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US 6,494,520 B2Granted
Vehicle tailgate limiter system
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsDavid John Brzenchek, Gregory Francis Kuhn, Neal David Lipman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle tailgate limiter system for a vehicle includes a cargo bed, a tailgate pivotally attached to the cargo bed operable between a closed vertical position and a deployed horizontal position, a fixed pin having a head portion and a base portion, and a slotted bracket having a middle portion and end portions adapted to receive the pin when the tailgate is in the deployed position.
Claims14
A vehicle tailgate limiter system for a vehicle comprising:
- a cargo bed;
- a tailgate pivotally attached to the cargo bed operable between a closed vertical position and a deployed horizontal position;
- a fixed pin, fixed to one of the tailgate and the cargo bed, having a longitudinal axis, a head portion, and a base portion;
- a slotted bracket, fixed to the other of the tailgate and the cargo bed, having a middle portion and end portions adapted to receive the pin when the tailgate is in the deployed horizontal position;
- and
- wherein the longitudinal axis of the fixed pin is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, thereby limiting lateral movement of the tailgate when in the deployed horizontal position.
3 more elements
A vehicle tailgate limiter system for a vehicle comprising:
- a cargo bed;
- a tailgate pivotally attached to the cargo bed operable between a closed vertical position and a deployed horizontal position;
- a fixed pin, fixed to one of the tailgate and the cargo bed, having a head portion and a base portion;
- a slotted bracket, fixed to the other of the tailgate and the cargo bed, having a middle portion and end portions adapted to receive the pin when the tailgate is in the deployed horizontal position;
- a removable bed extender engaging at least the cargo bed;
- and
- wherein pivoting the tailgate into the deployed horizontal position brings the fixed pin to rest in a notch in the slotted bracket's middle portion, thereby limiting lateral movement of the tailgate when in the deployed horizontal position.
4 more elements
A vehicle tailgate limiter system for a vehicle comprising:
- a cargo bed;
- a tailgate pivotally attached to the cargo bed operable between a closed vertical position and a deployed horizontal position;
- a fixed pin, fixed to one of the tailgate and the cargo bed, having a longitudinal axis, a head portion, and a base portion carried by the bed;
- a slotted bracket, fixed to the other of the tailgate and the cargo bed, having a middle portion and end portions carried by the tailgate adapted to receive the pin when the tailgate is in the deployed horizontal position;
- a removable bed extender engaging at least the cargo bed;
- and
- wherein the longitudinal axis of the fixed pin is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and pivoting of the tailgate into the deployed horizontal position brings the fixed pin to rest in a notch in the slotted bracket's middle portion, thereby limiting lateral movement of the tailgate when in the deployed horizontal position.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.