Combination loading ramp and tailgate closure device

• US 4,596,417 A
• Filed: 07/23/1985
• Issued: 06/24/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kenneth D. Bennett
• Original Assignee: Kenneth D. Bennett
• Inventors: Bennett, Kenneth D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stormer, Russell D.
• Application Number:
  US06/758,087
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• Field of Search: 296/50, 296/51, 296/57 R, 296/60, 296/61, 296/62, 296/26, 414/537
• US Class Current: 296/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/108 for load transporting vehicles or public transport, e.g. lorries, trucks, buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/435 the ramp being attached to or making part of the side- or tailboards of the vehicle

Abstract

A combination loading ramp and tailgate closure device (10) is provided for use in connection with a gated cargo bed (12) of a truck. The device (10) is releasably mounted on the rearward portion of the truck having the tailgate (24) in an extended position. In this mode of operation, the device (10) serves to extend the cargo bed (12) of a truck by a distance approximating the height of the tailgate (24) when the tailgate is in a closed position. The device (10) can ultimately be removed from the rearward portion of a truck and positioned in an on-loading and off-loading ramp mode for moving a wheeled vehicle or the like into the truck cargo bed. Various materials can be used for manufacturing this device, and it is envisioned that the device can be fabricated from a suitable rigid material such as steel, aluminium, or the like, or from suitable plastics having the strength and durability necessary to withstand the wear occasioned by normal usage.

Claims

1. A combination loading ramp and tailgate closure device for extending the cargo bed of a gated truck, said bed including opposite side walls, a floor having a rearward edge portion and a tailgate pivotally mounted at the rearward edge portion of the floor of the truck bed such that when the tailgate is in an upright position, it closes the rearward portion of the truck bed, and when the tailgate is in an extended position, it forms a platform disposed in a substantially horizontal plane with the floor of the bed, said platform formed by said tailgate having a width substantially coextensive with the rearward edge portion of the floor and a length substantially equal to the heighth of the tailgate when it is in its upright position, said combination loading ramp and tailgate closure device being releasably connected to the tailgate and rearward portions of the side walls of the truck bed to alternately form, first an upright closure around the periphery of the extended tailgate, and further a ramp for loading said bed when said device is deployed as a ramp, said device including:

a mid section including a first end portion and a further end portion, an upper side portion and a lower side portion, said mid section having a length substantially coextensive with said tailgate width;

a first end section, including a first end portion and a further end portion, a lower side portion and an upper side portion, said first and further end portions being connected by said lower and upper side portions and spaced by a distance such that the length of said first end section is substantially equal to the height of said tailgate, said first end portion being pivotally mounted on said first end portion of said mid section;

a further end section including a first end portion and a further end portion and a lower side portion and an upper side portion, said first and further end portions being connected by said lower and upper side portions and spaced by distance such that the length of said further end section is substantially equal to the height of said tailgate, said first end portion being pivotally mounted on the further end portion of said mid section;

securing means for releasably securing said device at selected locations on said truck whereby said device serves as a closure for said extended tailgate thereby effectively extending said bed by a length substantially equal to the height of said tailgate in its upright position; and

stop means serving to stop the pivotal movement of at least one end portion of said further section with respect to its juxtaposed end portion of said mid section, whereby said mid section and said further end section are pivotally moved and fixed in a substantially coplanar relationship by said stop means such that the first end portion of said device can be positioned on the extended tailgate of said truck and supported thereby, and the mid section and further section of said device serves to form a ramp, as for rolling a wheeled vehicle onto the truck bed.

2. The combination loading ramp and tailgate closure device of claim 1 wherein said mid section, said first end section, and said further end section, each include a wire mesh extending between said first end portion, said further end portion, said upper side portion, and said lower side portion of each of said sections thereby allowing air to pass through said device when it is used to close the tailgate portion of said bed.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein each of said sections carries a ramp track section operatively associated therewith such that when said device is used as a ramp, said ramp track sections are aligned thereby supporting a wheeled vehicle moving over said ramp into said truck bed.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein at least two of said ramp track sections define handle means to facilitate gripping said device by an operator.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said securing means for releasably securing said device at selected locations on said truck serves to secure said device to the side walls of said truck bed and to said tailgate.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said securing means simultaneously secures said device to said side walls of said truck bed and said tailgate upon movement of said device into position for closing the platform defined by the extended tailgate.

7. The device of claim 1 including further stop means serving to stop the pivotal movement of at least one end portion of said first end section with respect to its juxtaposed end portion of said mid section, whereby said mid section and said first end section are pivotally moved and fixed in a preselected angular relationship such that said further end section can be readily positioned on extended tailgate when said device is used as a ramp.

8. A combination loading ramp and tailgate closure device for extending the cargo bed of a gated truck, said bed including opposite side walls, a floor having a rearward edge portion and a tailgate pivotally mounted at the rearward edge portion of the floor of the truck bed such that when the tailgate is in an upright position, it closes the rearward portion of the truck bed, and when the tailgate is in an extended position, it forms a platform disposed in a substantially horizontal plane with the floor of the bed, said platform formed by said tailgate having a width substantially coextensive with the rearward edge portion of the floor and a length substantially equal to the heighth of the tailgate when it is in its upright position, said combination loading ramp and tailgate closure device being releasably connected to the tailgate/rearward portions of the side walls of the truck bed to alternately form, first an upright closure about the extended tailgate, and further a ramp for loading said bed when said device is deployed as a ramp, said device including:

a mid section including a first end portion and a further end portion, an upper side portion and a lower side portion, said mid section having a length substantially coextensive with said tailgate width;

a first end section, including a first end portion and a further end portion, a lower side portion and an upper side portion, said first and further end portions being connected by said lower and upper side portions and spaced by a distance such that the length of said first end section is substantially equal to the height of said tailgate, said first end portion being pivotally mounted on said first end portion of said mid section;

a further end section including a first end portion and a further end portion and a lower side portion and an upper side portion, said first and further end portions being connected by said lower and upper side portions and spaced by distance such that the length of said further end section is substantially equal to the height of said tailgate, said first end portion being pivotally mounted on the further end portion of said mid section;

said mid section, said first end section, and said further end section, each include a wire mesh extending between said first end portion, said further end portion, said upper side portion, and said lower side portion of each of said sections thereby allowing air to pass through said device when it is used to close the tailgate portion of said bed, and wherein each of said mid, first end and further end sections carries a ramp track section operatively associated therewith such that when said device is used as a ramp, said ramp track sections are aligned thereby supporting a wheeled vehicle moving over said ramp into said truck bed;

securing means for releasably securing said device at selected locations on said truck whereby said device serves as a closure for said extended tailgate thereby effectively extending said bed by a length substantially equal to the height of said tailgate in its upright position, said securing means serving to secure said device to the side walls of said truck bed and to said tailgate; and

stop means serving to stop the pivotal movement of at least one end portion of said further section with respect to its juxtaposed end portion of said mid section, whereby said mid section and said further end section are pivotally moved and fixed in a substantially coplanar relationship by said stop means such that the first end portion of said device can be positioned on the extended tailgate of said truck and supported thereby, and the mid section and further section of said device serves to form a ramp, as for rolling a wheeled vehicle onto the truck bed.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein at least two of said ramp track sections define handle means to facilitate gripping said device by an operator.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein said securing means simultaneously secures said device to said side walls of said truck bed and said tailgate upon movement of said device into posistion for loosing the platform defined by the extended tailgate.

11. The device of claim 10 including further stop means serving to stop the pivotal movement of at least one end portion of said first end section with respect to its juxtaposed end portion of said mid section, whereby said mid section and said first end section are pivotally moved and fixed in a preselected angular relationship, such that said further end section can be readily positioned on said extended tailgate when said device is used as a ramp.

12. A combination loading ramp and tailgate closure device for extending the cargo bed of a gated truck, said bed including opposite side walls, a floor having a rearward edge portion and a tailgate pivotally mounted at the rearward edge portion of the floor of the truck bed such that when the tailgate is in an upright position, it closes the rearward portion of the truck bed, and when the tailgate is in an extended position, it forms a platform disposed in a substantially horizontal plane with the floor of the bed, said platform formed by said tailgate having a width substantially coextensive with the rearward edge portion of the floor and a length substantially equal to the heighth of the tailgate when it is in its upright position, said combination loading ramp and tailgate closure device being releasably connected to the tailgate/rearward portions of the side walls of the truck bed to alternately form, first an upright closure about the extended tailgate, and further a ramp for loading said bed when said device is deployed as a ramp, said device including:

a mid section including a first end portion and a further end portion, an upper side portion and a lower side portion, said mid section having a length substantially coextensive with said tailgate width;

a first end section, including a first end portion and a further end portion, a lower side portion and an upper side portion, said first and further end portions being connected by said lower and upper side portions and spaced by a distance such that the length of said first end section is substantially equal to the height of said tailgate, said first end portion being pivotally mounted on said first end portion of said mid section;

a further end section including a first end portion and a further end portion and a lower side portion and an upper side portion, said first and further end portions being connected by said lower and upper side portions and spaced by distance such that the length of said further end section is substantially equal to the height of said tailgate, said first end portion being pivotally mounted on the further end portion of said mid section;

securing means for releasably securing said device at selected locations on said truck whereby said device serves as a closure for said extended tailgate thereby effectively extending said bed by a length substantially equal to the height of said tailgate in its upright position, said securing means serving to secure said device to the side walls of said truck bed and to said tailgate;

stop means serving to stop the pivotal movement of at least one end portion of said further section with respect to its juxtaposed end portion of said mid section, whereby said mid section and said further end section are pivotally moved and fixed in a substantially coplanar relationship by said stop means such that the first end portion of said device can be positioned on the extended tailgate of said truck and supported thereby, and the mid section and further section of said device serve to form a ramp, as for rolling a wheeled vehicle onto the truck bed; and

further stop means serving to stop the pivotal movement of at least one end portion of said first end section with respect to its juxtaposed end portion of said mid section, whereby said mid section and said first end section are pivotally moved and fixed in a preselected angular relationship such that said further end section can be readily positioned on extended tailgate when said device is used as a ramp.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein at least two of said ramp track sections define handle means to facilitate gripping said device by an operator.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein said securing means simultaneously secures said device to said side walls of said truck bed and said tailgate upon movement of said device into position for closing the platform defined by the extended tailgate.