# US 12,759,454 B2 · Truck bed hauling securing system for loads hanging over the tailgate

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- Number: US 12,759,454 B2
- Document ID: US12759454B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/890,135
- Filed: 2022-08-17
- Published: 2024-02-22
- Granted: 2026-10-13
- Earliest claimed: 2022-08-17
- Assignees: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.; Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
- Inventors: Thomas S. Hawley
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12759454B2

## CPC

- B60P 7/135: Securing or supporting by load bracing means
- B60P 3/40: for carrying long loads, e.g. with separate wheeled load supporting elements ({E04G21/14 takes precedence}; signal devices to be attached to overhanging load B60Q7/02)
- B60P 7/0892: {by preventing lateral movement of the load, e.g. using stop blocks}
- B60P: VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS (vehicles with special provisions for transporting patients or disabled persons, or their personal conveyances A61G3/00)

## Abstract

A tailgate support system enables drivers and passengers to secure their cargo via their vehicle tailgate and bed of the vehicle. When hauling lumber or long objects they sit in the bed with some overhang out the bed above the tailgate. During turning or hitting bumps the load can sometimes move and fall out. Incorporating features into the bed and/or the tailgate can improve securing large loads in the bed of a truck by providing a vertical support to prevent it from tipping over and a lateral support to prevent it from sliding out from the sides. The tailgate support system for attaching to a tailgate of a vehicle where the tailgate has a top surface. The tailgate support system may include a plurality of dividers and a plurality of apertures disposed along the top surface of the tailgate and configured to receive the plurality of dividers.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A tailgate support system comprising:
a tailgate having a top surface and configured to be attached to a rear end of a truck bed;
a plurality of apertures disposed along the top surface and extending into the tailgate; and
a plurality of dividers including a first divider, a second divider, a third divider, and a fourth divider and configured to be positioned within the plurality of apertures, each of the plurality of dividers having a stored position when inside the tailgate and an extended position when extending above the top surface of the tailgate, and each of the plurality of dividers being configured to be independently locked into place at a desired height above the top surface such that the first divider can be locked at a first height, the second divider can be locked at a second height, the third divider can be locked at a third height, and the fourth divider can be locked at a fourth height,
wherein at least two of the first height, the second height, the third height, and the fourth height are different heights.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The tailgate support system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of dividers extend along a height of the tailgate perpendicular to the top surface of the tailgate when in the stored position.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The tailgate support system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of apertures comprises a first aperture, a second aperture, a third aperture, and a fourth aperture.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The tailgate support system of claim 3, wherein the first divider is movably coupled to the first aperture, the second divider is movably coupled to the second aperture, the third divider is movably coupled to the third aperture, and the fourth divider is movably coupled to the fourth aperture.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The tailgate support system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of dividers are configured to be raised from the plurality of apertures such that the plurality of dividers extends from the top surface of the tailgate and wherein the plurality of dividers are configured to be lowered into the plurality of apertures to be stored within the tailgate.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The tailgate support system of claim 4, further comprising a pop-up mechanism coupled to each of the plurality of dividers and configured to move the plurality of dividers out from the tailgate through the apertures.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The tailgate support system of claim 1, further comprising a first safety attachment configured to couple to the first divider and the second divider such that the first safety attachment extends between the first divider and the second divider and a second safety attachment configured to couple to the third divider and the fourth divider such that the second safety attachment extends between the third divider and the fourth divider.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The tailgate support system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of apertures are evenly spaced across the top surface.

### Claim 9

A rear support system, comprising:
a main bar having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
a first side bar having a first end and a second end, the first end of the first side bar coupled to the first end of the main bar and the second end of the first side bar coupled to a truck bed;
a second side bar having a first end and a second end, the first end of the second side bar coupled to the second end of the main bar and the second end of the second side bar coupled to the truck bed;
at least one secondary bar with a first end rotatably coupled to the main bar and a second end configured to contact a bottom of the truck bed; and
a locking mechanism having a plurality of sets of receivers, each set of receivers including:
a first receiver disposed in or on a first side of the truck bed, and
a second receiver disposed in or on a second side of the truck bed opposite the first side, the first receiver and the second receiver of each set of receivers being positioned to support and retain the first end and the second end of the main bar, respectively, at a selected height relative to the truck bed, each set of receivers corresponds to a different selected height of the main bar relative to the truck bed, and
wherein the selected height corresponds with a size of a load being hauled in the truck bed.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The rear support system of claim 9, wherein the main bar extends across a width of the truck bed.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The rear support system of claim 9, wherein the second ends of the first and second side bars are coupled to the truck bed via hinges such that the second end of the first side bar and the second end of the second side bar are configured as pivot points for the main bar.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The rear support system of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of sets of receivers is defined by apertures configured to receive the first end and the second end of the main bar to retain the main bar at the selected height.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The rear support system of claim 9, wherein the at least one secondary bar is configured to slide along the main bar.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The rear support system of claim 9, wherein the at least one secondary bar is fixed to the main bar.

### Claim 15

A vehicle having a tailgate with a top surface, the vehicle comprising:
a tailgate support system including:
a plurality of apertures disposed along the top surface of the tailgate; and
a plurality of dividers including at least a first divider and a second divider configured to be positioned within the plurality of apertures, each of the plurality of dividers having a stored position when inside the tailgate and an extended position when extending above the top surface of the tailgate, and the first divider and the second divider configured to be independently locked into place at a desired height above the top surface such that the first divider and the second divider are lockable at different heights above the top surface; and
a rear support system including:
a main bar having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the main bar extending across a truck bed;
a first side bar having a first end and a second end, the first end of the first side bar coupled to the first end of the main bar and the second end of the first side bar coupled to the truck bed;
a second side bar having a first end and a second end, the first end of the second side bar coupled to the second end of the main bar and the second end of the second side bar coupled to the truck bed; and
at least one secondary bar with a first end rotatably coupled to the main bar and a second end configured to contact a bottom of the truck bed.

### Claim 16 (depends on 7)

The tailgate support system of claim 7, wherein the first safety attachment extends horizontally at a first height and the second safety attachment extends horizontally at a second height.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The tailgate support system of claim 16, wherein the first horizontal height and the second height are different.

### Claim 18 (depends on 9)

The rear support system of claim 9, wherein the at least one secondary bar is configured to secure a load in the truck bed from shifting laterally.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the rear support system further comprises a locking mechanism comprising a plurality of sets of receivers, each set of receivers including a first receiver disposed in or on a first side of the truck bed and a second receiver disposed in or on a second side of the truck bed opposite the first side, the first receiver and the second receiver of each set of receivers being positioned to support and retain the first end and the second end of the main bar, respectively, at a selected height relative to the truck bed, each set of receivers corresponding to a different selected height of the main bar relative to the truck bed.