# US 9,751,469 B1 · Tonneau trunk

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- Number: US 9,751,469 B1
- Document ID: US9751469B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 15/397,916
- Filed: 2017-01-04
- Published: 2017-08-17
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2016-02-17
- Applicants: Nicholas J. Singer
- Inventors: Nicholas J. Singer
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9751469B1

## CPC

- B60R 9/065: {Enclosure-type carriers, e.g. trunks}
- B60J 7/1621: {hinged on one side}
- B60P 1/6427: {the load-transporting element being shifted horizontally in a fore and aft direction, combined or not with a vertical displacement}
- B60P 3/42: convertible from one use to a different one (vehicles capable of travelling in or on different media, rail-and-road vehicles B60F)
- B60R 11/06: for tools or spare parts (for vehicle roof parts B60J7/20; for spare wheels B62D)
- B62D 33/023: Sideboard or tailgate structures {(vehicle side panels in general B62D25/02)}
- B62D 33/03: by swinging down {(B62D33/0273 takes precedence)}
- B60R 9/06: at vehicle front or rear {(rear luggage compartments within vehicle extensible externally of the vehicle body B60R5/041)}
- B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60J: WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES (fastening, suspending, closing, or opening of such devices E05)
- B60P: VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS (vehicles with special provisions for transporting patients or disabled persons, or their personal conveyances A61G3/00)
- B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M)

## Abstract

A trunk for a bed of a truck is disclosed wherein the trunk provides an isolated enclosed space in an area of the truck bed. The trunk is configurable into different configurations and traversable between front and back positions in order to make best use of the bed of the truck. Moreover, the trunk may be configured and traversed easily so that one without great strength may still manipulate the trunk to make full use of the truck bed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A truck with a truck bed convertible into a trunk, the truck comprising:
the truck bed defining a front wall, a passenger side sidewall, a driver side sidewall and a tailgate pivotable between an opened position and a closed position;
a tonneau cover attached to the truck bed, the tonneau cover traversable between an opened position and a closed position;
a container slidably disposed within the bed so that the container is slidable along a length of the bed and securable in at least two different positions, the container having a rear wall with an opening having an open top and a panel selectively positionable over the opening of the rear wall, a floor of the container being immediately adjacent to a floor of the truck bed, a first position of the container being where a front wall of the container is immediately adjacent to the front wall of the truck bed so that a full length of the truck bed is utilized when the panel is removed from the opening of the rear wall of the container.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The truck of claim 1 wherein the container defines an upper edge which is disposed lower than a lower edge of the tonneau cover.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The truck of claim 1 wherein the container defines an upper edge below a lower edge of the tonneau cover.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The truck of claim 1 wherein the container has stepped side walls to accommodate wheel wells protruding into the truck bed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The truck of claim 1 wherein the container has first and second sets of slots, the first set of slots formed in between the front wall of the container and the rear wall, the second set of slots formed near the rear wall to hold the panel for closing the opening of the rear wall.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The truck of claim 1 wherein the tonneau cover extends from the front wall to the tailgate to cover the entire truck bed.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The trunk of claim 1 further comprising:
a driver side rail attached to the driver side sidewall;
a passenger side rail attached to the passenger side sidewall;
wherein the container is attached to the truck bed via the rails.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The truck of claim 1 wherein the container is fabricated from a rigid material, resilient material or combinations thereof.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The truck of claim 7 wherein opposed sides of the container are received into the driver side and passenger side rails.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The truck of claim 1 wherein the tonneau cover pivots up to the opened position and down to the closed position, rolls up to the opened position and rolls out to the closed position, or flips back to the opened position and flips out to the closed position.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The truck of claim 7 wherein the driver side rail and the passenger side rail are attached to an interior side of the driver side sidewall and the passenger side sidewall.

### Claim 12

A trunk for a truck bed, the trunk comprising:
a first side rail attached to and extending horizontally along the truck bed;
a second rail attached to and extending horizontally along the truck bed, the first and second rails being parallel to each other;
a container slidably attached to the first and second rails so that the container is slidable along a length of the bed and securable in at least two different positions, the container having a rear wall with an opening having an open top and a panel selectively positionable over the opening of the rear wall, a floor of the container being immediately adjacent to a floor of the truck bed, a first position of the container being where a front wall of the container is immediately adjacent to the front wall of the truck bed so that a flail length of the truck bed is utilized when the panel is removed from the opening of the rear wall of the container;
wherein the container forms an enclosure with a tonneau cover providing a top wall, the tonneau cover traversable between a deployed configuration and an opened position.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The trunk of claim 12 wherein the container is vertically telescoping so that the container is slidable in front of or behind wheel wells with the container vertically collapsed.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The trunk of claim 12 wherein the panel is attachable to the a back side of the container when the container is traversed to a second position to form a back wall of the container, the second position being where the panel and the back side of the container is immediately adjacent to tailgate of the truck bed.

### Claim 15

A method of reconfiguring a trunk attached to a bed of a truck, the method comprising the steps of:
unlocking the trunk so that the trunk is operative to be horizontally slid to first or second positions, a tailgate of the truck bed forming a part of an enclosed space of the trunk when the trunk is in the first position, the trunk being closer to a cab of the track when the trunk is in the second position;
sliding the trunk to the second position;
locking the trunk to the second position;
traversing a cover of the trunk to an open position so that a full length of the truck bed is available for use.