Pick-up style utility vehicle with expandable cargo bed

• US 8,128,144 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Mahara, Hironori, Masuda, Naohisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLANKENSHIP, GREGORY A
• Application Number:
  US12/649,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20110156422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 296/24.4, 296/24.43, 296/26.08, 296/26.11, 296/186.4, 296/190.11, 296/69, 296/183.1, 296/183.2
• US Class Current: 296/24.43
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/423 from transport of persons to transport of goods
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0083 Pick-up trucks; Light trucks; Sport utility vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/06 Safety nets, transparent sheets, curtains, or the like, e.g. between occupants and glass B60R21/026 , B60R21/11, B60R21/12, B60R21/16 take precedence
• 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 has a front seat, a rear seat, and a cargo bed in this order from the front, a cabin frame surrounding a riding space, and a screen shield partitioning the cargo bed and a rear riding space in front of the cargo bed. The cargo bed can be changed between an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded in a front direction to the rear riding space and a non-expanded state not occupying the rear riding space. The upper portion of the screen shield is swingably supported by the upper portion of the cabin frame so that the screen shield can be shifted between a position in the expanded state and a position in the non-expanded state. The screen shield has a foldable folding portion, is swung in the expanded state, and is supported by a vehicle body component while being in a folded state by the folding portion.

Claims

1. A pick-up style utility vehicle comprising:

a front seat;

a rear seat; and

a cargo bed in this order from a front of the vehicle;

a cabin frame surrounding a riding space; and

a screen shield partitioning the cargo bed and a rear riding space in front of the cargo bed, wherein;

the cargo bed can be changed between an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded in a front direction into the rear riding space and a non-expanded state not occupying the rear riding space,

an upper portion of the screen shield is swingably supported by an upper portion of the cabin frame so that the screen shield can be shifted between a position in the expanded state and a position in the non-expanded state, and

the screen shield has a foldable folding portion, and the screen shield is swung and the folding portion is supported directly by the upper portion of the cabin frame in the expanded state, the screen shield being in a folded state by the folding portion in the expanded state.

2. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a supporting portion in the upper portion of the screen shield in the cabin frame can be moved in a front-rear direction along the cabin frame.

3. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the supporting portion is fixed in a position corresponding to each of the expanded state and the non-expanded state.

4. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a lower portion of the screen shield is supported by side portions of the cabin frame in the expanded state.

5. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the rear seat is rotatable so as to become in a substantially horizontal state in the non-expanded state of the cargo bed and to become in a substantially vertical state in the expanded state of the cargo bed,

wherein the lower portion of the screen shield is supported by the rear seat in a substantially vertical state in the expanded state.

6. A pick-up style utility vehicle comprising:

a front seat;

a rear seat; and

a cargo bed in this order from a front of the vehicle;

a cabin frame surrounding a riding space; and

a screen shield partitioning the cargo bed and a rear riding space in front of the cargo bed, wherein;

the cargo bed can be changed between an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded in a front direction into the rear riding space and a non-expanded state not occupying the rear riding space,

an upper portion of the screen shield is swingably supported by an upper portion of the cabin frame so that the screen shield can be shifted between a position in the expanded state and a position in the non-expanded state,

the screen shield and the rear seat are coupled by a coupling portion, and

the rear seat has a foldable folding portion coupling a backrest portion and a seat bottom portion of the rear seat, and the coupling portion and the folding portion are supported by the upper portion of the cabin frame in the expanded state.

7. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the backrest portion and the seat bottom portion become in a substantially straight line by the folding portion in the expanded state and an end of the seat bottom portion is supported by the upper portion of the cabin frame.

8. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the backrest portion and the seat bottom portion are folded relative to each other by the folding portion in the expanded state and an end of the seat bottom portion is supported by the front seat.