Truck cab bridge-bed

#The present invention relates generally to beds in truck cabs, and more particularly to beds that bridge separated front seats of a truck cab.

#Truck drivers frequently wait long hours in their trucks for the truck to be loaded or unloaded. For trucks with back bench seats, sleeping quarters or compartments with beds or cots, the driver can comfortably rest while waiting for the loading/unloading of the truck. An example of such a bed is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,631 issued to Bretz.

#In smaller truck cabs that do not have a back seat or sleeping compartment, however, the driver has no choice but to stay in the front driver's seat or front passenger seat if the driver desires to wait in his truck. Frequently, the passenger and driver seats in a truck are split bucket-type seats instead of a single bench seat. These split seats are typically separated by a gap to accommodate a gear shift. With this configuration, a driver has no choice but to remain in the seated position. However, it is difficult to rest or sleep in this position. In addition, the seated position may require the driver to maintain his limbs in positions which cause stiffness or aching. The driver cannot recline on the split front seats because it is difficult and uncomfortable for a person to recline by balancing over the two seats.

#The above mentioned and other features of the present invention and the manner of obtaining them will be apparent, and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following description of the preferred embodiment of the invention in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a truck cab showing the bed of the present invention placed on seats of the truck cab;

#FIG. 2 is a top view of the bed in accordance with the present invention;

#Referring to FIG. 1, a bed 10 is disposed in a vehicle, such as a truck cab 12 of a truck so that a driver 14 can recline on the bed to sleep, rest or stretch his limbs on the front seats of the truck cab 12 while waiting for the truck to be loaded or unloaded. The front seats include a passenger seat 16 separated from a driver's seat 18 by a gap 20. A gear shift 22 is typically disposed between the seats 16, 18.

#The bed 10 provides support for a driver's back so that the driver can comfortably rest his head on a raised portion 16a of the passenger seat 16, while resting his feet on the driver's seat 18 (or vis-à-vis). The bed 10 is easy to place on the seats 16, 18 as well as easy to remove from the seats. The bed 10 can also be positioned to avoid the gear shift 22.

#Referring to FIGS. 2-4, the preferred configuration for the bed 10 has a body 24 composed of a plurality of rods 26 disposed in a flexible platform 32 made of a material such as a fabric. The flexible platform 32 has two layers 28, 30 that are sewn together to enclose the rods 26 in generally parallel relation to each other. The rods 26 act as beams to form a bridge from seat to seat (i.e. span the gap between the seats 16, 18) while the layers 28, 30 indirectly attach the rods 26 to each other, provide the actual surface 34 that a driver 14 reclines upon and provides flexibility to instantly change an outer width (shown in FIG. 3) of the flexible platform 32.