Pick-up style utility vehicle with expandable cargo bed

• US 8,136,859 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2009
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Morita, Hirokazu, Tanaka, Masaki, Schafer, Wayne, Iwai, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLANKENSHIP, GREGORY A
• Application Number:
  US12/648,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20110156427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: 296/26.08, 296/26.11, 296/186.4, 296/24.43, 296/24.4, 296/190.11, 296/37.6, 296/37.8, 296/183.2
• US Class Current: 296/26.11
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/24 for particular purposes or particular vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/36 into a loading platform B60N2/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/423 from transport of persons to transport of goods
• 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 having a front seat, a rear seat, and a cargo bed in this order from the front of the vehicle. The cargo bed is changeable between an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded forward into a rear riding space in front of the cargo bed and a non-expanded state not occupying the rear riding space. The utility vehicle has load storing devices in the leg space of the rear seat which serves as a load storing space in the expanded state.

Claims

1. A pick-up style utility vehicle comprising:

a front seat;

a rear seat; and

a cargo bed, wherein;

the front seat, the rear seat, and the cargo bed are located in this order from a front of the vehicle;

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

the front seat, rear seat and cargo bed define a leg space of the rear seat in the non-expanded state and a load storing space in the expanded state;

the utility vehicle further includes a partitioning member that is changeable between a state in which only the leg space of the rear seat is partitioned from a left or right side outward of a vehicle body in the expanded state and a state in which the leg space of the rear seat is opened to the left or right side outward of the vehicle body in the non-expanded state; and

the rear seat is housed in a space different from the leg space in the expanded state.

2. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the partitioning member is attached to a cabin frame surrounding the riding space in the expanded state and in the non-expanded state.

3. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the partitioning member is formed along a left or right outer surface of the vehicle body.

4. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the partitioning member has a rod shape.

5. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a longitudinal size of the partitioning member is changeable.

6. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the partitioning member has a plate shape.

7. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the partitioning member has a windable roll screen shield.

8. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the load storing means has a tray attachable to the vehicle body.

9. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the tray can be housed below the cargo bed in the non-expanded state.

10. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the load storing means has a net member attachable to the vehicle body.

11. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein an upper space of the leg space is opened to the left and right side outward of the vehicle body in the expanded state and in the non-expanded state.

12. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the partitioning member is placed in front of the rear seat.

13. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle does not include a door in the area of the rear seat so that passengers can easily enter and exit the rear seat without restriction.

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

the rear seat has a seat bottom and a backrest,

the partitioning member comprises a plate-shaped member,

the plate-shaped member is attached to the end of the backrest, and

the backrest is located on a top surface of the seat bottom in a substantially horizontal state in the expanded state and the plate-shaped member is extended forward from a front end of the backrest in a substantially horizontal state and is located in an upper portion of the load storing space.

15. A pick-up style utility vehicle comprising:

a front seat;

a rear seat; and

a cargo bed;

wherein;

the front seat, the rear seat and the cargo bed are positioned in this order from a front of the vehicle,

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

the utility vehicle has load storing means forming a leg space of the rear seat in the non-expanded state, and the rear seat is housed in a space different from the leg space in the expanded state,

the load storing means includes a partitioning member that is changeable between a state in which the leg space of the rear seat is partitioned from a left or right side outward of a vehicle body in the expanded state and a state in which the leg space of the rear seat is opened to the left or right side outward of the vehicle body in the non-expanded state, and

the partitioning member is disposed below a seating surface of the rear seat in the non-expanded state, and in a state in which the leg space of the rear seat is partitioned from a left or right side outward of a vehicle body.

16. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the vehicle does not include a door in the area of the rear seat so that passengers can easily enter and exit the rear seat without restriction.