Bedliner with floor hole engagement

• US 5,673,956 A
• Filed: 08/15/1995
• Issued: 10/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Penda Corporation (Kruger Family Industries, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Penda Corporation (Kruger Family Industries, LLC)
• Inventors: Emery, Phillip L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pedder, Dennis H.
• Application Number:
  US08/515,381
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 296/39.1, 296/39.2, 296/38, 296/208, 105/423
• US Class Current: 296/39.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/01 Liners for load platforms or load compartments

Abstract

A thermoformed thermoplastic bed liner has a bottom wall which overlies the floor of a truck cargo bed and two side walls which extend upwardly and outwardly from the bottom wall on opposite sides. A rolled lip extends downwardly from the liner bottom wall into a hole in the bed floor and allows access to a tie down pin. An alternative bed liner has a raised lip which extends above the truck bed floor to prevent the entrance of liquids into the hole. Another alternative bedliner has a routed opening around the bed hole which is fitted with a robber cap with a rolled lip or with a rubber cap with a barbed edge which engages beneath the bed floor opening.

Claims

1. A thermoformed thermoplastic bed liner for mounting within a vehicle cargo bed having a floor with portions defining an access hole therein, comprising:

a) a one-piece thermoformed thermoplastic truck bed liner having a bottom wall which overlies the vehicle floor;

b) portions of the bottom wall of the one-piece liner forming a downwardly extending lip which defines an opening, the lid being one-piece with the bottom wall of the bed liner where the lip is constructed and arranged to extend into the access hole and beneath the vehicle floor to restrict entry of foreign matter between the liner and the floor through the access hole; and

c) means for restraining a load which passes through the opening defined by the lip for attachment to a structural member of the vehicle.

2. The truck bed liner of claim 1 further comprising portions of the bottom wall which form an upwardly extending the rim, the rim surrounding the access hole to form a dam to restrict entry of liquids into the access hole, and wherein the lip extends downwardly from the rim.

3. A one-piece thermoformed thermoplastic truck bed liner for use in the cargo bed of a truck, the cargo bed having a floor, and the floor having therein an access hole to radiate access to underlying tie-down structure on the truck, the one-piece truck bed liner comprising:

a) opposite side walls; and

b) a bottom wall molded and formed integrally with the side walls, the bottom wall including a downwardly extending annular lip, the lip being one-piece with the bottom wall of the bed liner, the lip defining an access opening, and the lip being constructed and arranged to extend into the access hole and beneath the floor of the cargo bed when the truck bed liner is placed thereon to close off the access hole and to thereby restrict entry of foreign matter between the bottom wall and the floor of the cargo bed through the access opening and permit access to the tie-down structure through the access opening, and wherein the truck bed liner is a one-piece integrally molded unit formed of a single sheet of thermoplastic material.

4. A truck bed liner as set forth in claim 3 wherein the bottom wall includes an upwardly extending rim surrounding the opening in the bottom wall, the rim forming a dam to restrict liquid on the bottom wall from draining into the opening in the bottom wall, the lip extending downwardly from the rim.