Pivoting panel assembly
AssigneeTextron Inc.
InventorSteven W. Houston
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In various embodiments of the present disclosure, a cargo bed pivoting panel assembly is provided. The assembly includes a panel having a pair of studs extending from corresponding opposing ends of the panel adjacent a bottom of the panel. The assembly additionally includes a main body having a first deck portion and a pair of opposing sidewalls extending substantially perpendicular from the first deck portion. Each sidewall includes an elongated receptacle for receiving, and slideably and pivotally retaining, a respective one of the studs. Accordingly, the panel can be moved between a stowed position and a deployed position by sliding the studs between first ends of the elongated receptacles and second ends of the elongated receptacles while simultaneously rotating the panel about a centerline of studs.
Claims16
A cargo bed pivoting panel assembly comprising:
- a pair of opposing cargo bed sidewalls, each sidewall including an elongated receptacle;
- and
- a panel positioned between the opposing sidewalls, the panel including a pair of opposing posts extending from opposing ends of the panel, each post slideably and pivotally retainable within a respective elongated receptacle, wherein the opposing sidewalls are substantially planarly parallel and structured to flex slightly to allow insertion of the opposing posts into the respective elongated receptacles when the panel diagonally positioned between the sidewalls.
A cargo bed transitional pivoting panel assembly, said assembly comprising:
- a panel including a pair of studs, each stud extending from a corresponding one of opposing ends of the panel adjacent a bottom of the panel;
- and
- a main body including a first deck portion and a pair of opposing sidewalls extending substantially perpendicular from the first deck portion, each sidewall including an elongated receptacle for receiving, and slideably and pivotally retaining, a respective one of the studs such that the panel can be moved between a stowed position and a deployed position by sliding the studs between first ends of the elongated receptacles and second ends of the elongated receptacles while simultaneously rotating the panel about a centerline of studs, wherein the opposing sidewalls are substantially planarly parallel and structured to flex slightly to allow insertion of the opposing posts into the respective elongated receptacles when the panel is diagonally positioned between the sidewalls.
The assembly of claim of 7, wherein each elongated receptacle is formed within the respective sidewall to have a linear decline from the first end to the second end.
A method for rotatably transitioning a cargo bed panel from a stowed position to a deployed position, said method comprising:
- inserting a pair of opposing posts extending from opposing ends of a panel and adjacent a bottom of the panel into a pair of opposing elongated receptacles within a pair of opposing cargo bed sidewalls extending substantially perpendicularly from a cargo bed first deck portion by slightly flexing at least one of the sidewalls to allow insertion of the opposing posts into the respective elongated receptacles when the panel is diagonally positioned between the sidewalls such that the panel is in a stowed position with each post located at a first end of each elongated receptacle and at least a portion of the panel resting on top of the first deck portion;
- sliding the posts from the first ends of the elongated receptacles to second ends of the elongated receptacle;
- and
- simultaneously rotating the posts about a centerline of the post, thereby flipping the panel over such that the panel is in a deployed position wherein the bottom mates with an edge of the first deck portion and the panel extends from the first deck portion to form a deck.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.