgate from a nominal bed length position to an extended bed length position;
- wherein in the extended bed length position, the tailgate is farther away from a cab of the pickup truck than it is in the nominal bed length position;
- wherein the plurality of left side extension panels and the plurality of right side extension panels telescope out of the left side panel pocket and the right side panel pocket, respectively, to extend the sides of the truck bed when the tailgate is in the extended bed length position;
- wherein the extension bed floor slides out from under a truck bed floor to extend the truck bed floor when the tailgate is in the extended bed length position;
- wherein the plurality of extension bed sliding rails are oriented to run from front to back;
- wherein the plurality of extension bed sliding rails are slidably coupled to the plurality of extension bed rail guides;
- wherein the plurality of extension bed rail guides are coupled to a frame of the pickup truck;
- wherein as the tailgate transitions from the nominal bed length position to the extended bed length position, or vice versa, the plurality of extension bed sliding rails slide out of or into the plurality of extension bed rail guides and allow the extension bed floor to move relative to the truck bed floor;
- wherein a left extension arm and a right extension arm each comprise an ‘L’-shaped member;
- wherein a long leg of the ‘L’-shaped member is oriented horizontally from front to back;
- wherein a short leg of the ‘L’-shaped member is oriented to extend upward from the back end of the long leg;
- wherein the left extension arm and the right extension arm are located on the left and right side of the truck bed floor, respectively;
- wherein a left tailgate hinge is pivotally coupled to the left extension arm;
- wherein a right tailgate hinge is pivotally coupled to the right extension arm;
- wherein the left extension arm and the right extension arm therefore support the tailgate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.