Pick-up style utility vehicle with expandable cargo bed

• US 8,016,337 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2009
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors Ltd (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Oda, Kenji, Kato, Hideyuki, Morita, Hirokazu, Itou, Kouji, Hokari, Kousei
• Primary Examiner(s): LYJAK, LORI LYNN
• Application Number:
  US12/647,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20110156434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 296/26.08, 296/26.09, 296/26.1, 296/26.11, 296/66, 296/183.1, 296/190.11
• US Class Current: 296/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3018 about vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/305 the cushion being hinged on the vehicle frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/286 Loading buckets
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/423 from transport of persons to transport of goods
• 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 33/08 comprising adjustable means B62D33/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 47/003 convertible in order to modify the number of seats foldable compact cars B62D31/006; convertible from one use to a different one B60P3/42

Abstract

A pick-up style utility vehicle according to the present invention has a front seat, a rear seat, and a cargo bed in this order from front. The cargo bed is changeable between an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded forward to a rear riding space in front of the cargo bed and a non-expanded state not occupying the rear riding space. The rear seat forms side panels of the expandable portions of the cargo bed in the expanded state.

Claims

1. A pick-up style utility vehicle comprising:

a front seat;

a rear seat; and

a cargo bed in this order from front;

wherein

the cargo bed is changeable between an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded forward to a rear riding space in front of the cargo bed and a non-expanded state not occupying the rear riding space; and

the rear seat forms side panels of the expandable portions of the cargo bed in the expanded state.

2. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the rear seat can be divided into a first member and a second member to left and right, and

in the expanded state, the first member forms one side panel of the expandable portion of the cargo bed and the second member forms the other side panel of the expandable portion of the cargo bed.

3. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

in the expanded state, a backrest for the rear seat forms the side panel of the expandable portion of the cargo bed.

4. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the rear seat has a seat bottom and a backrest, and

in the expanded state, the seat bottom and the backrest are arranged in a front-rear direction in a tandem manner to form the side panel of the expandable portion of the cargo bed.

5. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the rear seat has a seat bottom and a backrest, and

in the expanded state, the backrest and the seat bottom are arranged in an up-down direction in a tandem manner to form the side panel of the expandable portion of the cargo bed.

6. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the first member is coupled to a bottom portion of the utility vehicle by foldable first coupling means,

the second member is coupled to the bottom portion of the utility vehicle by foldable second coupling means,

the first member can be located outward of a vehicle body in a vehicle width direction by opening the folded first coupling means, and

the second member can be located outward of the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction by opening the folded second coupling means.