Convertible beverage body for delivery truck or trailer
AssigneeThe Coca-Cola Company
InventorGerald G. Day
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A beverage body for a delivery truck or trailer that is convertible between being arranged for use in side loading at ground level or rear loading at dock height. The body includes: (a) hinged bulkheads separating the side loading bays that swing out against the roll-up doors on the vehicle sidewalls to provide a completely open interior for rear loading, (b) hinged bay back panels that form the backs of the bays during side loading and that swing down to form a flat upper floor at the floor level of the wheel housing bay for receiving carts and pallets, (c) a longitudinal support beam located entirely below the wheel housing bay floor, and (d) a rear door.
Claims14
A method for converting a beverage body for a delivery vehicle from side loading to rear loading comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a beverage body having a pair of parallel sidewalls, a rear wall, a plurality of left and right bays, a separate roll-up side door in said sidewalls for providing access into each one of said bays, a pair of transverse bulkheads forming the interior sidewalls of each of said bays, and a substantially vertical bay back panel forming the back wall of each bay;
- (b) providing said body with a rear door in said rear wall for rear loading;
- (c) providing said body with a wheel housing bay having a wheel housing bay floor;
- (d) providing said body with a longitudinal support beam extending the length of said body, and locating said beam completely beneath said wheel housing bay floor;
- (e) moving said bulkheads for selected ones of said bays from their transverse positions, to a position adjacent to and substantially parallel to one of said sidewalls;
- and
- (f) moving said bay back panels for said selected ones of said bays, down to form a floor level with said wheel housing bay floor to provide a completely open body interior having a flat floor in the area of said selected bays.
A convertible beverage body for a delivery vehicle comprising:
- (a) a beverage body having a pair of parallel sidewalls, a rear wall, a plurality of left and right bays, a separate roll-up side door in said sidewall for providing access into each one of said bays, a transverse bulkhead for forming each interior sidewall of each bay, and a substantially vertical bay back panel forming the back wall of a majority of said bays, a rear door providing access into said body through said rear wall, and a wheel housing with a wheel housing bay thereabove and having a wheel housing bay floor;
- (b) a longitudinal support beam extending the length of said body along the center thereof, said beam being located entirely beneath the level of said wheel housing bay floor;
- (c) means for moving selected ones of said bulkheads for said bays from their transverse position, to a position adjacent to and substantially parallel to one of said sidewalls;
- and
- (d) means for moving selected ones of said bay back panels down to a horizontal position level with said wheel housing bay floor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.