Vehicle bed storage rack and bed divider

• US 20070132263A1
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lund Motion Products Inc (Truck Hero, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: 89908 Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 7,464,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/37.600
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 9/00 Supplementary fittings on vehicle exterior for carrying loads, e.g. luggage, sports gear or the like

Abstract

A vehicle bed storage device may include a rotatable beam. The beam is comprised of a pair of aligned tubular members. The beam is rotatable between a first position in which the storage device defines a vehicle bed divider and a second position in which the storage device defines an overhead storage rack. Rotatable joints connect the beam to the vehicle bed and allow the beam to be rotated between stops at the first position and the second position. At least one clamp maintains the aligned orientation of the tubular members of the beam. A sleeve based mounting interface may be applied to the tubular members of the beam to facilitate mounting various objects to the beam. Alternatively, a clamp-based mounting interface may be applied to the beam to facilitate mounting various objects to the beam.

Claims

1. A storage device for a vehicle bed comprising:

a beam forming an overhead storage rack, wherein the beam comprises two aligned tubular members and wherein the beam has a short profile, the short profile being defined by a width of the beam significantly less than a height of a tailgate of the vehicle bed.

2. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the beam has a width of less than twelve inches.

3. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the beam has a width of less than ten inches.

4. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the beam has a width of less than eight inches.

5. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the alignment of the two tubular members is maintained by at least one clamp.

6. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the tubular members are hollow.

7. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the beam comprises a rotatable beam, the rotatable beam configured to be rotated with respect to the vehicle bed between a first position in which the beam forms a divider of the vehicle bed and a second position in which the beam forms an overhead storage rack.

8. The storage device of claim 7, wherein the short profile of the beam is configured such that the beam does not substantially reduce a storage area of the vehicle bed when the beam is in the first position.

9. The storage device of claim 7, wherein each tubular member comprises:

a substantially horizontal segment having a first end and a second end;

a first riser segment having a first end rotatably coupled to a side of the vehicle bed and a second end connected to the first end of the substantially horizontal segment; and

a second riser segment having a first end rotatably coupled to an opposite side of the vehicle bed and a second end connected to the second end of the substantially horizontal segment.

10. The storage device of claim 9, wherein the two tubular members are aligned such that the tubular members are convergent along the first riser segments, substantially parallel along the substantially horizontal segments, and convergent along the second riser segments.

11. The storage device of claim 9, wherein the substantially horizontal segment has a length between the first and second ends approximately equal to a width of the vehicle bed.

12. A rotatable storage device comprising:

a rotatable beam configured to be rotated with respect to a vehicle bed between a first position in which the beam forms a divider of the vehicle bed and a second position in which the beam forms an overhead storage rack; and

a rotatable joint configured to couple the rotatable beam to the vehicle bed, the rotatable joint comprising;

a first interlocking portion configured to be coupled to a sidewall of a vehicle bed;

a second interlocking portion configured to be coupled to the rotatable beam;

an axle pivotally connecting the first interlocking portion and the second interlocking portion and defining an axis of rotation of the joint;

wherein the first interlocking portion is rotatable with respect to the second interlocking portion about the axis of rotation, and wherein an interaction of the first interlocking portion with the second interlocking portion defines at least two stop positions in which the positions of the first interlocking portion and the second interlocking portion are fixed relative to each other, and

wherein the second interlocking portion is slidably removable from the rotatable joint without removing the axle from the second interlocking portion.

13. The rotatable storage device of claim 12, wherein the first interlocking portion comprises:

a bed mount configured to mount to a vehicle bed; and

a first interlocking surface disposed between the bed mount and the second interlocking portion, the first interlocking surface being configured to mate with the second interlocking portion.

14. The rotatable storage device of claim 12, wherein the second interlocking portion comprises a second interlocking surface and an endcap clamp.

15. The rotatable storage device of claim 14, wherein the endcap clamp is configured to retain at least one tubular member.

16. The rotatable storage device of claim 12, wherein the first interlocking portion comprises an opening to allow passage of the axle therethrough, the opening having an open end to allow sliding removal of the second interlocking portion from the rotatable joint without removing the axle from the second interlocking portion, wherein the second interlocking portion comprises a hub configured to rest in the opening when the first interlocking portion and the second interlocking portion are assembled in the rotatable joint and configured to interfere with the opening such that the second interlocking portion is removable from the first interlocking portion when the second interlocking portion is at a predetermined rotational orientation with respect to the first interlocking portion.

17. A device for coupling more than one aligned tubular members comprising:

a housing comprising;

a first housing portion comprising;

more than one recess, each recess configured to receive a portion of one of the more than one aligned tubular member; and

at least one first interference surface; and

a second housing portion comprising;

at least one second interference surface shaped and configured to mate with the at least one first interference surface of the first housing portion such that mating of the first and second interference surfaces defines a mating engagement of the first and second housing portions.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the second housing portion comprises more than one recess, each recess configured to receive a portion of one of the more than one aligned tubular member.

19. The device of claim 17, further comprising a fastener.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the fastener comprises an adjustable tensioner configured to securably advance the first housing portion towards the second housing portion.

21. The device of claim 17, wherein the first interference surface comprises a wedge, a first side of the wedge defining a lead-in surface configured to bias an outer wall of the second housing portion outward to facilitate mating of the first housing portion with the second housing portion and a second side of the wedge defining a catch surface configured to engage the second interference surface and maintain a mated engagement between the first housing portion and the second housing portion.

22. A mount apparatus comprising:

a sleeve having a first end and a second end, the sleeve comprising;

an elongate body;

at least one passage extending longitudinally through the body, the passage shaped and configured to admit a tubular segment;

a channel extending over at least a portion of the body, the channel

configured to receive a mounted device;

a first clamp configured to define contact surface portions to prevent relative longitudinal movement between the tubular segment and the sleeve transverse to the longitudinal passage and configured to be mounted to the tubular segment adjacent the first end of the sleeve; and

a second clamp configured to define contact surface portions to prevent relative longitudinal movement between the tubular segment and the sleeve transverse to the longitudinal passage and configured to be mounted to the tubular segment adjacent the second end of the sleeve.

23. The mount apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first clamp substantially encircles the tubular segment.

24. The mount apparatus of claim 22, wherein the second clamp substantially encircles the tubular segment.

25. The mount apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one tubular segment comprises two aligned tubular segments and the first and second, clamps are each configured to substantially encircle and be mounted to the two aligned tubular segments.

26. A mount apparatus comprising:

a housing comprising;

a first housing portion comprising;

more than one recess, each recess configured to receive a portion of one more than one aligned tubular members, and

at least one first interference surface;

a second housing portion comprising;

more than one recess, each recess configured to receive a portion of one of more than one aligned tubular members, and

at least one second interference surface, the second interference surface configured to mate with the first interference surface on the first housing portion such that mating of the at least one first interference surface with the second interference surface defines a mating engagement of the first and second housing portions; and

a mounting bracket extending from the housing and configured to retain cargo.

27. The mount apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a fastener.

28. The mount apparatus of claim 27, wherein the fastener comprises an adjustable tensioner configured to securably advance the first housing portion towards the second housing portion

29. The mount apparatus of claim 28, wherein the adjustable tensioner is a threaded screw that is advanceable between a threaded hole in the first housing portion and a threaded hole in the second housing portion.

30. The mount apparatus of claim 26, wherein the mounting bracket is removably connected to the housing.

31. The mount apparatus of claim 26, wherein the mounting bracket comprises:

a stop extending upward from the housing; and

a hole through the body configured to retain the cargo.

32. The mount apparatus of claim 31, wherein the stop defines a face transverse to an axis of the housing.

33. A vehicle storage assembly comprising:

at least two vehicle storage racks;

wherein at least one of the vehicle storage racks is configured to be rotatably coupled to a vehicle bed and rotatable between a first position in which the vehicle storage rack defines a bed divider and a second position in which the vehicle storage rack defines an overhead storage rack, and

wherein the rotatable vehicle storage rack comprises a rotatable beam, the rotatable beam comprising two aligned tubular members.

34. The vehicle storage assembly of claim 33, further comprising a vehicle tailgate enclosure device.

35. The vehicle storage assembly of claim 33, wherein one of the vehicle storage racks comprises a rotatable beam configured to be rotated with respect to the vehicle bed between a first position in which the beam forms a tailgate enclosure device of the vehicle bed and a second position in which the beam forms an overhead storage rack, wherein the beam is formed of two tubular members.