Pick-up style utility vehicle with adjustable cargo bed

• US 6,994,388 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2004
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Hisada, Kazumasa, Saito, Hideo, Bahner, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): PAPE, JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US10/785,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20050184548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 296/65.09, 296/26.08, 296/26.09, 296/26.11, 296/183.1, 296/186.4, 296/186.5, 296/190.11, 296/26.1
• US Class Current: 296/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/24 for particular purposes or particular vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3011 the back-rest being hinged on the cushion, e.g. "portefeuille movement"
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/305 the cushion being hinged on the vehicle frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3075 stowed in recess B60N2/3079 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/36 into a loading platform B60N2/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/02 Platforms; Open load compartments flat wagons including posts or standards B61D3/08
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/0273 Movable tailboards for vehicles comprising non-movable sideboards, e.g. pick-up trucks B62D33/037 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/037 Latching means therefor

Abstract

A pick-up style utility vehicle is provided. Typically, the vehicle includes a seat that is retractable into a leg space of the seat, and a cargo bed adjustably provided behind the seat such that a part of the cargo bed is moveable into a space formerly occupied by the seat after the seat is retracted. In this manner, cargo space and passenger space of the vehicle may be selectively optimized by the user.

Claims

1. A pick-up style utility vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of seats disposed in a tandem manner, wherein at least a rearmost one of the plurality of seats is configured to be retractable into a leg space of the seat, the leg space being defined as a space in front of the seat; and

a cargo bed provided behind the plurality of seats;

wherein the cargo bed is of a rectangular shape, and includes a stationary bottom plate that extends forward from a rear end part of the cargo bed to underneath the rearmost seat substantially at the same level in height to form a bottom plate of an extended portion of the cargo bed with a portion of the stationary bottom plate underneath a rearmost seat, and further includes a surrounding panel assembly, wherein the surrounding panel assembly includes side panels provided along opposing side perimeters of the bottom plate and an extendable portion; and

wherein the extendable portion is configured to be extendable forward to reach into the space formerly occupied by the seat after the seat is retracted so as to form an extended part of the side panels.

2. The pick-up style utility vehicle of claim 1, wherein-the extendable portion of the side panel is rotatably provided on a vertical axis provided at a front end of the side panel to extend forward to reach into the space formerly occupied by the seat after the seat is retracted.

3. The pick-up style utility vehicle of claim 1, wherein the extendable portion of the side panel is slidably provided along a side of the side panel to extend forward to reach into the space formerly occupied by the seat after the seat is retracted.

5. The pick-up style utility vehicle of claim 1, wherein the seat includes a bottom portion pivotably mounted to a body of the vehicle and a backrest portion pivotably mounted to a rear end of the bottom portion.

6. The pick-up style utility vehicle of claim 1, wherein the seat includes a bottom portion pivotably mounted to a body of the vehicle and a backrest portion pivotably mounted to a rear end of the bottom portion, and is configured to be turned a bottom surface of the bottom portion upside-down so that the bottom surface and a foremost part of the bottom plate form substantially a continuous plane with the bottom surface of the bottom portion when the entire seat is retracted.

7. The pick-up style utility vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a screen shield detachably provided to front portions of the side panels when the extendable portions are not extended, wherein the extendable portions are constructed to accommodate the screen shield to allow the screen shield to serve as a front panel of the surrounding panel assembly when the extendable portions are extended.

8. The pick-up style utility vehicle of claim 2, wherein the extendable portions of the side panels are constructed to serve as the front panel when the extendable portions are not extended.

9. The pick-up style utility vehicle of claim 3, further comprising a screen shield detachably provided to front portions of the extendable portions of the side panels to allow the screen shield to serve as the front panel both when the extendable portions are extended and not extended.

10. The pick-up style utility vehicle of claim 1, wherein an entire upper surface of the bottom plate is substantially formed with a horizontally flat surface.

14. The pick-up style utility vehicle of claim 5,

wherein a lower end portion of the backrest portion of the seat is pivotably mounted to a rear end portion of the bottom portion of the seat, and wherein a forward end portion of the bottom portion of the seat is hinged to the body of the vehicle;

and

wherein the seat is configured to be stowed to create an extended cargo space by rotating the backrest portion from an upright position to a lowered position in which a front surface of the backrest portion faces an upper surface of the bottom portion of the seat, and by further rotating forward the backrest and bottom portions of the seat together until a bottom surface of the bottom portion faces rearward and is positioned forward of the bottom plate.

4. A pick-up style utility vehicle, comprising:

a body;

a seat coupled to the body, the seat being movable between a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration; and

a cargo bed including an upper bottom plate and a lower bottom plate coupled to the body;

wherein the-upper bottom plate is-slidable on the lower bottom plate from an overhang configuration in which a forward end portion of the upper bottom plate is positioned behind the seat and a rear end portion thereof overhangs rear wheel of the vehicle to a greater extent when the seat is in the deployed configuration to a compact configuration in which the forward end portion of the upper bottom plate is positioned in a space formerly occupied by the seat in the deployed configuration and the rear end portion of the upper bottom plate overhangs the rear wheels of the vehicle to a lesser extent-than in the overhang configuration when the seat is in the stowed configuration.

11. The pick-up style utility vehicle of claim 4, wherein the seat includes a bottom portion having a pivot provided at a front end thereof, the bottom portion being pivotably mounted to the body of the vehicle around the pivot, and a backrest portion pivotably mounted to a rear end of the bottom portion at a lower end thereof;

and

wherein the deployed configuration is defined as a configuration in which the bottom portion is oriented substantially horizontal and the backrest portion is oriented substantially upright, and the stowed configuration is defined as a configuration in which the backrest portion is folded forward over the bottom portion and the bottom portion is retracted while the backrest portion being folded so that the bottom portion and the backrest portion are located substantially in front of the pivot of the bottom portion.

12. A pick-up style utility vehicle, comprising:

a seat provided retractable into a leg space of the seat; and

a cargo bed adjustably provided behind the seat such that a part of the cargo bed is moved into an area formerly occupied by the seat after the seat is retracted;

wherein the cargo bed is of a rectangular shape, and includes a bottom plate and a surrounding panel assembly provided along a perimeter of the bottom plate;

wherein the bottom plate extends underneath the seat, and a portion of the surrounding panel assembly is located behind the seat when the seat is not retracted and is configured to be extendable forward to reach into the area formerly occupied by the seat after the seat is retracted; and

wherein the surrounding panel assembly includes a front panel and a side panel, and the portion of the surrounding panel assembly is the front panel, the front panel being rotatably provided on a vertical axis provided at a front end of the side panel to extend forward to reach into the area formerly occupied by the seat, after the seat is retracted.

13. A pick-up style utility vehicle, comprising:

a seat provided retractable into a leg space of the seat;

a cargo bed adjustably provided behind the seat such that a part of the cargo bed is moved into an area formerly occupied by the seat after the seat is retracted; and

a screen shield detachably provided to a front portion of the cargo bed;

wherein the cargo bed is of a rectangular shape, and includes a bottom plate and a surrounding panel assembly provided along a perimeter of the bottom plate;

wherein the bottom plate extends underneath the seat, and a portion of the surrounding panel assembly is located behind the seat when the seat is not retracted and is configured to be extendable forward to reach into the area formerly occupied by the seat after the seat is retracted; and

wherein the cargo bed is constructed to accommodate the screen shield in an extended part thereof to allow the screen shield to serve as the front panel.