Interior deck system for a trailer or other storage container
AssigneeWabash National, L.P.
InventorsDanny L. Gilbert, James B. Brown, Todd Blaising
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An interior deck system of a trailer includes a side rail configured to be coupled to an inner surface of a sidewall of the trailer and a panel coupled to the side rail. The panel is movable between a generally vertical, stowed position and a generally horizontal, use position. The interior deck system further includes a hinge assembly including a hinge butt coupled to the side rail and a hinge strap coupled to the panel.
Claims19
An interior deck system positioned within an interior storage area of a trailer comprising:
- a side rail configured to be coupled to an inner surface of a sidewall of the trailer;
- and
- first and second panels each hingedly coupled to the side rail,
- wherein each of the first and second panels is movable between a generally vertical, stowed position and a generally horizontal, use position,
- wherein the first and second panels each include first and second side edges such that the first side edge of the first panel is adjacent to and engaged with the second side edge of the second panel to define a generally continuous upper surface of the interior deck system when the first and second panels are each in the generally horizontal, use position, and
- wherein the first side edge of the first panel includes a first cut-out portion formed therein to define an aperture between the first and second panels when the first and second panels are positioned parallel and adjacent each other in order to allow a user to grab ahold of either the first side edge of the first panel or the second side edge of the second panel.
An interior deck system positioned within an interior storage area of a trailer comprising:
- a side rail configured to be coupled to an inner surface of a sidewall of the trailer;
- a panel coupled to the side rail, the panel being movable between a generally vertical, stowed position and a generally horizontal, use position;
- a hinge assembly coupled to the panel and the side rail in order to allow the panel to pivot about a pivot axis between the stowed and use positions;
- and
- a vertical channel between an innermost surface of the side rail and the pivot axis to allow debris which may accumulate on a top surface of the panel when the panel is in the use position to fall through the channel to a location below the side rail when then panel is in the stowed position.
An interior deck system positioned within an interior storage area of a trailer comprising:
- a side rail configured to be coupled to an inner surface of a sidewall of the trailer;
- a panel coupled to the side rail, the panel being movable between a generally vertical, stowed position and a generally horizontal, use position;
- and
- a hinge assembly including a hinge butt portion coupled to the side rail and a hinge strap portion coupled to the panel, wherein the hinge assembly defines a pivot axis about which the panel is pivoted between the stowed and use positions, and wherein the pivot axis is positioned below a bottom surface of the panel when the panel is in the use position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.