Pick-up style utility vehicle with expandable cargo bed

• US 8,328,262 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Kawabata, Takao, Gordon, Scott F., Morita, Hirokazu, Yamamoto, Teruaki, Mahara, Hironori, Takeuchi, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Morrow, Jason S
• Application Number:
  US12/649,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20110156423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 296/165, 296/171, 296/175, 296/24.3, 296/24.33, 296/24.4, 296/24.43, 296/26.08, 296/62.09, 296/26.1, 296/26.11, 296/183.1, 296/183.2, 296/190.03, 296/191, 296/37.6, 296/64, 296/65.01, 296/66, 296/65.09, 280/756, 280/749
• US Class Current: 296/24.43
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3015 the axis being located at the top of the back-rest
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3022 along longitudinal axis
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3031 in a longitudinal-vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/305 the cushion being hinged on the vehicle frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/423 from transport of persons to transport of goods
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 5/041 extensible externally of the vehicle body, e.g. to create an open luggage compartment of increased capacity devices for anchoring the boot lid while carrying oversize objects E05C17/042
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/027 movable
• 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, 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 into the rear riding space and a non-expanded state not occupying the rear riding space. The screen shield is directly or indirectly supported by a swinging shaft provided on a vehicle body and is swingable between a position in the expanded state and a position in the non-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 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 rear riding space and a non-expanded state not occupying the rear riding space,

the screen shield is directly or indirectly supported by a swinging shaft provided on a vehicle body and is swingable between a position in the expanded state and a position in the non-expanded state,

the screen shield is directly or indirectly coupled to the rear seat via a link mechanism,

the rear seat is rotatable so that the rear seat is in a substantially horizontal state in the non-expanded state of the cargo bed and the rear seat is in a substantially vertical state in the expanded state of the cargo bed, and

when the rear seat is shifted between the substantially horizontal state and the substantially vertical state, the screen shield is swingable in a front-rear direction by the link mechanism.