Pickup truck mounted toolbox

• US 9,499,106 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iii, Thomas Inard Reed
• Original Assignee: Iii, Thomas Inard Reed
• Inventors: Reed, Thomas Inard III
• Primary Examiner(s): WAGGENSPACK, ADAM J
• Application Number:
  US14/578,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20150175089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 224/404, D12/414.1, D12/423
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/06 for tools or spare parts for vehicle roof parts B60J7/20; for spare wheels B62D

Abstract

A pickup truck toolbox can be mounted to the bed side rails by feet rather than arms and may sit above the side rails and the bed volume, thus allowing use of the full volume of the bed between the side rails and the floor of the bed. It may have a rear view tunnel through it, whereby the driver may use normally the rear view mirror, and may have a Liddy light valley across the top, whereby the brake light will remain visible. The profile may match or sit within the profile of the cab of the truck, a fairing may be employed to improve fuel efficiency, and side-mounted vertical hatches may allow both easy access and the use of shelving.

Claims

1. A toolbox for use on a pickup truck having a cab profile, a rear view mirror, a third brake light and a bed, the bed having two side rails separated by a bed width, and further with a tonneau cover mounted to such bed, the toolbox comprising:

a body having a top surface, a bottom surface, a height, a toolbox width, and a plurality of feet disposed separated from one another by such bed width;

the plurality of feet dimensioned and configured to be mounted atop such two side rails of such pickup truck bed, wherein the feet are further dimensioned and configured to allow a vertical clearance between the body and such side rails, whereby such tonneau cover may be mounted upon such side rails without being blocked by the toolbox as the toolbox is mounted on such pickup truck suspended above such bed, and

a rear-view tunnel through the bottom surface of the body, the rear-view tunnel being dimensioned and configured to allow usage of such rear view mirror.

5. The toolbox of claim 1, wherein the toolbox is further dimensioned and configured to match such cab profile of such pickup truck, whereby aerodynamic drag of the toolbox is minimized.

6. The toolbox of claim 5, further comprising:

a toolbox-to-cab fairing extending from the toolbox to the cab.

8. The toolbox of claim 1, further comprising:

at least two side-mounted hatches, each side-hatch mounted vertically on the body and dimensioned and configured to swing open horizontally without causing any opening of the top surface.

9. The toolbox of claim 8, further comprising:

a door latch on each side-mounted hatch.

10. The toolbox of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one removable shelf disposed within the body.

11. The toolbox of claim 1, wherein the top surface further comprises:

a lifting top hatch.

2. A toolbox for use on a pickup truck having a cab profile, a rear view mirror, a third brake light and a bed, the bed having two side rails separated by a bed width, the bed side rails defining a bed volume therebetween, the toolbox comprising:

a body having a top surface, a height, a toolbox width, an undersurface, the undersurface having a rear-view tunnel dimensioned and configured to allow use of such rear view mirror and a plurality of feet disposed separated from one another by such bed width;

the plurality of feet being dimensioned and configured to mount atop such two side rails of such pickup truck bed whereby the toolbox is mounted on such pickup truck suspended above such bed and occupying no space within such bed volume;

a third brake light visibility feature.

3. The toolbox of claim 2, wherein the third brake light visibility feature further comprises:

a channel across the top surface, the channel dimensioned and configured to allow such third brake light of such pickup truck to be visible despite the presence of the toolbox.

4. The toolbox of claim 2, the pickup truck further having a power output for an auxiliary brake light, and further wherein the third brake light visibility feature further comprises:

an electrical connector to such power output, and at least one auxiliary brake light attached to the toolbox and powered by the electrical connector.

7. The toolbox of claim 2, further comprising:

a rear-view camera upon the body, the rear-view camera disposed so as to have a field of view similar to such rear view mirror.

12. The toolbox of claim 4, further comprising:

a bed illumination light attached to the toolbox and disposed so as to illuminate such bed of such pickup truck,

the bed illumination light also being attached powered by the electrical connector.