Pick-up style utility vehicle with expandable cargo bed

• US 8,215,690 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors Ltd (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Takegami, Itsuo, Sakata, Masashi, Hisamori, Takafumi, Ogino, Tooru, Waida, Kazuma, Meyer, Dustin, Sakai, Eizou, Yamashita, Shigeru, Nishiike, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Gutman, H
• Application Number:
  US12/646,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20110148145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 296/24.43, 296/24.4, 296/26.08, 296/26.1, 296/26.11, 296/65.04, 296/69, 296/186.4, 296/190.11, 296/65.05, 160/368.1
• US Class Current: 296/24.43
• 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 including a front seat, a rear seat and a cargo bed in order from the front side to the rear side of the vehicle, and a screen for partitioning the cargo bed and ride space on the front side of the cargo bed. The cargo bed has at least a stationary bottom plate and an expansion bottom plate, and is changeable between an expanded state where the cargo bed is expanded forward into the ride space and a non-expanded state where the cargo bed does not occupy the ride space. Also, the expansion bottom plate is pivotable on a horizontal shaft in the right and left direction relative to the stationary bottom plate and the screen.

Claims

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

a front seat, a rear seat, and a cargo bed in order from a front side to a rear side of the vehicle; and

a screen for partitioning the cargo bed and a ride space on a front side of the cargo bed, wherein

the cargo bed has at least a stationary bottom plate and an expansion bottom plate, the cargo bed being changeable between an expanded state where the cargo bed is expanded forward into the ride space and a non-expanded state where the cargo bed does not occupy the ride space,

the expansion bottom plate is pivotable on a horizontal shaft extending in the right and left direction of the vehicle, the expansion bottom plate being pivotable relative to the stationary bottom plate,

in the non-expanded state, the expansion bottom plate standing up and the screen function as a screen for closing the front side of the cargo bed, and

in the expanded state, the expansion bottom plate is brought down forward such that the expansion bottom plate and the stationary bottom plate serve as a bottom face of the cargo bed.

2. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a rear support stand arranged on the front side of the stationary bottom plate for supporting the rear seat, wherein the rear support stand is adapted to support the expansion bottom plate in the expanded state.

3. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising:

a backrest of the rear seat fixed to the expansion bottom plate,

wherein the rear support stand is adapted to store the expansion bottom plate and the backrest in the expanded state.

4. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the rear seat is supported on the expansion bottom plate.

5. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

an expansion side plate supported pivotably on a vertical shaft relative to the screen for expanding a side plate of the cargo bed in the expanded state.

6. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising:

a fixing mechanism capable of fixing the screen in the non-expanded state and the expansion side plate in the expanded state to the cargo bed.

7. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fixing mechanism for a shaft capable of fixing the screen to the expansion bottom plate by connecting the expansion bottom plate and the screen in both the non-expanded state and the expanded state.

8. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

an expansion side plate provided on a lower side of the rear seat in the non-expanded state pivotably on a horizontal shaft in the back and forth direction for expanding a side plate of the cargo bed in the expanded state.