Vehicle utility body
First Claim
1. A utility body for mounting to a frame of a vehicle comprising:
- a metallic support frame for securing to the vehicle frame;
a metallic bed deck mounted on the support frame;
a first plastic side wall cabinet mounted to the support frame on a first side of the bed deck;
a second plastic side wall cabinet mounted to the support frame on a second side of the bed deck, the first and second side wall cabinets each include a storage compartment, each side wall cabinet having a front portion, a mid-portion and a rear portion extending along a longitudinal direction, the front and the rear portions of the side wall cabinets being slidably secured in the longitudinal direction to the support frame, thereby allowing movement of the side wall cabinets in the longitudinal direction relative to the support frame due to expansion and contraction of the plastic side wall cabinets; and
front and rear plates securing respective front and rear portions of the first and second side wall cabinets together without being secured to the support frame and the bed deck, said front and rear plates being moveable relative to the support frame and bed deck to allow for expansion and contraction of the side wall cabinets.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A utility body for mounting to a frame of a vehicle includes a metallic support frame for securing to the vehicle frame. A metallic bed deck is mounted on the support frame. A first plastic side wall cabinet is mounted to the support frame on a first side of the bed deck. A second plastic side wall cabinet is mounted to the support frame on a second side of the bed deck. The first and second side wall cabinets each include a storage compartment. Each side wall cabinet has a front portion, a mid-portion and a rear portion. The front and rear portions of the side wall cabinets are slidably secured to the support frame, thereby allowing movement of the side wall cabinets relative to the support frame due to expansion and contraction of the plastic side wall cabinets.
67 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A utility body for mounting to a frame of a vehicle comprising:
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a metallic support frame for securing to the vehicle frame; a metallic bed deck mounted on the support frame; a first plastic side wall cabinet mounted to the support frame on a first side of the bed deck; a second plastic side wall cabinet mounted to the support frame on a second side of the bed deck, the first and second side wall cabinets each include a storage compartment, each side wall cabinet having a front portion, a mid-portion and a rear portion extending along a longitudinal direction, the front and the rear portions of the side wall cabinets being slidably secured in the longitudinal direction to the support frame, thereby allowing movement of the side wall cabinets in the longitudinal direction relative to the support frame due to expansion and contraction of the plastic side wall cabinets; and front and rear plates securing respective front and rear portions of the first and second side wall cabinets together without being secured to the support frame and the bed deck, said front and rear plates being moveable relative to the support frame and bed deck to allow for expansion and contraction of the side wall cabinets. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A utility body for mounting to a frame of a vehicle comprising:
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a metallic support frame for securing to the vehicle frame; a metallic bed deck mounted on the support frame; a first plastic side wall cabinet mounted to the support frame and the bed deck on a first side of the bed deck; a second plastic side wall cabinet mounted to the support frame and the bed deck on a second side of the bed deck, each side wall cabinet having a front portion, a mid-portion and a rear portion extending along a longitudinal direction, the mid-portions of the side wall cabinets being firmly secured to the bed deck while the front and the rear portions of the side wall cabinets include slotted holes which allow the side wall cabinets to be slidably secured in the longitudinal direction to the support frame and the bed deck, thereby allowing movement of the side wall cabinets in the longitudinal direction relative to the support frame due to expansion and contraction of the plastic side wall cabinets; and front and rear plates securing respective front and rear portions of the first and second side wall cabinets together without being secured to the support frame and the bed deck, said front and rear plates being movable relative to the support frame and bed deck to allow for expansion and contraction of the side wall cabinets.
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13. A method of forming a utility body to be mounted to a frame of a vehicle comprising the steps of:
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forming a metallic support frame for securing to the vehicle frame; mounting a metallic bed deck on the support frame; mounting a first plastic side wall cabinet to the support frame on a first side of the bed deck; mounting a second plastic side wall cabinet to the support frame on a second side of the bed deck, the first and second side wall cabinets each including a storage compartment, each side wall cabinet having a front portion, a mid-portion and a rear portion extending along a longitudinal direction, the front and rear portions of the side wall cabinets being slidably secured in the longitudinal direction to the support frame, thereby allowing movement of the side wall cabinets in the longitudinal direction relative to the support frame due to expansion and contraction of the side wall cabinets; securing the front portions of the first and second side wall cabinets together with a front plate; and securing the rear portions of the first and second side wall cabinets together with a rear plate, the front and rear plates not being secured to the support frame and bed deck and are movable relative to the support frame and bed deck to allow for expansion and contraction of the side wall cabinets. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of forming a utility body to be mounted to a frame of a vehicle comprising the steps of:
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forming a metallic support frame for securing to the vehicle frame; mounting a metallic bed deck on the support frame; mounting a first plastic side wall cabinet to the support frame and the bed deck on a first side of the bed deck; mounting a second plastic side wall cabinet to the support frame and the bed deck on a second side of the bed deck, each side wall cabinet having a front portion, a mid-portion and a rear portion extending along a longitudinal direction, the mid-portions of the side wall cabinets being firmly secured to the bed deck while the front and rear portions of the side wall cabinets include slotted holes which allow the side wall cabinets to be slidably secured in the longitudinal direction to the support frame and the bed deck, thereby allowing movement of the side wall cabinets in the longitudinal direction relative to the support frame due to expansion and contraction of the plastic side wall cabinets; and securing the front portions of the first and second side wall cabinets together with a front plate; and securing the rear portions of the first and second side wall cabinets together with a rear plate, the front and rear plates not being secured to the support frame and bed deck and are moveable relative to the support frame and bed deck to allow for expansion and contraction of the side wall cabinets.
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Specification